Oral History Interview with Otto K. Smith, February 7, 2012

Oral History Interview with Otto K. Smith, February 7, 2012

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Track One 1:33:58

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Otto K. Smith. Smith joined the US Army Air Forces late in 1942 after he finished high school and trained at Biloxi, Mississippi. Smith volunteered for aerial gunnery training after basic and was shipped to Las Vegas, Nevada for more training. At the beginning of 1943, SMith graduated from gunnery school and then headed for radio school at Scott Field, Illinois. By the end of the year, Smith was teamed up with a crew and training in B-24 bombers in California. His unit shipped out to Europe and … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 33 min., 58 sec.)

Creation Information

Smith, Otto K. February 7, 2012.

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, Otto K.

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 Otto K. Smith. Smith joined the US Army Air Forces late in 1942 after he finished high school and trained at Biloxi, Mississippi. Smith volunteered for aerial gunnery training after basic and was shipped to Las Vegas, Nevada for more training. At the beginning of 1943, SMith graduated from gunnery school and then headed for radio school at Scott Field, Illinois. By the end of the year, Smith was teamed up with a crew and training in B-24 bombers in California. His unit shipped out to Europe and landed in Scotland in June, 1944. By July, Smith and his crew were flying combat missions from a base around Norwich, England. By the middle of December, Smith had flown on 30 combat missions. He was operating in the 713th bombardment squadron, 448th bomb group, 2nd Air Force. Smith describes being aboard a B-24 during combat mission and sometimes having to cut bombs hung up in the bomb bay loose so they would fall. When 30 missions were complete, Smith opted to fly home in a C-54, which crashed and burned on the runway ion the Azores. SMith was able to get out of the airplane with only superficial injuries. Smith spent the remaining months of the war training in the US preparing to go to the Pacific. He was discharged in October, 1945 and went to live and work in Alaska.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 33 min., 58 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: OH03444
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609946

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Otto K. Smith, February 7, 2012, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606139

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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