Max W. Wilson was born in 1921. He was the son of Robert Palmar Wilson and Eliza Jane Geiser Wilson. He served in the 836th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomber Group, Heavy as a Staff Sergeant and Upper Turret Gunner on the B-24H 42-52609 during World War II.

By December 1943 the Logan crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the Logan crew was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 41-29520 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On July 2, 1944 the 487th Bomb Group dispatched two squadrons of B-24s to bomb the German V-weapon site at Belloy-sur-Somme, France, northwest of Amiens near the River Somme. Lt Logan's crew flew B-24H 42-52609 on this mission. On the return route, S/Sgt Pellizzer and five of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by flak in the area of Bethune-St. Pol, France. After the aircraft was hit and on fire, Lt Logan pulled up to avoid colliding with another aircraft in the formation. This was B-24H 42-52766 'Sammy's Niece' with the crew of Lt Joseph P. Peyton aboard. Lt Logan's selfless act saved the Peyton crew; then his aircraft broke up and went down in flames. It crashed 3.5 kilometers west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, and 2 kilometers east of Siracourt, in the vicinity of 50.373°N, 2.291°E. Three men survived and became prisoners of war.

SSgt Wilson is now buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

B-24H 42-52609 crew:
• Logan, James A – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Matika, Bruno – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Doran, Harry LeRoy – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Greer, George Hubert – T/Sgt – Engineer – POW
• Johnson, William T – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Pellizzer, Louis – S/Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Wilson, Max W – S/Sgt – Upper Turret Gunner – KIA
• Buck, Herman W – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Ross, John Finlay – S/Sgt – Tail Turret Gunner – POW

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