John J. Smith entered military service in New Jersey. He served in the 849th Bomber Squadron, 490th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on the B-17 #43-38111 during World War II. He was killed in action on January 5, 1945, during a practice mission while approaching the north-eastern outskirts of Bury St. Edmonds. Their airplane collided with #43-38050 flown by 2Lt Harold Adelman. His airplane spun in and crashed in Merrimaid Pits (small lakes for purifying effluent pumped from the Bury Sugar Beet Factory). All nine crew members were killed and it took several days to recover the bodies from the icy water.
2Lt Smith is now buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The crew members were:
Pilot: Donald Wood, Co-pilot: John Smith, Navigator: Forest Redman, Ex Navigator: Warren Allen, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Charles Todt, instr Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Elmer Hammond, instr Radio Operator: Cliff Kwasigroh, Radio Operator: Edward Sarazewski, instr p-Lt Paul McGee.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, 3rd Air Division 8th Air Force USAF 1942-45: Flying Fortress and Liberator Squadrons in Norfolk and Suffolk by Martin W. Bowman, www.americanairmuseum.com