Peter M. Volpinni was born on July 23, 1925 to Samuel and Louise Colati Volpini. Nothing has been found concerning his early life.

Volpini was inducted into military service on October 25, 1943, at Sheppard Field, in Wichita Fall, Texas as a private. He had completed 4 years of high school, and was single.

He was trained as an radio operator, then assigned to a B-17 combat crew in training at Biggs Field, Texas. In early 1945, this crew deployed to England. Volpini flew three credited missions with this crew, beginning in February, 1945.

On February 9, 1945, the target was the synthetic oil plants at Lutzkendorf, Germany. As the aircraft left the IP to commence the bomb run, it collided with another aircraft. Although still under control, the aircraft dropped below the formation, and followed. It soon was apparent that it could not keep up so the pilot elected to fly for the Russian lines in Poland, the closest Allied forces.

The aircraft eventually crossed the Russian lines and then crashed. Five of the crew were killed, some in the crash and others who bailed out too low. The survivors, along with Russian troops, buried the dead in a Russian military cemetery. After the war, the bodies were recovered by Allied forces. Sgt Volpinin was returned to the U.S. and buried in the Parkwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in Baltimore, Maryland.

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US Census 1940

On

Volpini, Peter M., Sgt