Clarence Edward Carson was born in August 1922 in Wisconsin. He served in the 2nd Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of P-51C Mustang 43-25112 during World War II.

On November 1, 1944, the 52nd Fighter Group undertook a rare and highly sensitive mission: escorting an Avro York and a Liberator “Commando” carrying Prime Minister Winston Churchill from Italy to England. Eight Mustang pilots were selected for this task, arranged in three patrol pairs under Major Ohr’s command. 2Lt Carson flew in the second pair alongside Lt. Dumas. The escort was meant to join the transports over Pomigliano Airport near Naples, but deteriorating weather, low clouds, and shifting visibility made it difficult for the Mustangs to stay in formation and maintain contact with the larger aircraft. As the group pushed northward toward France, the worsening conditions stretched the formation thin. Near La Cavalerie and the Larzac Plateau, contact between the sections began breaking apart. Around 13:50, disaster struck: Carson’s P-51C Mustang (43-25112, QP-V) collided mid-air with Captain McCraw’s P-51D.

Carson’s aircraft crashed between Les Rives and Combe-la-Dame, while McCraw’s went down nearby. Both pilots were killed instantly. They were initially buried in the village cemetery at Rives and later Carson was reinterred at the Rhône American Cemetery in Draguignan.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net