Maynard Harrison Smith Maynard Harrison Smith , aka Snuffy Smith , ( May 19 , 1911 - May 11 , 1984 ) , US Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant and gunner aboard a B - 17 Flying Fortress bomber in World War II , received the Medal of Honor for his conduct during a bombing mission over France on May 1 , 1943 . Enlistment . Maynard H . Smith enlisted in the US Army Air Forces in 1942 . After completing basic training he volunteered for aerial gunnery school . At the time all aerial gunners were non - commissioned officers and the move to the school was a quick way for the private to gain rank and pay . After completing the aerial gunnery school , he was shipped overseas to Thurleigh , Bedfordshire , in south - central England , where he joined the 423rd Bombardment Squadron , 306th Bomb Group . Staff Sergeant Smith quickly gained a reputation as a stubborn and obnoxious airman who did not get along well with the other airmen stationed there , hence his nickname " Snuffy Smith " , possibly from the popular comic strip of the era . Consequently it was six weeks before he was assigned his first combat mission . Medal of Honor action . It was during his first mission , on May 1 , 1943 that Staff Sergeant Smith , who was assigned to the ball gun turret , helped save the lives of six of his wounded comrades , put out a blazing fire , and drove off wave after wave of German fighters . The target of the mission was the U - Boat pens at Saint - Nazaire in Loire - Atlantique , France , on the Bay of Biscay . Saint Nazaire was heavily defended by antiaircraft guns and was nicknamed " flak city " by the airmen . Several of the bombers failed to rendezvous as intended , and others had mechanical problems and had to turn back . The middle portion of the bombing mission went well , with no German fighters engaging the mission until after they had released their bomb loads . The bombers managed to drop their payload on target with little resistance from the Germans in occupied France . As the fighters came up , the bombing group managed to elude them by flying into a large cloud bank . Due to a navigational error , after being in the cloud bank , the navigator in the lead plane believed he was approaching the southern coast of Britain . In fact , the aircraft were approaching the heavily fortified German - occupied city of Brest , France and the southern coast of the Breton Peninsula . The pilot began to descend to 2 , 000 feet and was almost immediately overtaken by several German fighters and thick anti - aircraft fire . Staff Sergeant Smith ' s bomber was hit , rupturing the fuel tanks and igniting a massive fire in the center of the fuselage . The damage to the aircraft was severe , knocking out communications and compromising the fuselage ' s integrity . Smith ' s ball turret lost power and he scrambled out to assist the other crew members . Three crew members bailed out , while Smith tended to two others who were seriously wounded . In between helping his wounded comrades , Smith also manned the . 50 caliber machine guns and fought the raging fire . The heat from the fire was so intense that it had begun to melt the metal in the fuselage , threatening to break the plane in half . For nearly 90 minutes , Smith alternated between shooting at the attacking fighters , tending to his wounded crew members and fighting the fire . To starve the fire of fuel , he threw burning debris and exploding ammunition through the large holes that had been melted in the fuselage . Staff Sergeant Smith ' s bomber reached England and landed at the first available airfield , where it broke in half as it touched down . Smith ' s bomber had been hit with over 3 , 500 bullets and shrapnel . While the three crew members that bailed out were never recovered and presumed lost at sea , Smith ' s efforts on that day undoubtedly saved the lives of six others aboard his aircraft . Journalist Andy Rooney , at the time a reporter for " Stars and Stripes " , was at the base where Smith ' s plane landed and wrote a front page story about it . While reflecting on Smith ' s award years later on 60 Minutes , Rooney indicated " I was proud of my part in that . " Smith was assigned to KP duty the week that he was awarded the Medal of Honor as punishment for arriving late to a briefing . Secretary of War Henry L . Stimson placed the Medal around Smith ' s neck during a formation . Medal of Honor citation . Citation text : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty . The aircraft of which Sgt . Smith was a gunner was subjected to intense enemy antiaircraft fire and determined fighter aircraft attacks while returning from a mission over enemy - occupied continental Europe on 1 May 1943 . The aircraft was hit several times by antiaircraft fire and cannon shells of the fighter aircraft , 2 of the crew were seriously wounded , the aircraft ' s oxygen system shot out , and several vital control cables severed when intense fires were ignited simultaneously in the radio compartment and waist sections . The situation became so acute that 3 of the crew bailed out into the comparative safety of the sea . Sgt . Smith , then on his first combat mission , elected to fight the fire by himself , administered first aid to the wounded tail gunner , manned the waist guns , and fought the intense flames alternately . The escaping oxygen fanned the fire to such intense heat that the ammunition in the radio compartment began to explode , the radio , gun mount , and camera were melted , and the compartment completely gutted . Sgt . Smith threw the exploding ammunition overboard , fought the fire until all the firefighting aids were exhausted , manned the workable guns until the enemy fighters were driven away , further administered first aid to his wounded comrade , and then by wrapping himself in protecting cloth , completely extinguished the fire by hand . This soldier ' s gallantry in action , undaunted bravery , and loyalty to his aircraft and fellow crewmembers , without regard for his own personal safety , is an inspiration to the U . S . Armed Forces .