Allegiance United States Rank Rear admiral | Name Max Leslie Years of service 1926–1956 | |
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Born October 24, 1902
Seattle, Washington ( 1902-10-24 ) Commands held VB-3
Carrier Air Wing 3 Battles/wars World War II
Doolittle Raid
Battle of Midway Died September 26, 1985, San Diego, California, United States Awards Navy Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Battles and wars Doolittle Raid, Battle of Midway, World War II | ||
Service/branch United States Navy | ||
Maxwell Franklin Leslie (24 October 1902 – 26 September 1985) was a naval aviator in the United States Navy during World War II. He is credited with playing a major part in the Battle of Midway.
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Early life
Born in Seattle on 24 October 1902, Leslie attended the University of Washington before entering the U.S. Naval Academy in 1922, graduating in 1926, the same class as Wade McClusky.
Military career
Leslie was commissioned ensign in 1926, and received flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1929. He qualified as a naval aviator in 1930. When the United State entered World War II, he was executive officer of Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3) aboard USS Saratoga. He flew with his squadron off USS Enterprise, while escorting USS Hornet on the Doolittle Raid.
Battle of Midway
Leslie was in command of VB-3, operating off USS Yorktown during Midway. Following the Japanese destroyer Arashi that had been counterattacking USS Nautilus, Leslie and Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky, from Enterprise, managed to arrive above the Japanese task force at the precise moment its combat air patrol had been drawn down to the deck to repel Yorktown's torpedo bombers, and at the moment of the First Air Fleet's maximum vulnerability. With the Japanese Zeros too low to be effective, the SBD Dauntlesses of McClusky squadron of 20 dive bombers and Max Leslie's squadron of 17 dive bombers poured down through the miraculously open sky to unload their bombs on the Japanese carriers, their hangar decks cluttered with confused ranks of recovered and warming up aircraft, snaking fuel hoses, and stacks of munitions from the various rearmament operations. Leslie himself did not have a bomb as it was accidentally released via a faulty electrical arming switch. Nevertheless, he also dived with the rest of the SBDs, strafing carrier decks.
In just five minutes, Enterprise's Scouting Squadron Six and Bombing Squadron Six destroyed two Japanese fleet carriers. Kaga was abandoned at 1700 and sank at 1925. Akagi was abandoned just after Kaga went down, and was scuttled before dawn June 5. Attacking nearly simultaneously with McClusky's SBDs,Yorktown's VB-3, led by Leslie, inflicted heavy damage on Sōryū, and she also sank that evening. After successfully attacking Sōryū Leslie and his wingman Lt(jg) P.A. Holmberg ditched near USS Astoria due to fuel exhaustion, after their parent carrier Yorktown was under attack by Japanese planes when they returned. Leslie, Holmberg, and their gunners were rescued by one of the cruiser's whaleboats.
A single carrier, Hiryū, which was ten miles to the north of the other three carriers, escaped damage the morning of June 4, but was sunk on June 5. For heroism at the battle, Leslie was awarded the Navy Cross.
Leslie continued to serve overseas during World War II:
Max Leslie spent the rest of his career after the war in various ships and shore stations and retired in 1956. In addition to the Navy Cross, he was presented the Bronze Star Medal with combat "V" and the Commendation Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation to Enterprise, American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Leslie died 26 Sept 1985 in San Diego, California.
In popular culture
Leslie was depicted by Monte Markham in the 1976 film Midway.