James William Barker
Military
media-55931.jpeg
UPL 55931
Crewmen working on the B-24D, Euroclydon The Storm. Pilot Lt. Enoch M. Porter, Jr. Lost on Operation Tidal Wave, over Ploesti, Romania. 1 Aug 43. The Storm, B-24-75-CO, in Britain, originally in the 8th Air Force in the U.K. in the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. With many other 8th Air Force planes, it was detached temporarily (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa, for Operation Tidal Wave. Shot down over it's target. Failed To Return (FTR). 1 Aug 1943. MACR 6465.
Note : the RCL "K" on the RH vertical fin. 1943The B-24D Liberator bomber, 42-40612, named, Euroclydon The Storm, and most of it's crew, was lost on Operation Tidal Wave, the large bombing mission to Ploesti, Romania. The aircraft took a direct flak hit approaching it's target, igniting its two long range fuselage bomb bay tanks. The pilot, Lt. Enoch Porter, was observed attempting to climb to 300 feet to give his crew enough altitude to bail out . But, with the aircraft, now completely engulfed in fire, broke apart in mid air and crashed in flames on a school at Plopu, Romania. 1 Aug, 1943. - 8 KIA -
3 POW. - MACR 6465
B-24D, 42-40612, The Storm, B-24-75-CO, in Britain, originally in the 8th Air Force in the U.K. in the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. With many other 8th Air Force planes, it was detached temporarily (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa, for Operation Tidal Wave. Failed To Return (FTR). 1 Aug 1943. Note : the RCL "K" on the RH vertical fin. 1943
Note : the RCL "K" on the RH vertical fin. 1943The B-24D Liberator bomber, 42-40612, named, Euroclydon The Storm, and most of it's crew, was lost on Operation Tidal Wave, the large bombing mission to Ploesti, Romania. The aircraft took a direct flak hit approaching it's target, igniting its two long range fuselage bomb bay tanks. The pilot, Lt. Enoch Porter, was observed attempting to climb to 300 feet to give his crew enough altitude to bail out . But, with the aircraft, now completely engulfed in fire, broke apart in mid air and crashed in flames on a school at Plopu, Romania. 1 Aug, 1943. - 8 KIA -
3 POW. - MACR 6465
B-24D, 42-40612, The Storm, B-24-75-CO, in Britain, originally in the 8th Air Force in the U.K. in the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. With many other 8th Air Force planes, it was detached temporarily (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa, for Operation Tidal Wave. Failed To Return (FTR). 1 Aug 1943. Note : the RCL "K" on the RH vertical fin. 1943
Detail changes. - Kickapoo
Assigned to 409th 93BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti. Crash landed while on TDY to 9th AF for the Ploesti mission in the B-24D, 42-40265, Honky Tonk Gal. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 330
Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 409th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18062178 / O-663978
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Honkey Tonk Gal - Naked Truth
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 409th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Lewistown, PA | 17 September 1919 | Son of of Milton and Jessie Pearl Barker. |
Enlisted |
Harrisburg, PA | 21 January 1942 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Bucharest, Romania | 1 August 1943 | Prisoner of War (POW) Romania. |
Other Force landed POW |
Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 | Prisoner of War (POW) crash landed on 1-Aug-43 while on TDY to 9th AF for Ploesti Raid in B-24 'Honky Tonk Gal' 42-40265 |
Other Discharged USAAF |
17 August 1945 | Honourable discharge. | |
Died |
12 December 2002 | ||
Buried |
Vestal Hills Memorial Park Vestal, Broome County, NY | 15 December 2002 | Vestal Hills Memorial Park Vestal, Broome County, New York |
Based |
1 August 1943 | Assigned to 409th 93BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources
Removed punctuation marks from around aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 330