Smith, Dale Orville

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Smith, Dale Orville ⇗
Rank	Colonel
Serial Number	O-19465
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 384th Bombardment Group Headquarters Detachment, per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #150, effective 22 November 1943.
Duty	Commanding Officer
Last Duty Date	24 October 1944
Results	Transferred
Additional Information	Date of Birth: 7 March 1911 Assumed command of the 384th Bomb Group on General Orders #4 dated 23 November 1943. Placed on Temporary Duty to London for one day on or about 20 March 1944, purpose Official Business per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #50 dated 16 March 1944. Revoked per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #54 dated 21 March 1944. Ordered to Officers Rest Home, Stanbridge Earls, Hampshire, for seven days beginning on or about 27 March 1944, per SO #55 dated 23 March 1944. (This may coincide with the anecdote in his book on pages 109-110.) Placed on Temporary Duty to London for one day on or about 10 June 1944, purpose Official Business per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #109 dated 10 June 1944. Placed on Temporary Duty for one day on or about 11 June 1944 to AAF Station 101, purpose Official Business per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #110 dated 11 June 1944. Placed on Temporary Duty for one day on or about 16 June 1944 to AAF Station 101, purpose Official Business per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #114 dated 16 June 1944. Placed on two days Temporary Duty to AAF Station 586 on 19 June 1944,porpose Official Business per AAF Station106 Special Orders #116 dated 19 June 1944. Granted a seven day leave of absence effective on or about 3 July 1944 per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #126 dated 1 July 1944. Placed on Temporary Duty for approximately two weeks to Headquarters USSTAF on or about 23 October 1944, purpose Interview with the Commanding General per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #209 dated 22 October 1944. Placed on Temporary Duty for approximately two weeks to Headquarters USSTAF on or about 5 November 1944, purpose Interview with the Commanding General per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #215 dated 5 November 1944. Placed on an additional seven days Temporary duty at USSTAF HQ per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #223 dated 12 November 1944. Commanding officer of the 384th Bomb Group (Heavy) from 23 November 1943 to 24 October 1944.
Related Documents	Accident Report # 44-11-16-534⇓ (1.778 MB)

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 25 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
37⇗	26 November 1943	Target: City Center Type: Non-Military Location: Bremen, Germany	Commander	41‑24557⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group deputy. Sortie Report⇗
38⇗	29 November 1943	Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany	Commander	42‑30026⇗	Combat Mission Credit Flight leader; plane lost two superchargers and slowed entire formation; the other two groups went ahead and left the 384th BG. This aircraft did not bomb due to bomb bay doors frozen shut. Landed away at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk. Sortie Report⇗
43⇗	16 December 1943	Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany	Commander	42‑3429⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. Sortie Report⇗
50⇗	5 January 1944	Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Kiel, Germany	Commander	42‑5444⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
53⇗	14 January 1944	Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Le Meillard, France	Commander	42‑31211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. Sortie Report⇗
57⇗	3 February 1944	Target: Submarines (under construction) Type: Submarine Facility Location: Wilhelmshaven, Germany	Commander	42‑30026⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Group, Wing Lead. Sortie Report⇗
63⇗	20 February 1944	Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Leipzig & Bernburg, Germany	Commander	42‑39766⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41A Group, 41st A Combat Wing lead. PFF aircraft, and remaining unidentified crew, provided by 482nd BG at Alconbury. Sortie Report⇗
73⇗	8 March 1944	Target: Erkner Ball-Bearing Factory Type: Bearings Industry Location: Berlin, Germany	Commander	42‑31433⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
82⇗	26 March 1944	Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Le Grismont, Rebecques, France	Commander	42‑37776⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
86⇗	9 April 1944	Target: FW-190 Fighter Aircraft Assembly Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Marienburg, Germany	Commander	42‑31364⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
94⇗	24 April 1944	Target: Dornier-Werke GMBH Aircraft Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany	Commander	42‑38014⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
104⇗	9 May 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Thionville, France	Commander	42‑31364⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
110⇗	20 May 1944	Target: Orly Airport Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France	Tail Gunner	42‑31484⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group Lead. Sortie Report⇗
116⇗	27 May 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Mannheim, Germany	Commander	42‑97574⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Group, Wing Lead. PFF ship provided by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. Sortie Report⇗
122⇗	2 June 1944	Target: Gun Battery with six 155mm guns, Tactical Support Type: Military Location: Hardelot (5 miles S of Boulogne), France	Commander	42‑97574⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group Lead. PFF aircraft and unidentified crew members supplied by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. Sortie Report⇗
128⇗	6 June 1944	Target: Two Bridges Type: Transportation Location: Caen, France	Commander	42‑97699⇗	Combat Mission Credit L Squadron Lead. PFF ship and unidentified crew members provided by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. Sortie Report⇗
134⇗	13 June 1944	Target: Dreux Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Dreux, France	Commander	42‑97824⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Group, Wing Lead. Sortie Report⇗
144⇗	22 June 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Lille (Fives district), France	Commander	42‑97824⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
149⇗	30 June 1944	Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Montdidier, France	Commander	42‑107125⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
158⇗	16 July 1944	Target: Aero Engine Factory Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Munich / München, Germany	Commander	42‑97543⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing Lead. This PFF ship was provided by the 305th BG, with a radar navigator, 1Lt Albert G D'Amico, from the 306th BG. Sortie Report⇗
164⇗	24 July 1944	Target: Tactical - Enemy Strong Points Type: Military Location: La Chapelle en Juger & Hébécrevon, France	Commander	42‑107125⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
167⇗	29 July 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil & Chemical Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Commander	42‑97574⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41st B wing lead. PFF aircraft and unidentified crew members provided by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. Sortie Report⇗
196⇗	19 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Hamm, Germany	Commander	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; wing lead. Sortie Report⇗
200⇗	27 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards (PFF Aiming Points) Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Commander	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
208⇗	9 October 1944	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany	Commander	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group and wing lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
--	16 November 1944	None Non-combat sortie	Pilot	43‑38588⇗	During an administrative flight to Villacoublay Airfield, near Paris, France, weather closed in forcing a diversion to A-46 (Toussous le Noble). Through a misunderstanding, pilot landed on a runway that was closed to B-17 traffic. The right main gear sank into a filled bomb crater at the end of the landing roll, damaging portions of the right wing, engines, and propellors. There were no injuries to personnel. Sortie Report⇗

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