John D Smith

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

KIA at Hintermuhlin in B-17 43-38968 Collided with A/C of 95th  BG - 43-38551.

John served as a Spotter Jammer on B-17G 43-38968, 338th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group

B-17G 43-38968 took off, with a crew of 10, from Station 138, England on a bombing mission over Cologne, Germany. Near the target they were involved in a collision with B-17 43-38551 due to poor visibility caused by the weather and crashed near Hintermulen, West of Westerburg, Germany.

Both B-17s disintegrated after the collision and no chutes were seen although observers report it was impossible to have seen a chute because of weather conditions.

Two members of the crew, however, survived: Flt. Off. Theodore E. Yeaton (Pilot) and S/Sgt James M. Bowen (Togglier).

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 96th Bomb Group.

96th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

43-38551

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 95th Bomb Group 334th Bomb Squadron

43-38968

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 96th Bomb Group 338th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Preston, Franklin County, Idaho, USA 25 February 1923

Other

Killed in Action

Hintermulen 7 January 1945

Buried

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium

Revisions

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources
Date
ContributorAAM
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Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11571 / MACR 11571; Snetterton Falcons, 226 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database