Leland L. "Lee" MacFarlane was born on September 8, 1919, in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California. He was the son of Gladys Alene Ayer Macfarlane McAllister. His parents divorced in 1921. Leland enlisted in the Air Corps at Portland on November 3, 1941. He had two years of college and was single without dependents.

Leland served in the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant during World War II. He was flying the P-47D #42-7920 in a Group led by Major Don Blakeslee flying a "Rodeo" to the Ostend-Ghent area of Belgium from 1309 to 1445 hrs. Both aircraft were last seen chasing enemy aircraft inland near Ghent at appx 1350 hrs, involved in a mid-air collision at 1350 hrs when in combat with FW 190s. Lt Whitlow crashed on the Belgium/Dutch border in the hamlet of Den Hoorn, about 7 miles NE of Brugge, Belgium. Lt. Macfarlane crashed at Donk near the Heirweg at Maldegem, Belgium.

2Lt MacFarlane is now buried in the Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France. His name is listed on the Anglo-American Memorial in Saffron Walden in England, but his surname is spelled as Mac Farland.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, 4thfightergroupassociation.org