Last Flight of Lt Carl Middleton

On the 27^th of June 1942 a P-38 Lightning from the 54^th Fighter Squadron crashed shortly after takeoff at Fort Glenn, Umnak Island, Alaska. Here are the events as they unfolded...

27 June 1942 marked the beginning of another day of tragedy when Lt Middleton was killed as the result of a crash at 0710. During the takeoff, he entered clouds, (ceiling 200 feet), lost his bearings and spun in, destroying several quartermaster tents, all of which went up in flames. No one else was injured.

The funeral services were held on 29 June 1942 and can probably best be described by an extract from the original Squadron Historical Data, which reads as follows:

Buried "Spider" (Lt. Middleton) today in this dreary, uncivilized little island (Umnak). The funeral was impressive but superficial. The wind howling over the tundra was the funeral march and the sting of the rain helped to bring the tears. He lay in a plain pine box coffin and the Chaplain raised his voice over the howl of the elements in prayer for the soul. He placed a small flower on the coffin and the wind flung it back to earth. We all saluted our comrade as an Infantry Squad fired three volleys over his grave and that was the last chapter in the life of Lt. Carl Middleton.

(From "History of the 54^th Fighter Squadron from 15 Jan 41 – 31 Dec 43")