323

Arthur K. Baker.

Diary of a bomber in New Guinea and the Philippines who completed his 35 missions with distinction.

20 December 1942 to 12 January 1945
[398] manuscript pages including 4 on loose sheets laid in at end. 8vo, 8 x 6 inches, in original padded calf with gilt cover title "My Stretch in the Service", minor wear; numerous clippings and other items laid in.

  • Notes: Arthur Kenneth Baker (1914-2003) was a married inspector in a Chicago refrigerator factory before the war. He enlisted as a cadet in 1942 and reached the rank of First Lieutenant in the 63rd Bombardment Squadron, one of the four squadrons of the 43rd Bombardment Group. When his combat missions began in March 1944, he was stationed at an air base in Nadzab, Papua New Guinea; they moved to Owi Island in July, and then relocated to Leyte Island in the Philippines on 8 November 1944. 

    As with many World War Two aviators, the underlying drama of Baker's military career was whether he could complete his designated number of combat missions before enemy flak or mechanical mishaps killed him first. His first combat mission was on 28 March 1944, and each subsequent mission is carefully numbered, up to the magic number of 35.

    His 10th mission on 22 May 1944 was to Maokwari in Dutch New Guinea, 2,500 miles from the base—the longest on record from New Guinea. "When we were three miles away from the target, all hell broke loose. Four of the search lights went on and picked us up immediately. . . . The explosions were shaking the plane & tracers came up. . . . I heard a loud noise when one shell hit our tail. . . . The gunners called out ‘Bombs away' and we peeled off to the right."

    The squadron moved to Mokerang Field on Los Negros Island, Papua New Guinea on 26 May 1944. The next day they bombed Biak Island (now in Indonesia) in preparation for the first assault in the Battle of Biak. "It was a beautiful sight. I could clearly see the ships, cruisers & destroyers, pumping salvo after salvo toward the island. . . . I saw our bombs hit the ground in a slight arc, all directly in the target area and away from the piers & jetties on the beach which they wanted to remain intact."

    On 3 June 1944, Baker's squadron sank a Japanese destroyer, but lost an engine in the process: "I ordered the crew to throw out everything that was movable or could be torn out. They threw out the waist guns, ammunition, radio tuning sets, hoists, boxes, etc."  Several reporters came to the base two days later to document their exploits. 

    On 27 July 1944, "Lt. Walters cracked up his plane on take-off last night. Lt. Garton, the bombardier, was lost in the accident. . . . They finally stopped in a mound of dirt and the plane broke out in flames. All of the crew got out except Snuffy. They thought he was out, and it wasn't until he was missing & pieces of a body were found on the runway that they found out. . . . He was very popular & had only that afternoon given me a haircut on the beach." 

    On Baker's 31st combat mission, 16 October 1944, a gun shifted in the turret, "catching Seller's head & pinning it against the top. When he was released, we found that his left ear was almost torn off, his right ear sliced thru, and numerous deep gashes on his face. We dressed his injuries and gave him a shot of morphine. He had to sweat it out with us for three hours until we got to our home base. At the hospital they took 32 stitches."

    In addition to his combat missions, Baker provides some macabre local color.  Exploring the island of Biak on 28 May 1944, "we noticed a number of native women had their hair all shaven off. We inquired about this and found that they had been raped by the Japs and were forced to cut their hair off as identification. Any babies were killed at birth." 

    On 31 May 1944, he visited Wakde Island, which his squadron had previously bombed. "Jap planes by the dozens are lying in their revetments broken & burned, completely souvenirized. Altogether 800 Jap marines were killed, most were buried in deep trenches, but many bodies lie around, decomposing & full of maggots. The stench was horrible. These are the first enemy dead which I have seen." 

    Baker's final posting was at Leyte in the Philippines. On 27 November 1944, "we were formed into an infantry outfit when the Japs broke thru our lines and a parachute attack was reported on its way. We formed a perimeter around our area and had seven posts." 

    On his final three missions, his 33rd, 34th, and 35th, Baker dropped both bombs and propaganda leaflets in the Philippines. After landing at Leyte on his final mission, "a P38 lost a tire & crashed . . . causing all three planes to burst into fire, burning seven men. Three were ours. . . . I was first on the scene & dragged two burning bodies out of the fire & put flames out with a blanket. All died later in the day." This may have dampened his enthusiasm for completing his final mission, but he was still able to write: "Wonderful to be there at last. . . . Will receive 5 air medals." 

    With--Baker's wallet and 14 identification cards, ration cards and photographs; numerous clippings and ephemera found laid into the diary; and three folders of papers from his service in the Illinois Air Force reserve, 1950-1952. 
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