World War II

Smart joined the Air Corps Advisory Council in July 1942, serving on the staff of General "Hap" Arnold, the 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.

Smart 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 month.

Smart 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. He was thrown from the wreck in mid-air but managed to open his parachute despite the wounds he had 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 on April 29, 1945.^[1] 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, Smart 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,^[1] and commanded 32nd Air Division at Stewart Air Force Base in New York, and was later vice commander of Eastern Air Defense Force.

Postwar career

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.

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Air Corps) Jacob Edward Smart, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Commanding Officer of the 97th Bombardment Group (H), Fifteenth Air Force, while participating in a bombing mission on 10 May 1944, against a vitally important and heavily defended aircraft production center in Wiener-Neustadt, Austria. Colonel Smart remained with a ship damaged by a direct hit until he was assured that his group would accurately bomb the target. Leaving the protective formation to return the crippled ship to its base, Colonel Smart displayed great courage in remaining with the ship when its condition would have warranted abandonment. Colonel Smart's courage, resourcefulness and determination led to his selection to lead an attack on another vital target in the same area on 10 May 1944. With the skill and courage that he had displayed on twenty-seven raids during the period of 18 March 1944 to 10 May 1944, Colonel Smart again was successful in bringing his group through unusually severe weather conditions and augmented aircraft defense to the beginning of the bomb run when his ship was observed to explode. The gallant, intrepid leadership displayed by Colonel Smart in accomplishing his assignment regardless of hazard or opposition upholds the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 15th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.^[2]