I think they started with P47 but ended flying P51s.
I also seem to remember they never lost any bomber they were escorting.
There is a reference to “squeak clean”, personally I don’t think any fly boys in WWII were squeaky clean.
They began flying P-40 Warhawks. The P-40 was utilized heavily as a fighter-bomber in the Meditteranean Theater. I don't think P-47's were ever used there.
I also seem to remember they never lost any bomber they were escorting.
A legend fabricated by a newspaper story in Chicago. In fact the day the article came out they lost at least 1 bomber in air-to-air.
Not being critical, just realistic. Besides when you are losing so many bombers each mission to enemy AAA fire, this statistic fades a bit in importance.
Fighter pilots didn't really want to do "close-escort" missions. They'd rather range ahead of the bombers and mix it up with the enemy interceptors. Close-escort was a "sh*t detail". The bomber crews fealt reassured, but Adolf Galland would tell you how helpless you were to diving enemy fighters making a high-angle pass.
The Tuskeegee program also created a couple of bomber groups. But we never seem to hear anything about them. Pity.
The original 99th started with P-40s. The 100th, 301st and 302nd started with P-39s but transitioned to P-47s early in 1944, along with the 99th. All four squadrons which were then part of the 332nd Fighter Group, converted to P-51B/Cs and Ds in June of 1944.
The "not lost a bomber" is a legend recently torn up on the History channel. Another source:
Alan Gropman interviewed General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., years after World War II, and specifically asked him if the “never lost a bomber” statement were true. General Davis replied that he questioned the statement, but that it had been repeated so many times people were coming to believe it"
http://www.tuskegee.edu/sites/www/Uploads/files/About%20US/Airmen/Nine_Myths_About_the_Tuskegee_Airmen.pdf