Name/Title
Elisha "Smokey" Stover Standing in Front of a Stearman BiplaneDescription
In this photograph Elisha "Smokey" Stover can be seen with a Stearman biplane.Context
Elisha Terrill "Smokey" Stover was a F4F Wildcat pilot with VF-8 on the USS Hornet (CV-8) and VF-5 aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and later at Guadalcanal in 1942 where he downed 4 Japanese planes earning the Air Medal. Transferred aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-10) as a Fighter Director Officer in CIC in 1944, he appeared in scenes of "The Fighting Lady" and later returned to flight status with VF-5 when he was shot down over Truk Atoll on February 16, 1944.
The Stearman Biplane was the go-to training aircraft for both the United States Army Air Corps and the Navy throughout the Second World War.Collection
Smokey Stover CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2023.73Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionUpdate Date
October 5, 2026