James B Baker

1st Lt. James M. Baker, 34th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, was KIA 20 July 1944  aboard B-26 Ser #42-96021. While on their bombing run against the Ostiglia Road Bridge near Corniglio, Italy, Baker's aircraft was hit by accurate anti-aircraft fire, knocking out one of the plane's two engines and jamming the bomb bay doors open. Numerous eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane lose altitude, even as the crew began to jettison all loose equipment. The aircraft eventually struck a mountain overlooking the town of Bosco di Corniglia, exploding on impact.

 Baker was from Chicago, Illinois. He is buried with his fellow crewmen in a mass grave at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.