Harold William Smith
Corporal Harold W. “Killer” Smith served with Dog Company, 1st Marine Raider Battalion.
He was killed in action at Enogai, New Georgia, on 10 July 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 332732
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
July 14, 1915
Millburn, New Jersey
Parents
Harold Russell Smith
Elizabeth (Tichenor) Smith (d. 1925)
Education
Millburn High School (1934)
Occupation & Employer
Patrolman
Millburn Police Department
Service Life
Entered Service
January 28, 1942
at New York, NY
Home Of Record
15 Meeker Place
Millburn, NJ
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Harold R. Smith
Military Specialty
Raider
Primary Unit
D/1st Raider Battalion
Campaigns Served
Tulagi / Guadalcanal
New Georgia
Individual Decorations
Silver Star
Purple Heart (Guadalcanal)
with Gold Star (Enogai)
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Harold Smith, a former policeman from Millburn, New Jersey, served with Company D, 1st Marine Raider Battalion in the Solomon Islands.He saw action in the invasion of Tulagi and the Guadalcanal campaign, where he earned the nickname “Killer Smith” for his prowess combating enemy snipers. Smith was shot in the left arm at the battle of Edson’s Ridge in September 1942, but the wound was largely superficial and he was soon back in the field.
Smith’s next campaign was the invasion of New Georgia. He landed at Rice Anchorage on 5 July 1943 and participated in a grueling march through thick swamps and across swift rivers. More often than not, Smith’s company led the way. When the Raiders reached the Dragons Peninsula and closed in on their objectives – Enogai and Bairoko – Japanese resistance grew more serious, and several minor but vicious skirmishes in the jungle cost lives on both sides. Making matters worse, the Raiders were poorly supplied: ammunition was limited, and rations ran out a few days into the operation. The only way out was to capture their targets.
The first serious push against Enogai on 9 July 1943 resulted in a stalemate in the jungle a few hundred yards from the Japanese camp. Early the next morning, three Raider companies renewed the assault and moved slowly but inexorably towards Enogai Point. Company D waited in reserve.
At 1300 hours, orders came to send one platoon of Company D to assist. The assignment went to Lieutenant Thomas D. Pollard – generally regarded as “mad Pollard” for his fighting style. Among Pollard’s men was Corporal “Killer” Smith.
Following an intense mortar barrage and supported by machine gun fire, Pollard's Raiders charged headlong down the slope, overran the machine gun position holding up [Company C] and continued on through the enemy camp to the beach, driving the Japanese before them into the inlet, where they were slaughtered by Raider machine guns. Pollard's quick and vicious attack had been an awesome sight....
By 1400, Pollard's attack was over. It had broken the back of the enemy resistance and divided his troops into two groups that now had no thought in mind but to escape.
Enogai was declared “secure” at 1500 hours, but a handful of Japanese holdouts remained. One heavily armed group, a thorn in the side of Company A, turned their fire on Company D and took down twenty Raiders – mostly wounded, with a few killed. Early the next morning, Company D attacked with bayonets and wiped out the last of the defenders.
According to Raider officer and historian Oscar Peatross, all Company D fatalities – eight Raiders – belonged to Pollard’s platoon. Among the dead was Killer Smith. “Although critically wounded, he refused evacuation and remained with his squad, skillfully leading his men and firing his weapon in an attack on a strong enemy defensive position,” reads the citation for his posthumous Silver Star Medal. “With courage and fortitude he stayed in the fight until he was no longer physically able to carry on. Corporal Smith died later from his wounds.”
Burial Information or Disposition
Corporal Smith’s remains were reportedly buried “at Dragons Peninsula.” This is unusually vague for Enogai casualties, most of whom had individual graves described in detail – usually a distance in yards to a nearby landmark, most often a bridge near Enogai itself.
It is not known if Smith’s body was ever recovered; if so, his remains were unidentifiable.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Harold R. Smith.
Location Of Loss
Corporal Smith was killed in action near Enogai on the Dragon’s Peninsula.
