COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2nd Lt Reginald A."Smitty" Smith P POW 20/2/44 TAPS; 1984 TARGET WAS POSEN & SETTIN, FACTORIES
2nd Lt Orlin H. Markussen CP POW 20/2/44
2nd Lt Gerald C. Scott NAV POW 20/2/44 TAPS:
2nd Lt Ernest Cribbs BOM POW 20/2/44
T/Sgt Thomas M. Egan TTE POW 20/2/44 TAPS: 1977
T/Sgt Ira G. Evans ROG INTERNED 20/2/44
S/Sgt Edward B. Dyblie BTG POW 20/2/44
S/Sgt Edward Britko LWG POW 20/2/44 TAPS: 1985
S/Sgt Robert L. Dunbar RWG POW 20/2/44
S/Sgt Michael E. Udick TG POW 20/2/44
418th Sqdn. A/C #42 37790 "AIN'T MIS BEHAVIN" Lt Smith flew as Lt Cowboy Roane's copilot/formation officer in Nov 1943
"At 1452 hours near the Danish coast Lt. Smith called over VHF saying he was going to try and reach Sweden. His a/c was hit over the target area by rockets and was smoking badly, but shortly after the entire crew had to parachute. The crash was observed by the Germans at the radar station in Skovby, and some of the airmen were taken prisoner of war shortly after landing. Some managed to hide in the forest near Fjellerup parsonage and they were found by the farmer Mr. Rasmus Thrane, who hid them for a while. But they were anxious to reach Sweden so they went for the sea, and they were taken prisoner near Baring beach. Ira Evans hid in the forest and came in contact with the Danish resistance movement. He reached Sweden on 7/3/44.
A/C crashed at Harslev Mark, 7 km s of Bogense town on NW part of Funen Island.
Of interest in this crew's last mission is an article in THE BLOODY HUNDREDTH (page 141 to 147) by Horace Varian
in which Orlin Markussen relates the story of how he made contact 31 years after the fact with the German fighter pilot
who shot down "AIN'T MIS BEHAVIN" Mar 20th, 1944..
*************************************************************************************************************
Lt Reginald Smith was Cowboy Owen Roane's co-pilot on his lead Crew. He flew as formation officer on the Rjukan mission to Norway. According to Capt Roane, Lt Smith came to USAAF from the RAF/RCAF as a Flight Officer. Reginald Albert Smith transferred to the USAAF May 19, 1942. He was posted to Maxwell Field, Alabama.
Subj: Re: Reginald Smith in RCAF
Date: 5/9/2003 6:11:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: wpf13@hotmail.com
To: MPFaley@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Re: Reginald Smith
I'll have more on him next week when I revisit DND archives.
He graduated from No. 5 Service Flying Training School Brantford, Ontario
In order to have this info in my notes, I must have a photo taken at his
wings parade at Brantford. I'll check.
The digging continues!!
Wally
Here's a bit more information about Reginald Albert Smith
On March 12, 1942 he received his RCAF pilot wings at No. 5 SFTS, Brantford, Ontario.
Reggie Smith, Columbus, Ohio, has been a drummer since he was about 13 years old. At the age of 15 he won the Ohio State Championship for drumming. He left Ohio State University for a musical career in numerous bands and became popular with the Ohio "jitterbugs".
At the time of his transfer to the USAAF on May 19, 1942, he was serving as a staff pilot at No. 5 SFTS, Brantford, Ontario.
Wally
*********************************************************************************************************
CREW
LT R.A. SMITH
BAILED OUT OVER SWEDISH COAST ON THE 20 FEB 44 POSEN MISSION. A UNCONTROLLABLE FIRE WAS STARTED BY A FLAK HIT, CAUSING THE CREW TO EVACUATE THE AIRCRAFT. MR SMITH PROABLE ENTERED THE SERVICE AT LONDON, OHIO; HE DIED IN 1984 AT SHELBY, OHIO
ABOVE INFORMATION FROM COL BILL E. THOMPSON DATED 3/17/93….pw
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LT STIPE IS REPLACED ON COWBOY ROANE CREW ON BY F/O REGINALD A. SMITH (TRANSFERRED FROM RAF) STARTING WITH 3 NOV 43 MISISON TO WILHEMSHAVEN. HE WOULD LATER TRANSFER TO THE 418TH BS AS A 2ND LT AND COMMAND HIS OWN CREW. LT REGINALD "SMITTY" SMITH WOULD BECOME A POW 20/2/44 ON THE MISSION TO POSEN & SETTIN.
STARTING 3 NOV 43 2ND LT OWEN D. "COWBOY" ROANE IS A LEAD PILOT. HIS CREW CONSISTS OF:
2ND LT OWEN D. (COWBOY) ROANE P
F/0 REGINALD A. "SMITTY" SMITH CP/FORMATION OFFICER (TRANSFERRED FROM RAF) POW 20/2/44 POSEN & SETTIN
CAPT. JOSEPH H. "BUBBLES" PAYNE NAV (FROM CAPT. EVE BLAKELY CREW)
CAPT. ROBERT K. PEEL BOM (CAME OVER WITH ORIGINAL CADRE, LEAD BOMBARDIER)
T/SGT CLARENCE R. TOMB ROG
T/SGT ROBERT A. STUART TTE
T/SGT RICHARD DETWEILER LWG
? BTG
? RWG
? TG
03 NOV 43 WILHEMSHAVEN
05 NOV 43 GILSENKIRCHEN
07 NOV 43 DUREN
11 NOV 43 MUNSTER-RECALL (LEAD CREW WITH COL CHICK HARDING AS COMMAND PILOT) COWBOY MAKES 1S LIEUTENANT
16 NOV 43 RJUKAN, NORWAY (HEAVY WATER) LEAD CREW WITH COL JOHN BENNETT AS COMMAND PILOT
26 NOV 43 PARIS
MEMO 2:
