John Marion Baker Sr. was born on September 8, 1919, in Oklahoma. He was the son of Lemuel Isaac Baker. He was married to Lucy E. Cunningham Glasgow. He served in the 600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Captain and Pilot of B-17 #42-97399 during World War II.

On August 8, 1944, during a bombing mission over France, the aircraft took off from Station 131 in Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, UK. At 12:53 PM, while flying near La Chapelle-Engerbold in the commune of Condé-sur-Noireau (roughly 6 kilometers to the northwest), it was struck by German anti-aircraft fire. A direct hit between engines #1 and #2 set the wing ablaze, causing the aircraft to lose control and crash. Of the nine crew members on board, seven were killed in action, while the remaining two survived and were captured as prisoners of war.

Cpt Baker was among those who lost their lives in the crash and is now buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA. John M. Baker's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 5, in the bottom left wing (section C).

Source of information:http://francecrashes39-45.net/, www.398th.org