Robert Gregorio Ludovici
Captain Robert G. Ludovici was a Marine dive-bomber pilot assigned to VMSB-341.
He was killed when his aircraft crashed in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, on 26 July 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-10612
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 21, 1921
at Philadelphia, PA
Parents
Dominick Ludovici
Anna de Luisa Ludovici
Education
Miami Senior High School
University of Florida (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Enlisted from college.
Service Life
Entered Service
June 3, 1941 (Navy)
May 20, 1942 (Commission)
Home Of Record
5028 NW 7th Avenue
Miami, Florida
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Lorraine A. Ludovici
Military Specialty
Pilot
Flight Officer
Primary Unit
VMSB-341
Campaigns Served
None
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
Prior to joining VMF-321, Ludovici flew with VMS-3 out of MCAS St. Thomas along with John Sanders.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Captain Robert Ludovici, an experienced Marine aviator, served as a pilot and flight officer for VMSB-321, a dive-bomber squadron training at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in the summer of 1943.
On 26 July 1943 – just six days after his marriage to Lorraine Arnow – Captain Ludovici took off from Cherry Point for a scheduled bombing practice flight. A few moments after 1100 hours, possibly while performing a practice dive, Ludovici lost control of his plane and crashed into Pamlico Sound. The wrecked bomber sank immediately, taking Ludovici and Sergeant Nathan Berkowitz to their deaths.
A few days after the crash, Sergeant Berkowitz’s body was recovered from Pamlico Sound, and ultimately returned to his family in Akron, Ohio. No trace of Captain Ludovici was ever found.
Burial Information or Disposition
Crashed at sea; remains not recovered.
Memorials
None known.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Lorraine A. Ludovici.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the crash, “about 2 miles east of Point of Marsh, in Pamlico Sound.”
