SGT Joseph John Pisinski

Familial History

SGT Joseph John Pisinski was born 20 November 1920 in South River, Middlesex County, New Jersey to Maryanna “Mary” Gontarz and Stanislaus “Steve” Pisinski. He died 26 November 1943 after his transport ship, HMT Rohna was sunk by German bombers off Algeria. His family resided in Middlesex County, New Jersey prior to the war.

In 1942, he married Martha Opiola in New Jersey. She was born 6 July 1922 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County to Julia and Louis Opiola. She died 18 October 2009.

Maryanna “Mary” Gontarz was born 1894 in Poland. She died 15 January 1966 in Middlesex County and buried with Steve. Her Memorial # was 180229850.

Stanislaus “Steve” Pisinski was born 1879 in Poland. He died 1937 and interred in the Saint Mary’s Cemetery, East Brunswick, Middlesex County. His Memorial # was 180229895.

The Pisinski union produced 6 children composed of 3 daughters and 3 sons. Their names are listed in chronological order with corresponding birth and death dates: Stephen Eugene Pisinski, Jr. (17 August 1912-12 September 1980); Stanislava Stella E. Pisinski Fulham (1914-7 October 2010); Edward Pisinski (1917-1920); 1LT Pauline B. Pisinski (1919-4 January 2018); SGT Joseph John Pisinski; and Edna Barbara Pisinski (13 October 1925-23 December 2005).

1LT Pauline B. Pisinski graduated from St. Peter’s Nursing School and enlisted in the US Army during World War II.

Service History:

SGT Joseph John Pisinski registered for the draft 15 February 1942 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. He was employed by Peter J. Schweitzer Spotswood, New Jersey. His height was 5’10”, and his weight was 157. Mrs. Mary Pisinski signed as the next of kin.

He enlisted into the US Army 23 October 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Joseph completed 4 years of high school, was working with tobacco, was married, and had dependents.

He was assigned to the 31st Signal Construction Battalion. His Service Number was 32568119. The US Hospital Admission Card Files indicated his boat was sunk by enemy actions.

The following information was condensed from HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org): The Battalion boarded HMT Rohna 23 November 1943 and quartered in the aft decks 6 - 8 of the ship. The roll call listed 793 officers and men. After a complete day of boarding supplies and troops they departed at 1200 hours on the 24th. The ship was one of five in Convoy KMF-26 Annex. The troops continued to drill concerning boat stations, abandon ship, and other important tasks, during the voyage.

Around 1600 hours on the 26th, an “Alert” alarm sounded, and all troops were ordered below decks while the gun crews and fire-control details were ordered to their stations. Several German twin engine bombers were noted from the southwest and the escort vessels opened fire.

At 1700 hours, the HMT Rohna was hit by a Henschel Hs-293 radio-controlled missile. The He-177a was piloted by Hans Dochtermann and the bomb hit the ship at the water line and all power was lost. The 853rd were quartered near the impact site and due to the blast, fires, and exploding ammunition accounted for most of the dead.

The weather had become difficult, and the sea was producing 15-foot swells. Of the 16 lifeboats only 5 were successfully launched. At 1730 hours, LTC Frolich ordered “Abandon Ship”. The water was very cold, and hypothermia took the lives of many that had successfully escaped the sinking ship. USS Pioneer collected 606 survivors alone. Overall, 1,015 of the 2,000 personnel was lost. Over 100 crewmen also were casualties of the bombing.

For further information concerning the sinking and the US Classification as “Secret”, please open the following hyperlink. Rohna-Classified - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org).

SGT Joseph John Pisinski was memorialized in the North African American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia. The Plot was the Tablets of the Missing and the Memorial #

Commendations:

Purple Heart

Stories Behind the Stars:

Thank you, SGT Joseph John Pisinski of the US Army Air Corps, for your sacrifice and service to our country.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII Fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’ s name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you can contact the author, Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by”.

The

author is Dr. Jack W. Chisum, and the email address is jchisum@q.com.

Resources:

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

HMT Rohna - Wikipedia

Casualties - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org)

Rohna Classified documentary — Rohna Attack Casualty Search

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

Hs-293 radio-controlled - Search (bing.com)

Joseph J Pisinski in American Battle Monuments Commission - Fold3

Tec4 Joseph J. Pisinski (1920-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial