World War II Honoree

Arthur Farrand Nitz

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Flint, Michigan

Honored By

James Bundy Wham

Relationship

Friend

AT AGE 17, ENLISTED IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) AT WINDSOR, ONTARIO. AFTER GRADUATING PILOT TRAINING IN TIGER MOTHS AS A FLIGHT SERGEANT, DEPARTED CANADA IN NOVEMBER, 1941 BOUND FOR ENGLAND. CHECKED OUT IN HURRICANE FIGHTERS AT ROYAL AIR FORCE (RAF) CROSBY ON EDEN AND VOLUNTEERED FOR DEPLOYMENT TO NORTH AFRICA IN MID-MARCH, 1942. ASSIGNED IN TURN TO 239TH WING NEAR CAIRO, EGYPT FOR CURTIS P-40 KITTY HAWK AIRCRAFT CONVERSION TRAINING AND THEN 250TH FIGHTER SQUADRON ON THE EL ALAMEIN LINE ON AUGUST 25, 1942. IN NEXT EIGHT MONTHS, FLEW 88 COMBAT MISSIONS, DOWNING FOUR ENEMY AIRCRAFT, FROM BASES IN EGYPT, LIBYA AND TUNISIA. DURING INTENSE DOGFIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH GERMAN FIGHTERS ON JANUARY 21, 1943 EXPERIENCED A MID-AIR COLLISION WITH A FRIENDLY FLIGHT MEMBER AND FORCED TO BAIL OUT BEHIND ENEMY LINES. SUCCESSFULLY EVADED CAPTURE AND RETURNED TO DUTY. DISCHARGED FROM THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE IN CAIRO ON APRIL 22, 1943 AND JOINED THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES (AAF) THE NEXT DAY. ASSIGNED TO 314TH ‘HAWKS’ FIGHTER SQUADRON, 324TH FIGHTER GROUP, BASED IN EASTERN TUNISIA AND THEN NAPLES, ITALY. FLEW CURTIS P-40L ‘WARHAWK’ AIRCRAFT AND FOUGHT IN THE TUNISIAN, SICILIAN, NAPLES-FOGGIA AND ROME-ARNO CAMPAIGNS BEFORE RETURNING TO THE U.S. IN JANUARY 1944 FOR GUNNERY SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR DUTIES AT THE SUFFOLK COUNTY ARMY AIR FORCE BASE, NEW YORK. REASSIGNED TO SEYMOUR JOHNSON ARMY AIR FORCE BASE, NORTH CAROLINA IN THE SUMMER OF 1946 AND HONORABLY SEPARATED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE IN OCTOBER 1946 AS A FIRST LIEUTENANT. WITH THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE, HE EARNED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING MEDAL 1939-1945 STAR, AFRICA STAR, CANADIANS’ VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL, WAR MEDAL 1939-1945, CATERPILLAR CLUB BADGE (SILK PARACHUTE BAILOUT RECOGNITION) AND THE FLYING BOOT BADGE (EVASION AND RETURN TO DUTY RECOGNITION). WITH THE ARMY AIR FORCE, HE EARNED THE DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION, AIR MEDAL WITH ONE BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH FOUR BRONZE BATTLE STARS AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL.