Oral History Interview with Joseph Smith, December 7, 2011

Oral History Interview with Joseph Smith, December 7, 2011

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Track One 1:00:07

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Smith. Smith joined the Army Air Forces in December 1942 after working for Curtiss-Wright and Emerson. Upon completion of boot camp, aerial gunnery school, and celestial navigation training, he earned his wings. He was given further training until he qualified as a B-29 bombardier, radarman, and navigator. Smith was then assigned to the 29th Bomb Group, flying all of his missions out of Guam. His crew once voted to make an emergency landing in Iwo Jima to escape enemy fighter planes; he says many B-29s were saved … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 0 min., 6 sec.)

Creation Information

Smith, Joseph December 7, 2011.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Smith, Joseph

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Smith. Smith joined the Army Air Forces in December 1942 after working for Curtiss-Wright and Emerson. Upon completion of boot camp, aerial gunnery school, and celestial navigation training, he earned his wings. He was given further training until he qualified as a B-29 bombardier, radarman, and navigator. Smith was then assigned to the 29th Bomb Group, flying all of his missions out of Guam. His crew once voted to make an emergency landing in Iwo Jima to escape enemy fighter planes; he says many B-29s were saved that way on Iwo Jima. Smith’s last official flight of the war was over the USS Missouri (BB-63) during the singing of the surrender. He flew 26 missions in the Korean War before retiring as a first lieutenant.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 0 min., 6 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH03412
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609923

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Joseph Smith, December 7, 2011, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606116

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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