Rudy Augarten was born on June 16, 1922, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard on January 13, 1941, and later attended the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces, receiving his pilot wings and commission as a 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army Air Forces on March 20, 1943, at Moore Field, Texas. After training in the United States, Lt Augarten deployed to England as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot, and joined the 406th Fighter Squadron of the 371st Fighter Group in May 1944. He was credited with damaging 1 enemy aircraft in aerial combat before being shot down by flak over France on June 10, 1944. Lt Augarten managed to evade capture for over a month, but was finally captured by the Germans and taken as a Prisoner of War around July 16, 1944. He managed to escape from his captors a few days later, and made it back to allied lines in August 1944, returning to England on August 16, 1944. Lt Augarten then returned to combat with the 406th Fighter Squadron of the 371st Fighter Group in England, and was credited with the destruction of 2 enemy aircraft in aerial combat in October 1944. He returned to the United States in April 1945, and left active duty in July 1945. Rudy attended Harvard University after the war ended, and was recruited to fly for the Israeli Air Force during the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, and he was credited with the destruction of 4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat while flying Avia S-199 (Czechoslovakian-built Messerschmitt Bf 109G), P-51 Mustangs, and Supermarine Spitfires between October and December 1948 while flying with the 101st Fighter Squadron. He was also credited with damaging 1 other enemy aircraft in the air, for a two-war total of 6 destroyed and 2 damaged. After the war, he returned to the United States and completed his degree at Harvard in 1949. After completing his degree, he returned to Israel and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and commanded Ramat David Air Base from 1950 to 1952, returning to the United States after his service there. Rudy Augarten Flew West on September 11, 2000, and was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.