Red Tails is the 2012 war movie directed by Anthony Hemingway (The Wire, Battlestar Galactica) starring Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr, with Bryan Cranston and Gerald McRaney. Executive Producer George Lucas had long been an aviation buff (as demonstrated in Star Wars) and had wanted to make a film about the Tuskegee Airmen for years, but was unable to secure funding due to difficulty of marketing films with predominantly black casts to white and international audiences. Lucas selected director Hemingway after seeing his work on The Wire, and along with casting director Alexa L. Fogel, also of The Wire, selected many veterans from that show to fill out the cast. For Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr, this was their second turns as Tuskegee Airmen, having starred in Hart's War and HBO's The Tuskegee Airmen, respectively.
The following weapons were used in the film Red Tails:
The Browning M2 Aircraft heavy machine gun appears in the film as the primary armament of US Army Air Force bombers.
Browning M2 Aircraft (Fixed)
American P-40 and P-51 fighters are armed with fixed Browning M2 Aircraft machine guns.
MG131 Machine Gun
MG131 machine guns appear in the film as the primary armament of German Messerschmitt Me-109G fighters. Because it was much larger than the MG17, the MG131 required bulges in the engine cowling, which can be seen below.
MG 151/20 cannon
The Me-109Gs in the film are also armed with MG151/20 cannons, seen in the underwing gondolas.
MK 108 cannon
The German Me-262 jets are armed with four MK 108 cannons in the nose. Me-109s were also armed with a single MK 108 Motorkanone firing through the propeller hub. Tests verified that only four hits from an MK 108 were necessary to take down a bomber. With an Me-262, that's a single salvo.
Small Arms
M1911A1
The pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group carry M1911A1 pistols as part of their flight gear.
Luger P08
The German officer (Richard Conti) at the prison camp draws what may be a Luger P08 when he discovers the escape.
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand is also one of the weapons carried by American troops storming a beach. German troops are also seen armed with them.
Karabiner 98k
German forces are seen using the Karabiner 98k to fire at the American planes.
A Browning M1919A4 is seen when the American troops land on the beach. A German Ju-87 dive bomber also appears to have one in lieu of an MG15 machine gun.
MG34 machine guns are seen in twin mounts at the German airbase.
Kampfpistole Z
An American airman signals from a control tower with a Kampfpistole Z.
Other
20mm FlaK 38
Germans troops are seen firing 20mm FlaK 38 anti-aircraft guns.
8.8cm FlaK 36
An 8.8cm heavy anti-aircraft / anti tank gun can be seen as American P-40s attack an air base. This appears to have a two-piece FlaK 36 barrel, though it is unclear which model of gun cradle it is using.
PLDvK vzor 53
The German cruiser, which is referred to a destroyer in the film, defends itself with PLDvK vzor 53 AA guns. The PLDvK vzor 53 is a land-based Czechoslovakian 30mm AA gun.
Trivia
CZ-75B
Ne-Yo, who plays "Smokey," fires a CZ-75B during a boot camp featurette.
Prop AA guns
Prop AA guns are part of the German airfield defenses.
Faux B-17F
Most of the CGI B-17s in the film were of the G-model, including some with the Bendix chin turret removed and plated over to portray F-models.