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Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP pistol serial
number 570548 - Model M .32 pistol issued to
General Jacob E. Smart, USAF - In 1951, he was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and was presented
his Colt 1903 .32 ACP caliber sidearm, serial number
570548.
This gun is accompanied by the two spare magazines issued
to General Smart. This pistol was featured in an
article entitled
The
General Officer's Colt Model 1903: This one was issued to an
exceptional man. by Mike Venturino in the August, 2010
issue of Guns Magazine.
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP pistol serial
number 570548 - Right side.
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP pistol serial
number 570548 - Left side close-up of ordnance mark.
Letter and copy of original index card from Rock Island
Arsenal documenting Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32
ACP serial number 570548 as having been issued to Brigadier
General Jacob E. Smart on March 15, 1951.
 |
| Place of birth |
Ridgeland, South Carolina |
| Place of death |
Ridgeland, South Carolina |
| Allegiance |
United States of America |
| Years of service |
1931 - 1966 |
| Rank |
General |
| Commands held |
Pacific Air Forces
U.S. Forces in Japan
Twelfth Air Force |
| Battles/wars |
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Legion of Merit
Air Medal (4) |
General Jacob E. Smart, USAF
(May 31, 1909 - November 12, 2006)
General Jacob Edward Smart (May 31, 1909 – November 12,
2006) was a U.S. Army Air Force leader in World War II and
Cold War era Air Force general.
Smart was born in Ridgeland, South Carolina, the son of a
railroad conductor, and was educated in the public schools
of South Carolina and Georgia, and at Marion Military
Institute in Marion, Alabama. He graduated from the United
States Military Academy in 1931 and entered flight training
with the Army Air Corps. He became a flying instructor. When
the United States entered World War II, Smart (Colonel at
that time) was chief of staff for flight training at Air
Force headquarters in Washington, D.C.. He joined the Air
Corps Advisory Council in July 1942, serving on the staff of
General “Hap” Arnold, Chief of Staff of the Army Air Force.
In this position, he was involved with the planning of the
invasion of Europe and participated in the meeting between
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco in 1943.
He received the Legion of Merit for his services.
He was assigned to 9th Bomber Command in the Middle East in
1943. He was the architect of Operation Tidal Wave, in which
178 B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from five bombardment
groups of the 9th Army Air Force flew a 2,400-mile round
trip from bases near Benghazi in Libya to perform a
low-level bombing raid on the oil refineries at Ploieşti,
Romania, on 1 August 1943. Nearly 40% of the oil plant was
destroyed, but 55 of the American planes were lost and
another 50 severely damaged. He received the Distinguished
Service Medal; five other airmen received the Medal of
Honor, the most for any single military action. Despite its
success, the plant was repaired and back to its original
operating capacity within a week. He attended the Army-Navy
Staff College, graduating in February 1944. He then joined
the 15th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater, commanding
the 97th Bomb Group in Italy. Despite his knowledge of top
secret issues, such as plans for the Normandy invasion, he
was allowed to fly missions over enemy territory. On his
29th mission, May 10, 1944, Smart was flying a B-17 Flying
Fortress on a mission to bomb aircraft factories near Wiener
Neustadt, Austria. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft
fire and exploded. Smart was thrown from the wreck in
mid-air. He managed to open his parachute despite the wounds
he received from the explosion. He landed and was
immediately captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner
of war until freed by the forces of General George S.
Patton's Army in April 1945. His captors knew he was
important and did their best to extract secrets from him but
Smart was able to evade all their questions.
Upon his repatriation to the US, he returned to duty as a
top aide to General Arnold, continuing as the U.S. Air Force
was formed in 1947. He graduated from the National War
College in June 1950, and commanded 32nd Air Division at
Stewart Air Force Base in New York, and was alter later vice
commander of Eastern Air Defense Force.
During the Korean War, Smart served as deputy for operations
in the Far East Air Force where he showed his skill as a
strategist. He also flew several sorties, and was injured.
He returned to Washington, D.C., in June 1955, as assistant
vice chief of staff at U.S. Air Force Headquarters, and
became commander of the Twelfth Air Force, Tactical Air
Command, in September 1959. He became vice commander of
Tactical Air Command in January 1960, based at Langley Air
Force Base. He served as Commander U.S. Forces in Japan from
August 1961; and then as Commander of the Pacific Air Forces
in Honolulu from August 1963. He became Deputy Commander of
the U.S. European Command in July 1964, and retired in July
1966.
Following his retirement, Smart served as an administrator
with NASA for several years; finally, he returned to live in
Ridgeland.
Smart died in his sleep from congestive heart failure at the
age of 97 on Sunday, November 12, 2006 and was buried the
following week on Thursday November 16, 2006. He was
divorced in 1946. He had four children; three daughters, one
surviving, and a son, who also survives.
Awards and decorations
Smart received numerous decorations including: Distinguished
Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and four awards of the Air
Medal. He was also awarded the decoration of Ulchi by the
Republic of Korea, and was an honorary Knight Commander of
the British Empire.
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_E._Smart |
