Armstrong, Frank A. (Frank Alton), 1902-1969

Frank Alton Armstrong (1902-1969) was born in Hamilton, Martin County, NC, and entered the Army Air Corps as a flying cadet in 1928. In 1941, as a U.S. military observer, he witnessed the German blitz of England. He returned to England in 1942 as commander of the 8th Bomber Command, which he led in the first USAAF raid over Axis territory. As a brigadier general, Armstrong led the bombing mission on Wilhelmshaven, the first American daylight bombing of Germany proper. His experiences as a B-17 flyer during these missions formed the basis for the popular novel and film, Twelve o'clock high. In the Pacific theatre, Armstrong led the longest and last heavy bomber raid over Japan. After World War II, he served as Pacific Air chief-of-staff, senior air instructor at the Armed Forces Staff College, and commander-in-chief of the Alaskan Air Command. He pioneered two record-breaking transatlantic flights.

Born in Hamilton, Martin County, N.C., Frank A. Armstrong entered the Army Air Corps as a flying cadet in 1928. In 1941, as a U.S. military observer, he witnessed the German blitz of England. He returned to England in 1942 as commander of the 8th Bomber Command, which he led in the first USAAF raid over Axis territory. As a brigadier general, Armstrong led the bombing mission on Wilhelmshaven, the first American daylight bombing of Germany proper. His experiences as a B-17 flyer during these missions formed the basis for the novel and film, "Twelve O'clock High." In the Pacific theatre, Armstrong led the longest and last heavy bomber raid over Japan. After World War II, he served as Pacific Air chief-of-staff, senior air instructor at the Armed Forces Staff College, and commander-in-chief of the Alaskan Air Command. He pioneered two record-breaking transatlantic flights.