Major General Ralph Corbett Smith (November 27, 1893 – January 21, 1998) was a senior officer of the United States Army.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch of the United States Army in 1916 and was involved in the army's unsuccessful Mexican Punitive Expedition, whose Commanding General (CG) was Brigadier General John J. Pershing, against Pancho Villa, just before the American entry into World War I in early April 1917.

During World War I, Smith was awarded the Silver Star with an oak leaf cluster for two instances of bravery while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front.

[2],[3] Between the world wars his duties including teaching at the United States Military Academy and attending, and then instructing, at the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Ralph Smith reported that enemy resistance had been defeated and the island was ready to be turned over to the garrison force four days after the fighting started.

In this action (Operation Forager), Ralph Smith's division fought alongside the Marines in the hard struggle for the mountainous island of Saipan.

[7] He contended that Ralph Smith's men had "failed to attack on time," unnecessarily costing Marine lives in the conquest of the island.

"[10] Ralph Smith was given command of the 98th Infantry Division charged with the defense of the Hawaiian Islands, but the negative publicity associated with his firing on Saipan made it impractical for him to remain in the Pacific Theater.

[11] Smith went on to serve as the military attaché at the United States Embassy in Paris and CARE's chief of mission for France.