Louis F. Smith
Served with 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Sqdn. Flew 25 missions, mostly with Gen. Ramsey Potts (then a major) as his crew. On the low-level Ploesti raid, Aug. 1, 1943, served as nose gunner in a B-24D where twin guns had been installed — being in the nose, he was likely the first man in the flight over the target. Maj. Potts led the flight of 12 planes. The Ploesti mission still gave him nightmares 50 years later.
Sortie Log
06 MAR 1944
The sorties below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.
Born Nov. 14, 1919 in Boston, MA. Entered military service Feb. 18, 1942. Joined the 93rd at Fort Myers, FL before the group went to England.