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ENGRAVED NAVIGATOR WING - 2nd Lt. Robert H. Wirostek Pacific POW


ram957
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I am proud to be the current caretaker of this great engraved wing. 2nd Lt. Robert H. Wirostek was the Navigator aboard the St. Quentin Quail 42-41205 when it ditched on January 2, 1944,due to battle damage. The aircraft ditched off Jab'u Island on the Arno Atoll. Another aircraft from the Squadron dropped emergency rations and reported seeing 6 or 7 crew members hauling equipment from the plane onto the beach. Of the 10 man crew, two were KIA either from the Zero attack or from the ditching. They were buried by the other 8 survivors. The survivors ( one of them was Wirostek) were housed and fed by the Marshallese from ditching till January 16, 1944 when a Japanese Patrol boat appeared and took them prisoner. They were transported to Maloelap Atoll and remained there till Jan. 20, 1944 when they were placed on a Japanese Vessel and , on Jan. 22, 1944 as the ship was entering Kwajalein Lagoon it was attacked by U.S. bombers. One of the prisoners was killed. The remaining 7 prisoners perished between then and Feb. 3, 1944, when U.S. Troops captured the Atoll. They have never been found.

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Thank you so much for preserving with integrity and diligence, the great magnitude of the history linked directly to this wing. A history punctuated by the persevering tenacity for life in the Man who lived it and whose life was taken by the voracious gluttony of War regarding the lives of men. Beautiful handwritten personal touch profile to the script as well. Great Wing

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That is an amazing history behind them. May I ask how you acquired them. Was Wirostek the sole survivor or did he perish on the Atoll?

 

Semper Fi

Phil

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Lt. Wirosrek and the whole crew perished. The only bodies recovered were the two crew members that the surviving crew members buried on the Arno Atoll. I acquired this wing on EBAY. The seller lives in Lt. Wirostek's hometown and he picked them up at an Estate sale.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Talk about a small world. Through my research I found that the the remains of the two crew members who were killed in the original Zero attack or crash were recovered and reinterred. On of them Gunner Henry R. Wyka Jr. was buried near my home. I went to visit today...

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I am curious. Who survived to recount the story if all the crew had died? 2 died when plane went down, one died when prisoner ship attacked, and the rest died in prison camp.

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Talk about a small world. Through my research I found that the the remains of the two crew members who were killed in the original Zero attack or crash were recovered and reinterred. One of them, Gunner Henry R. Wyka Jr. was buried near my home. I went to visit today...

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