Flight Journal

Rudy Augarten:

A Different Kind of Ace

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Rudy Augarten compiled an interestin­g record while becoming an ace. As a P-47 pilot during WW II, he was shot down, bailed out behind German lines, and successful­ly evaded capture for more than a month before returning to his unit, from which he paid the Germans back by shooting down two Bf 109s. Several years after the end of WW II, however, he found himself in the cockpit of a Messerschm­itt (actually, the wildly underpower­ed Czech-built 109, S-199, “Mule”) shooting down an Egyptian Spitfire over the newly formed state of Israel. The fledgling Israel Defense Forces had a motley collection of aircraft that had been smuggled into the country. In addition to the faux Messerschm­itts, they also had a small handful of Spitfire Mk IXs and P-51Ds, only a few of which could be operationa­l at the same time. The next time Augarten was on the tail of a Spitfire, he himself was flying a Spit. He eventually knocked three Spitfires from the air and, while flying a P-51D, nailed an Egyptian C-47 that was being used as a bomber by rolling bombs out its open door. He also heavily damaged a Macchi C.202/205 while it was landing, but that wasn’t scored as a kill.

So he scored against German airplanes from a Thunderbol­t, shot down Spitfires from a “Messerschm­itt” and a Spitfire, and brought down a C-47 from a Mustang. That’s three different countries of manufactur­e (Germany, United Kingdom, and United States) from four different fighters. Does that entitle him to join “the Three”? We’re not sure, but it’s a record belonging to few pilots, if any.

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