Walter A. Smith served in the 554th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomber Group, Medium, as a Staff Sergeant and Mechanic/Machine Gunner on the B26 #42-96083 RU*T during World War II.
On July 31, 1944, they took off from Station 164 airfield in Great Dunmow, (Little Easton) on a mission to bomb the railway bridge of St. Cosme to La Riche-Tours. During a second pass over the objective at 4000 feet the aircraft was hit at the dorsal turret by an 88 mm shell and broke in two. Only the pilot had evacuated, at very low altitude at 7:30 p.m. The plane crashed at Cne de Joué-les-Tours, 500 m N from the train station, 2km southwest from Tours.
SSgt Smith is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.
B26 #42-96083 crew:
1Lt Bernard Elmer Daniels, Jr. - Pilot
F/O Merle B. McIntire - Co-Pilot
S/Sgt Clayton E. Lehman - Bombardier
S/Sgt Walter A. Smith - Mechanic/Machine Gunner
S/Sgt Orville E. Lawson - Machine Gunner
Sgt Robert N. Beyl - Machine Gunner
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net