Roger W Armstrong
MilitaryIWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Prisoner of War (POW) Crashed on 11/2/44 at Westeroden in B-17 #446093.
When Roger bailed out, he was greeted by the local German civilians, (who were very hostile), and they waved their pitch forks at him. Fortunately, German soldiers arrived and saved him from a potential altercation or harm.
Roger Armstrong later wrote a book about his wartime experiences, entitled 'USA The Hard Way', which was the name of the B-17 in which he and his crew were shot down (S/N 44-6093). He normally flew on the "Qualified Quail" (SN 42-97851), a B-17G with the 401st Squadron, 91st Bomber Group, starting 8th September 1944. The "Qualified Quail" was heavily damaged on the previous mission, and the crew was forced to switch aircraft for the November 2nd assault on Merseburg. The plane caught fire due to enemy flak, and the crew was forced to bail out. Armstrong was captured by German farmers, interrogated by officers of the Luftwaffe, and incarcerated at Stalag Luft 1. His book has since received high praise from historians of the period.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-761845
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA | 7 October 1922 | |
Enlisted |
Jefferson Barracks, 533 Grant Road, Saint Louis, MO 63125, États-Unis | 31 January 1943 | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Germany | 2 November 1944 | |
Died |
11 July 2002 |
Revisions
Biography edited to correct factual errors and add additional details, sourced from Roger Armstrong's book (USA The Hard Way). Previous version stated Armstrong as flying in a famous B-17, "Jub-Jub Bird" , which is incorrect. I believe this mistake might have occurred due to the fact that the "Jub-Jub Bird" was shot down on the same mission as was Armstrong (per USA The Hard Way).
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 91st Bomb Group related to the service of Roger Armstrong.
Biographical detail c/o Howard N Tanner, via American Air Museum Memory Book Correspondence.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 10141 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database