Born:
02/08/1916
Died: 04/27/1997
Inducted:
10/28/1989
Fritz
Wolf was born in Shawano, Wisconsin. He attended Shawano High School
where he excelled in athletics. He was on
the basketball team that went to the state playoffs in 1933. After
graduation from high school, Fritz received a basketball scholarship
from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Interestingly, he never
played a basketball game for the school. Instead he turned to
football, becoming an all-conference full back for three straight
years. During that time Carroll’s football team lost only one
game.
In
1938 Fritz graduated from Carroll College with a degree in Business
Administration. He had the opportunity to try out with the Green Bay
Packers but missed the try out due to an appendicitis attack. About
this time, Fritz realized that if he was ever going to learn to fly,
now was the time. In 1939, he enlisted in the United States Navy.
Upon completion of flight training in 1940 he received a commission
as an Ensign and was assigned to the USS Saratoga as a dive bomber pilot.
In
the summer of 1941 Fritz resigned his commission to join the
American Volunteer Group (AVG) Flying Tigers. He was assigned to the
1st Squadron (Adam & Eve) as a Flight Leader. In
December 1941, Fritz took part in the first Flying Tiger action near
Kumming, China, during which he shot down two Mitsubishi bombers.
When the group was disbanded on July 4, 1942, Fritz had been awarded
a Chinese Air Force 2 and 4 star medal and a Sixth Grade Cloud
Banner Decoration for heroism. He was credited with shooting
down two bombers and two fighters.
Fritz
returned to the United States and, after recovering from a case of
hepatitis, rejoined the Navy to train fighter pilots. In
1944, he returned to combat serving on the aircraft carriers Hornet
and Yorktown. As skipper of VBF-3 aboard the Yorktown he led the
first naval bombing attack on the Tokyo area. Wolf officially shot
down his fifth enemy aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross for heroism.
After
leaving active duty with the Navy in April, 1946, and while
remaining in the Naval Reserve, Fritz became the first paid employee
of the new Wisconsin State Aeronautics Commission. He recalled that
his first job was to run education programs but preferred
operations. He moved into the operations job when it became
available. Fritz served in that capacity until September, 1967 when he
was appointed Director of Aeronautics. He retired from the Naval
Reserve in 1967 as a Commander. When the Aeronautics Commission
merged with the newly formed Department of Transportation, Fritz was
named Bureau Director. Fritz retired from state service May 8, 1981
after more than 35 years of distinguished service. He held a
Commercial Pilot Certificate with single and multiengine ratings.
Fritz
Wolf’s long list of credentials include serving as President of
the National Association of State Aviation Officials, organizing the
first agriculture air tours in the nation, he pioneered strobe
lighting for tall towers and he established the first minimum
airport operation standards in the nation. He organized the first
Aviation Weather Roundup on the State network and established
Wisconsin’s nationally recognized Air Markers program.
In
December of 1996, just months before his death, he received his
second Distinguished Flying Cross from the United States Air Force
for his service with the American Volunteer Group.
On
May 19, 2006, Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle signed SB306 into law.
The bill renamed the state aviation facility at the Dane County
Regional Airport, the Fritz E. Wolf Aviation Center. A fitting
tribute to a man who dedicated his life to improve aviation in
Wisconsin and the nation.
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