Lee Maxwell WEBB

"Max"

Source : Andy

 18 July 1913 Chandler, Maricopa county, ARIZONA 

Parents : James L & Mary Lillie Alispach WEBB

Siblings : Forrest, Charlotte, Erma & Lloyd 

Source : Andy

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Draguignan N°3519

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Rhône American Cemetery

Max was born in Marisacopa County, Arizona, and spent much of his life there. He was in college, at the age of 13, he lost his father James Levi WEBB in 1926, leaving Mary Lillie alone to support the family of 5 children.

Max was still able to pursue two years of study at the university before leaving with a Mormon mission in Germany in the late 1930s. It was there that he learned to speak German with remarkable fluency.

On returning to the United States he returned to his local province where he worked as a foreman at a gas station, however he soon joined military service in October 1940 in view of the rising conflict in Europe.
Thanks to his experience in Germany he trained as a language officer in the intelligence services. 

Later during the conflict he volunteered for the airborne troops, once the qualification passed and the certificate obtained he was exceptionally assigned to the 509th PIR which was to be parachuted in France in view of the operation Anvil-Dragoon, there he would assist in the interrogation of potential German prisoners. He was indeed parachuted with the HQ of the regiment on the morning of August 15.

On August 21, when the unit had just captured the coast 131 and the village of La Napoule it was realized that the currency provided in the escape kits of the men was not francs but Italian lira. 

The new battalion commander, Major John N. APPERSON, made the decision to recover all the soldiers' currency to go and exchange it with the finance officer of the 1st Airborne Task Force.

The 1st Lt. WEBB then embarked in a Jeep with the Major and the 1Lt. Hubert Fiander of intelligence. 
En route the Jeep drove on a German Tellerminen which pulverised the vehicle and instantly killed the three officers on board. 

Headstone inscription and internment record

 Draft card de Lee M. WEBB