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

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Frank Alton Armstrong Jr. (1902-1969), was born in Hamilton, Martin County, N.C. He attended public school in Hobgood, N.C., and then received a law degree (1923) and a bachelor of science degree (1925) from Wake Forest University. He spent three years playing minor league baseball before he entered the Army Air Corps as a flying cadet (1928). In 1936 as a second lieutenant, he won the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing a heavily damaged bomber in Panama after ordering the crew to bail out. Armstrong witnessed the German blitz of England as a U.S. military observer in 1941. He returned to England in 1942 as commander of the VIIIth Bomber Command, and was soon promoted to colonel. In August 1942, he led the first U.S. Army Air Force daylight raid over Axis-held territory. This raid occurred over Rouen-Cotteville, France, and for his efforts, Armstrong received the Silver Star and an oak leaf cluster for the Distinguished Flying Cross. He also became the first U.S. officer to receive the British Flying Cross. As a brigadier general, Armstrong led the first American daylight bombing mission of Germany proper over Wilhelmshaven in 1943. Armstrong's experiences as a B-17 flyer during these missions formed the basis for the popular novel and film, Twelve O'Clock High. Armstrong briefly returned to the United States before being stationed in the Pacific in mid-1945. In the Pacific Theatre, Armstrong led the longest and last heavy-bomber raid over Japan from Guam to Honshu. Also in 1945, he led the first non-stop flight from Hokkaido, Japan to Washington, D.C. in a Boeing B-29. For his achievements in the Pacific, he was awarded an oak leaf cluster for the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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