Leonard B. Smith

Authentic autographed vintage 'First Day Of Issue' cover hand signed by Leonard B. Smith who was an American pilot who spotted the German battleship Bismarck prior to its being sunk by British naval and air forces. Smith is sometimes considered the first American to be directly involved in World War II for his actions. As an experienced pilot, Smith was leading British instructional exercises while leading a patrol. When the patrol spotted the Bismarck, Smith broke from the formation and gave pursuit, following the ship for 18 hours before returning to a base in Ireland with 250 gallons of fuel. The old PBY plane that Smith flew had a maximum speed of 105 knots, and was therefore able to evade German anti-air guns, which were radar controlled and could track objects having a minimum speed of 130 knots.