NEW YORK — The remains of a World War II pilot from New York City have been identified more than 70 years after he was killed in combat.
The Pentagon’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday the remains of Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Charles E. Carlson, of Queens, have been identified after being found last year by History Flight, a private Florida-based group.
Military officials say Carlson was the 24-year-old pilot of a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter that was shot down near Bonn, Germany, during a dog fight with German planes Dec. 23, 1944.
German officials reported burying Carlson’s remains at the crash site, but post-war efforts to find them were unsuccessful until his case was reopened in 2008.
Carlson’s remains will be buried Friday at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
