Smith Martin A

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Martin A Smith is honored on the following 1 monument(s) in our database:

B-17 'Why Worry II' (42-102572) Memorial -452nd Bomber Group

Name:

Martin A Smith

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

11098895

Unit:

452nd Bombardment Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

0000-00-00

State:

New Jersey

Cemetery:

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

French Legion of Honor, Grande Medal of the French State

Comments:

Born on 27 July 1913
From Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey
Tail Gunner of the B-17 Flying Fortress 42-102572 9ZN "Why Worry II" that took off from Station 142 Deopham Green in Norfolk, UK, on May 27, 1944 on a mission to bomb Strasbourg, France. The plane was hit by flak and was forced to do a belly landing in a field 1 km NE of Avoudrey, France, as it was lost and short of fuel. The entire crew survived the landing at 1320 in the afternoon. S/SGT Smith was taken as a POW to Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow. He would spend almost a year as a POW.
Later married Florrie (Baybutt) Smith and was the father of Linda and Karen Smith.
He settled in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
He died on 1 May 2017 after a short illness.