BTW you moron,my comment was in response to the thread title which was "White Americans So Freaking Stupid".I didn't call misterno a racist you fucking idiot
Bold emphasis mine. The Air Force Historian analyzed 5 of the 33 escort missions of the 332nd and counted 25 bomber losses, that was the source of the number 25. After that he loooked at 3 more missions and came up with 7 possibles. Out of 8 missions analyzed we have 25-32 lost bombers. The other 25 missions were not analyzed. It is safe to say that more bombers were lost on those 25 missions. 25 is not an accurate number, it is probably more like 50-100 if all missions were analyzed.
A clear picture is emerging about the myth and folklore of the 332nd. when did the myth start? So 25 is possible, but not probable. In any event they flew 311 missions, not 200 but if you consider that for most of their missions they encounteed no enemy fighters or were escorting no bombers then 200 might seem reasonable. I'm sure that as the pilots of the other fighter groups grew older they became more irritated at the misrepresentation of the 332nd since it was insulting to all the others who had given so much. I think they were also mad that the members of the 332nd didn't seem to be doing anything to stop the mythology. Therefore the Air Force ordered an investigation. The number 25 was probably politically satisfying to all parties and end of story as far as research. If the 332nd had been white, they would have bene buried in the history books since their combat record was good, but not so good as to really stand out. They were black, that was the story, period. A good story worth telling but it can't be just that as we are seeing today.
terribly sad, we won't get an honest dialoge in our lifetime, all we'll get is the same old blame-guilt-excuse dynamic. no solutions on the horizon