Walter Manning

2nd Lieutenant Walter Manning (May 3, 1920 - April 3, 1945) was a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He flew 50 missions, and was awarded the Air Medal for heroism 6 times. In 1945 he was shot down and captured in Austria: he was subsequently lynched by a mob. He was Posthumously awarded the congressional Gold Medal in 2007. Manning is the only known black man to have been lynched in Austria during World War II.

World War II


In 1942 Manning was rejected for military service because of a hammer toe. Manning used his savings to pay for surgery to repair his toe so that he could enlist. In 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Force. in 1944, after graduation he was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd fighter Group with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He served as a pilot and his base was Ramitelli Air Base, Italy.

Dogfight
Manning was involved in a dogfight with Nazi planes on Easter morning April 1, 1945 over the Danube River. Tuskegee airmen escorted B-24 bombers on a bombing mission to St. Polten, Austria. On the return trip to their base at Ramitelli Air Field in Italy, the group spotted enemy planes near Wels, Austria. There were 7 Tuskegee Airmen flying the mission that day and they engaged the German planes. The Tuskegee Airmen shot down 12 German planes in the dogfight. However three of the Tuskegee Airmen's planes were shot down: one pilot was able to make crash-land in friendly territory, one was killed outright when he was shot down and the third pilot was Manning: his plane was damaged so badly that he had to bail out. He ejected, and parachuted into a waiting mob.

Lynching
On April 3, 1945, Manning was captured and jailed in Austria: He was held in a jail at a Nazi Luftwaffe Air Force base. A gang of white citizens broke into the jailhouse and tied Manning's hands behind his back. They dragged Manning outside and beat him badly. They hung a wooden tablet around his neck that read "We help ourselves! The Werewolf," and they hanged him from a lamp post.

Awards

 * Air Medal for heroism with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters,
 * European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (EAME)
 * Purple Heart Medal.
 * Congressional Gold Medal (2007) (posthumously)

Education

 * Attended Howard University
 * Tuskegee Institute (1944)

Personal life
Manning was born in Baltimore Maryland but grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He loved swimming and growing up he always wanted to fly planes. He was engaged to Dicey Thomas before he left for war.