Ernest L Smith

Military

Shot down 25 May 1944 in B-24 #41-29140 'Banger'. Prisoner of War (POW).



Ernest Smith was radio operator/top gunner in 2nd Lt. Winn's crew, part of 705th Sqdn 446th BG. Their very first mission out of Flixton AFB on 25th May 1944 -which also turned out to be their last- was to attack the marshalling yards at Mullhausen in Germany. Shortly after take-off the bombardier reported an oil leak from No 1 engine but, as there was no indication of any problem on the instrument panel, the pilot carried on. However twenty minutes later the engine seized and they were forced to abort. With an escort of two P-38's they turned for home but just north of Brussels flak knocked out No 3 engine and the electrics failed. The crew took a vote and opted to bail out there and then rather than ditch in the Channel.



Smith was the third to eject and recalled afterwards that it felt like five minutes before he touched down. They were met by the locals one of whom apparently betrayed them because, as they came out of the woods where he sent them to shelter, they were met by German soldiers. Four were captured that day, five of the crew managed to evade discovery and were back at Flixton by August.



Incarcerated at Stalag Luft IV Lager B for the rest of the war their hosts encouraged the men to participate in sport. The main interest seems to have been the softball league and - as Smith's barracks boasted one or two professional players - they lifted the trophy.



Connections

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Units served with

A flight of B-24 Liberators of the 446th Bomb Group fly in formation above the clouds.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Banger
  • Unit: 446th Bomb Group 705th Bomb Squadron

Places

Aerial photograph of Bungay (Flixton) airfield, looking south, the technical site- with T2 hangar- and control tower are to the right, where the main airfield gate is also situated, 16 October 1945. Photograph taken by No. 541 Squadron, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/930. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Flixton
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

25 May 1944 Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11

Born

Revisions

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a separator to aid readability.

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Contributorjmoore43
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Changed A/C type in the "Summary biography" from "B-17" to "B-24" per info at 446th BG website.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added S/N and POW camp information from WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
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Information compiled by historian Helen Millgate, sourced from The Beachbell Echo, newsletter of the 446th Bomb Group Association.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5250 / MACR 5250 & Page 410 in the book 2ND AIR DIVISIONby Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition (D790.A2S45); The History of the 46th Bomber Group, pg 102 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database