I just remember Lt. Col. Alva Temple (USAF ret.) as the owner of a Gulf service station on Highway 69 just below its intersection with Yorkville Road. I wish I had known then what I know now, for I would have loved to have talked with him.
You see, during World War II he was Capt. Alva Temple, a Red-Tailed P-40 and later P-51 Mustang fighter pilot of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. During the war, Col. Temple flew 120 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was a true American hero.
Col. Temple was born in Carrollton, Alabama, and after graduating from high school attended first Alabama A&M and then Tuskegee Institute. He entered the Army Air Corps in 1942 at Tuskegee where he completed aviation cadet training, graduating in July 1943. His first assignment was as a pilot flying P-40 fighters in the all-black 332nd Fighter Group which arrived in Italy in January 1944. He was soon transferred to the also all-black 99th Fighter Squadron and flew his first combat mission in March 1944.
His first combat experience was flying close air support for the U.S. Fifth Army in Italy. The missions consisted of dive bombing and strafing German troops slowing the American advance through Italy. Encountering heavy German anti-aircraft fire, Temple’s plane was often damaged, but he always made it home.
In an interview with The Commercial Dispatch, Temple once commented: “I remember flying a mission at Anzio Beach. I had to dive bomb and it was real hot there because the Germans gave us a lot of opposition. We would come in at pretty low altitudes to drop our bombs. There were times when we could feel the concussion from the bombs we dropped.”
The bravery and skill of the Tuskegee Airmen flying P-40 fighters with red painted tails impressed both American and British commanders on the ground. After one period of heavy combat over the beach head at Anzio, U.S. General “Hap” Arnold officially commended the 99th saying: “The results of the 99th Fighter Squadron during the past two weeks, particularly since the Nettuno (near Anzio) landing, are very commendable. My best wishes for their continued success.”
An example of the skill and bravery of Alva Temple is found in Charles Francis’ book “The Tuskegee Airmen.” Describing an armed reconnaissance mission flown by pilots of the 99th on May 26, Francis wrote: “A third pilot, Lieut. Alva Temple, had his rudder shot out, elevators practically shot off and large holes ripped in his fuselage. In spite of these damages, Temple landed his plane safely at the base.”
In July 1944, the 99th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group. They continued to fly out of a base in Italy but were now extensively used as fighter escorts for B-24 and B-17 bombers penetrating deep into Germany and German occupied territory. They also had their older P-40 fighters replaced with the far better P-51 Mustangs.
The 332nd became known for losing far fewer escorted bombers to German fighters than other American Fighter Groups. The American bomber crews referred to all of the fighters that escorted and protected them as the “Little Friends.” As a result of the success of the 332nd Fighter Group, including the 99th Fighter Squadron in escorting and protecting a 15th Air Force bomber force on a 1600-mile bombing mission to Berlin, the group was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation.
Before Temple completed his 120 missions and returned to the United States in March 1945, he had been promoted to captain. He had also flown combat missions over Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Romania. He remained in the Air Force attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring. In 1949, he led the team from the 332nd Fighter Group at Lockbourne Air Force Base in the first Air Force National Gunnery (Top Gun) Meet at Las Vegas. They won!
After retiring, Col. Temple opened his Gulf station in Columbus and became prominent in local and statewide affairs, including serving as a commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources. He passed away in 2004, leaving a legacy of community service and of being a real American hero.
Talking with Steve Wallace today, he informed me that Easy Company’s Brad Freeman, whose World War II exploits read like the script of a Hollywood movie (and I guess you could say they are), has been invited to attend the official D-Day 75th Anniversary ceremonies in France and be on stage with President Trump, the president of France and probably Queen Elizabeth.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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