The Man Called Brown Condor: The Forgotten History of an African American Fighter Pilot

by Thomas E. Simmons

Overview

How did a black child, growing up in segregationist Mississippi during the early 1900s, become the commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Corps during the brutal Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935? In this gripping, never-before-told tale, biographer Thoma

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620872178
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	02/07/2013
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Thomas E. Simmons grew up in Mississippi and attended the Marion Military Institute, the U. S. Naval Academy, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Alabama. He served as commercial captain of a seventy-foot sailing vessel, has been a pilot since the age of sixteen, has flown professionally, and participated in air shows flying aerobatics in open-cockpit biplanes. In 1960, he served as an artillery officer in Korea. He and his wife live in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Table of Contents

Map ix

Chapter 1 Africa, 1954 1

Chapter 2 Mississippi, 1910 9

Chapter 3 Northbound 19

Chapter 4 Taste the Wind 29

Chapter 5 Chicago, 1927 55

Chapter 6 But Will It Fly? 61

Chapter 7 A Twenty-Dollar Bet 71

Chapter 8 Hummingbird 85

Chapter 9 Tall Tree, Short Cotton 89

Chapter 10 A World Away 101

Chapter 11 Lonely Voyage 109

Chapter 12 Marseilles 115

Chapter 13 Train From Djibouti 123

Chapter 14 Addis Ababa, 1935 131

Chapter 15 Rocks in the Clouds 143

Chapter 16 Audience with the Emperor 151

Chapter 17 Gathered at the River, 1935 159

Chapter 18 Dogs and Rabbits 177

Chapter 19 A Lonely War 191

Chapter 20 Sportsmen and Warriors 201

Chapter 21 Stranger to Peace 213

Chapter 22 Reluctant Hero 221

Chapter 23 Toward Home 233

Chapter 24 Gulfport, 1936 245

Chapter 25 Hard Choices 259

Chapter 26 Once More to Africa 271

Epilogue 285

Acknowledgments 289

Bibliography 292

Editorial Reviews

Simmons spent over 20 years researching the remarkable life of John D. Robinson, who rose from segregationist Mississippi to become a distinguished pilot, founder of the Tuskegee Institute's school of aviation, a bold defender of Ethiopia during the 1935 Italian invasion, and, finally, founder of the Ethiopian Air Force.

Library Journal

The forgotten history of John Charles Robinson (1903–1954), a pioneer African-American aviator and educator. Simmons (Forgotten Heroes of World War II, 2002, etc.) brings to life Robinson's inspiring struggle against racism through the story of how he rose to become the commander of Haile Selassie's air force in Ethiopia's attempt to defend itself against Mussolini's brutal invasion. The author traces how Robinson, a Tuskegee-educated auto mechanic, could not find employment up to his skill level in Gulfport, Miss., where he grew up. He left for Detroit to work as a mechanic but had to confront the prejudice that black men and aviation could not mix. He moved on again to Chicago, where he mastered aviation mechanics by auditing classes while employed as the office cleaner. When he couldn't afford a plane, members of the flying club he set up helped him to make one. Robinson's qualities were eventually recognized by the Curtiss-Wright aviation business. He organized flight schools and worked on a project to establish an aviation program at the Tuskegee Institute. Returning to America to a hero's welcome after fighting Mussolini, Robinson was able to awaken the public to what the country would need to do to fight its likely German and Italian enemies in the coming war. Simmons documents how Robinson again overcame prejudice working to develop the engineering and technical infrastructure that supported the segregated black units in World War II. Robinson's determination to succeed helped make the bomber escort units known as the Tuskegee Red Tails possible. He returned to Ethiopia after Mussolini's occupation to help rebuild the country's air service. An inspiring affirmation that celebrates the old adage that where there's a will, there's a way, even against seemingly impossible odds.

Kirkus Reviews

“[Robinson’s] lifelong triumph over adversity belongs to the greatest of American success stories.” —Peter Hannaford, Washington Times

“The story of John C. Robinson, born in segregated Mississippi at the turn of the century, and his remarkable story of not just becoming a pilot but rising to become the commander of the Ethiopian Air Force during the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935.” —Publishers Weekly

“Simmons spent over 20 years researching the remarkable life of John D. Robinson, who rose from segregationist Mississippi to become a distinguished pilot, founder of the Tuskegee Institute’s school of aviation, a bold defender of Ethiopia during the 1935 Italian invasion, and, finally, founder of the Ethiopian Air Force.” —Library Journal

“An inspiring affirmation that celebrates the old adage that where there’s a will, there’s a way, even against seemingly impossible odds.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[Robinson’s] lifelong triumph over adversity belongs to the greatest of American success stories.” —Peter Hannaford, Washington Times

“The story of John C. Robinson, born in segregated Mississippi at the turn of the century, and his remarkable story of not just becoming a pilot but rising to become the commander of the Ethiopian Air Force during the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935.” —Publishers Weekly

“Simmons spent over 20 years researching the remarkable life of John D. Robinson, who rose from segregationist Mississippi to become a distinguished pilot, founder of the Tuskegee Institute’s school of aviation, a bold defender of Ethiopia during the 1935 Italian invasion, and, finally, founder of the Ethiopian Air Force.” —Library Journal

“An inspiring affirmation that celebrates the old adage that where there’s a will, there’s a way, even against seemingly impossible odds.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher