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Personal info

Full name
BAKER, Lester G Jr
Date of birth
30 September 1922
Age
22
Place of birth
Kemmerer, Wyoming
Hometown
Utah County, Utah

Military service

Service number
O-723929
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Bombardier
Unit
564th Bombardment Squadron,
389th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
12 December 1944
Place of death
Rücklingen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
D 9 50

Immediate family

Members
Lester G. Baker (father)
Katherine T. Baker (mother)
George W. Baker (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
42-50662
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: Patsy
Destination: Hanau, Germany
MACR: 11338

More information

2nd Lt Lester B. Baker graduated from Provo High School and attended the University of Utah. He was a sports writer for The Salt Lake City Tribune.

1st Lt Darold L. Shutt:
We were on the bomb run, about one minute before bombs away, when the lead ship, 42-95582 made two violent corrections with very, very steep banks causing the high right element leader 42-50548 to make a violent bank to the left. Aircraft 42-50662, apparently dropped below aircraft 42-50548 in order to stay in some kind of formation. My attention was directed away from the aircraft as we were concentrating on the bomb run. After bombs away, when I again picked up aircraft 42-50662, the plane was in flames, the tail section behind the waist windows was falling off, the right wing was in flames, and the # 3 engine was gone. Immediately thereafter the entire nose section exploded. No chutes were observed.

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.389thbg.net, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Utah Military Records, www.newspapers.com - The Salt Lake Tribune, www.fold3.com – MACR

Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.newspapers.com - The Salt Lake Tribune

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