The Lone Ranger spends half his time, if not most of his time, explaining to everyone he meets that just because he is wearing a mask doesn't mean he's a "bad guy." You would think he would get tired of explaining it, and, with his incredible ingenuity (demonstrated in every episode) dream up another disguise, perhaps a beard. Of course the mask makes him look like a hero to the thousands of young fans. They wouldn't flock to see some bearded gentleman cavorting on a silver stallion. So, I suppose there was method in their madness.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Red Tails
(2012)
Get the facts straight, please
30 January 2012
"the other side of the story"...........
The entire story about the movie "Red Tails" is mostly fabrication. I am not sure that they flew the P-51 Mustangs as shown in the movie. Again history is rewritten for the sake of political correctness.
WE ALL LIKE GOOD STORIES & FILMS...... WE ALL DESERVE ACCURATE, HISTORICAL FILMS..........!
The George Lucas film, "Red Tails", about the Tuskegee airmen, will be released in January (NOTE: released Jan. 20, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/). This might be a good time to revisit the facts as stated a few years ago.
From: Bob Powell
Date: July 3, 2008
This letter was not written for publication, but to enlighten you and you and your staff about some of the errors and misleading information you continue to publish, Perhaps it should be published to set your readers straight. As a WWII Historian and former 8th AF fighter pilot flying 87 missions over Europe during WWII, I am dedicated to factual reporting about the air war in Europe and aviation in general, and I take issue with the media (and not with just (Atlanta Journal Constitution Newspaper "AJC") continuing to publish untrue and/or misleading statements about the Tuskegee Airmen (T/A). Although I have great respect for the pilots and achievements of this WWII Fighter Group, I do not appreciate the continuing repetition of myths and untruths about their military record, the latest example in the obit on Lt. Col Charles Dryden in today's paper, repeating the same errors which appeared in his obit story a few days ago.
For more than 60 years the myth that they "never lost a bomber they were escorting to an enemy fighter", was their primary claim to fame! Then, several months ago, their Historian, William E. Holten, announced that his research proved that this was not true, that they had, indeed, lost some 25 bombers to enemy fighters. This myth still gets published occasionally, but far less frequently since he made this disclosure, thank goodness. Lies told often enough tend to become truths in the minds of many. However, it now seems to have been replaced by another false claim, i. e. that the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 combat missions. ALSO NOT TRUE!
Their own official records indicate that the T/A only flew 311 missions. Their so-called 15,000 "missions" were actually 15,000 "sorties." Apparently, none of your reporters know the difference between a "mission" and a "sortie," so let me define these for you and them. Combat Mission is an assigned flight to accomplish a military objective. This can be flown by one pilot or a squadron or group of pilots flying together. It is recorded as one mission. Combat Sortie. When, for example, 48 or 64 pilots fly together on a combat mission it is recorded as 48 or 64 combat sorties. The T/A did not fly 15,000+ combat missions - as stated in your articles about the demise of Col. Charles Dryden. They flew 15,000+ "sorties". To have flown that many "missions" during the time they were in combat in the MTO, they would have had to fly about 25 missions a day everyday they were in combat. Do the math. That's one mission every hour, everyday they were in combat. Impossible! Weather alone would have prevented this, not to mention the problem of keeping all of their aircraft flyable everyday over that period of time. FACT: Their official records indicate they flew only 311 missions, a far cry from 15,000 claimed. Please advise your reporters of the difference between a mission and a sortie so that another T/A myth is not appearing in every mention this Fighter group.
(for rest of letter, email heesendr@gmail.com)
Most sincerely,
Robert H. Powell, Jr.
Author/Editor/Historian/Pilot 352nd Fighter Group
1545 Rainier Falls Dr
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-636-3747
The entire story about the movie "Red Tails" is mostly fabrication. I am not sure that they flew the P-51 Mustangs as shown in the movie. Again history is rewritten for the sake of political correctness.
WE ALL LIKE GOOD STORIES & FILMS...... WE ALL DESERVE ACCURATE, HISTORICAL FILMS..........!
The George Lucas film, "Red Tails", about the Tuskegee airmen, will be released in January (NOTE: released Jan. 20, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/). This might be a good time to revisit the facts as stated a few years ago.
From: Bob Powell
Date: July 3, 2008
This letter was not written for publication, but to enlighten you and you and your staff about some of the errors and misleading information you continue to publish, Perhaps it should be published to set your readers straight. As a WWII Historian and former 8th AF fighter pilot flying 87 missions over Europe during WWII, I am dedicated to factual reporting about the air war in Europe and aviation in general, and I take issue with the media (and not with just (Atlanta Journal Constitution Newspaper "AJC") continuing to publish untrue and/or misleading statements about the Tuskegee Airmen (T/A). Although I have great respect for the pilots and achievements of this WWII Fighter Group, I do not appreciate the continuing repetition of myths and untruths about their military record, the latest example in the obit on Lt. Col Charles Dryden in today's paper, repeating the same errors which appeared in his obit story a few days ago.
For more than 60 years the myth that they "never lost a bomber they were escorting to an enemy fighter", was their primary claim to fame! Then, several months ago, their Historian, William E. Holten, announced that his research proved that this was not true, that they had, indeed, lost some 25 bombers to enemy fighters. This myth still gets published occasionally, but far less frequently since he made this disclosure, thank goodness. Lies told often enough tend to become truths in the minds of many. However, it now seems to have been replaced by another false claim, i. e. that the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 combat missions. ALSO NOT TRUE!
Their own official records indicate that the T/A only flew 311 missions. Their so-called 15,000 "missions" were actually 15,000 "sorties." Apparently, none of your reporters know the difference between a "mission" and a "sortie," so let me define these for you and them. Combat Mission is an assigned flight to accomplish a military objective. This can be flown by one pilot or a squadron or group of pilots flying together. It is recorded as one mission. Combat Sortie. When, for example, 48 or 64 pilots fly together on a combat mission it is recorded as 48 or 64 combat sorties. The T/A did not fly 15,000+ combat missions - as stated in your articles about the demise of Col. Charles Dryden. They flew 15,000+ "sorties". To have flown that many "missions" during the time they were in combat in the MTO, they would have had to fly about 25 missions a day everyday they were in combat. Do the math. That's one mission every hour, everyday they were in combat. Impossible! Weather alone would have prevented this, not to mention the problem of keeping all of their aircraft flyable everyday over that period of time. FACT: Their official records indicate they flew only 311 missions, a far cry from 15,000 claimed. Please advise your reporters of the difference between a mission and a sortie so that another T/A myth is not appearing in every mention this Fighter group.
(for rest of letter, email heesendr@gmail.com)
Most sincerely,
Robert H. Powell, Jr.
Author/Editor/Historian/Pilot 352nd Fighter Group
1545 Rainier Falls Dr
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-636-3747
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