Remains identified as World War II pilot from Rhode Island

The Defense of POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on Friday that a U.S. Army Air Force pilot from Rhode Island killed in World War II was located.

The agency said 2nd Lt. Robert J. Barrat, 20, of Woonsocket, was accounted for on April 30.

According to the organization, Barrat piloted a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber in 1945.

On Feb. 9,1945, witnesses reported seeing his aircraft collide with another aircraft during a bombing mission to Lutzkendorf, Germany.

The aircraft was then seen hitting the ground, killing eight of the 9 crew members onboard.

After the end of World War II, the American Graves Registrations Command began working to recover missing American personnel in Europe.

In 1947, members recovered eight sets of remains from marked burials in the Eisenberg Civilian Cemetery.

The remains were transferred to the Central Processing Point at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium for analysis.

Members identified two sets of remains. The remaining six were identified as the collective remains of Barrat and five of his crew members.

The remains were then buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

In Oct. 1991, a German citizen reported finding the crash site and recovered debris from the aircraft, including two inscribed rings.

The debris was turned over to the U.S. Army Memorial Affairs Activity Europe in Landstuhl, Germany and then to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.

In 2024, the remains were re-examined for further analysis.

Scientists said they used anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify Barrat’s remains.

According to the University of Rhode Island, he attended Rhode Island State College (RISC) in Sept. 1941 with the class of 1945.

Barrat left college during his second year and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in Nov. 1942.

He was posthumously cited for Gallantry in Action and Bravery and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Barrat will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 27.