World War II Honoree

Smith Boyd Wilson, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

El Reno, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

SERVED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER IN THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISION OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, INCLUDING IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) IN ENGLAND, DURING THE WAR. SERVED AS A CRYPTOGRAPH OPERATOR ON ENGLAND'S COAST, INCLUDING WHEN THE FIRST GERMAN V-1 BUZZ BOMB WAS LAUNCHED AGAINST LONDON ON JUNE 13, 1944. DURING ONE 80-DAY PERIOD, V-1 FLYING BOMBS DAMAGED MORE THAN 1,000,000 BUILDINGS IN ENGLAND, KILLED SOME 6,184 PEOPLE AND SERIOUSLY INJURED AN ADDITIONAL 17,981 INDIVIDUALS. LONDON WAS THE WORST HIT BUT DAMAGE WAS WIDESPREAD. DURING THE PRELUDE TO THE NORMANDY, FRANCE D-DAY INVASION ON JUNE 6, 1944, HE TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN AN ELABORATE DECEPTION PLAN TO CONFUSE THE GERMANS ON THE ALLIED PROPOSED LANDING SITE. HE SENT AND RECEIVED FALSE MESSAGES PERTAINING TO D-DAY OPERATIONS. FOLLOWING THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE ON THE ALLIED VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY (V-E DAY ON MAY 8, 1945), HE WAS SENT TO WIESBADEN, GERMANY, WHERE HE SERVED AS A SECRETARY FOR THE WAR CRIMES BRANCH OF THE U.S. ARMY, WHICH PROVIDED EVIDENCE TO THE NUREMBERG, GERMANY MILITARY TRIBUNAL, LEADING TO INDICTMENT OF GERMAN LEADERS, DIPLOMATS, MINISTERS, PHYSICIANS, AND CRIMINAL SCIENTISTS. AWARDED THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND ARMY OF OCCUPATION MEDAL WITH ‘GERMANY’ CLASP. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.