Three days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, he flew on a mission with pilot Colin Kelly against the Japanese navy.

Levin received the distinguished flying cross for bombing the IJN light cruiser Natori, the silver star for a direct hit on a 15,000 ton Japanese transport, and the oak leaf cluster for gallantry.

[4] He is remembered as one of the first American heroes of World War II for sacrificing his own life to save members of his crew.

[8] He spent the next three years trying to find work in the aircraft industry, but was continually denied a job due to his Jewish heritage.

"[10] (Some news reports mistakenly identified the ship as the Japanese battleship Haruna, which was in the Gulf of Siam at the time.)

[13] When the Philippines fell under Japanese domination, Levin, along with fellow crew member Haskell Wexler, a future cinematographer, were then stationed in Australia, at General Macarthur's headquarters.

[14] From there, Levin took part in over 60 missions over the following year, including the Battle of the Coral Sea, where he sank a 15,000-ton Japanese transport.

The Fortress plunged into the sea ..."[9] Barbee remembers last seeing Levin grasping for the safety hatches which released the raft.

[5] The story ran in the New York Times: Master Sergeant Meyer Levin, the Brooklyn boy who blasted the Japaneses battleship as bombardier for Captain Colin Kelly, went down with a Flying Fortress, out of fuel, that plunged into a stormy sea.

[13] Later, writer and broadcaster Lowell Thomas credited Levin for being a "star of the historic 19th Operations Group, with its continuous pursuit of Japanese warships.

[19] In March 1943, the Jewish War Veterans organization raised $75,000 toward a goal of $350,000, to replace the plane in which Levin lost his life.