Major Raymond Elmer Smart, Jr. (O-024419) was born June 4, 1918 in Longmeadow, Hampden County, Massachusetts, to Raymond Elmer Sr. and Christina Ella Bolter Smart. His father was a machinist for a motorcycle manufacturer and a booking agent for mail order houses. Raymond had four younger brothers, all of whom were in the service. Raymond married Betty Janetta Houck in July 1944 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England.

He graduated from Amherst High School in Amherst, Massachusetts and from Massachusetts State College in 1939 where he majored in Recreational Planning and participated in Band 2,3,4; Carnival Committee 3,4; Swimming 1; Baseball 1; Newman Club 1,2; and Advanced Military, 3,4.

He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, 4th Cavalry on June 30, 1939. He graduated from Advanced Flying School and earned his wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant. On August 25, 1942, he was promoted to Captain at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. He transferred to the Army Air Forces on February 10, 1943 and was assigned to the 389th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group (“Hun Hunters”), Ninth Air Force. He was sent overseas and eventually flew combat missions out of the airfield at Asch, Belgium (Y-29).

As the Allies forced the Germans ever eastward, they constructed Advanced Landing Ground Asch (ALG Y-29), five miles east of Genk, Belgium, and three miles from the German border. From Y-29 the P-47 Thunderbolts were used for air support during the Battle of the Rhine and the further advance through Germany. They flew ground support missions in support of Patton’s Third Army, patrolling roads in front of the Allies lines, strafing German military vehicles, and dropping bombs on gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery, and concentrations of German troops when spotted. The 406th flew bombing and armed recce missions out of ALG Y-29 from November 19, 1944 until April 15, 1945.

From 17–27 December 1944, the 366th Fighter Group flew 600 armed reconnaissance missions over the Battle of the Bulge that resulted in the destruction of 43 enemy aircraft, 37 tanks, 328 trucks, 18 armored vehicles, four gun positions, and 15 half-tracks.

On January 30, 1945, Maj. Smart flew his first mission in which he was squadron commander. He scored a direct bomb hit on a locomotive in a railroad marshalling yard in Germany.

On February 23, 1945, Maj. Smart departed ALG Y-29 in P-47D-30 #44-20540 A6- as #3 plane in a flight of the 389th FS on a dive-bombing mission to the Köln-Bonn, Germany, area. As the flight circled a rail target over Grevenbroich, Germany, in preparation for a dive-bombing pass, Maj. Smart called to report a flak position and asked for permission to lead a flight down to knock it out. He and another P-47 peeled off and dropped down into overcast at 6,000 feet. This was the last seen of Maj. Smart, and repeated radio calls went unanswered. No search was made by the remaining planes of the flight because they were running low on fuel. MACR 12641

On February 23, 1945 at 1130 hours, Maj. Smart was shot down by anti-aircraft fire one mile southeast of Grevenbroich, Germany, 80 miles southeast of Y-29. He was 26 years old.

He is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Plot N, Row 21, Grave 13 in the village of Margraten, Netherlands. The cemetery contains the graves of 8,288 American war dead and is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. The walls on either side of the Court of Honor contain the Tablets of the Missing on which are recorded the names of 1,722 American missing servicemen.

There is a Memorial Plaque honoring the 366th Fighter Group "Hun Hunters" at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, as well as a Memorial Marker to the 366th located in the cemetery of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Maj. Smart was awarded the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre.

Thank you for your sacrifice and service, Maj. Smart … Rest in Peace.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

SBTSProject/Massachusetts

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at roktscientist@hotmail.com … I would be honored to make changes/additions where requested.

Sources:

1. 1920, 1930, 1940 Federal Census

2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56303965/raymond-elmer-smart

3. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/raymond-elmer-smart

4. https://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/missing-aircrew-reports/macr-12641-44-20540.cfm

5. https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/smart%3Draymond

6. https://www.abmc.gov/print/certificate/498906

7. https://www.ancestry.com

8. https://www.newspapers.com

9. Familysearch.org

10. https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/52382/

11. https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_1.html

12. http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=44-20540&content=

13. http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/366th_Fighter_Group.html

14. https://www.366thgunfighters.org/the-366th-in-ww-ii.html

15. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/unit/366th-fighter-group

16. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/unit/389th-fighter-squadron

17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/389th_Fighter_Squadron

18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_P-47_Thunderbolt

19. Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-406-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

Photo Credits:

ancestry.com, americanairmuseum.org, findagrave.com, laststand.com, newspapers.com, popularpatch.com, wikipedia.com

Raymond E Smart, Jr