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| USAAF 13th AF 347th FG 67th FS  70th FS 1942 |
Pilot 1st Lt. Leonard R. Farron, O-432011 (MIA / KIA) Pierce County, WA Crashed October 15, 1942 MACR 602 Pilot History Leonard R. Farron was a full blooded Puyallup Indian born in Pierce County, Washington State. He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington before enlisting in the U.S. Army as an aviation cadet. After graduating flight school, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 70th Fighter Squadron as a fighter pilot. Aircraft History Built by Bell in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-39K-1-BE Airacobra serial number 42-4287. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South Pacific Area (SoPAC) and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 347th Fighter Group (347th FG), 67th Fighter Squadron (67th FS). Nose number 11. No known nickname or nose art. This aircraft operated from at Nadi Airfield on Fiji. During early October 1942 flown to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Mission History On October 15, 1942 around 12:00pm took off from Henderson Field piloted by 1st Lt. Leonard R. Farron armed with a bomb on a bombing and strafing mission against Japanese transports off Guadalcanal. At 12:25 a formation of Airacobras including P-39s and P-400s targeted the transports. Ten minutes after the attack, Farron rendezvoused with the formation but failed to return. When he failed to return, he was officially declared Missing In Action (MIA). Japanese Zeros made three claims for P-39 Airacobras shot down. Possibly, one or more of these claims was for Farron's aircraft. A P-39 was claimed by A6M2 Zero piloted by Yoshio Wajima from the 2nd Kokutai, 2nd Shotai. A P-39 was claimed by A6M2 Zero piloted by Kiichi Nagano from the 2nd Kokutai, 3rd Shotai. Another P-39 was claimed by A6M2 Zero pilot Takeo Okumura from the Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group), 2nd Shotai. Finally, a P-39 probable was claimed by A6M2 Zero pilot Takeyoshi Ono, Tainan Kōkūtai, 1st Shotai. Memorials Farron was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He is memorialized on the Honolulu Memorial courts of the missing, court 7 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Wreckage This aircraft crashed east of the Tenaru River. On December 30, 1942 the crash site was found by U.S. Army Private Clark from the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division roughly 50-70 yards east of the Ilu River [sic Tenaru River], 700 yards inland to the south. Inside the cockpit was the skeletal remains of the pilot. During late January to early February 2013 a team from Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) searched for this Airacobra in the Tassafaronga area. In March 2013, the historical reference to the crash site being found by the U.S. Army was located at National Archives and Records Administration by a JPAC historian. During August 2013, a team from JPAC located the crash site and recommended it for further excavation. The aircraft was mostly scrapped and only the engine and other wreckage remained. During January to February 2015, another team from DPAA excavated the site and recovered human remains, life support material and aircraft wreckage. On December 9, 2015 the Department of Defense (DoD) announced Farron was identified and accounted for. His remains will be buried during the summer at the Puyallup Tribal Cemetery at Tacoma, WA. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records Leonard R Farron Full-Blooded Indian Fighter Plane Pilot by United Press (UP) April 15, 1942 "Tacoma, Wash. (UP)—Leonard Farron, a full-blooded Puyallup Indian, has gone on the warpath for Uncle Sam in a speedy fighter plane. Farron, who majored in aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington, has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air force. The lieutenant is a great grandson of A. V. Kauzt, who once served; as a general in the Union Army. His grandfather, Augustus Kautz, was one of the original 18 iPuyallup Indians to enter the Indian school at Forest Grove, Ore., forerunner of the Chemawa Indian school." Missing Air Crew Report 602 (MACR 602) Kodochosho, 2nd Kōkūtai, October 15, 1942 Kodochosho, Tainan Kōkūtai, October 15, 1942 Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) - Recently Accounted For - Leonard R. Farron American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Leonard R. Farron "1LT Farron's remains were recovered from Guadalcanal in 2015 and identified. Interment at the Puyallup Tribal Cemetery at Tacoma, WA. 1LT Farron's name is permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific." FindAGrave - 1Lt Leonard R Farron (tablets of the missing photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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