| Birth: | Jan. 1, 1907 | | Death: | Aug. 1, 1943 | 
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was a National Guard officer who had been called to active duty in 1940. By 1943, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps and commander of the 93rd Heavy Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force, assigned to Benghazi, North Africa. It was from this point that he led his group as part of a daring low level attack against enemy oil refineries and installations at Ploesti, Romania, on August 1, 1943. Approaching the target, his aircraft was hit by German antiaircraft fire and set on fire. Once hit, he could have bellied in on open fields but without wavering he led the bombers straight to the refinery. He dropped his bombs and then attempted to leave formation, but his valiant attempts to gain sufficient altitude for the crew to escape by parachute were unsuccessful. Avoiding other planes in formation, the B-24 Liberator crashed to the ground in flames, killing the entire crew. Fifty-four aircraft from this mission never returned and he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on March 11, 1944. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)
Search Amazon for Addison Baker | | | Burial:
Florence American Cemetery and Memorial
*
Florence
Provincia di Firenze
Toscana, Italy
Plot: Body was never recovered.
*Memorial Site [?] |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Record added: Nov 13, 2003
Find A Grave Memorial# 8081873 |
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