James W. Barker.

Sgt. James W. Barker served as tail gunner and armament man aboard B-24D 42-40265 with the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. His serial number appears in the MACR as 13048538, but casualty questionnaires give it as 13048321. His status on the MACR is EUS.

During the August 1, 1943 Ploesti crash landing, Barker did not bail out, as the aircraft was flying too low. He was seriously wounded in the crash, suffering a fragment of explosive shell in the back of his head and an apparently fractured skull. He was semi-conscious when removed from the aircraft. Two individual casualty questionnaires confirm he was wounded twice and was last seen unconscious near the plane.