Monuments
Leiston Airfield (Station 373) and 357th & 358th Fighter Group Memorial
357th Fighter Group Roll of Honor
Name:
Richard Carlyle Smith
Rank:
Captain
Serial Number:
O-742909
Unit:
364th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group
Date of Death:
1944-06-29
State:
Colorado
Cemetery:
Netherlands American Cemetery, Netherlands
Plot:
D
Row:
11
Grave:
22
Decoration:
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Hear
Comments:
Richard Carlyle Smith was born on November 25, 1921, in Waterloo, Iowa. He served in the 364th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group as a First Lieutenant during World War II. He was Killed in Action near Leipzig, Germany in the P-51 43-6974 aircraft. After bailing out of the plane, Smith was captured by a policeman from the city of Seesen. He was taken to the crash site and killed by shots in the back by police M/Sergeant Eduard K. L. Curdts and his body was buried there later. CPT Smith was reinterred in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
Source of photo: www.americanairmuseum.com