| Flight Officer William Armstrong | |
|---|---|
|
File:William Armstrong.jpg William Armstrong in 1944 | |
| Birth name | William Pickney Armstrong[1] |
| Nickname | Will |
| Born | October 30, 1924 |
| Died | April 1, 1945 (aged 20) |
| Place of birth | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Place of death | Austria |
| Buried at | Grace Church Cemetery in Providence |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1944-1945 |
| Rank | Flight Officer |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Awards |
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Flight Officer William Armstrong (Will) (October 30, 1924 - April 1, 1945) was a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. His plane was shot down on Easter Sunday in 1945 over Austria.[2] In 2018 he was inducted into the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame.[3]
Military service[]
World War II[]
The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."[N 1]
After his graduation (September 8, 1944) from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama he was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd fighter group in Ramitelli, Italy. Armstrong flew missions escorting bombers to targets in Nazi territory.[2][3]
On Easter Sunday April 1, 1945 he was among a group of Tuskegee airmen escorting bombers back to their base. The Tuskegee airmen were attacked by a group of German fighters and Amrstrong's plane was one of two American planes shot down. His body was not recovered.[2]
Dogfight[]
The Tuskegee Airmen had a successful mission escorting bombers on a bombing mission over St. Polten, Austria April 1, 1945. Returning to base, the American planes were attacked by German fighter planes. The Tuskegee airmen broke away to take on the German fighter planes. The Tuskegee airmen were able to shoot down 12 of the German fighter planes, but two P-51s were shot down. William Armstrong's plane was show and it crashed into the ground, his body was not recovered. Walter Manning was the other Tuskegee Airman who was shot down and he was able to deploy his parachute.[3]
Walter Manning was later captured and lynched in Austria.[5]
Recovery of his body[]
After the war his stepfather petitioned the military to keep searching for William Armstrong's body. The Military found his remains buried in a grave in Austria and his body was flown back to Rhode Island in 1950.[3]
Awards[]
- Air Medal[6]
- Purple Heart Medal[6]
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007) (posthumously)[7]
- Presidential Unit Citation[6]
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal[6]
Education[]
Personal life[]
He was born in Washington D.C. but he his mother Evelyn, and his sister Evelyn moved to Providence, Rhode Island where his grandfather lived. His mother married Nelson Venter.[3] The city of Providence has erected a memorial to Armstrong in Providence Rhode Island at the intersection of Dodge and Cranston streets.[8]
See also[]
Further reading[]
- The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949[9]
References[]
- ↑ "William Pickney "Will" Armstrong". Find A Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11092476/william-pickney-armstrong. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Profiles of Tuskegee Airmen: William Armstrong". CAF Red Tail Squadron. https://www.redtail.org/profiles-of-tuskegee-airmen-william-armstrong/. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "2/LT William P. Armstrong". RI Aviation Hall of Fame. 8 February 2018. https://riahof.org/field-of-accomplishment/civilian-aviation/minorities/2-lt-william-p-armstrong. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ↑ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
- ↑ Patterson, Brandon (27 May 2018). "Tuskegee Airman honored 73 years after being lynched in Austria". Detroit Free Press. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/05/27/tuskegee-airman-honored-easter-austria/549023002/. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "William P Armstrong". Honor States. https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=323435. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ↑ Rangel, Charles B. (April 11, 2006). "Tuskegee Airmen Gold Medal Signed Into Law". Press Release. United States House of Representatives. http://www.house.gov/list/press/ny15_rangel/CBRStatementTuskegeeBillSigned04112006.html. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ↑ Beale, Stephen (10 November 2010). "Tuskegee Airman to Be Honored Today". Providence News. https://www.golocalprov.com/news/tuskegee-airman-to-be-honored-today. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ↑ Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome A.; Haulman, Daniel Lee (2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. Montgomery: New South Books. p. 394. ISBN 978-1588382443. https://books.google.com/books?id=1qC51h8HrWQC&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=William+p.+Armstrong+tuskegee&source=bl&ots=fqUOF6utvy&sig=ACfU3U3ye8aDtvKrBfZazk2RioF7OM4LEw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwirvdPSiL7nAhUOV80KHbeGAe84FBDoATADegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=William%20p.%20Armstrong%20tuskegee&f=false. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
Notes[]
External links[]
- Tuskegee Airmen at Tuskegee University
- Tuskegee Airmen Archives at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
- Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
- Fly (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
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