James Armstrong was born in Bradenton, Florida and attended high school there [Annotator's Note: he doesn't specify his date of birth]. After high school graduation, he attended Georgia Tech University and was a sophomore when the attack on Pearl Harbor took place. He finished his sophomore year and attempted to volunteer for the Air Force, having been heavily influenced by a friend's father, an instructor pilot with the Civil Air Patrol [Annotator's Note: the civilian auxiliary of the Air Force]. Failing his first physical exam due to high blood pressure, he returned home and worked for his father, who was a plumber. When the age limit for Air Force cadets was lowered, he re-applied and passed both the physical and mental entrance requirements. Enlisting on 21 January 1942, he was sent to Maxwell Field, Alabama for his initial training. Following that, his class, designated 42K as the last class in 1942, was sent to Bainbridge, Georgia for Basic Flight Training. He flew the BT-13 Vultee [Annotator's Note: Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic trainer aircraft] during this phase. Completing this phase, he next went to Columbus, Mississippi for advanced multi-engine training in the AT-9, AT-10, and AT-17 [Annotator's Note: Curtis-Wright AT-9 Jeep, Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita, and Cessna AT-17 Bobcat trainer aircraft respectively] aircraft. Successfully completing this phase, he was awarded his wings [Annotator's Note: military insignia identifying pilots and other aircrew] and a commission as a second lieutenant. After commissioning, in December 1942, he went to Sebring, Florida where he was assigned to Hendricks Field for B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] transition training. At first apprehensive about flying the B-17 due to the manner in which it landed, he finished this training and was sent first to Salt Lake City, Utah, and then to Gowen Field outside of Boise, Idaho, where he would train with a B-17 crew.

James Armstrong was assigned to Gowen Field outside of Boise, Idaho, where he began to train with his crew. He remembers the B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] as an easy-to-fly, very stable aircraft. He recalls that the training did not include enough formation flying, nor any training on bailing out. One of the instructors at the base at the time was Jimmy Stewart [Annotator's Note: later USAFR Brigadier General James Stewart], who was already a well-known actor. The crew continued their training in Walla Walla, Washington, and this training included bombing practice, cross-country and overwater navigation, and working together as a crew. He recounts his entire ten man crew by name and position; they represented locations across the country. Upon completion of this training, the crew and aircraft proceeded to Salina, Kansas, where they became part of a replacement group destined to fill in for combat losses overseas. He describes the transit over to England; the group departed Saginaw, Michigan and flew through Maine, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland before arriving in Prestwick, Scotland. From there they proceeded to Bobbington, England and began working up with Royal Air Force personnel who had experience in theater. He remembers that as a 20 year old he really didn't have a particular quarrel with the Germans, but by then it was clear that they had enabled the Nazis to rise to power and were intent on world domination. He saw the Allies as preventing that from occurring. The additional training they underwent focused on formation flying, which was a key part of the bombing tactics. He recalls his group commander as Colonel Bud Peaslee and remembers him fondly.

James Armstrong was assigned as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber pilot and arrived in England in 1943. He recalls that the American airmen at the time were not particularly well-disciplined and that aside from the base Officer's Club there wasn't a lot of off-duty entertainment available. He would venture out to the nearby town of Kettering, England, on his bicycle and had occasion to visit London, England, when time permitted. He remembers that London was fairly intact despite the bombings that had taken place earlier in the war. He feels that the British were receptive to the large numbers of Americans that were being stationed there during this time. His first mission was against a target in Abbeville, France, and he remembers it as an easy one. He also recalls a mission against a target in Norway; also easy, but a long flight. His unit, the 546th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, was stationed at Grafton Underwood and he remembers the base as being very modern. He was billeted in a Quonset hut with three other crews. During this discussion, he also talks about flying the B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] and B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber], albeit later in his career.

James Armstrong describes the basic mission profile from being awakened in the morning to briefing, to manning up the aircraft. His first aircraft was named, "Sad Sack II," and he flew it often. During this discussion, he describes two particularly dangerous missions, one to Schweinfurt, Germany and the other to Hamburg, Germany. On the Schweinfurt mission on 17 August 1943, he recalls strong opposition all the way to the target and back. Over the target area, he comments that the formation suffered heavy losses due to flak [Annotator's Note: from the German Fliegerabwehrkanone, "aircraft defense cannon"] and returning from the target area there was heavy German fighter aircraft opposition. His aircraft was attacked by a German fighter head-on, and one of the propellers was disabled as a result. The B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] flew fine on three engines, so he was able to return without further incident. On the Hamburg mission, which he cites as one of three days - 24, 25, and 26 [Annotator's Note: 24, 25, and 26 July 1943], he remembers that his group was targeted in particular by the German forces. The bombings resulted in a firestorm and some 50,000 people were killed. He also recalls that the bomb bay doors on his aircraft wouldn't open, so he used an emergency release mechanism that opened the doors and dropped all the bombs at once. Unable to close them, he flew back to his base and landed with them open. He comments that during this time, when he was watching airplanes being shot down all around him, he simply accepted it as a fact of life. He remarks that they needed better fighter escort, as the P-47s [Annotator's Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft] that typically accompanied them on missions didn't have the necessary range to reach the target. The German fighters had also adapted their tactics to where they would attack the bomber's weak point, which was from the front. The other gun positions, coupled with the formation flying, gave the bombers fairly good protection, but the nose was a weak area. He comments that this deficiency was later corrected by the addition of a chin turret in the B-17-G model.

James Armstrong continues previous remarks about the need for better fighter escorts. He outlines that after the Schweinfurt mission on 17 August 1943, some of his crew either refused to fly again or had been sent away to recuperate from that very dangerous mission. He had been promoted to first lieutenant, though at the time he didn't know it. He was assigned as a flight leader, which meant he was responsible for ensuring the proper positioning of a three-plane element in the larger formation. He begins to describe a mission to Stuttgart, Germany, which was the mission during which he was shot down. On this mission he flew a different B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber], named "Yankee Raider," because his original B-17 was still being repaired from the damage suffered on the Schweinfurt raid. This B-17 was older, and at one point during the mission he had to swap positions with one of his wingmen because he couldn't keep up with the formation as it circled the target. Ultimately, this additional maneuvering used up fuel and it was apparent that they would not be able to return to their base as planned.

James Armstrong's final mission to Stuttgart, Germany. When he was awakened for the mission, he didn't know what the target area was. Those details only became known during the pre-mission brief. He recalls that neither he nor his crew were particularly superstitious, though on this mission he had several new crewmembers since other members of his crew had flown with different crews and in some cases had been shot down. He discusses that he only met some of them when he arrived at the aircraft and prepared to go flying. He states that the German pilots against whom they flew were excellent and that the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 aircraft in particular was very good. Due to clouds over the target area the formation leader, Brigadier General Robert Travis, had the formation circle until it was clear and this led to Armstrong's aircraft being short on fuel once they left the target area. As a result, he left the relative safety of the formation and attempted to fly at reduced speed to extend their range. He attempted to use clouds to conceal the aircraft, but German fighters attacked from behind. His left wing was damaged and he ordered the crew to prepare to bailout. At some point, the navigator bailed out, but the rest of the crew remained since the airplane was still flyable. Another German fighter attack resulted in a fire behind the pilot's seat, so he directed the crew to bailout. The crew exited through whatever hatches were available; the ball turret gunner was hit and killed before he could safely leave the aircraft. Once he bailed out, Armstrong watched as the airplane descended and made an unpiloted landing near Etrepagny, France.

James Armstrong had bailed out of his B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber], which was shot down on the return leg of a mission over Stuttgart, Germany. He describes exiting through the front hatch of the aircraft and watching the German Focke-Wulf Fw-190 fighter that likely had shot him down circling as he descended in his parachute. He watched his stricken aircraft come down and make a rough landing, but it didn't catch fire. He suffered minor burns bailing out, and when he landed, he injured his ankle. He determined that he was near a French airfield at Etrepagny and the first thing he did was move to a wooded area and spent the night in hiding. At first, his ankle kept him from moving very quickly, but he proceeded to work his way across the French countryside. At one point he was on the outskirts of a village called Ganaches and was aided for several days by a Frenchman who brought him food. Eventually, one of the Frenchman's neighbors became concerned that they would suffer if the Germans found out about him, so he left and made his way along the Seine River. Using the French phrase sheet that was part of his bailout kit, he interacted with several people in the country, including a White Russian who had settled there. This man gave him some civilian clothes and he continued along the Seine, eventually coming to a home near the village of Vaux-sur-Seine, France. The mother offered him some breakfast, which he readily accepted. The man of the house observed all of this, but said nothing.

James Armstrong continues describing his experience in the small French village of Vaux-sur-Seine, where he had been taken in by a French family. The mother introduced him to another villager who was English, and she took him in since they could converse. At one point some local men, led by an Englishman who had settled in the village, interviewed him to confirm his identity as an American. Following this, he continued to stay with the English woman, who provided him a place to stay in her attic and introduced him to a young French woman. He and the young French woman got acquainted and he remembers playing checkers and listening to music with her. Some days later, a French doctor arrived and tended to his injuries. He had suffered minor burns and an ankle injury when he bailed out of his B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber]. [Annotator's Note: Armstrong was a bomber pilot in the 546th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force and had been shot down during the 6 September 1943 mission to Stuttgart, Germany.] The doctor also brought him a suit, shirt, and tie which had been provided by the Englishman he met earlier. The doctor told him that they would be leaving for Paris, France that evening, which they did, accompanied by another couple. Traveling by train to Paris, the trip was uneventful. Armstrong remembers being concerned that he would be arrested by the Gestapo [Annotator's Note: the German secret police] when they arrived, but nothing happened. He spent several days with the doctor before being taken by two men to the nearby town of Drancy, France. He recounts that these men had established a bar there as part of the French Resistance movement. He stayed with them and eventually met up with another American airman and a British flyer. He states that this new location was actually adjacent to Drancy in the town of Bobigny, France.

Having been shot down over France, James Armstrong was taken in by the French Resistance and was being kept in the town of Bobigny, outside of Paris, France. In addition to two other Allied airmen that were with him, another American pilot joined the group. They spent their days playing cards and listening to the British Broadcasting Corporation on a small radio. Via these broadcasts, they were able to keep abreast of the events going on in the war. He recounts a humorous anecdote where he discovers that his bombardier, John Heald, was nearby. He learned this because the local French woman who was doing his laundry brought him some long underway and Heald's name was stenciled on the waistband. He rendezvoused with Heald at a local cafe where they swapped out their underwear. Eventually, he learned that the French had planned for them to escape. The five Allied airmen took a train to Quimper, France [Annotator's Note: to the west, in the Brittany region of France]. He recounts that the Resistance had provided them with documents including false identification papers, and that the train trip was uneventful. During this discussion, he describes an instance where they went by a nearby apartment building and the French told them that the facility was being used as a holding area for some 3,000 Jews prior to their being sent off to concentration camps. He comments that this provided further impetus to fight the Nazis. The apartment building is still in use today and has a series of monuments out front commemorating those who suffered there.

The French Resistance had taken James Armstrong via train to the town of Quimper, France. [Annotator's Note: Armstrong had been shot down during the 6 September 1943 bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany while flying as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber pilot with the 546th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force.] The train ride over was without incident, but he recounts that once they arrived they saw lots of Germans who were billeted in the town. There were a total of 10 Allied airmen who were in his group, and they were being billeted by local members of the French Resistance. Over the next several days, they got to meet several of them. They were well cared for by the French, to include having a small birthday party in honor of one of the men's birthday on 1 November 1943. The French plan was originally to transport them out of the country [Annotator's Note: he doesn't specify how], but some days after their arrival they were informed that the plan was not to be carried out and that they would have to return to Paris, France. The group returned via train where they were met by some Frenchmen who were associated with the Sorbonne school [Annotator's Note: a university located in Paris]. The group was distributed in smaller groups amongst the French and remained in the area for approximately three weeks. At the end of this time, they were all taken to a chateau [Annotator's Note: he doesn't specify a particular location, but later in the interview it's identified as Chateau al Fortel-en-Artois] where they would condition themselves for a journey across the Pyrenees [Annotator's Note: the mountain range that forms a border between France and Spain]. At this location, they chopped wood and did other physical activities and there were Frenchmen who were learning various sabotage techniques. He goes into some detail about their diet while at the chateau.

Located for a brief time at the Chateau al Fortel-en-Artois, James Armstrong recounts the daily activities that included playing makeshift football. He describes feeling safe while with the French; he trusted them and his life was certainly better than had he been captured and put into a prisoner of war camp. After some ten or so days, he and his group boarded a train back to Paris, France, where they awaited their eventual transit to the Pyrenees Mountains [Annotator's Note: the mountain range that forms a border between France and Spain] in Southern France. Finally, a group of six took the train to the town of Carcassonne, France, where when they arrived they discovered a group of Germans checking identity papers. One of their escorts, a Frenchman named Gilbert, smuggled them into a WC [Annotator's Note: water closet, a European term for a public toilet] where they waited until the Germans had left. They missed the guide who was supposed to take them over the Pyrenees; he describes learning after the war that the reason was that the guide was not paid as he had been promised. The group found temporary refuge in a building being operated by the International Red Cross before taking a tram to the small town of Quillan. They spent one night in Quillan and then returned to Carcassonne, where they pooled their money and purchased train tickets back to Paris. When they arrived, there was a curfew in effect, but Gilbert was able to move them from train car to train car as the cars were being inspected and they eventually returned to his apartment in Paris.

Back in Paris, France, and being cared for by the French Resistance, James Armstrong describes the various people with whom he stayed. After some time, he traveled by train to Le Mans, France, after which he transfered to another train to the town of Quimper, France. While awaiting this train, he was approached by a French gendarme, who was satisfied with his forged documents and left him be. When he arrived in Quimper, before he could get off the train, he saw the car being switched and the train continued on to the coastal town of Douarnenez, France. He was surprised that they were allowed that close to the coast since the Germans, at the time, were fortifying the region and it was a restricted area. His French escorts took him even further, to a gathering point in a part of town called Treboul. He remembers that they traveled to the town on Christmas Eve, 1943 and that on Christmas Day he was told that they would make their escape that night. When the time came, he had gone so far as to have his shoes and socks off to wade out to the boat when he was told that the trip was called off. Apparently, another Resistance group required use of the boat. He and his group had to make their way back to town in their socks since it was after curfew. The next day the French leader, a man named LeGuilou, left them briefly while he made arrangements for them to be put up in various locations in town. Armstrong was eventually billeted with a French woman named Malhomme whose husband was in a German concentration camp. While they stayed with the French, they were well-fed. On 21 January 1944 he was again told it was time to leave. He remembers the date well because Madame Malhomme gave him a note on a five-franc bill and included the date. He had become good friends with another American airman, Russell Jones, because they had spent time together awaiting their escape. They made their way down to the boat and became part of a large group of Allied men who hid in the aft hold. He comments that a large group of Frenchmen occupied the front hold; they were trying to escape France to avoid being sent to labor camps elsewhere.

Finally departing France after almost five months, James Armstrong describes getting underway on a boat from Douarnenez Harbor, France at two in the morning [Annotator's Note: on 22 January 1944]. The boat had been brought in close in the harbor under the auspices of needing repairs and had taken on as much fuel as it could hold. As they began their transit across the harbor, they had a brief encounter with the Germans guarding the entrance, but nothing resulted from it. They were even overflown by what was likely a German reconnaissance aircraft, but apparently nothing seemed unusual. Once they cleared the harbor, they were in the Atlantic Ocean and ran into a severe storm. Armstrong recalls one of the crew who effected an essential repair onboard even as the ship tossed about in the storm. The weather was so severe that neither the German Navy nor the British Royal Navy came out. The storm passed when they were in the vicinity of the Scilly Islands off the English coast, and the boat hugged the coastline until a Royal Navy patrol boat came to investigate them. Having established them as friendly, the patrol boat took them in tow and they proceeded into Falmouth Harbor in Cornwall, England. He reflects that even though his return had taken several months, it had worked out for the best. His prior attempts to return via the Pyrenees Mountains may not have been as successful; he recounts that he knows of several American airmen who did not survive that journey. He also comments that he felt that the British government in particular was providing considerable support to the French as part of a larger effort to establish the means to return shot-down airman to friendly soil. He remembers that it was likely the Felix Line of the French Resistance that provided him the majority of assistance after he was shot down.

Recounting his experience in France after he was shot down, James Armstrong comments that the French people were very supportive of him and his fellow airmen. Many of them had trained in England and distinguished themselves throughout the war. Having returned to England via boat, he began the process of readjusting to freedom. He had had scabies while in France, and he first tried to have that treated before anything else, but it still plagued him. He sent a telegram to his parents and describes that they knew he was missing in action, and this was the first information they had that he was alive. He made a brief return to his base in England [Annotator’s Note: Grafton, Underwood] where there were many new arrivals since his final mission. He was debriefed by American intelligence before beginning his journey back to the United States. Leaving Prestwick, via a Lockheed Constellation, he flew first to the Azores, then on to Bermuda, where he had some time off. He enjoyed bicycling down the beach road on the island. Leaving Bermuda, the plane flew to New York City. He had spent some time in New York before attending college, so he wasn’t that interested in seeing any sights. He took a train from New York to Tampa, Florida, where his family had a coming home celebration in his honor.

James Armstrong first spoke to his family upon his return to Tampa, Florida. It was a great relief to see his mother and father again. He recounts that many who had similar experiences in prisoner of war camps did not recover as well. He attributes some of that to malnutrition and disease. When he first returned home, the war was still going on and he discusses that he had several options, of which he chose to attend gunnery school at Buckingham Army Air Base in Fort Myers, Florida. There he learned gunnery maintenance as part of becoming a member of a gunnery squadron that trained airborne gunners. He became the Operations Officer of the 3rd Gunnery Squadron [Annotator's Note: cannot verify unit] and eventually flew not only his original aircraft, the B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber], but also the B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] and B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber]. Having been promoted to captain, he later made major and lieutenant colonel while a member of the Air Force Reserve. When the war ended, he was still in the training squadron and while he awaited his discharge he was put in charge of others awaiting the same. After his discharge, he attended the University of Florida, where he studied agriculture. He met his wife and began a series of agriculture-related jobs: a fertilizer company, working for Du Pont, and then in insecticide and fungicide sales. He was at a retreat when he realized that he was a man of significant religious conviction, and he comments that that guided the remainder of his life. Postwar, he knew he didn't want to be in the military; he wanted to raise a good family and make a good living.

James Armstrong discusses his efforts to reconnect with some of those who had helped him in France after his aircraft was shot down. He was aided in this quest by a Frenchman whose parents had lived a floor below him at one point in his months-long experience. The Frenchman not only toured Paris and the surrounding areas with him, he also helped him establish contact with others who had helped along the way. Some of the locations had changed and some of the people couldn't be located, but the Frenchman was very helpful in locating various such acquaintances. He recounts that he took a trip in 1982, and that even 40 years later the memories were very strong. He managed to locate several people or couples with whom he had crossed paths during his time in France during the war. He visited around Paris, to the south by the Pyrenees Mountains, and to the west where he had ultimately been spirited away from France. Prior to his trip he had written to several locations describing the purpose of his visit and in one instance, a letter to the mayor in Gamaches, France, his correspondence was used to great benefit. Some people remembered him well, or had been told about him by their elders. He recalls being very well treated along the way and has remained friends with those he met on that trip. He also went to the harbor in Falmouth, England, where his boat had moored at the end of its journey from France and he visited his old air base at Grafton Underwood. He closes the interview by commenting on the importance of documenting the experiences of World War 2. Great sacrifices were made and those sacrifices must be remembered.