Leland Kent HORNE

Source : fold3.com (Ellen Marchese)

28 February 1921

Almo, Cassia county, IDAHO 

Parents :  John T. & Roxie J. HORNE

Siblings : Merlin, Theo, 2 other brotherset 3 soeurs 

Source : Victor DANIEL

P-38 Lightning - type J-10-LO - s/n 42-68161 J2*

Macr : 5968
Mission: Bomber escort sector St-Hilaire-de-villefranche (17)
Take-off station 377 Wattisham, Suffolk UK - MACR indicates drop points within 30 km of St-Hilaire
Mid-air collision at 29,000 feet at 9:35 am with P-38 42-68189 (Lt Donald D. McClure 479eFG/435eFS) - One aircraft shut down the empennages of the other

Map of Rhône American Cemetery

Leland HORNE is one of 8 siblings born in Almo, IDAHO. In 1926 the family moved to Malta in the same state where the young Leland continued his studies in the local college and high school. He continued his studies at Idaho State University one year after graduating in 1939. His good student qualities will allow him to follow a special course set up by the Federal Government to validate a private pilot license.

Back from university, and his license in his pocket, Leland could not find work in his original state and decided to go to California to Los Angeles with his brothers Merlin and Theo on January 1, 1941.

Merced Air Base

He began his initial training at Merced Air Base before continuing with advanced training on the T-6 TEXAN at Williams Field, Arizona.

In December 1943 he finally received his rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

His hopes of flying on the P-38 Lightning were realized when he was sent to Camp Salinas on 16 December to qualify on the aircraft.

He then remained in Oxnard for the next 5 months.

Finally the 479th Fighter Group was sent to Britain in May 1944.

On June 19, despite very disabling weather - heavy cloud cover of 2,000 to 29,000 feet - the squadron was sent on an escort mission over the French west coast. Their mission was to join a group of B-17s aiming to bomb an airfield near Cognac.

Because of the clouds no one could identify the target and the bombers decided to return to their base in England.

The escort did the same and began a redirection over St-Hilaire-de-villefranche.

It was in a turn that the aircraft of the 2Lt. HORNE and Mc CLURE collided, one of the P-38 cutting net the tail of the other.

The nearby pilots saw a parachute deploy while the other aircraft continued to fall over the sea.
No aircraft debris was found.

Source : SMS

Source : Jaap Vermeer

Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UTAH

Source : Judie Latshaw Huff