Crew Roster · Personal File

Robert J. Rujawits

S/Sgt. Robert J. Rusiawitz (ASN 16076268), also spelled Rujawitz in the crew roster, served as radio operator with the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. On 2 March 1944 during the Frankfurt mission, his aircraft was hit by flak and set on fire. T/Sgt Paladino observed Rusiawitz exit the aircraft and watched his parachute open successfully.

Rusiawitz successfully evaded capture and filed E&E Report No. 534. The crew list for E&E Report No. 670 (narrator Carpenter) also confirms he was 'back in UK' at the time Carpenter's report was compiled.

Sortie Log

3 CATALOGUED SORTIES
24 FEB 1944 — 02 MAR 1944

The sorties below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.

8AF Mission

Date

Target

Aircraft

№ 233

24 FEB 1944

GothaA/I

Document lists only partial crew in two-column format paired with no second ship; crew positions appear split across left/right columns without a paired aircraft

On 2 March 1944, the aircraft was on a mission to Frankfurt, Germany. Over France, the plane was hit by flak on two or three engines, causing a fire. The pilot requested a course home and the aircraft fell out of formation, losing approximately 4,000 feet before the alarm bell sounded. The crew bailed out at approximately 15,000 feet at approximately 11:30 AM. Seven parachutes were observed in the air. The casualty questionnaire noted that one man was burnt before bailing out. The pilot, 2d Lt. Charles W. Mankin Jr., was killed — his parachute did not open. The aircraft did not explode on striking the ground. The plane was hit by large flak holes causing fire on two or three engines. The wreckage was not examined by the narrator. The aircraft came down in northern France in the vicinity of Bray-sur-Somme and the area around Albert.