John W Baker

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-34942.jpeg UPL 34942 Lieutenant Benjamin Radzevich and his crew

Object Number - UPL 34942 - Lieutenant Benjamin Radzevich and his crew

John 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

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 493rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
The insignia of the 95th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

A 452nd Bomb Group B-17G Flying Fortress ('M', serial number 42-32087) was damaged on the 6th of August 1944 and landed at Resmo in Sweden. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'B-17G-35-BD. 42-32087. 452 B.G. Downed at Resmo, 6 August 1944, Sweden.'
  • 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

Events

Event Location Date Description

Died

5 July 1945

Born

New Jersey

Buried

Brittany American Cemetery, Saint James, France (Wall of the Missing)

Revisions

Date
Changes
Sources

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

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

ABMC, http://493bgdebach.co.uk/roster_list.php / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

John W Baker: Gallery (1 items)