World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Lou 'Loy' F. Baker
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Coconino County, Arizona
Honored By
Sam E. Pennartz
ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 20 OCTOBER 1941 AT FORT BLISS NEAR EL PASO, TEXAS. UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONAL TRAINING AT SMOKY HILL ARMY AIR FIELD NEAR SALINA, KANSAS. DEPLOYED VIA AFRICA TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XX BOMBER COMMAND, 58TH BOMB WING, 468TH BOMBARDMENT 'GENERAL BILLY MITCHELL' GROUP, 794TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT KHARAGPUR AIRFIELD IN THE BENGAL PROVINCE OF INDIA. AS PART OF OPERATION MATTERHORN TO BOMB JAPAN, HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT FLEW OVER THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGE AND LOGISTICALLY STAGED A BOMBING MISSION THROUGH PENGSHAN AIRFIELD (A-7) NEAR CHENGDU, CHINA. ON 20 AUGUST 1944, HE FLEW AS THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS NICKNAMED 'GERTRUDE C' (SERIAL # 42-6334). IT WAS ONE OF 75 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE IMPERIAL IRON AND STEEL WORKS AT YAWATA, JAPAN. WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, THE GROUP FORMATION WAS ATTACKED BY A BAND OF KAWASAKI KI-45 'NICK' FIGHTER PLANES. HIS AIRCRAFT WAS RAMMED BY ONE OF THE JAPANESE PLANES BETWEEN THE LEFT WING-TIP AND # 1 ENGINE. HE WAS KILLED WHEN HIS BOMBER EXPLODED INTO A FIREBALL AND CRASHED WITHIN FUKUOKA PREFECTURE ON KYUSHU ISLAND, JAPAN.