Louis P. Rosati
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Air Force
Louis P. Rosati entered the Army Air Corps on November 9, 1942, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Home at entry: Hibbing, Minnesota.
He served as a Staff Sergeant, turret gunner, and airplane and power plant mechanic on B-24 Liberator bombers in the Air Offensive Europe, Normandy, Northern France, and Southern France.
He and his crew were forced to bail out when their plane was brought down by a concentration of German fire during their bombing mission over Hamburg, Germany.
He was the first to be reported missing, then reported dead. However, he later said he hid in deep woods, his shoes were ripped off by the landing impact. He managed to get shelter in a farmhouse where peasants tipped off the Underground. While he was with the Underground forces, he met another flier who said he had been forced to bail out, too. The other flier started talking about Minnesota and the Iron Range. Turned out to be Howard Sakaarias, also from Hibbing.
He finally got back to Allied lines with the help from the Underground forces. In one city, he said he mingled with residents and saw Germans all around him. The Underground forces kept him disguised and he was never detected.
Mr. Rosati was awarded the following: Air Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 bronze battle stars, World War II Victory Medal.
He was honorably discharged on October 19, 1945, from 364th Army Air Forces Base Unit, at Sioux Falls AFB, South Dakota.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 270.
