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Col. Dale O. Smith
COL. DALE O. SMITH
Dale Orville Smith was born March 7, 1911 in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada. He attended Reno schools and the University of Nevada for two years before his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1934, Smith spent his summer aboard the battleship Wyoming on a midshipman cruise to Europe. He attended flying school at Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas upon his return to the states.
Smith initially was interested in flying fighter aircraft, but because of his height (reportedly 6’7″), he was transitioned to bomber training. After flying school, he was assigned to Hamilton Field, California. The Air Corps was testing B-10 and B-12 bombers at Hamilton, but Smith was assigned to assist in the development of the bombing technique using the Norden bomb sight.
On October 13, 1935, he married Elise W. Ivy at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Their son, Kort Ivy Smith (b. Jan. 10, 1937 – d. Feb. 12, 1980), was nominated to the United States Military Academy in 1954. (Dale and Elise later divorced and he remarried).
Col. Dale O. Smith
In 1938 Smith began an assignment as an engineering officer and test pilot at Luke and Hickam Fields in Hawaii. Two years later in 1940, he left Hawaii for Langley Field, Virginia. He was assigned to the 2nd Bomb Group, where he flew the early Flying Fortresses. At the outset of WWII, Smith commanded the 20th Squadron of the 2nd Bomb Group. His squadron was placed under Navy control and assigned to hunt submarines. He held several different positions – group executive officer, group commander, and assistant chief of staff – with the Army Air Forces Anti-Submarine Command until the summer of 1943.
Col. Julius Lacey (on left) hands off command of the 384th Bomb Group on November 23, 1943 to Col. Dale O. Smith (on right)
On November 23, 1943, Smith replaced Col. Julius K. Lacey as the third commander of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. Lacey had taken command of the 384th only two months earlier as a temporary replacement for Col. Budd J. Peaslee. Smith’s history is reported as his having flown thirty-one combat missions, and his record with the 384th indicates that he flew twenty-five of them with that group based in Grafton Underwood, England.
The 384th Bomb Group’s photo gallery contains photos of three aircraft named by Smith: B-17s 42-37727 named Elise after his wife, one named Kort after his son (which I cannot find in the 384th’s aircraft database), and 44-8007 named Screaming Eagle .
384th Bomb Group Commander Dale Smith with “Elise,” the B-17 named after his wife
384th Bomb Group Commander Dale Smith with “Kurt,” the B-17 named after his son
Dale Smith’s aircraft “Screaming Eagle”
Smith turned over command of the 384th Bomb Group to Lt. Col. Theodore R. Milton on October 24, 1944. Smith was reassigned to the Pentagon, where he spent the last six months of WWII as chief of the Bombardment Branch, Requirements Division of the Army Air Forces. Shortly after V-J Day he was transferred to March Field, California as the director of operations until he was sent to the Air University at Maxwell Field, Alabama in 1946, where he was appointed Chief of the Research Division.
Smith attended the Air War College as a student for a year from the summer of 1947 to summer 1948. Next he attended Stanford University, graduating in January 1951 with a Master of Arts and Doctor of Education degrees. Smith was assigned to the faculty of the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base and later appointed Deputy Director of Education at Headquarters Air University. On May 1, 1952, Smith was appointed Director of Education. In October 1953, he was promoted to Brigadier General. On July 1, 1954, Smith was assigned to the staff of the Operations Coordinating Board in Washington, D.C.
In 1956, Smith returned to the Pentagon where he was assigned as Chief, Policy Division in the Plans Directorate of DCSIO, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Smith played a significant role in preparing the U.S. position for negotiations carried on with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Dhahran Airfield.
When King Saud visited the United States in February 1957, Smith was the military representative in the talks between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In March 1957 he went to Saudi Arabia as the Department of Defense representative. On July 1, 1957 Smith assumed command of the 2nd Air Division (U.S. Air Forces in Europe) at Dhahran Airfield and the U.S. Military Training Mission to Saudi Arabia.
Upon completion of his mission to Saudi Arabia, Smith was transferred to the Far East and on Jan. 8, 1958, he assumed command of the 313th Air Division (Pacific Air Forces) on Okinawa. In March of 1959 Smith participated in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization maneuver “Air Progress” held in Thailand.
Smith was promoted to Major General June 30, 1959, and a year later, on June 30, 1960 he returned to the United States, to Stewart Air Force Base in New York for his new command of the 64th Air Division.
On July 20, 1961 Smith was assigned to Washington, D.C. as special assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Arms Control. He was responsible for assisting the Joint Chiefs on all matters pertaining to disarmament.
Smith was reassigned on July 8, 1963, as the Air Force Member of the Joint Strategic Survey Council (also known as “The Three Wise Men”), which advises the Joint Chiefs and consists of only three officers of two star rank, one from each service, together with three colonel-captain level officers and secretarial help.
Major General Dale O. Smith retired on July 1, 1964. In retirement, he authored two books, Cradle of Valor: The Intimate Letters of A Plebe at West Point Between the Two World Wars, published in 1988, and Screaming Eagle: Memoirs of A B-17 Group Commander, published in 1990.
Smith died January 5, 1998 in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, and is buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, Orange County, New York, Plot: Section VI, Row B, Site 100.
Smith was awarded the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross with three clusters, and the Croix de Guerre with palm. During his command, the 384th was cited twice as a Distinguished Unit.
Col. Dale Oliver Smith
Sources
- www.384thbombgroup.com
- http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/105605/major-general-dale-o-smith.aspx
- www.findagrave.com
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
Lt. Col Theodore R. Milton
LT. COL. THEODORE R. MILTON
Theodore Ross Milton was born at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, on December 29, 1915, the son of a U.S. Cavalry officer. He enlisted in the Army in 1934, and was selected to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1940. After graduation, he entered Army Air Corps flying training, earning his pilot wings in March 1941. He flew the B-24 Liberator Consolidated LB-30 on submarine patrol from Langley Field (now Langley Air Force Base), Virginia.
Starting in 1943, Milton served with the Eighth Air Force in England. In the spring of 1943, he was assigned as an operations officer for the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook. In June 1943/September 13, 1943 (conflicting dates from different sources), he became the Deputy Group Commander of the 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn.
On January 11, 1944, Milton was wounded on a mission over Oschersleben, Germany when cannon shells entered the cockpit and exploded. On April 6, 1944, he led a group of 730 B-17s and B-24s on the first successful daylight bombing run of Berlin.
Lt. Col. Theodore R. Milton left the 91st Bomb Group on October 23, 1944 to take over as the the fourth Commanding Officer of the 384th Bomb Group at Grafton Underwood, a position he held from October 24, 1944 to June 16, 1945.
Col. Dale Smith hands off command of the 384th Bomb Group to Col. Theodore Milton, October 24, 1944
384th Bomb Group Commander Theodore Milton
Col. Theodore Milton announces Germany’s surrender to the 384th Bomb Group, May 7, 1945
At the end of hostilities in Europe in 1945, he returned to the United States, where he remained until 1948 when he was reassigned to Europe as chief of staff for the Combined Airlift Task Force, which directed operations for the Berlin Airlift.
Between the years of 1949 to 1957, Milton spent two years as director of operations of the Military Air Transport Service, attended Air War College, and served as executive assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force for three years.
In October 1957, Milton was promoted to Brigadier General and named Commander of the 41st Air Division, Fifth Air Force, Japan, a tactical fighter-bomber command.
Four years later, in 1961, Milton was promoted to Major General and reassigned to Clark Air Base in the Philippines as commander of the Thirteenth Air Force, a position he held for the next two years.
In 1963, Milton was selected as Deputy Chief of staff, Plans and Operations, to the Commander-in-chief Pacific, headquartered at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.
Milton returned to the continental U.S. in 1965, serving for the next year and a half as Chief of Staff, Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. In February 1967 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as Inspector General, a position he held for the next six months. In August 1967, he was named Comptroller of the Air Force.
In March 1969, General Milton assumed duties as Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. A little over two years later, on Aug. 1, 1971, he assumed duties as the United States Representative to the NATO Military Committee. He was promoted to the grade of General effective Aug. 1, 1971, with date of rank July 31, 1971. Milton retired on July 31, 1974 in that position with thirty-three yeas of service in the U.S. Army Air Corps and Air Force.
General Theodore Ross Milton
Theodore Ross Milton’s military decorations and awards include:
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Silver Star
- Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
- Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters
- Bronze Star
- Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
- Purple Heart
- Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- British Distinguished Flying Cross
- French Croix de Guerre with Palm
- Various World War II campaign medals.
After he retired, Milton wrote for “Air Force Magazine” and often lectured at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1985, he received the Thomas D. White National Defense Award. The award was established in 1962 by the United States Air Force Academy and is presented annually to a U.S. citizen who has contributed significantly to the national defense of the United States.
Theodore Ross Milton died August 24, 2010 in Oro Valley, Pima County, Arizona. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, in Plot: Section 54, Site 6379.
Sources:
- www.384thbombgroup.com
- http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/106228/general-tr-milton.aspx
- www.findagrave.com
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish
Robert William Fish
Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish was the fifth Commander of the 384th Bomb Group. He assumed command from Col. Theodore R. Milton on June 17, 1945 and served as commander of the group until October 18, 1945 in Istres, France, where the group moved after the end of the war in Europe. He served only four months as commander of the 384th and described his mission at Istres:
…was to fly “high point” U.S. Service men to Casa Blanca, Africa on the first leg of their air lift trip home. Also flew displaced forced laborers from Germany to their respective homelands, i.e. Greece, Turkey, Africa, etc.
Symbolic change of command: Col. Theodore R. Milton hands over command of the 384th to Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish on 17 June 1945 at Grafton Underwood.
Robert William Fish was born on May 30, 1917 in Gladwin County, Michigan. His parents were Amon Emil and Ethel Bevis Fish and Robert was the third of their seven children.
In 1923, the family moved to Ohio. The 1930 Census reports the Fish family living in Claibourne, Union County, Ohio. And the 1940 Census reports that Robert Fish lived in Peoria, Ohio in 1935.
In 1939 Robert joined the Army Air Corps and was trained as a pilot. The 1940 Census (recorded April 9, 1940) shows him living in the Flying Cadet Detachment at Kelly Field in Bexar County, Texas. He had completed two years of college and his occupation was Flying Cadet. His enlistment date is recorded as June 22, 1940, but clearly he was already in pilot training by then.
In 1941, he married Jean Young. She was born in 1920 and was from San Antonio.
In addition to pilot training, Robert graduated from the Air Tactical School, the Air Command and Staff school, and from the National War College. He also taught in both the Air Tactical and the Air Command and Staff schools. As far as civilian education, he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering (before his service) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in Industrial Management (after WWII) from Ohio State University and a Master’s of Arts degree with a major in International Relations from George Washington University.
Robert served in many Air Force command and staff positions including twelve years in Washington D.C. He also served in Taipei, Taiwan as Military Attache to the Nationalist Chinese government for two years, which he called an “interesting assignment.” He was the only Defense Attache assigned to a country at war.
Before his short assignment with the 384th Bomb Group at the end of WWII, Robert Fish was a Carpetbagger. In his book, “They Flew by Night,” Fish describes the beginning of the secret Carpetbagger Operation:
On 24 October 1943, Lt. Col. Clifford J. Heflin, the Squadron Commander of the 22nd Anti-Submarine Squadron; Major Robert W. Fish, Squadron Operations Officer; Lt. Robert Sullivan, and Lt. Bruce Akers, the Squadron Engineering Officer, were called to a meeting at Bovingdon Air Base west of London…
…At this meeting the officers of the 22nd Squadron were sworn to secrecy and then they were briefed on a new mission being assigned to their unit. This new mission was designated by the code name “Carpetbaggers.” All of the personnel of the 22nd Squadron and only the non-aircrew personnel of the 4th Squadron would be involved. Two new squadrons would be organized from the manpower pool of the two anti-submarine squadrons.
Under the code name, “Carpetbaggers,” the two squadrons would be assigned the mission of parachuting saboteurs, intelligence agents, weapons and other supplies to the underground forces of the countries on the continent of Europe that had been overrun by the German Armed Forces.
To read more about the Carpetbaggers, see a link to “They Flew by Night” in the Sources below.
Robert William Fish’s military decorations include:
- Legion of Merit with two Bronze Stars
- U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross
- R.A.F. Distinguished Flying Cross
- French Croix de Guerre a vec Palm
- Danish Liberation Medal
- Norwegian Liberation Medal
- Belgian Liberation Medal
- U.S. Air Medal with four Clusters
- Outstanding Unit Award
- American Defense Medal
- American Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- European-African Campaign Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Star
- WWII Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Air Force Longevity Service Medal with four Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
- Republic of China Cloud and Banner
After serving his country for thirty years and through three wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam – Robert retired from the United States Air Force on January 31, 1970.
In 1990, Robert published a book entitled “They Flew By Night.” It is subtitled “Memories of 801st/492nd Bombardment Group ‘Carpetbaggers’ as told to Col. Robert W. Fish.” It was privately printed by the 801st/492nd Bombardment Group Association as a memorial to the men of the 801st/492nd Bombardment Group in WWII.
The book is a compilation of stories mostly contributed by the men who were members of the group during WWII. It also includes the history of Robert Fish and the group, as well as stories written by Fish. “They Flew by Night” is over four hundred pages long, but can be read in its entirety on the internet. A link to the PDF file is listed below in Sources.
In retirement in his home on the shores of Falcon Lake at Zapata, Texas, Robert became active in preserving the history of the Zapata County area and he instigated the formation of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse to carry the fourteen “Flags of Zapata” (the fourteen different flags that have been used to claim jurisdiction over the Zapata County area) in formal parades throughout south Texas.
Robert died on October 12, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. He and Jean had been married sixty-seven years. He is buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas in Plot: Section 49, Site 104.
Robert’s wife, Jean Young Fish, died March 16 this year and is buried next to her husband.
Sources:
- Robert W. Fish’s obituary as published in the San Antonio Express, can be read in its entirety here at Legacy.com.
- Robert Fish’s book, “They Flew by Night” can be read here.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
Lt. Col. Lloyd Douglas Chapman – the Last Commander
I previously published a list of commanders of the 384th Bomb Group and it seems that I left one out. At the end of the war in Europe, the 384th Bomb Group moved from Grafton Underwood, England to Istres, France in June 1945. Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish took command on June 17, 1945 and stayed in that position until October 18, 1945, just a day over four months. Lt. Col. Fish is the last commander of the 384th I listed.
But the story of the 384th in Istres actually continues into 1946. On October 18, 1945, Lt. Col. Lloyd D. Chapman took command and led the group until the 384th Bomb Group was inactivated on February 28, 1946.
Lt. Col Lloyd D. Chapman
Lloyd Douglas Chapman was born on April 21, 1919 in Walters, Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 11, 1940. His enlistment record shows that his term of enlistment was for the Philippine Department. It also shows he had four years of high school and his civilian occupation was in building aircraft. Lloyd was single at the time he enlisted, but on June 6, 1941, he married Vivian Jernigan of Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
Though Chapman had only a four plus-month stint with the 384th, he had a long career of service to his country. During WWII, he was both a B-17 (his personal favorite aircraft) and B-24 bomber pilot and flew missions over Europe from both England and Africa.
In 1951 he flew in combat again, leading the first B-29 Bomb Squadron over Korea. Later in his career he went on to fly the B-36 Heavy bomber, B-47 Medium bomber, B-52 Heavy bomber, B-58 Hustler bomber, KC 135 Strato tanker, and the T39 six passenger executive jet.
In his thirty years of honorable service with the US Air Force, Chapman made seventeen permanent changes of station. Some of the positions he held were Instructor Pilot, Director of Operations 303rd Bomb Wing (Medium), Director of Operations Strategic Air Command, Chief of Staff 2nd Air Force, member of the National Security Council where he briefed President Eisenhower on security issues, and the Air Attache to Oslo, Norway.
Col. Chapman was highly awarded, receiving the following decorations during his Air Force career: Legion of Merit – one oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross – 17 oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star – two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal – three oak leaf clusters, American Defense Service Medal – two oak leaf clusters, American Campaign Medal-Europe, African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal – five oak leaf clusters, World War II Victory Medal, Army Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Command Pilot Wings and the National Security Council badge.
After he retired from the Air Force, Northrop Aircraft hired him as the director of the Scandinavian Division where he worked for ten years in Oslo, Norway. While in Oslo he was also the President of the American Lutheran Church Council and consulted for the American Businessman’s Club of the World.
Once he retired from Northrop Aircraft, he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii where he and his wife Vivian lived for 14 years. In Honolulu, he was President of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Council. He also advised islanders how to start their own businesses, again through the American Businessman’s Club. He also worked with AFTA helping the islanders with insurance claims, grants, and loans for repairs after hurricanes.
He later suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and he and Vivian moved back to the mainland so they could be closer to family in Scottsdale, Arizona. After a five year battle, he succumbed to the disease. Chapman died December 9, 2004 in Scottsdale, Airzona.
Lloyd Douglas Chapman
Note: Information on Chapman was found on Legacy.com from Chapman’s obituary published in The Arizona Republic on December 12, 2004. His service with the 384th Bomb Group is listed here.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
Commanders and Missions
Budd J. Peaslee (December 18, 1942 to September 6, 1943)
Col. Budd J. Peaslee
The 384th Bomb Group flew 21 missions while Budd Peaslee was commander of the group. Peaslee led 7 of those missions, 33% of the missions flown while he was commander.
Julius K. Lacey (September 6, 1943 to November 23, 1943)
Col. Julius K. Lacey
The 384th Bomb Group flew 15 missions while Julius Lacey was commander of the group. Lacey led 2 of those missions, 13% of the missions flown while he was commander.
Dale O. Smith (November 23, 1943 to October 24, 1944)
Col. Dale O. Smith
The 384th Bomb Group flew 177 missions while Dale Smith was commander of the group. Smith led 25 of those missions, 14% of the missions flown while he was commander.
Theodore R. Milton (October 24, 1944 to June 16, 1945)
Lt. Col. Theodore R. Milton
The 384th Bomb Group flew 103 missions while Theodore Milton was commander of the group. Milton led 10 of those missions, 10% of the missions flown while he was commander.
Robert W. Fish (June 17, 1945 to October 18, 1945)
Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish
The 384th Bomb Group flew no missions while Robert Fish was commander of the group. Fish did not take command until after the end of combat operations.
In all, the 384th Bomb Group completed three hundred sixteen missions. Seventy of those were flown in 1943, one hundred ninety-nine in 1944, and forty-seven in 1945. The first mission was flown on June 22, 1943. The last mission was flown on April 25, 1945. That’s three hundred sixteen missions flown in the span of six hundred seventy-four days.
Photos courtesy of 384thbombgroup.com.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
384th Bomb Group Commanding Officers
The 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on December 1, 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho. Five men led the group as Commanding Officer during its existence in WWII. I plan to write more about each Commander in future posts, but here is a summary.
Col. Budd J. Peaslee
Col. Budd J. Peaslee was the first Commander of the group from December 18, 1942 to September 6, 1943. Col. Peaslee was a veteran pilot who had extensive flying experience, including the B-17. He led the 384th into combat on their first mission on June 22, 1943. The group’s symbol, the Triangle-P was developed to honor Col. Peaslee.
Col. Peaslee was born in 1902 and died in 1983. He is buried in the Garden of Memories in Salinas, Monterey County, California.
Col. Julius K. Lacey
Col. Julius K. Lacey was the second Commander of the group from September 6, 1943 to November 23, 1943. He was a temporary replacement for Col. Peaslee.
Col. Lacey was born in 1904 and died in 1992. He is buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Plot: Section 4 Site 25-A.
Col. Dale O. Smith
Col. Dale O. Smith was the third Commander of the group from November 23, 1943 to October 24, 1944.
Col. Smith was born in 1911 and died in 1998. He is buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, Orange County, New York, Plot: Section VI, Row B, Site 100.
Lt. Col. Theodore R. Milton
Lt. Col. Theodore R. Milton was the fourth Commander of the group from October 24, 1944 to June 16, 1945.
Lt. Col. Milton was born in 1915 and died in 2010. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, in Plot: Section 54, Site 6379.
Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish
Lt. Col. Robert W. Fish was the fifth and last Commander of the 384th Bomb Group from June 17, 1945 to October 18, 1945.
Lt. Col. Fish was born in 1917 and died in 2008. He is buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas in Plot: Section 49, Site 104. (Note: this is the same cemetery in which Col. Lacey is buried).
Photos courtesy of 384thbombgroup.com.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2016
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