Levitt Clinton Beck, Jr. was born on January 2, 1920, in Houston, Texas. He was the son of Levitt Clinton Beck, Sr., and Verne Tryon. The family moved to California sometime in the '30s, and Levitt graduated from Huntington Park High School, Class of 1938.

Levitt first flew solo at the age of 16. He enlisted in the Air Corps in Los Angeles on May 23, 1942, and after a year of training, arrived in England to prepare for participation in the largest amphibious invasion in history, the D-Day.

He served with the 514th Fighter Squadron, 406th Fighter Group. On June 29, 1944, his squadron provided cover for the bombers on a mission to France. They were attacked by German fighters, and Lt Beck made an emergency landing in the countryside near Dreuz, Eir-et Loer, Centre France, and was "rescued" by members of the French resistance.

He spent the next few weeks in Mme Paulette's Cafe in Anet, France, hiding from the Germans and writing his story. The memoir was buried in her backyard, and she promised to send it to his parents should he not return.

"Jean Jacques" was to take Lt. Beck to start his trip "home" to England. However, it turned out Jean Jacques Desoubrie was a member of the Gestapo. Beck was turned over to the Germans and became a prisoner in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Desoubrie had also turned over 168 allied pilots to the Camp. As the Americans were approaching, Himmler, gave the order for all of the allied pilots to be executed and then cremated. A German officer, Hannes Trautloft, discovered the whereabouts of these prisoners by accident, and along with Adolf Galland, saved all but two. One was 1Lt Levitt Beck, who died of pneumonia just before they were saved. His body was never recovered. 1Lt Beck is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing, Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg.
After the war, Jean Jacques was tried, convicted and executed in December 1949. A documentary of these pilots, "Lost Airmen of Buchenwald" was produced in 2012. Lt. Beck's manuscript was sent to his parents, and they published a few copies, one of which was presented to the National World War Il Museum.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, francecrashes39-45.net