| Residences | Civilian Occupation |
| Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey | Shoe and furniture salesman |
| Branch | Service Number |
| U.S. Army Air Forces | 32754502 |
| Theater | Unit |
| Mediterranean | 346th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy) |
| Awards | Campaigns/Battles |
| Purple Heart | European strategic bombing campaign (three missions) |
Early Life & Family
Morton “Morty” Carlis was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 10, 1924. He was the son of Samuel Carlis (1895–1985) and Frances “Fannie” Carlis (née Berger, 1900–1959), residents of 301 Shipley Street. His father, an upholsterer, had been born in Slonim (then in Russia, now Belarus), emigrated to the United States, served in the U.S. Army stateside during World War I, and became a U.S. citizen, while his mother was a native of Delaware. Carlis had an older brother, Alfred Carlis (1920–1982) and a younger sister, Marilyn Carlis (later Shapiro, 1926–1998). Carlis was Jewish.
Carlis’s family was living at 3rd and Shipley Streets when his sister was born on September 1, 1926. By the time of the next census in April 1930, Carlis and his family had moved to 108 West 3rd Street in Chester, Pennsylvania. Samuel Carlis was working as a merchant, and according to his obituary, began working at Berger’s Plumbing & Heating Supplies in Chester that same year. The Carlis family was living at 2425 Upland Street in Chester as of February 5, 1934, when Samuel Carlis applied to Pennsylvania for a bonus for his World War I service. A December 2, 1934, article in The Delmarva Star stated that Morton Carlis was performing in a Chanukah program at the Adas Kodesch Hebrew School in Wilmington. It is possible that the Carlis family had moved back to Wilmington by that point, but they may have just continued to attend synagogue there. Carlis was also listed as participating in a Purim play at another Wilmington congregation, Chesed Shel Emeth, in an article printed in The Sunday Morning Star on February 21, 1937.
By the time of the next census, taken in April 1940, the Carlis family had moved to South Connecticut Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At that time, Samuel Carlis was working as a salesman for a heating stove company. Carlis was listed as having completed one year of high school by that point. His family apparently returned to Pennsylvania soon after, since an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that he graduated from West Philadelphia High School.
By the end of 1942, Carlis had moved back to Delaware to live with his maternal grandparents, Samuel A. Berger (a furniture salesman, 1877–1951) and Elizabeth Berger (née Greenberg, 1882–1964), and their children at 413 McCabe Avenue in Wilmington. When Carlis registered for the draft on December 18, 1942, he was working at the Mary Jane Shoe Company at 709 Market Street in Wilmington. The registrar described him as standing five feet, six inches tall and weighing 128 lbs., with brown hair and eyes.
It appears that Carlis changed jobs shortly thereafter (or he had a second job), since information from a draft registration affidavit dated January 26, 1943, which was later copied onto his induction paperwork, stated he was a furniture salesman for Berger Brothers, earning $15 per week (about $290 in 2026 dollars). He later told the U.S. Army after induction that he had 11 months of experience selling shoes and furniture.
Military Training
Carlis’s induction paperwork and service record booklet miraculously survived the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire that destroyed most U.S. Army personnel files from the World War II era. While they provide remarkable detail about his military career, the surviving documents were severely charred and some portions are unreadable.
Carlis was drafted by Wilmington Board No. 2. He was inducted into the U.S. Army on March 18, 1943, at Camden, New Jersey. At the time, he stood five feet, six inches tall and weighed 113 lbs., with brown hair and eyes. He had 20/20 uncorrected vision.
Private Carlis went on active duty on March 25, and was attached unassigned to Company “B,” 1229th Reception Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey. During a brief period at Fort Dix, Carlis was classified and was selected for the Army Air Forces (A.A.F.). On March 31 he was dispatched to the Basic Training Center No. 9, Army Air Forces Technical Training Command, Miami Beach, Florida. There, on April 2, he was attached unassigned to the 904th Training Group.
Around April 4, 1943, Private Carlis wrote a letter to Mollye Sklut (1906–2006). A Wilmington woman, Sklut wrote to Delaware’s Jewish servicemen. In turn, their letters to her were printed in a newsletter, the Y Recorder. Private Carlis’s letter read in part:
Mollye this army life is really great, I love it. In 11 days I have gained 10 pounds. Its marvelous. The only thing I don’t like is getting up 4:45 in the morning. […] This place is really beautiful. It looks like something out of a technicolor movie. And the water is so warm it feels like you are taking a bath when you swim.
Around April 26, 1943, Carlis wrote to Sklut again:
I have turned in my application for aviation cadet, now I am waiting to be called for my physical and mental examination. It has me on needles and pins. It is the first time I have wanted anything so badly in my life.
On May 22, 1943, Carlis was attached unassigned to the 915th Training Group, also at Miami Beach. An article printed in Journal-Every Evening on May 31, 1943, stated that “Following completion of his basic training, Private Carlis will transfer to the aviation cadets as a flying candidate.” Aviation cadets trained to become pilots, bombardiers, or navigators.
On July 22, 1943, Private Carlis was dispatched to Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The following day, he was attached unassigned to and joined the 34th College Training Detachment (Aircrew) there as an aviation student. The detachment was intended to prepare students for preflight training, the first stage of the aviation cadet program. A set of orders came down on October 21, 1943, transferring Private Carlis and 59 other enlisted men to the Army Air Forces Classification Center, Nashville, Tennessee, for processing as aviation cadets. They departed Easton on October 23, arriving the following day in Nashville. At 1530 hours the following day, they were attached unassigned to the 721st Classification Center Squadron (Aircrew).
It must have been a great disappointment, but per Special Orders No. 310, Headquarters Nashville Army Air Center, dated November 19, 1943, Private Carlis was released from “status of Aviation Student, effective 23 Nov 1943” for reason of low classification scores.
Private Carlis was dispatched to Scott Field, Illinois, on November 23, 1943. The following day, he was attached unassigned to the 11th Technical School Squadron, 19th Technical School Group there. He remained at Scott Field for several months, attached to a series of different units. On November 27, Carlis was attached to the 30th Technical School Squadron, 20th Technical School Group for the Radio Operator & Mechanic Course at the Technical School, Army Air Forces Technical Training Command, Scott Field, Illinois. A set of orders noted:
Upon graduation above EM [enlisted men] will have completed course of instruction in 1st and 2d echelon maintenance of Aircraft Radio equipment, including SCR-287, SCR-274N, SCR-522, SCR-269, S.B.A. [Standard Beam Approach, which assisted with instrument landings] equipment, and in Radio Operating Procedure, Operational Training and International Morse Code.
On January 26, 1944, Carlis was detached from the 30th Technical School Squadron and attached unassigned to the 12th School Squadron, remaining at Scott Field. On March 3, he was attached to the 371st Technical School Squadron, 21st Technical School Group. He was hospitalized at the base’s station hospital during April 8–13.
On April 30, 1944, the 371st Technical School Squadron was disbanded as part of a larger reorganization of stateside A.A.F. training units. Effective 0001 hours on May 1, all personnel were transferred to the new 3505th Army Air Forces Base Unit (A.A.F.B.U.), with Private Carlis attached to Section “P.”
On May 14, 1944, Carlis graduated from the Radio Operator & Mechanic Course and his M.O.S. changed to 756, A.A.F. radio operator. That same day, a set of orders came down dispatching him to Yuma Army Air Field, Arizona, for flexible gunnery training, though it appears they were not immediately effective since Carlis was attached to Section “S,” 3505th A.A.F.B.U. on May 15.
On May 20, 1944, after arriving at Yuma Army Air Field, Private Carlis was attached to Section “H,” 3036th A.A.F.B.U., a section for flexible gunnery students. His training included firing at targets while manning a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress waist gun position. On June 17, he qualified at the Marksman level with the .45 pistol.
On July 9, 1944, upon completing flexible gunnery training, Carlis was promoted to corporal and his M.O.S. changed again to 757, A.A.F. radio operator-mechanic-gunner. He was ordered to report to Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, on July 15. That day, he joined the 2nd Air Force Classification & Routing Pool there as a casual to await assignment. By August 12, 1944, when he returned from a furlough, Corporal Carlis had been attached to the 273rd A.A.F.B.U. at Lincoln Army Air Field.
By August 15, 1944, Corporal Carlis had been assigned as a radio operator to a B-17 crew led by 2nd Lieutenant Robert H. Flake (1920–1944), with whom he would fly all three of his combat missions. On that day, a set of orders came down dispatching the Flake crew (Crew No. 7697) to Alexandria Army Air Field, Louisiana, with a report date on or about August 17. At the time, the crew was incomplete, with only five members assigned. On August 19, Carlis and his crew were attached unassigned to the 221st A.A.F.B.U. (Combat Crew Detachment) there to continue their crew training.
Effective August 24, 1944, the Army Air Forces deemed Carlis physically qualified for both combat crew training and overseas duty. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal on October 18, 1944.
A set of orders issued on October 26, 1944, attached Crew No. 7697, now numbering nine men, to the 273rd A.A.F.B.U. back at Lincoln Army Air Field. The crew did not have a bombardier, in accordance with a late war trend for A.A.F. heavy bombers in formation to drop their ordnance following a lead bombardier who had demonstrated superior skill. Instead, an enlisted togglier would man the nose guns and then release the bombs without aiming himself.
Carlis and his crew were instructed to proceed to Nebraska on October 27 and report at Lincoln on October 29. Once they did so, they were attached to Section “K,” 273rd A.A.F.B.U. Carlis and his crew were there only briefly before they were issued movement orders on November 9, 1944. They were instructed to take the new B-17G serial number 44-6746 to Grenier Field, New Hampshire, where they would receive further orders instructing them on their route overseas.
Overseas Service
According to his personnel file, Corporal Carlis and his crew went overseas from Grenier Field on November 18, 1944. They likely stopped in the Azores while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless, they arrived in Marrakesh, Morocco, on November 24, and in Italy on December 3.
On December 6, 1944, Carlis and his crew joined the 346th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy), U.S. Fifteenth Air Force. He was promoted to sergeant on December 10.
The 99th Bomb Group had been flying missions in the Mediterranean Theater since March 31, 1943. With the capture of southern Italy, the group moved to Tortorella Landing Ground near Foggia at the end of 1943. That brought targets in Germany and the Balkans into range. On December 16, 1944, the 99th Bomb Group celebrated its 300th mission with separate parties for officers and enlisted men. At the time, men in his unit had to complete 50 combat missions before they could rotate back to the United States.
According to both his personnel file and records compiled by the 99th Bomb Group Historical Society, Sergeant Carlis flew three combat missions. Two were part of the Allied oil campaign intended to bring the Nazi war machine to a halt. His first mission took place on December 18, 1944, during a raid against the synthetic oil plant at Odertal, Germany. His aircraft turned back prior to reaching the target, presumably for mechanical reasons. His second mission was against a marshalling yard at Linz, Austria, on December 20. Antiaircraft fire (flak) was heavy but inaccurate.
The 99th Bomb Group’s mess served a turkey dinner on Christmas. The following day, December 26, 1944, Sergeant Carlis and his crew took off from Tortorella in B-17G serial number 44-6663. There were 11 men aboard, including a photographer. Their target was another synthetic oil plant, this one at Blechhammer, Germany. The mission report stated that although no German fighters intercepted the bombers, “flak was intense, accurate, heavy, both tracking and barrage.”
Shortly after noon, Carlis’s plane was hit by German antiaircraft fire. According to a statement dated December 28, 1944, by an eyewitness, 1st Lieutenant Morris S. Wood:
Just after the target[,] aircraft was evidently hit by flak and its number 2 [left inboard] engine caught on fire. It pulled out to the right of our formation about 500 yards and flew in that position for about five minutes.
Wood observed what he believed to be a parachute from a member of the crew. The B-17 then
started into a slight dive as though the pilot was trying to blow out the flames. The dive became steeper until it reached about a 70 degree dive and at about seven thousand feet below us the plane broke [in two] at the ball turret. As this happened 3 men were thrown clear and their chutes opened. A few seconds later 2 more chutes came out of the forward section and was possibly the navigator and bombardier. Just before the aircraft hit the ground and exploded, an object which appeared to be white came out and was probably a chute, although it could have been a piece of wreckage from the plane.
Although Lieutenant Wood thought that as many as seven members of the crew bailed out, there were only two survivors. They were captured but were liberated at the end of the war in Europe.
Polish civilians saw plane crash and burn near Marklowice. The nine Americans killed in the crash were buried in a common grave by Polish civilians at a cemetery in Marklowice on or around December 28, 1944. After the war, on September 5, 1947, Sergeant Steven Dzubnar, an investigator with the F.F.C. Polish Detachment, arrived in Marklowice looking for the bodies of fallen Americans, and was guided to the gravesite by Polish civilians. Sergeant Dzubnar was only able to identify one of the men at the time.
On November 1, 1947, Sergeant Carlis was buried as an unknown (X-6769) at the U.S. military cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium (Plot FF, Row 1, Grave 15). The only possession recovered from his body was a Silver Dollar. He was subsequently identified from dental records combined with a laundry mark on his drawers listing the last four digits of his service number. His body was disinterred on November 30, 1948, and repatriated to the United States, where his funeral took place at Raphael-Sacks Memorial Chapel in Philadelphia on May 25, 1949.
Curiously, although his obituary and a Pennsylvania veteran’s burial card indicate that Sergeant Carlis was to be buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, his headstone is at the Jewish Community Cemetery in Wilmington, where his parents, siblings, and maternal grandparents were also buried after their deaths. His name is on memorials at the Jewish Community Cemetery and at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware.
Crew of B-17G 44-6663 on December 26, 1944
The following list was adopted from Missing Air Crew Report No. 10939 with grade, name, service number, position, and status (killed or captured).
2nd Lieutenant Robert H. Flake, O-775301 (pilot) – K.I.A.
1st Lieutenant John E. Reese, O-825384 (copilot) – K.I.A.
Flight Officer Harold E. Mitchell, T-129967 (navigator) – K.I.A.
Staff Sergeant Frederick G. Weiss, 11091422 (togglier) – P.O.W.
Sergeant Paul T. Varley, 35610039 (flight engineer) – K.I.A.
Sergeant Sherwood T. Griswold, 19207119 (assistant engineer) – K.I.A.
Sergeant Morton Carlis, 32754502 (radio operator) – K.I.A.
Sergeant Clyde S. Plants, Jr., 33920754 (assistant radio operator) – K.I.A.
Staff Sergeant Marle D. Smith, 37358757 (waist gunner) – P.O.W.
Sergeant Theodore T. Gilson, 32928404 (tail gunner) – K.I.A.
Sergeant Seymour Apt, 33322055 (photographer) – K.I.A.
Notes
Name
Curiously, Carlis’s birth certificate gives his name as Martin Carlis. His last name was mangled (possibly as Carlise, though another birth index card had Carlisle) and although the last name was corrected to Carlis on November 14, 1945, after his parents presented their marriage certificate, his first name was never officially corrected. However, all known subsequent records give his first name as Morton and he served under that name.
Copilot
The copilot flying aboard Carlis’s B-17 during his final mission, 1st Lieutenant John Earl Reese (1923–1944), was not originally a member of his crew. Though he outranked 2nd Lieutenant Flake and had flown more missions, he flew as copilot in the ill-fated mission.
Article Overhaul
This article, originally published on November 25, 2021, was substantially rewritten in May 2026, incorporating substantial details about his military career obtained in his personnel file and from recently digitized morning reports.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the 99th Bomb Group Historical Society for Sergeant Carlis’s mission records, and to the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware for the use of Carlis’s letters and photographs.
Bibliography
“1LT John Earl Reese.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56360486/john-earl-reese
“99th Bomb Group Three Hundred Mission Log.” November 1944. Reel B0200. Courtesy of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
Carlis, Morton. Letter to Mollye Sklut. Undated, c. April 4, 1943. Dear Mollye Letters. Courtesy of the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware. https://jhsdelaware.org/collections/digital/files/original/bf41708efd98b1df4db64005f2c5daa8.jpg, https://jhsdelaware.org/collections/digital/files/original/c82142262a18a0e3c64b68d9b5ebe0b6.jpg
Carlis, Morton. Letter to Mollye Sklut. Undated, c. April 26, 1943. Dear Mollye Letters. Courtesy of the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware. https://jhsdelaware.org/collections/digital/files/original/b04f54c8cb62d3c50de4d756adbb8993.jpg, https://jhsdelaware.org/collections/digital/files/original/05fd5932b0a57162ede345926091bab5.jpg
Census Record for Morton Carlis. April 18, 1930. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RZH-9D4
Census Record for Morton Carlis. April 26, 1940. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-LHSC
Certificate of Birth for Martin Carlis. Undated, c. October 10, 1924. Record Group 1500-008-094, Birth Certificates. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YQM-QQGZ
Certificate of Birth for Marylyn Carlis. Undated, c. September 1, 1926. Record Group 1500-008-094, Birth Certificates. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YQM-Q6V5
Draft Registration Card for Morton Carlis. December 18, 1942. Draft Registration Cards for Delaware, October 16, 1940 – March 31, 1947. Record Group 147, Records of the Selective Service System. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMG-6JNY
Franklin, Paul H., Jr. “Missing Air Crew Report No. 10939.” December 28, 1944. Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), 1942–1947. Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985. The National Archives at College Park, Maryland. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/91101558
“History of the Ninety Ninth Bombardment Group (H) (Including 346th, 347th, 348th, 416th Squadrons) Tortorella, A/D, Italy of the Fifth Bombardment Wing of the Fifteenth Army Air Force.” December 1944. Reel B0200. Courtesy of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
Individual Deceased Personnel File for Morton Carlis. Army Individual Deceased Personnel Files, 1942–1970. Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.
“Lt. John E. Reese Receives Air Medal.” January 1, 1945. Wilkes-Barre Record. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88955177/morton-carlis-crew-copilot/
“Lt. R. H. Flake Lost In Action.” January 16, 1945. Arizona Republic. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88954764/morton-carlis-pilot/
“Machzikow Adas Congregation To Present Program.” December 2, 1934. The Delmarva Star. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10969-510445307/morton-carlis-in-newspaper-name-index-usa-canada#fullscreen
“Mollye Sklut.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160910142/mollye-sklut
Morning Reports for 2nd AF Classification & Routing Pool.” July 29, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-07/85713825_1944-07_Roll-0058/85713825_1944-07_Roll-0058-01.pdf
Morning Reports for 12th Technical School Squadron. March 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-03/85713825_1944-03_Roll-0448/85713825_1944-03_Roll-0448-14.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-03/85713825_1944-03_Roll-0448/85713825_1944-03_Roll-0448-15.pdf
Morning Reports for 30th Technical School Squadron. November 1943. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1943-11/85713825_1943-11_Roll-0227/85713825_1943-11_Roll-0227-08.pdf
Morning Reports for 221st Army Air Forces Base Unit. August 19, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-08/85713825_1944-08_Roll-0168/85713825_1944-08_Roll-0168-14.pdf
Morning Reports for 346th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). December 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-12/85713825_1944-12_Roll-0548/85713825_1944-12_Roll-0548-12.pdf
Morning Reports for 371st Technical School Squadron. April 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-04/85713825_1944-04_Roll-0392/85713825_1944-04_Roll-0392-12.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-04/85713825_1944-04_Roll-0392/85713825_1944-04_Roll-0392-13.pdf
Morning Reports for 721st Classification Center Squadron (Aircrew). October 1943 – November 1943. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1943-10/85713825_1943-10_Roll-0330/85713825_1943-10_Roll-0330-22.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1943-11/85713825_1943-11_Roll-0334/85713825_1943-11_Roll-0334-06.pdf
Morning Reports for 904th Training Group. March 1943 – May 1943. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074-02.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074-03.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0074-04.pdf
Morning Reports for 915th Training Group. May 1943 – July 1943. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0075/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0075-06.pdf, https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0075/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-0075-07.pdf
Morning Reports for Section “H,” 3036th Army Air Forces Base Unit. May 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-05/85713825_1944-05_Roll-0215/85713825_1944-05_Roll-0215-08.pdf
“Movement Orders, Heavy Bombardment Crew, Number FH-009-AY 18, To Oversea Destination.” November 9, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-11/85713825_1944-11_Roll-0295/85713825_1944-11_Roll-0295-03.pdf
Official Military Personnel File for Morton Carlis. Official Military Personnel Files, 1912–1998. Record Group 319, Records of the Army Staff. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.
“Our Men and Women In Service.” May 31, 1943. Journal-Every Evening, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88500148/morton-carlis-basic/
“Samuel A. Berger.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68106983/samuel-a-berger
“Samuel Carlis.” July 25, 1985. The Morning News. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88499082/samuel-carlis-obit/
Service File for Samuel Carlis. Undated, c. January 20, 1921. World War I Veterans Service and Compensation File, 1934–1948. Record Group 19, Series 19.91. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg Pennsylvania. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60884/images/41744_3421606186_1076-02678
“Sgt Morton Carlis.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50398153/morton-carlis
“Sgt. Morton Carlis Rites.” May 24, 1949. The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88499739/morton-carlis-obituary/
“SO 133 Headquarters Scott Field, Scott Field, Illinois.” May 12, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-05/85713825_1944-05_Roll-0258/85713825_1944-05_Roll-0258-05.pdf
“SO 191 HQ, Yuma Army Air Field, Yuma, Ariz.” July 9, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-07/85713825_1944-07_Roll-0057/85713825_1944-07_Roll-0057-04.pdf
“Special Orders Number 300, Headquarters Alexandria Army Air Field.” October 26, 1944. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1944-10/85713825_1944-10_Roll-0030/85713825_1944-10_Roll-0030-20.pdf
“Temple Beth Emeth 28th Annual Ball At Hotel DuPont Thursday.” February 21, 1937. The Sunday Morning Star. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10969-146127963/morton-carlis-in-newspaper-name-index-usa-canada#fullscreen
“Two Wilmington Boards Announce Newest Draftees.” March 23, 1943. Wilmington Morning News. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88509604/morton-carlis-drafted/
Veteran’s Burial Place Record for Morton Carlis. Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1967/images/31501_B018132-00420
Veteran’s Compensation Application for Samuel Carlis. February 5, 1934. World War I Veterans Service and Compensation File, 1934–1948. Record Group 19, Series 19.91. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg Pennsylvania. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60884/images/41744_3421606186_1076-02680
Last updated on May 17, 2026
More stories of World War II fallen:
To have new profiles of fallen soldiers delivered to your inbox, please subscribe below.
Delaware's World War II Fallen 
My grandfather has an entry in his war diary about this B17 crash, he was tent mates with these airmen. It was the last entry in his diary, his last sentence, “It makes me sad that the last entry in this, my Diary, need be one of such sadness, and it chalks up one more spot for the Germans in the “Little black book”.
LikeLike