Leonard Kyle Carson Sr
Military
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Object Number - FRE 3131 - Leonard K. "Kit" Carson, of the 357th Fighter Group in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Leonard K. Carson.'
Leonard Carson joined the 357th Fighter Group in April 1943 and shortly after became an Ace. He won most of his victories in his last few months with the 357th, claiming 5 aircraft on one mission on 27 November 1944, becoming their top scoring ACE pilot with 18.5 claims to his name. Following the war he remained with the US Air Force, retiring as Colonel in 1968 to work in the aerospace industry.
Top scoring ace of the the 357th FG. His plane name was 'Nooky Booky IV' He flew 2 combat tours
18.5
Awards: SS (OLC), DFC (2OLC), AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 357th Fighter Group 364th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-822187
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Nooky Booky
- Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Nooky Booky IV
- Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Nooky Booky II / Olivia de H
- Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Nooky Booky III
- Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Theberton/Saxmundham
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
12 March 1923 | ||
|
Enlisted |
7 April 1942 | Nebraska | |
|
Other Promotion |
17 June 1944 | Promoted to Captain. | |
|
Other Promotion |
15 September 1944 | Promoted to Major. | |
|
Died |
8 March 1994 | ||
|
Buried |
12 March 1994 | Chester Cemetery Chester, Plumas County, California | |
|
Based |
Assigned to 362FS, 357FG, 8AF USAAF. | ||
|
Other End Tour Duty (ETD) |
Ended Tour Duty (ETD). | ||
|
Born |
Revisions
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a Separator to aid readability.
Added a location to the Buried event per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 55455097.
Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55455097/leonard-kyle-carson
Merged information from duplicate record to include data from :
- Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, p. 277
Hess, America's Top Eighth Air Force Aces in Their Own Words. pp. 46-47.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Fighter Aces of the U. S. A. and Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force
![Leonard K. "Kit" Carson signals to Lieutenant Colonel A. Evans of the 363rd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group inside a P-51 Mustang (B6-B) before take off. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Lt. Col. A. Evans in Joe Cannon's B6-B; Carson is flag officer.' On reverse: Merle Olmsted Collection [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-400954.jpg.webp?itok=xCSZffd6)
