Luther Henry Smith was born on December 25, 1924, in Palmerton, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Rufus Emory Smith and Esther Helen Hittner Smith. He was married to Kathryn Beulah Green Smith. He served in the 751st Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, as a Sergeant and Tail Gunner of the B-17 #44-8557 during World War II.

On April 18, 1945, as the war in Europe entered its final days, the 457th Bombardment Group launched Mission 234, originally tasked with striking the rail marshalling yards at Traunstein. Poor visibility forced the units to divert to the alternate target at Freising, where the clouds finally broke enough to allow a visual bomb run. Among the aircraft in the formation was B-17 Flying Fortress #44-8557 of the 748th Bomb Squadron, which took position in the deputy lead. As the formation approached the target, engine No. 4 on the aircraft began smoking after being hit by German anti-aircraft fire. Witnesses saw four crew members bail out as the aircraft struggled to hold formation. The pilot remained long enough to release the bombs before dropping out of the formation himself, after which the remaining crew bailed out. Severely damaged and unable to recover, the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed near Sterzen. One member of the crew did not survive the bailout, becoming the final combat fatality suffered by the 457th Bombardment Group in World War II. The surviving crew members landed in German-held territory and were captured shortly afterward. With Germany’s collapse only days away, they spent a brief period as prisoners of war before being liberated ten days later, in late April 1945.

Sgt Miller successfully bailed out and injured his ankle during the landing in Italy and was held as a POW in Bolzano. After the war, Luther graduated from Muhlenberg College and spent decades as a business owner and community leader in Palmerton, operating a dry-cleaning business and later Smith’s Dairy Mart. He also served as a tax collector and worked at Keystone Savings Bank until retiring in 1986. Active in church and civic life, he held roles in local congregations and belonged to organizations such as the American Legion, the Palmerton Exchange Club, and the Trachsville Volunteer Fire Company. He spent his final years at Neshaminy Manor due to Alzheimer’s disease. He died on May 20, 2009, and is now buried in the Jerusalem Lutheran Cemetery, Trachsville, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.501csw.usafe.af.mil