Remains of Pilot Shot Down in WWII Finally Identified

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 AP reports. 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 (More World War II stories.)