Warren M. Kofsky

First Lieutenant Warren Michael Kofsky, U.S. Army Air Forces

Warren Michael Kofsky

1st Lt., U.S. Army Air Forces

U.S.A.A.F. • Gold Star

Pre-War:	Taylor Instrument Companies (Ames St. Plant)
Residence:	Rochester, Monroe Co., NY
Born:	June 4, 1918
Education:	Benjamin Franklin H.S.; Univ. of Rochester
Branch:	U.S. Army Air Forces
Rank:	First Lieutenant (1st Lt.)
Unit:	319th Bomb Sqdn., 90th Bomb Gp. (H) ("Jolly Rogers")
Aircraft:	B-24 Liberator (40+ Combat Missions)
Died:	September 30, 1944 (Makassar Strait, Borneo)
Memorial:	Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery
Honors:	Air Medal, Purple Heart, Taylor Gold Star Roll

Warren Michael Kofsky (1918–1944)

Taylor Instrument employee, University of Rochester alumnus, and B-24 Liberator combat pilot who made the supreme sacrifice in the Pacific Theater.

Early Life & Career at Taylor Instrument

Warren Michael Kofsky was born in Rochester, New York on June 4, 1918, the son of Michael Kofsky and Lucy A. Farrell. He was educated in the Rochester public school system, graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School before pursuing higher studies at the University of Rochester.

Prior to entering military service, Kofsky was employed at the main Ames Street manufacturing complex of the Taylor Instrument Companies. When the United States entered World War II, the Kofsky family made an extraordinary collective commitment to the armed forces: Warren volunteered for service in the U.S. Army Air Forces in July 1942 at Rochester. His brother, John J. Kofsky, volunteered the following month in August 1942, and a third brother, Robert H. Kofsky, entered military service in February 1943.

Flight Training & The "Jolly Rogers"

Selected for aviation cadet training, Kofsky was sent to Greenville, Mississippi in March 1943 for flight instruction. After successfully qualifying as a multi-engine pilot and receiving his officer's commission and silver wings, he was assigned to four-engine Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

In December 1943, Lieutenant Kofsky deployed overseas to the Pacific Theater with the Fifth Air Force. He was assigned to the 319th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), attached to the renowned 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy)—famously known across the Pacific as the “Jolly Rogers” and recognized by their skull-and-crossed-bombs tail insignia. Operating from rugged forward bases in New Guinea, Lieutenant Kofsky became a seasoned aircraft commander, completing more than 40 combat bombing missions against Japanese bastions across the South-West Pacific.

The Strike on Balikpapan & Supreme Sacrifice

On September 30, 1944, First Lieutenant Kofsky and his ten-man crew departed their base in New Guinea as part of a major Fifth Air Force daylight strike against the strategic oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo—a heavily defended complex supplying vital aviation fuel to the Japanese military.

Approximately 25 minutes after completing the bomb run on the return flight, Kofsky's B-24 was observed losing altitude and falling out of formation. Stragglers were primary targets for Japanese defensive interceptors; several enemy fighters immediately attacked the vulnerable bomber, shooting it down. Although emergency parachutes were observed deploying just before the aircraft exploded at low altitude, enemy fighters repeatedly strafed the water where the chutes landed. The bomber crashed into the Makassar Strait roughly 80 miles east of Balikpapan; all ten crew members were lost.

Remembrance & Final Honors

Because his remains were unrecoverable, First Lieutenant Warren M. Kofsky is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

While the historic July 1943 Army-Navy “E” Award booklet documented casualties up to mid-1943, GEWAME permanently honors Lieutenant Kofsky alongside his fellow Taylor plant craftsmen who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

Primary Archival Sources:

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) • 90th Bombardment Group, 319th Bombardment Squadron (September 30, 1944; Balikpapan Strike, Makassar Strait).
• American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), Manila American Cemetery, Tablets of the Missing (First Lieutenant Warren M. Kofsky, U.S.A.A.F.).
• Fold3 Memorial Records, 1st Lt. Warren Michael Kofsky Service Record & Mission Narrative.
• Rochester Public Library, Local History & Genealogy Division, World War II Master Card File Index (Monroe County veteran service record).
• Taylor Instrument Companies, Corporate Employment & Ames Street Plant Military Service Rolls.