George Allen
Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military
Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker was the Commanding Officer of the 93rd Bomb Group from May 17, 1943, he was killed in Action over Ploesti during Operation Tidal Wave on 1 August, 1943.
In summer 1943 Baker was dispatched to North Africa with the 93rd Bomb Group to take part in Operation Tidal Wave. Baker piloted B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994) on 1 August 1943. Upon reaching the target area the 93rd Bomb Group turned at the wrong point and headed for Bucharest, Baker attempted to warn the mission commander but when they failed to respond, he broke formation and led the remainder of the force back to the correct point.
On approach to the target 'Hell's Wench' was hit by flak, Baker jettisoned his bombs as both wings were hit, and the aircraft began leaking fuel, and became engulfed in flames. At almost the same time, Baker had to break formation and pull up to avoid mid-air collisions with bombers from the 98th Bomb group, arriving in the target area from the opposite direction.
Baker made attempts to gain altitude so that the crew could escape his burning plane by parachute. But the aircraft lost speed in the climb, rolled over, crashed, and exploded in flames, killing everyone aboard.
Baker's body was never recovered, he was given a memorial site in Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Florence, Italy. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role on the mission.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | Major | Pilot | 376th Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench'
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Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 93rd Bomb Group
KIA over Ploesti, Romania Aug 1 1943: I grew up knowing him as "Uncle Bud". He was known as "Bud" to his family. He had two sisters, and twin brothers. He was the second oldest child of my great grandparents.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Killed in action on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave onboard B-24 Liberator, 'Hell's Wench' (#42-40994).
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Group
93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 1-March-1942 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. On 15-May-1942 the Group moved to Ft. Myers, Florida to continue advanced flight training and also to fly anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico; they...
Headquarters
B-24 Liberator
Crashed on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal wave.
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1 August 1943
Operation TIDAL WAVE. B24D Liberators attack the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. Out of the 177 B-24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. 57 B...
Military site : airfield
Crash site
Event | Location | Date |
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Born | Chicago, Illinois | 1 January 1907 |
Died | Ploesti | 1 August 1943 |
Killed over Il Concordia Vega Refinery, Ploesti |
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Buried | ||
Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Florence American Cemetery. |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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27 August 2019 14:22:39 | Emily | Changes to middlename, role, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations and aircraft associations |
Sources | ||
Ploesti Sortie Report, 93rd Bomb Group Removed associations to people who did not fly as a part of Baker's crew during his service or on board his aircraft Operation Tidal Wave. Removed associations to aircraft and units which Baker never served with. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
17 July 2019 19:38:40 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- Wikipedia - Addison E Baker |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
17 July 2019 19:30:43 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography and unit associations |
Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- Wikipedia - Addison E Baker |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
15 July 2019 07:43:40 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
Anatomy Of A Disaster - Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- Into The Fire - Duane Schultz ---- TogetherWeServed.com ---- FindAGrave.com ---- Personal Archives - John S. Young |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
28 November 2018 08:26:22 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
Sources | ||
Black sunday - Michael Hill |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 November 2018 01:56:11 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 November 2018 01:42:00 | Kickapoo | Changes to role, person associations and place associations |
Sources | ||
Black sunday - Michael Hill |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 November 2018 01:36:10 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
23 November 2018 03:44:39 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
Wings of valor II - The Ploesti Raid |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
09 November 2014 20:15:44 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, awards and events |
Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 9-Nov-2014: CO informration: http://www.usaaf.com/8thaf/bomber/93bg.HTM; Decoration/Commemoration: American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:02:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Freeman, MOH Citation |