World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseCharles Alfred Anderson was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States to Iverson and Janie Anderson in 1907.

ww2dbaseInterested in flying since a small child, Anderson searched for a flight instructor in his early 20s, but was met with rejections due to the color of his skin. He instead attended aviation ground school and learned aircraft mechanics. Shortly after, combining his own savings and loans from friends and family, he purchased a Velie Monocoupe aircraft, and taught himself how to fly. He befriended white prospective pilot Russell Thaw, who rented Anderson's Monocoupe to receive flying instructions, to gain flying experience, and ultimately to earn his pilot certification. Meanwhile, Thaw passed instructions he received on to Anderson. Thaw and Anderson also flew together cross-country. Anderson finally found a white pilot who would train him, German pilot Ernest H. Buehl who was in the United States as an airmail consultant, and as a result Anderson earned his air transport pilot's license from the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Feb 1932. He was the first African American to receive that certification. Later in the same year, he married Gertrude Nelson, with whom he would eventually have two sons; after the birth of his first son, who also took the name of Charles, he added the suffix Senior (Sr.) to his name. In Jul 1933, he met black physician Dr. Albert Forsythe, who also wished to see more African Americans in the field of aviation. To do so, Anderson and Forsythe began by making a name of themselves by becoming the first black airmen to fly across the United States from coast to coast, among other firsts. In Sep 1938, he was hired by the private and historically black Howard University in Washington, District of Columbia, United States as a flight instructor for the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1940, he was hired by the Tuskegee Institute, another historically black school, in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States to serve as the Chief Civilian Flight Instructor for the nascent Army Civilian Pilot Training Program. At Tuskegee, his students called him "Chief", and it became a nickname that would remain with him for the rest of his life. On 11 Apr 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt toured the children's hospital at Tuskegee Institute, noticed several aircraft in flight, and asked to meet the chief instructor. "I'm just going to have a take flight with you," she told Anderson amidst protests from her security detail, and Anderson obliged the First Lady. The resulting 40-minute flight was later named "The Flight That Changed History", for that it showed the wife of US President Franklin Roosevelt had full confidence in the aviation experiment at Tuskegee. In Jun 1941, he was selected by the US Army as Tuskegee's Ground Commander and Chief Instructor for aviation cadets of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first American all-black pursuit squadron. The pilots he trained at Tuskegee would later join the 332nd Fighter Group, nicknamed "The Red Tails", scoring many kills during the European War and receiving numerous awards.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Anderson continued to provide training, to both black and white students, at Moton Field in Tuskegee. In 1951, he trained cadets in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs of the US Army and the US Air Force. He also maintained aircraft and sold aircraft in the civilian sector. In 1967, he co-founded the non-profit organization Negro Airmen International (NAI), which, among other activities, established a summer flight academy for young aspiring pilots. He remained an active instructor until the age of 82 in 1989. He passed away from cancer in Apr 1996 in Tuskegee. Anderson was later honored with the title "Father of Black Aviation."

Photographs

C. Alfred Anderson Timeline