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Baker, Douglas, LTJG.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Lindley
Last Address McClain County
Casualty Date Dec 14, 1944
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Philippines
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Greenhill Cemetery - Muskogee, Oklahoma
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Lt jg Douglas Baker F6F Hellcat fighter pilot {ACE} VF-20, USS Enterprise, USS Lexington
Shot down 16.3 Japanese aircraft
Born in McClain County, Oklahoma in 1921 and son of John E. and Georgia Baker, Doug Baker enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June, 1942 after one year at Oklahoma University and completed flight training a year later. With his squadron VF-20, he sailed on USS Enterprise and USS Lexington from 31 August 1944 until his death on 14 December.
His first combat came during a fighter sweep over Formosa on 12 October, 1944. There were 350 Japanese planes on the island, nearly half of them fighters. The American Fast Carrier Task Force launched its dawn attack at 0600, and 230 enemy airplanes rose to intercept. It was one of the biggest aerial battles of the Pacific War. VF-20, under LTCDR Fred Bakutis, led three divisions of Hellcats over Einansho airfield and met about 30 bandits. Ensign Douglas Baker, on his first combat mission, downed four: 3 Tjos and a Zero. Altogether, VF-20 accounted for 20 Japanese planes that day.
Three days later, over the Philippines, Baker knocked down two more, IJA Oscars this time. He was an ace!
On 18 October, the Enterprise pilots of VF-20 ran a sweep over the Manila area, and engaged some Tojos and other fighters. Baker and Ensign Chuck Haviland both scored triples. In all, VF-20 counted 18 this day.
Ensign Baker ran his score to a dozen by November 14, the highest ever for an Ensign.
He was promoted to Lieutenant(jg) on 14 December and flew another mission over Clark Field that afternoon. Facing plenty of opposition, he downed three Zeros and was last seen destroying an Oscar. With twelve kills in five combat missions, 23 year-old Baker was one of the most successful fighter pilots in the task force. But that evening, when everyone else had landed back on board Lexington, the young Oklahoman did not turn up. He was noted as "missing in action." Later Filipino guerillas found his F6F and took his dog tags. With 16 kills to his credit, he was the highest scoring Navy ace to be shot down.
Strikes On Clark Field Area: 14-16 December 1944
The three days of strikes on the Clark Field area in December were perhaps the most trying experienced by our pilots up to that time. Anti-aircraft batteries of all sizes had been greatly strengthened since the previous strikes and were finding their marks with far greater accuracy. Six fighters were shot down by AA fire on the 14th although two of the pilots parachuted safely and were rescued by guerrilla forces. Several other planes were hit but managed to land aboard safely.
Fighter opposition was weak, only seven planes rising to intercept the first sweep on the 14th, all seven of which were destroyed. Lt. (jg) Douglas Baker accounted for four of the Jap planes making a total of 16 for him before he in turn was shot down by AA fire and killed
Tally Record: 16 1/3 confirmed
In just Two months of combat Ltjg Baker downed over 16 aircraft which Ranked him 7th highest ever in the US Navy
Decorations:
Navy Cross
Two Silver Stars
Three Distinguished Flying Crosses
Purple Heart
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Luzon Campaign (1944-45)
From Month/Year
December / 1944
To Month/Year
April / 1945
Description On December 15, 1944, landings against minimal resistance were made on the southern beaches of the island of Mindoro, a key location in the planned Lingayen Gulf operations, in support of major landings scheduled on Luzon. On January 9, 1945, on the south shore of Lingayen Gulf on the western coast of Luzon, General Krueger's Sixth Army landed his first units. Almost 175,000 men followed across the twenty-mile (32 km) beachhead within a few days. With heavy air support, Army units pushed inland, taking Clark Field, 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Manila, in the last week of January.
Two more major landings followed, one to cut off the Bataan Peninsula, and another, that included a parachute drop, south of Manila. Pincers closed on the city and, on February 3, 1945, elements of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division pushed into the northern outskirts of Manila and the 8th Cavalry Regiment (organized as infantry) passed through the northern suburbs and into the city itself.
As the advance on Manila continued from the north and the south, the Bataan Peninsula was rapidly secured. On February 16, paratroopers and amphibious units simultaneously assaulted the islet of Corregidor. It was necessary to take this stronghold because troops there can block the entrance of Manila Bay. The Americans needed to establish a major harbor base at Manila Bay to support the expected invasion of Japan, planned to begin on November 1, 1945. Resistance on Corregidor ended on February 27, and then all resistance by the Japanese Empire ceased on August 15, 1945, obviating the need for an invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.
Despite initial optimism, fighting in Manila was harsh. It took until March 3 to clear the city of all Japanese troops, and the Japanese Marines, who fought on stubbornly and refused to either surrender or to evacuate as the Japanese Army had done. Fort Drum, a fortified island in Manila Bay near Corregidor, held out until 13 April, when a team of Army troops went ashore and pumped 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the fort, then set off incendiary charges. No Japanese soldiers in Fort Drum survived the blast and fire.
In all, ten U.S. divisions and five independent regiments battled on Luzon, making it the largest American campaign of the Pacific war, involving more troops than the United States had used in North Africa, Italy, or southern France.
