THE Red Tails were the first ever unit of African American airmen whose heroic achievements in the Second World War have just been immortalised on celluloid by George Lucas.
One of the P-51 D Mustangs flown by the unit, or so-called Tuskegee Airmen, and used during the filming of the Red Tails movie is currently housed in Hangar 11 in North Weald Airfield.
It is part of the collection of vintage aircraft belonging Peter Teichman, 48, who, pursuing a passion for classic planes he has had since childhood, bought the scarlet tailed Mustang ten years ago.
“Previously African American were only allowed to work as engineers in the US Air Force before President Roosevelt allowed black guys to become pilots and the Tuskegee Airmen were formed,” said Mr Teichman.
“They became some of the most decorated members of the US armed forces and flew numerous raids over Germany, Italy and Czechoslovakia.
“The Mustangs are awesome planes and there is a story that when Goebbels saw them flying over Berlin he said ‘the game is over.’ “
“The Spitfire is a more intuitive plane to fly but the Mustang is a long range fighter, it powerful and brutal and is one step away from the jet age."
The Red Tails movie was shot in Europe over 2009 and is due to be released this year.
“We filmed in the Czech Republic in a defunct Russian war base. It was a huge set,” said Mr Teichman.
“We met two of the fighter aces who had been members of the Red Tails on set. They were incredible guys, one of them had been to President Obama’s inauguration. It was very moving for them to see the planes up there in action again.”
After buying the Mustang Mr Teichman went on to add to the collection a Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain and one of the few surviving Hawker Hurricane fighters in the world that is still able to fly.
Mr Teichman and his aircraft regularly take place in aviation shows across Europe and the planes can often be seen soaring over their base in North Weald Airfield, which was a Royal Air Force base during the Second World War.
He said that behind each air display or film appearance lies hours of painstaking restoration work, with the planes taken in to the hangar for repairs every winter.
“The most important thing is that they look as they did when they were on their last mission,” said Mr Teichman.
“It is very emotional for some of the older generation to see the planes and there are often tearful eyes.
“They are old ladies now and we like to keep good care of them.
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