David Marvin Bauer born to parents William J. Bauer (1892 - 1939) and Marie E. Wilhelm Bauer (1899 - 1995), on 19 February 1925 at Lincoln in Lancaster County, Nebraska.

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS, AND DURING OCTOBER 1943 ATTENDED RADIO OPERATOR SCHOOL AT SCOTT FIELD, ILLINOIS.

UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT TRANSITION AND OPERATIONAL COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT HARVARD ARMY AIRFIELD, NEBRASKA.

IN DECEMBER 1944, HE DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATION, AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 313TH BOMB WING, 505TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (VERY HEAVY), 482ND BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT NORTH FIELD ON TINIAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS.

ON FEBRUARY 10, 1945, HE FLEW AS THE RADIO OPERATOR ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS NICKNAMED "WOLF PACK" (serial #42-24787), CALL SIGN: VICTOR-4.

IT WAS ONE OF 120 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-WING GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE NAKAJIMA AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY PLANT AT OTA ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF TOKYO, JAPAN. AFTER A FLIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HOURS AND SOME 1,200 NAUTICAL MILES, HIS AIRCRAFT REACHED THEIR CHECK-POINT ABOVE MOUNT FUJI ON THE MAIN ISLAND OF HONSHU, AND BEGAN THEIR BOMB-RUN NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE TOKYO AREA.

WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, THE GROUP WAS ATTACKED BY A BAND OF NAKAJIMA KI-44 SINGLE-ENGINE 'TOJO' FIGHTER PLANES. ON THE 1500-MILE RETURN ROUTE HOME, HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT WAS LAST REPORTED BY THE TINIAN TOWER AT 2257 HUNDRED HOURS STATING THAT THE PLANE WAS 20 MINUTES FROM BASE AND OKAY.

ON 11 FEBRUARY 1945, A SEARCH MISSION CONSISTING OF 8 PLANES COVERED A RADIUS OF 500 MILES NORTH, AND 100 MILES EAST AND WEST FROM THE BASE OVER AN 8-HOUR PERIOD, WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FORCED TO DITCH IN THE OCEAN DUE TO FUEL STARVATION, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF THE AIRCREW.

David M Bauer