Robert Wilson Smith

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

An amateur Baseball player, he entered military service with the Army Air Force in November 1941. He trained as a bombardier and was commissioned a second lieutenant before being assigned to the 427th Bomb Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group.



1-May-1942 Assigned as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 [GN-O] "Kali", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. 24-Oct-42 arrived on B-17F 41-24517 at Molesworth airfield in Cambridgeshire, England.



He was Killed in Action in B-17F-20-BO 41-24517 'Kali' while serving as Bombardier. The Aircraft was targeting U/B (submarine base) at St. Nazaire, France. 'Kali' encountered intense flak and fighter attacks and went down over the Atlantic.



Participated in 5 Operations (3 were aborted) See Biography events.



See more at: http://www.baseballsgreatestsacrifice.com/biographies/smith_doc.html#st…

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Kali
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Assigned to Aircraft

Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA 1 May 1942 Assigned as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho.

Other

Arrived in UK

Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK 24 October 1942 Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS.

Other

Mission #1, 2LT Robert W. Smith, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted

Lorient, France 22 November 1942 Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #2, 2LT Robert W. Smith, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS

Lille, France 6 December 1942 Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #3, 2LT Robert W. Smith, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted

Rouen, France 12 December 1942 Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #4, 2LT Robert W. Smith, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted

Romilly-sur-Seine, France 20 December 1942 Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK.

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

Saint-Nazaire, France 3 January 1943 Killed when aircraft sustained damage from flak and fighter attacks and crashed into the Atlantic near the target. His remains have never been recovered.

Other

Mission #5, 2LT Robert W. Smith, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - KIA

Saint-Nazaire, France 3 January 1943 Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was attacked by German fighters and crashed into the Atlantic, and he was Killed in Action KIA.

Other

Commemorated

Saint-James, France Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery.

Born

Thrall, TX, USA

Revisions

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 9-Jan-2016. Corrected initial assigment to location and Assigned to Aircraft location per 303BG records, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303NG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added original aircraft assignment, arrival in UK and mission participation statement to Summary Biography; made connections to all mission participations per my reseach of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html

Date
Changes
Sources

Updated personal, biographical details and media by courtesy of Gary Bedingfield at http://www.baseballsgreatestsacrifice.com/biographies

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2015. Added SN and KIA event per MACR 6141; added decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position and made minor edits on biography.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 60, Roll of Honor listed as 'R. W. Smith'