Flight Officer William Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 William Armstrong in 1944 | |
| Birth name | William Pickney Armstrong |
| Nickname | Will |
| Born | (1924-10-30)October 30, 1924 |
| Died | April 1, 1945(1945-04-01) (aged 20) |
| Buried | Grace Church Cemetery in Providence |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1944–1945 |
| Rank | Flight Officer |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Awards |
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Flight OfficerWilliam Armstrong (October 30, 1924 – April 1, 1945) † was a member of the famed group ofWorld War II-eraAfrican-Americans known as theTuskegee Airmen. His plane was shot down onEaster Sunday in 1945 over Austria.[1] In 2018 he was inducted into theRhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame.[2]
After his graduation (September 8, 1944) from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama he was assigned to the301st Fighter Squadron,332nd fighter group inRamitelli, Italy. Armstrong flew missions escorting bombers to targets in Nazi territory.[1][2]
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 Armstrong's plane was one of two American planes shot down. His body was not recovered.[1]
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. Armstrong's plane crashed into the ground, his body was not recovered.Walter Manning was able to deploy his parachute but was subsequently lynched.[2][4]
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.[2]
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.[2] The city of Providence has erected a memorial to Armstrong in Providence Rhode Island at the intersection of Dodge and Cranston streets.[7]
