Owen Gibbs Smith
Military
media-414083.jpg
FRE 8222
Second Lieutenant Owen G Smith (bombardier) , Sergeant Joseph Demmerle (Mechanic) and Technical Sergeant William F. Cole (crew chief) of the 390th Bomb Group in a crew tent near a B-17F Flying Fortress nicknamed "Pulsating Polly".
Passed for publication 8 Oct 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Pulsating Polly. B-17F.' Printed caption on reverse: 'Ground Crew "Gypsies" Of The U.S. Air Force. With the Anglo-American bombing offensive quickening its tempo by day and by night, ground crews of U.S. Bomber Stations in Britain are now living in tents beside their "charges" in order to overcome the time and petrol lost in transporting them from their barracks to the widely-dispersed planes. Associated Press Photo Shows:- The ground crew, the air crew and the plane are all represented in this picture. T/Sgt. William F. Cole, of Farmersville, La., crew chief of the Flying Fortress, "Pulsating Polly" (seen in the background) sits in the doorway of his tent chatting to Sgt. Joseph Demmerle, (left), mechanic, of Englewood, N.J., and 2nd Lieut. Owen G. Smith, Bombardier, of Norman, Okla. Smith recently hung from the cat-walk of his plane while it was flying at a height of 23,000 feet in order to release an incendiary which had got caught in the bomb bay during a raid on an industrial target in the Frankfurt area. ASH 261218. 8-10-43-Y.' Censor no: 287270. On reverse: Associated Press and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps]. Roger Freeman Collection
Passed for publication 8 Oct 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Pulsating Polly. B-17F.' Printed caption on reverse: 'Ground Crew "Gypsies" Of The U.S. Air Force. With the Anglo-American bombing offensive quickening its tempo by day and by night, ground crews of U.S. Bomber Stations in Britain are now living in tents beside their "charges" in order to overcome the time and petrol lost in transporting them from their barracks to the widely-dispersed planes. Associated Press Photo Shows:- The ground crew, the air crew and the plane are all represented in this picture. T/Sgt. William F. Cole, of Farmersville, La., crew chief of the Flying Fortress, "Pulsating Polly" (seen in the background) sits in the doorway of his tent chatting to Sgt. Joseph Demmerle, (left), mechanic, of Englewood, N.J., and 2nd Lieut. Owen G. Smith, Bombardier, of Norman, Okla. Smith recently hung from the cat-walk of his plane while it was flying at a height of 23,000 feet in order to release an incendiary which had got caught in the bomb bay during a raid on an industrial target in the Frankfurt area. ASH 261218. 8-10-43-Y.' Censor no: 287270. On reverse: Associated Press and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps]. Roger Freeman Collection
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Assigned to 569BS, 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down on 8-Oct-43 in B-17 42-30292 'Pulsatin' Polly'. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 783
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 569th Bomb Squadron
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Pulsatin Polly
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 569th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Parham
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Spokane, Washington, USA | 7 January 1916 | Son of Harris Hickman and Leone L [Gibbs] Smith. |
Enlisted |
Los Angeles, CA | 4 March 1941 | Los Angeles, California |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Zagan, Poland | 8 October 1943 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft III. |
Other Discharged USAAF |
24 June 1946 | Honourable discharge. | |
Enlisted |
24 June 1947 | Re-enlisted USAF. | |
Other Discharged USAF |
31 March 1962 | Honourable discharge. | |
Died |
20 January 1982 | ||
Buried |
Fayetteville National Cemetery Fayetteville, Washington County, AR | 23 January 1982 | Fayetteville National Cemetery Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas |
Based |
Framlingham | 8 October 1943 | Assigned to 569BS, 390BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 783 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database