John W Baker
Military ROLL OF HONOURJohn served as a Sergeant & Radio Operator on B-17G 42-32087, 862nd Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II
He enlisted in the Army on July 20, 1943 in Newark, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being Married.
B-17G 42-32087 was on the way back to the United States with it's crew and also some passengers near the war's ending from Europe.
Typically when a B-17 was returning to the United States, when no longer needed for the war effort, they took members of their ground crew back with them. That is possibly what was happening on this flight.
They had just stopped at the Azores for refueling, and shortly after takeoff, the plane caught fire. The last radio contact reported that #3 engine had cut out, and, after trying to return, the plane was losing altitude. The B-17 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
John was declared "Missing In Action" on this flight during the war.
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
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Old Glory/Aint Misbehavin
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 493rd Bomb Group 728th Bomb Squadron 862nd Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Cemetery
- Known as: Brittany Cemetary
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Died |
5 July 1945 | ||
Born |
New Jersey | ||
Buried |
Brittany American Cemetery, Saint James, France (Wall of the Missing) |
Revisions
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
- http://95thbg.org/95th_db_pages/left_formation_code/gethonoroll.php
ABMC, http://493bgdebach.co.uk/roster_list.php / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia