 Under his guidance from February 1942 to March 1943, Davis-Monthan became the top training base for B-17 and B-24 crews during World War II.In March 1945, Smith was in charge of anti-submarine patrols off of South American coasts.After the war's end, Smith died in November 1945 from injuries suffered when he fell from a horse in the Catalina Foothills, Arizona.