Bidspirit auction | WW2 Bismarck spotter Leonard B

WW2 Bismarck spotter Leonard B Smith Cpt signed FDC. 35th Anniversary of the 'Sighting of the Bismarck' 26th May 1941. Single Stamp plus Single post marked 26 MY 76. ”A number of US pilots, who had ferried Catalinas across to the UK and were supposed to familiarize the RAF crews with the plane, were unofficially used as copilots on operations (”unofficially” because the USA was not at war with Germany at that time). Smith was acting as copilot of AH545 WQ-Z of No. 209 Squadron RAF which had been specifically assigned a search area after contact was lost with the Bismarck shortly after the Battle of the Denmark Strait. They flew out of RAF Castle Archdale which was a flying boat base on Lough Erne and through the Donegal Corridor. The plane was primarily piloted by British Flying Officer Dennis Briggs but Smith was at the controls when the battleship was spotted around at 10:10 on 26 May 1941, heading for Brest. He jettisoned the depth charges and made for cloud cover under heavy anti-aircraft fire, losing sight of the Bismarck and never regaining contact. Two other Americans were also in Catalinas that spotted the Bismarck later in the day: Lt Johnson in M of No. 240 Squadron RAF, and Ensign Rinehart in O of No. 210 Squadron RAF. Knowing the battleship's position accurately enabled the British navy to intercept it and sink it soon after. Smith was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the sinking of the Bismarck. He was later sent to Hawaii, and was flying a training mission between Midway and Pearl Harbor when the base was attacked on the morning of December 7, 1941. He remained in the Pacific Theatre for the remainder of the war, later fought in Korea, reached the rank of captain, and retired from the Navy in 1962. Good condition Est.