Leo Stratton Nomis
MilitaryTeicheira Family Files
Fighter pilot, Los Angeles, California resident. Of Sioux ancestry, reflected in his Spitfire Vb BL287 being decorated with an Indian Chiefs head on the fuselage side.
In the autumn of 1941, joined 71 "Eagle" Squadron, a RAF unit composed of American volunteer pilots. He flew the Spitfire Mk Vb BL287, flying his first operational sortie on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, December 7, 1941. He made his initial claim for a damaged E/A in Jan 42, shared a confirmed Ju88 kill 17-4-1942 off Felixstowe. Flew replacement Spitfires to Malta via aircraft carrier HMS Furious July 1942, transferred to 229 Sqn, After borrowing a Spitfire for an unauthorized, lone-wolf, nighttime sweep of Sicily, Nomis was punished with a transfer to El Alemain, Western Desert in North Africa and assignment to 92 "East India" Squadron. In both Malta and Africa, Nomis flew the tropicalized Mk Vc Spitfire.
While in his Spitfire in February 1943, Nomis received a head wound from a fragment of 20mm cannon shell from an unseen Me 109. He suffered some damage to the nerves leading to his right eye and spent a month in the hospital. Upon discharge, he transferred from the RAF to the USAAF. Meant for the P-40s of the 57th FG, Nomis never flew combat in WWII again and instead headed back to the US as a trainer.
Nomis was one of the few americans and only eagle to fight for the Israeli air force in the 1948 war.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: Spitfire
- Unit: No 71 'Eagle' Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
9 March 1922 | Born 9th Mar 1922. | |
Other 1st Operational Sortie |
7 December 1941 | 1st operational sortie on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, December 7, 1941. | |
Other Destroyed 1/2 E/A |
17 April 1942 | Shared a confirmed Ju88 kill 17-4-42 off Felixstowe. | |
Other Malta Spitfire Replacements |
11 August 1942 | Flew replacement Spitfires to Malta via aircraft carrier HMS Furious July 1942. Operation Pedestal. | |
Other Transferred |
12 August 1942 | Transferred to 229 Sqn. | |
Other Transferred |
20 August 1942 | Transfer to El Alemain, Western Desert, North Africa and assignment to 92 "East India" Squadron. | |
Enlisted |
3 March 1943 | Enlisted 3rd Mar 1943. | |
Died |
29 September 2001 | Died 29 Sep 2001. | |
Born |
Los Angeles, California, USA. | ||
Enlisted |
Enlisted in RCAF. | ||
Other Joined RAF |
Joined Royal Air Force. | ||
Other Assigned |
Assigned to 71 [Eagle] Squadron RAF. | ||
Other Damaged E/A |
Initial claim for a damaged E/A in Jan 42. | ||
Other Wounded In Action WIA |
Received a head wound from a fragment of 20mm cannon shell from an unseen Me 109. 2-43. | ||
Other Hospitalised |
Suffered damage to the nerves leading to his right eye and spent a month in the hospital. | ||
Other Transferred USAAF |
Transferred to USAAF. | ||
Other Joined IDAF |
One of the few Americans and only eagle to fight for the Israeli air force in the 1948 war. | ||
Other E/A Kill |
1 x Bf 109G kill. | ||
Other E/A Probable |
1 x Bf109 Probable. | ||
Buried |
Riverside National Cemetery Riverside, Riverside County California, USA. |