A carrier-based attack by Air Group 4 (AG-4) on Nazi-held Norway during World War II was assigned the code name OPERATION LEADER. It was carried out by aircraft from the USS Ranger (CV-4) on October 4, 1943.

Bombing Squadron 4 (VB-4) was formed after the USS Ranger's involvement in OPERATION TORCH in Morocco and Algeria in November 1942. Bombing Squadron 4 was known as the "Top Hatters."

Early in World War II, some of the pilots of VB-4 flew the Vought/Silorsky SB2U "Vindicators." This plane was not a satisfactory dive-bomber and was soon replaced by the Douglas SBD "Dauntless." The SBD served Bombing Squadron 4 well as a dive-bomber, inflicting severe damage to the enemy during operations in North Africa and along the Norwegian Coast.

At the time of the Norway strike, the USS Ranger was operating as part of the British Home Fleet under the overall command of Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser. In addition to the Admiral's flagship, HMS Duke of York, the command consisted of the HMS Anson, 3 British cruisers, 6 British destroyers, and a U.S. contingent of several destroyers supporting the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and the USS Ranger.

At 0430 hours on October 4, 1943, "Flight Quarters" was sounded. Pilots and crew layed up to their respective ready rooms.

The task force was positioned about 100 miles off the West coast of Norway, North of the Arctic Circle. At 0618 hours, with 31 knots of wind over the flight deck, a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) was launched followed by 2 attack groups. Twenty Dauntless dive bombers (SBD's) and an escort of 8 F4F Wildcat fighters were directed to attack shipping and shore installations near the port of Bodo, Norway. The second attack group consisted of 9 Torpedo planes with fighter escort. Radio silence was ordered for all planes before the attack and the planes were directed to fly below 100 feet on the inbound leg to avoid radar detection.

Back aboard the ship after the attack, reports came in on the results of the strikes. The USS Ranger logbook shows the following 7 persons from Air Group 4 as missing-in-action:

Lt(jg) John H. Palmer with crewmen ART/c (Chief Aviation Radio Technician) Joseph L. Zalom and AMMC (Chief Aviation Machinist's Mate) Reginald H. Miller (TBF #4T4)

Lt(jg) Sumner R. Davis with his turret gunner ARM2 (Aviation Radioman 2nd Class) D. W. McCarley (SBD #15)

Lt(jg) Clyde A. Tucker, Jr. with his turret gunner ARM2 (Aviation Radioman 2nd Class) Stephen D. Bakran (SBD #19).

Tucker and Bakran, of VB-4, had been launched from the USS Ranger in an SBD-5 "Dauntless" bomber. Their mission was to attack enemy shipping in Bodo Harbor, Norway. While on the attack run, their bomber was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, and crashed into the sea.

In early 1990, amateur divers located the wreckage in 150 feet of water. The Norwegian government undertook diving operations in late 1990 but recovered no remains. In 1993, amateur divers discovered human remains. A U.S. Government team traveled to Norway to examine the remains, which were then transferred to the U.S. for further examination. The remains of Tucker were identified through forensic techniques, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in 1994.

Further dives by the government of Norway yielded additional remains, which were positively identified by the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, as those of Bakran through mitochondrial DNA testing.

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Special House of Representatives Ceremony for Stephen D. Bakran
Volume 142, Number 115, Pages H9455, Wednesday, July 31, 1996

Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Bart Stupak] is recognized for 5 minutes.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D) MI

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention and that of the U.S. House of Representatives a special ceremony that will be held this Friday, August 2, in Wells, MI, in my congressional district.

On Friday, the family of Navy Aviation Radioman Second Class Stephen D. Bakran will gather at the gardens of Rest Memorial Park in Wells, MI, as his remains are laid to rest.

It is the tradition of our Nation to honor our war dead. What makes the ceremony for Airman Bakran so special is the fact that this important closure for the family comes more than five decades after this young man was killed in action.

From Navy officials and other sources, we know that Stephen Bakran was part of a special bombing squadron on a unique mission assigned to the U.S.S. Ranger, CV-4, the first ship built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier.

Stephen Bakran came to be aboard the Ranger after enlisting in the Navy on June 27, 1941, only weeks after his graduation from high school.

The eldest son in a Catholic family of 11 children, Stephen is remembered by family, friends, teachers, and others as an honest, hard working, caring individual.

The son of Croatian immigrants, Stephen is recalled in his role as a money earner for the family on his paper route, a dutiful son working in the family garden or tending the farm animals, and a responsible sibling changing and washing diapers of his younger brothers and sisters.

Airman Bakran is part of the first U.S. carrier based mission launch against Nazi-held Norway. Code named Operation Leader, the planes of the mission sank Nazi shipping and caused other damage at the cost of two SBD-5 Dauntless scout bombers. One of these bombers that were downed claimed the lives of Stephen Bakran and his pilot, Lieutenant Clyde A. Tucker, Jr. of Alexandria, LA.

Reports say that Stephen Bakran was still firing his machine gun as his plane went down on October 4, 1943.

Although the Navy listed Stephen Bakran and Clyde Tucker as killed in action, it was not until 1990 that a Norwegian diving club and a Norwegian historical research vessel found the wreckage of the aircraft off the coast of Bodo, Norway, in 150 feet of water.

It was not until July of 1993 that divers were able to locate and recover the two aviators. The remains of Clyde Tucker were identified in 1994 and are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. However, DNA tests did not conclusively identify the remains of Stephen Bakran until this year.

I am pleased that I was able to assist the family by working with our military officials during the identification process, and now I am extremely grateful to everyone, including those who helped to find, identify and transport Steve Bakran back to his family where they will be able to find a final resting place for this fallen warrior.

Today as we watch other families struggle with the tragedies of the disappearance of loved ones in a dark watery grave, we find comfort in witnessing that the search for our military missing in action never ends and the door of hope, hope that they may be found, never closes.

Mr. Speaker, let us remember the Bakran family in our thoughts and prayers on Friday. I regret that I will not be able to attend the funeral, as I will be here attending to legislative business. The Bakran family, the Wells and Escanaba community will be at Steve's funeral, but my family will join the Bakran family in a final salute to our World War II Navy veteran who is laid to rest.

Stephen Donald Bakran's remains were buried on June 8, 1998.