Imagine going to war while your country is at peace and having to keep it a secret………………
That was the situation for Missouri native “Tuck” Smith when he was awakened at 0300 on 28 March 1941, while aboard a seaplane tender in beautiful Acapulco Bay, Mexico. A University of Illinois graduate who had earned his wings of gold at Pensacola only 2 years before, he was notified of a request for “volunteers to go to England, observe Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Command, and check them out on the new Mk. 1 Catalinas (PBY-5As).” The skipper decided Smith was a “volunteer,” and he soon found himself listening to the Naval Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics explain his secret mission.
Although the United States was officially neutral, President Roosevelt decided to aid the British in their war with Germany. One form of help was “Lend-Lease” Catalina flying boats for convoy escort duty. To maintain the appearance of neutrality, Smith and other USN pilots maintained the utmost secrecy. Posted to 209 Squadron in Lough Erne, North Ireland, he began flying missions within hours of his arrival. On 24 May, the German battleship, Bismarck, in a daring foray into the North Atlantic, sank the pride of the Royal Navy, the HMS Hood, and then disappeared. Prime Minister Winston Churchill responded by ordering an all-out effort to “SINK THE BISMARCK.”
The search was on…a lone RAF Catalina took off to search the vast lonely North Atlantic for an elusive and dangerous foe. On board was copilot, Ensign “Tuck” Smith, United States Navy – one of 17 Americans sent to help the British fly American Lend-Lease Catalinas. Breaking out of the clouds directly over the Bismarck, the aircraft came under intense anti aircraft fire. Shrapnel hit the plane’s hull as it began jinking to escape into cloud cover, but the crew flew back for a second look and radioed the battleship’s position to the British fleet. The next day, the Bismarck was sunk.
Photos of some 209 squadron aircraft show that the squadron code MQ were for some unknown reason reversed to read QM on the starboard fuselage side. Although no photo of the starboard side of a H545 exists, this feature has been included on this model.
