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LOT #40226 |

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[Tuskegee Airmen]. Archive of Flight Officer James C. Ramsey of the 332nd Fighter Group, 302nd Fighter Control Squadron.

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The archive of a Red Tail pilot - lost in a fatal training collision in Italy

[Tuskegee Airmen]. Archive of Flight Officer James C. Ramsey of the 332nd Fighter Group, 302nd Fighter Control Squadron.

More than sixty pages of letters and documents related to "Red-Tail Angel" James Chapplear Ramsey's life and training in the Tuskegee Air Pilot Program from October 1942 to December 1944. Composed of handwritten lecture notes, drawn flight patterns, flight logs, training certifications, and a training manual for civil pilots. Also present are documents related to Ramsey's death on December 9, 1944, including the telegram notice of his death, his life insurance policy, and official correspondences regarding the settlement of his affairs.

Although Ramsey never saw combat, his archive offers a vivid portrait of a dedicated young airman advancing through one of the most esteemed and culturally significant pilot programs in American history. Despite the enduring legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, records detailing their training and deployment are scarce in the auction market. Ramsey's papers offer an exceptionally comprehensive view of a Tuskegee airman's experience, preserving not only his training and service but the full arc of his story.

Ramsey was born in 1922 in Augusta, Georgia, to James Ramsey and Carrie Chapplear. In January 1925, his parents opened a savings account in his name at the Penny Savings Loan and Investment Company, a Black-owned bank located in Augusta's thriving Black business district, later known as the "Golden Block." Founded in 1910, the bank played a vital role in the community but was unable to withstand the economic pressures leading up to the Great Depression and closed in 1928. Ramsey's Penny Savings passbook records deposits through January of that year, with a final balance of $6,617.

In 1941, Ramsey enrolled in Dillard University in New Orleans. He was just nineteen years old when the United States joined World War II. Soon after, he enrolled in the Tuskegee Air Pilot Program, beginning his training in 1942.

Ramsey's lecture notes and his drawn flight patterns evidence the well-rounded training of Tuskegee pilots. Their education extended well beyond aviation; Ramsey's notes include lectures on sociology and statistics, alongside lessons in flight maneuvers and aircraft controls. Tuskegee University began training Black aviators in 1939 under the Civilian Pilot Training Program, but it wasn't until 1941 that it initiated military flight instruction. At the time, widespread skepticism about the capabilities of Black pilots persisted, but as the demands of World War II grew, those prejudices were increasingly outweighed by military necessity. Even so, the requirements for admission to the program were extremely rigorous, and the pilots were held to the highest standards. As Airman Coleman Young later recalled in 1981: "They made the standards so damn high, we actually became an elite group... We were unquestionably the brightest and most physically fit young blacks in the country." (Studs Terkel, American Dreams: Lost and Found.)

In addition to his notes, the archive contains a black-and-white photo, measuring 5 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, presumably of Ramsey in sunglasses, posing with a rifle in front of a tent. There is also a metal kodak film magazine, measuring 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 3/4 inches, with film enclosed. The front reads, "This Magazine is the Property of the U.S. Government."

Ramsey's earliest flight logs are dated November 1943, when he began training with a PT-17. He had logged 209 hours and 25 minutes in the cockpit when he graduated and gained his wings on May 23, 1944. He was subsequently assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, 302nd Fighter Control Squadron, and transferred to Walterboro, South Carolina, in July 1944.

On July 31, Ramsey wrote to his mother, checking in with his family and asking for books, a tooth brush, and "the funny paper." In part: "Dear Momma / I received your letter, thank you for the box and money. Daddy wrote me today he said enclosed I will find a dollar but I couldn't find it the letter looked as if it had been opened...Look in my writing desk and you will see three boxing and wrestling books. I need a tooth brush...Please send me the funny paper of the Sunday American yesterday."

Ramsey's training continued in South Carolina for four months. On July 28, Ramsey completed his P-47 transmission test with a score of 100%, and, according to his flight logs, he continued to train with these planes through October. It was also during this time that Ramsey began working on his "POM Qualifications," or "Preparation for Overseas Movement." His records show that he completed 110 hours of POM training, practicing night flying, aerial gunnery, dive bombing, and low level bombing. On October 20, 1944, he completed this training and was transferred to Ramitelli Air Field in Italy to continue preparing for combat.

Now in Italy, Ramsey's final flight log begins December 6, 1944, recording that he began flying the iconic aircraft of the Tuskegee Airmen: the P-51 Mustang. The 332nd Fighter Group famously gained the moniker "Red Tails," or "Red Tail Angels," due to the distinctive red paint they applied to the tails of their Mustangs. Today, the memory of the 332nd is kept alive by the Red Tail Squadron, a wing of the non-profit Commemorative Air Force, which restores, maintains, and flies Red Tail Mustangs. In the few days before his death, Ramsey piloted a Mustang four times. The flight log ends December 8, 1944-the day before he was killed in a mid-air collision with fellow Tuskegee Airman Earl Burton Highbaugh in the course of a routine training flight.

On December 20, 1944, Ramsey's mother received news of his death via telegram. In full: "THE SECRETARY OF WAR ASKS THAT I ASSURE YOU OF HIS DEEP SYMPATHY IN THE LOSS OF YOUR SON FLIGHT OFFICER JAMES C RAMSEY REPORT RECEIVED STATES HE WAS KILLED NINE DECEMBER IN ITALY LETTER FOLLOWS."

The follow up letter, sent by the Adjutant General's Office on December 22, reads in part: "It is with regret that I write you confirming the telegram of recent date which informed you of the death of your son, Flight Officer James C. Ramsey...the official casualty report states that your son was killed as a result of planes colliding midair while on a local training mission...I realize there is little which may be said or done at this time to lessen your sorrow but it is my hope that in time you may find sustaining comfort in the knowledge that he died while serving his country." The original transmittal cover for this letter is also included.

Because of the ongoing war, Ramsey was temporarily interred in Italy. The archive contains a small booklet titled "Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead," explaining the procedure for retrieving a loved one's remains.

In February 1945, his mother attempted to claim his life insurance from the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, but received a letter stating: "MILITARY OR NAVAL SERVICE IN TIME OF WAR IS A RISK NOT ASSUMED UNDER THIS POLICY...Our check 19382 for $40 plus 30¢ advanced premiums represents full settlement in keeping with the facts and policy provisions." The company also forwarded a copy of Ramsey's policy alongside the letter, stamped "DEAD" across the front in purple ink.

Ramsey's body was finally returned to the United States in 1948. Following his funeral, he was buried in Southview Cemetery in Augusta.

A brief inventory of the archive is as follows: Sixty-six pages of documents, letters, and notes produced during Ramsey's time in the Tuskegee Air Pilot Program; a black-and-white photograph, presumably of Ramsey; a metal Kodak film cartridge with film enclosed; nine pages of documents related to Ramsey's death; "Penny Savings Bank" passbook; booklet titled "Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead"; civil pilot's training manual; 5 original transmittal covers.

Condition: All paper items are toned with expected folds. General wear and scattered staining throughout, but pages are generally in good condition and legible. Dampstaining to the covers of the Penny Savings Bank pocketbook. The film magazine has several areas of rust, but can still be easily opened and closed. We cannot determine the integrity of the enclosed film.

Reference: Studs Terkel, American Dreams: Lost and Found (New York: Pantheon Books, 1980), page 394.