McNeil, Max D., Sgt

Last Known Activity
Max Daniel McNeil was born in Missouri in 1920. His parents were Ernest Stanley and Fern Lavon Kingrey McNeil.

McNeil enlisted on June 9, 1942 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri as a private in the US Army Air Forces. His enlistment papers state he had completed 1 year of college (unnamed), was employed in the actor/actress field, and confirms nativity and year of birth.

Selected for flight duty, he was trained as an aerial gunner. When this course was completed, he was sent overseas and assigned to a B-17 combat crew.
On November 28, 1942, the crew was sent to bomb facilities in the Bizerte, Tunisia area. While flying there, the formation was attacked by German fighters, and McNeil's aircraft was shot down. It crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. There were no survivors, and no bodies were recovered.

Sgt McNeil is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing in the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunis, Tunisia.


www.findagrave.com
www.abmc.gov
www.301stbg.com/301st_bombardment_group.cfm
www.301stbg.com/mission_Macrs.cfm
NARA Enlistment Records
 

Comments/Citation
Sgt Max McNeil was an assigned waist gunner on B-17F # 41-24374, no name, assigned to the 353rd Bomb Squadron.

Missing Air Crew Report 16038 covers this event. Mission loading lists show the crew as:

1 Lt Robert E. Maher  p
2 Lt Roy C. Tobey  c-p
2 Lt Lee H. Adkins  nav
2 Lt Fred J. Graf  bomb
MSgt Edward C. Shackleton  eng/tt gun
TSgt  Frank J. Conlon  r/o
Sgt   Harry R. Alger  wg
Sgt   Max D. McNeil  wg
Sgt  Charles R. Goodwin  tail gun

Ranks and grades as of mission date.

Shackleton's middle initial is given variously throughout documents as "O." "C," or "W."

There is no known crew photo.