Leo Carlton’s military training took him all over the United States between 1942-1944. He would eventually make his way to Italy and fly several bombing missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. After making an emergency landing in Austria, he was transported across Germany by jeep, trains and his own two feet.
These maps help tell the story of Leo and offer insights into his journey as a member of the United States Army Air Force in World War II.
MAP 1: Leo and his crew flew their brand-new B-24, known as the ‘828’, 13,000 miles. They left Hamilton Field, California, on March 10, 1944, and landed in Italy on May 2, 1944. Along the way, they experienced intense storms, lost crews, new cultures, homesickness and much more. They were assigned to the 15th Air Force, 459th Bombardment Group, 757th Bomb Squadron.
MAP 2: Leo arrived at Giulia Field (pronounced “Julia Field”), Italy on May 2, 1944. Over the next month, he participated in 14 missions to bomb enemy targets. Some of the missions were referred to as milk runs (easy and uneventful). Other missions nearly took out the plane and its crew.
MAP 3: After Leo’s plane – the Cherry II – was damaged over Munich, they decided to land in Switzerland. However, for numerous reasons, the plane landed at the wrong airfield. They were a mere 4,000 feet from the Swiss border and their intended landing strip.