Smith, Henry James

     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Henry James Henry James
Jméno:
Given Name:
Smith Smith
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Henry James „Jim“ Smith
Fotografie či obrázek:
Photograph or Picture:
Hodnost:
Rank:
kavalérista Trooper
Akademický či vědecký titul:
Academic or Scientific Title:
- -
Šlechtický titul:
Hereditary Title:
- -
Datum, místo narození:
Date and Place of Birth:
20.05.1923 /
20.05.1923 /
Datum, místo úmrtí:
Date and Place of Decease:
17.04.2013
17.04.2013
Nejvýznamnější funkce:
(maximálně tři)
Most Important Appointments:
(up to three)
- -
Jiné významné skutečnosti:
(maximálně tři)
Other Notable Facts:
(up to three)
- zničil nemecké 88 mm delo na pláži Gold počas D-Day - destruct German 88 mm gun on the beach Gold during D-Day
Související články:
Related Articles:

Zdroje:
Sources:
www.bbc.co.uk
http://www.avfw.org.uk/veterans/jsmith/
http://www.flmvpa.org/2013%20issue%201/sec%203.pdf
fallenheroesofnormandy.wordpress.com
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Smith-Henry-James-t183981#537235 Version : 0
     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Henry James Henry James
Jméno:
Given Name:
Smith Smith
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Henry James „Jim“ Smith
Všeobecné vzdělání:
General Education:
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
Vojenské vzdělání:
Military Education:
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
Důstojnické hodnosti:
Officer Ranks:
DD.MM.RRRR
DD.MM.RRRR
Průběh vojenské služby:
Military Career:
DD.MM.1944-DD.MM.RRRR C Sqdn, Westminster Dragoons
DD.MM.1944-DD.MM.RRRR C Sqdn, Westminster Dragoons
Vyznamenání:
Awards:
Poznámka:
Note:
- -
Zdroje:
Sources:
www.bbc.co.uk
http://www.avfw.org.uk/veterans/jsmith/
http://www.flmvpa.org/2013%20issue%201/sec%203.pdf
fallenheroesofnormandy.wordpress.com
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Smith-Henry-James-t183981#537236 Version : 0

Trooper Henry James "Jim" Smith




On 06 June 1944 on D-Day (D-Day), Trooper Henry James "Jim" Smith, then only 21 years old, along with other members of the 79th Armoured Corps, Westminster Dragoons, disembarked at Normandy's Gold Beach at 07:25 hours. He is a crew member of a specially modified AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) Sherman Crab) demining tank, which had a large rotating drum with chains attached to the front of its hull, the purpose of which was to bring mines embedded in the ground to detonate. There were other AVREs in his unit, namely the Churchill Bobbin and Churchill Fascine British tanks. The Bobbin was a modified Churchill tank that had a single coil of wooden slats or metal tubes on the front of the hull in front of the turret, reinforced with a strip of several layers of cloth to create a passage over a section of unpaved terrain. The Fascine, in turn, carried a bundle of rattles or tubes for filling in trenches, blast craters, anti-tank trenches, and the like.


Two Churchill tanks so modified going in front of his tank took hits, caught fire, and the crews in them were killed. Jim Smith, who as a driver was not originally supposed to take part in the landing and had volunteered to join the crew in place of a sick gunner, noticed a hitherto silenced German gun firing from a concrete bunker along the beach in the direction of the landing Allied troops. His crew was lucky, for the German gun operator paid no attention to their tank, whose gun was turned to the rear because of the rotating drum, and therefore apparently did not seem as dangerous to them as the conventional tanks disembarking nearby. This gave them time to stop the rotating minelaying drum and turn the gun turret towards the bunker. Gunner Smith fired two HE (high explosive) shells in succession at the German gun, but they caused no visible damage. Therefore, he chose an (AP - armor piercing) round as his next piercing round, seeing the barrel of the German 88 turning towards him. He therefore aimed directly at the barrel of the German gun and fired. The shot hit the cannon's protective shield, penetrated the bunker, and disabled (or rather killed) its entire crew. The way inland on its section was thus clear.


Their vehicle was thus able to advance further, however, when shortly afterwards the infantry were asked to eliminate a German sniper stationed on the church tower, who was decimating the British troops entering the town. Jim Smith fired a single shot from a tank gun at the bell tower and the sniper was eliminated. Interestingly, you can still see the slight colour difference between the stones where the bell tower was later repaired.


Jim Smith survived the war and often took part in commemorations to mark D-Day in Normandy. It was on one of the anniversaries (in 2007) that the author had the privilege of knowing him personally. His health allowed him to attend the celebrations in person for the last time in 2011. He even escaped from the nursing home for those, despite a ban by its management. On his own, he transported himself to Dover, where he joined a group of veterans with whom he sailed on a ferry to Normandy (sic!).


Jim Smith did not live to see the spectacular celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the landing, which took place in June 2014. He died the year before, on 17.04.2013 at the venerable age of 89.


Honor his memory!



www.bbc.co.uk
https://www.avfw.org.uk/veterans/jsmith/
www.flmvpa.org
fallenheroesofnormandy.wordpress.com

Smith, Henry James - Henry James „Jim“ Smith

Henry James „Jim“ Smith
Smith, Henry James - Jim Smith s autorom príspevku (uprostred), po bokoch ďalší válkari - Zbycho (vľavo) a Dolin (vpravo), Caen, Normandia, Francúzsko, 2007

Jim Smith s autorom príspevku (uprostred), po bokoch ďalší "válkari" - Zbycho (vľavo) a Dolin (vpravo), Caen, Normandia, Francúzsko, 2007
Smith, Henry James - M4 Sherman V Crab

M4 Sherman V Crab
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