P-40 Warhawks in January 1942. The 100th Pursuit Squadron was activated at Tuskegee on 19 February 1942. It was the second African-American Army Air Forces unit ever to be activated. The first class of African-American pilots at Tuskegee completed advanced pilot training on 7 March. There were only five who completed the training. On 17 April the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Tuskegee Army Air Field was redesignated as Tuskegee Advanced Flying School. The second class of African-American pilots graduated from flying training on 29 April. By the end of 1942, nine classes of African-American pilots had completed training at Tuskegee AAF. On 13 October 1942 the 332d Fighter Group was activated at Tuskegee, and the pre-existing 100th Fighter Squadron was assigned to it. The 301st and 302d Fighter Squadrons were also activated for the first time at Tuskegee, and assigned to the 332d Fighter Group. This group was the first African-American group in the Army Air Forces. On 23 March 1943, the group departed Tuskegee for Selfridge Field, Michigan, where they received air combat training by First Air Force and eventually were deployed overseas for combat operations in Italy. Twin-engine training commenced at Tuskegee in 1943, at first using the AT-10. The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields described Tuskegee AAF as having a 5,000' hard-surface runway. As constructed during World War II, Tuskegee AAF consisted of four asphalt runways (the longest being 5,200'), taxiways, a ramp, and a large number of buildings north of the field. The AT-10 twin-engine trainer was replaced at Tuskegee by the TB-25 Mitchell in 1945. The last pilot class graduated at Tuskegee in 1946, bringing the total number of pilots trained at the base to 992. Tuskegee AAF was inactivated in 1946, and the property reverted to the town of Tuskegee. Many of the base's buildings were moved into the town, and two of the hangars were relocated. Postwar use Although the 1962 Birmingham Sectional Chart depicted Sharpe Field as having 4 paved runways (with the longest being 5,000'), the Aerodromes table included the remark "North/South only usable runway." Sharpe Field was reopened as a civilian airport at some point between 1945 and 1962, as that is how it was listed in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory. Sharpe Field was described as having a single 5,000' asphalt Runway 18/36, and the operator was listed as Sharpe Aviation Service. The Tuskegee airfield was