The Man Behind the Name
§ Biography
T/Sgt Neil R. Reed served as radio operator aboard B-24J 42-50829. Rather than taking his ditching station prior to impact, he was treating Lt. Blankenship's leg wound. His first name appears as 'Hell' and 'Emil' in OCR-corrupted copies; 'Neil' is the correct reading from the clearest copy (page 5).
Reed did not survive the ditching and was reported missing in action.
Service record.
§ As Catalogued
Rank
Technical Sergeant
Position
Radio Operator
Serial Number
15324246
Missions flown.
1 catalogued · 18 Sep 1944
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.
№
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 639
18 Sep 1944
Eindhoven
“Sweet Chariot”
→
Sources.
§ Provenance
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1944
Official record