James W. Barker.
Tail Gunner · 409th Squadron · Of Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
The Man Behind the Name
Sgt. James W. Barker (ASN 13048346), born September 13, 1919, served as tail gunner on the 93rd Bomb Group, 409th Bomb Squadron aircraft during the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. The aircraft departed Benghazi at 7:00 AM.
The aircraft was riddled by heavy anti-aircraft and ground machine gun fire approximately eight miles past the target and crashed at 3:00 PM without any crew members bailing out. Barker was wounded in the back of the head and in the stomach. The plane did not explode on impact.
Barker was taken as a prisoner of war and interned in Romania. His aids box was not used due to his wounds preventing him from walking. He survived his wounds and internment and was repatriated after Romania's change of allegiance in 1944. His serial number 13048346 is confirmed in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944, listing him with the 93rd Bomb Group.
Barker was questioned on security matters at Bari, Italy and signed a security certificate on September 3, 1944. He departed Gibraltar on September 6, 1944. He confirmed that all crew members were accounted for and freed except bombardier 1st Lt. J. Little, who was killed and buried at Sinaia, Romania.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.