John F. Smith

Submitted by: Mark Hilton

John F. Smith served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Unknown .

 

The Smith-Wynn Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 96, in Montgomery, Alabama, is named after two World War I soldiers who were killed in action in the Chateau-Thierry region of France on July 26th, 1918. They were PFC John F. Smith & Corp. Rush P. Wynn. (Some records show PFC John F. Smith as MIA as of July 28th,1918. Other records show he was wounded on the 26th and died on July 28th.)

PFC Smith was assigned to a Machine Gun Company of the Alabama's 167th Infantry Regiment, which became part of the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and then the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France.

Supreme Allied Commander General Ferdinand Foch immediately put the Allied Army on the offensive. Four days after winning in the Champagne, he ordered a Franco-American drive northeast from the town of Château-Thierry. The 167th (Alabama), with its sister regiment in the 84th Brigade, the 168th (Iowa) on its right flank, led the “Rainbow” Division push into a great battle at Croix Rouge Farm on July 26th, 1918. There the Alabama regiment lost 162 killed, including 3 Lieutenants and 2 Captains, company commanders. More than 1,000 from the 167th (Alabama) were wounded. But their victory forced the Germans to retreat to positions on the east of the Ourcq River, about six miles from the Croix Rouge Farm.

PFC John F. Smith, who enlisted from Montgomery, Alabama, was cited by the Commander-General of the “Rainbow” Division. He is buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France.