Edward E. Smith was born on April 20, 1923 in North Carolina. He was the son of David Fonzo Smith and Nita Evans Smith. He served in the 378th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group as a Second Lieutenant during World War II. On March 20, 1945, the group again flew 17 missions, although attrition and sheer wear on the P-47s meant that there were at times just six or seven planes per mission. Again, strafing claims were very high. The 378th's six missions started with four bombs on Alzey, Germany, then strafing that accounted for six trucks and a horse-drawn wagon. "We were given a convoy to work over, and when we sighted the target I went down to check it and instructed the rest of the flight to strafe after determining it was German equipment," said Lt. William Matthews, the leader of Yellow Flight. "I then pulled up and started on my second pass at which time I saw an explosion about two-thirds of the way up a hill next to the target" This was Lt. Edward Smith, who was killed when his Thunderbolt crashed following a strafing pass. 2Lt. Smith is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, Thunderbolts Triumphant, The 362nd Fighter Group vs Germany's Wehrmacht