[Rudolph Augarten oral history interview]

Fighter ace Rudolph Augarten discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and with the Israeli Air Force during the Arab-Israeli conflicts. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in Europe with the 403rd Fighter Squadron and his time in Israel with the 101st Squadron. Special focus on a bailout over German-occupied France in June 1944, which resulted in a multi-week evasion of enemy troops and eventual escape back to Allied territory, and on his training and missions with the Israeli Air Force.

Rudolph Augarten was born on June 16, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1941, then transferred to the Army Air Forces and graduated from flight school in 1943. He served with the 403rd Fighter Squadron in Europe from 1944 to 1945. Augarten left the military after World War II to study at Harvard University, but he decided to join the Israeli Air Force in 1948 in response to the fighting the Middle East. He flew with the 101st Squadron and later served as commander of Ramat David Airbase in the 1950s. In his civilian life, Augarten earned a master’s degree in engineering and worked for Rockwell International until his retirement in 1989. He passed away in 2000.

Biographical information courtesy of: Boyce, Ward J., ed., American fighter aces album. Mesa, Ariz: American Fighter Aces Association, 1996.