Thomas G Smith
MilitaryOn 4 February 1944 on a mission to Frankfurt, B-17G #42-39771 'Jeannie Marie' was forced to land due to extensinve flak damage at Eindhoven, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
Staff Sergeant Thomas Smith had enlisted in the Air Force in June 1942, became an armourer/gunner with the 91st Bomber Group and had only flown two missions when he was shot down. Like many airmen POWs, Thomas Smith was an unwilling participant in the infamous "Death Marches" across Europe during the winter of 1944/45 as the Allied forces closed in on Berlin. He was detained at both Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (to Usedom Bei Savenmunde) 54-16. He was a POW for some fifteen months before making his escape in April 1945.
After the war he returned to the US, married and raised 10 children in Romeo Michigan. He had an extensive library in his home and treated the mice in his house as if they were honored guests. He never spoke of his time in the War or of his time in captivity. He died in 1999 and is survived by 8 children, 20 plus grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Jeannie Marie
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 February 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Belgium | 4 February 1944 | |
Born |
Newcastle Upon Tyne | ||
Enlisted |
Revisions
The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration ; WW2 Pristoners of War Data File 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946 record group 389
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 91st Bomb Group related to the service of Thomas Smith.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2234 / MACR 2234, 8th AF Losses / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database