The First Tuskegee Ace of WWII

Lt. Col. Lee Archer became the first African-American pilot to be an ace in the Air Force after shooting down his fifth enemy plane during WWII.  

Becoming an Ace

As a fighter pilot from the 302nd Fighter Squadron, Archer flew a total of 169 combat missions in the European Theatre, flying a P-39 Airacobra, P-51 Mustang, and the P-47 Thunderbolt. His first kill was on a Messerschmitt Bf 109 when he was flying over Memmingen, Germany.

Archer would be best remembered for fighting a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary for 10 minutes and managing to shoot down three Messerschmitt Bf 109s over Lake Balaton in Hungary.

He is also one of only four Tuskegee Airmen to achieve three aerial victories in a single day of combat. For his bravery, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Life After the War

After WWII, he also flew missions during the Korean War, became the headquarters chief of US Air Force Southern Command in Panama, and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1970.