Lt Frank N. Wright
March 11, 1917 – March 31, 1945
Class 44-F-SE
Graduation Date: June 27, 1944
Unit: 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron
Service # O-835332
Frank N. Wright of Elmsford, N.Y., graduated from flight training on June 2, 1944, at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. He soon deployed to Italy with the 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group.
March 31, 1945, was one of the best days for aerial victories for the 332nd Fighter Group. The group was conducting a fighter sweep of the Munich area and strafing rail targets in southern Germany when it was challenged by enemy planes. Twelve members of the 99th Fighter Squadron and 100th Fighter Squadron shot down 13 planes, setting a new record for single-day aerial victory credits.
While chasing an enemy plane, Wright, flying a P-51 Mustang named “Tall in the Saddle”, experienced a traumatic event which resulted in loss of life when he crashed near Landshut, Germany. Recorded circumstances attributed to: “Non Hostile Died, Air Crash”. Incident location: Germany.
“It is believed that Lt. Wright was attempting to execute a tight turn while in pursuit of an enemy aircraft,” 2nd Lt. Hugh J. White wrote in a military report. “Lt. Wright’s aircraft went into a spin, which he possibly could not control due to his low altitude.”
Lt Wright is buried or memorialized at American Cemetery, Lorraine, France, Plot B Row 24 Grave 33.
Photograph shows Tuskegee Airmen attending a briefing. Foreground (left to right): Joseph L. “Joe” Chineworth (partial view, wheel cap) Memphis, TN, Class 44-E; Emile G. Clifton, San Francisco, CA, Class 44-B; Richard S. “Rip” Harder, Brooklyn, NY, Class 44-B. Along back wall (back to front): Frank N. Wright, Elmsford, NY, Class 44-F; Robert J. Murdic, Franklin, TN, Class 44-F; Jimmie D. Wheeler. At Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945. (Source: Tuskegee Airmen 332nd Fighter Group pilots.) Photographer Toni Frissell
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