P-38J 42-67768

Not Known

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Major Mark K. Shipman reported: "I was leading Swindle Yellow flight with Lt. Leve as my wingman when at about thirty thousand feet an Me-109 made an attack on a flight below us.  We made a pass at the attacking aircraft, made him break off his attack and then started to follow the E/A.  Lt. Leve called and told me to follow him, that he would furnish me cover so off we went.  Just after that however Lt. Leve called and said to break right in that three Me-109s were coming down on us, so break we did.  During the break I lost Lt. Leve momentarily and also Lt. Hokinson, his wingman, and after that time I was not sure where they were.  About two minutes later some twenty to thirty E/A came into the area, so I called and told everyone to hit the deck and start home.  At the time some of the seven P-38s were in trouble, but after that I only saw three P-38s coming out with me.  However, the other flight of four came out at thirteen thousand feet so I can't say for certain just what happened to Lt. Leve or Lt. Hokinson.  We were at about twenty thousand feet when we started for the deck, and after that time I saw no E/A, nor was I fired at by ground flak on the way home."

1/Lt. Leve was killed by enemy fighters in Germany near Venlo, Holland. He was from Brooklyn, New York and is buried in New Montefiore Cemetery, Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
Reproduced with kind permission of Mr. Robert M. Littlefield from the author's book Double Nickel - Double Trouble