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George H. Smith, Jr. was a private in the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne. He participated in many battles, from the Battle of Normandy, through Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Bastogne and Foy, to Haguenau and into Germany. He had an incident with Talbert when he accidentally stabbed him with his bayonet mistaking Talbert for a kraut. This incident was known as “The Night of The Bayonet”.

World War II[]

George Smith was in the same platoon as Richard Winters. He began training at Camp Toccoa, which included running up the Currahee Mountain. The training continued at Camp Mackall, from where he would head to Aldbourne in England for his next assignment.

Smith later moved to Upottery, England, where he would participate in the Invasion of Normandy. He was in the same airplane group as 1st Lieutenant Winters. Before takeoff, Eugene "Doc" Roe gave the paratroopers airsickness pills. Smith and the others were then helped up from the ground by Winters, and they boarded his C-47 and took off to the sky.

During the flight, Warren "Skip" Muck asked Smith to light his cigarette. When the time was right, Smith jumped into Normandy, and would later hook up with Easy Company. He took the town of Carentan and later did a patrol mission.

That night, Smith was snoozing until Floyd Talbert woke him up. Smith thought Talbert looked like a German, grabbed his bayoneted rifle and lunged at the figure. "Smith, it's me, Talbert!" he yelled, but Smith still stabbed him with his bayonet. Joseph Liebgott came over and pushed Smith away, who realized his mistake. Talbert then got help from a medic. This night is also known as 'The Night of the Bayonet'.

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