Carlos J. Ball was born in New Jersey. His hometown was in Chautauqua, New York, but he entered the service in New Jersey. Carlos served in the 492nd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group during World War II.

Piloting the P-47D #42-76571, he took off from Ibsley, Hampshire, for an operational mission to France. His aircraft was fitted with two external wing tanks and a 1,000 lb GP bomb. The aircraft was about two-thirds of the way down the runway when the port tire blew out which made it impossible to maintain a straight line and was in danger of striking the boundary fence. Lieutenant Ball forced his machine into a ground loop to starboard whereupon it immediately caught fire and he was mortally burnt escaping from the cockpit, though this had not been noticed by the emergency services. Thus they approached the blazing wreckage intent on saving him, but as they did so, the single bomb exploded killing Private Wood Hibbard and injuring eleven rescue crew, four of them seriously.

Lieutenant Ball died of wounds on 28th May and was initially interred at Brookwood Cemetery, but later re-interred at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov