Gordon Baker
56th Fighter Group 07/04/1944
CONFIDENTIAL HEADQUARTERS SIXTY SECOND FIGHTER SQUADRON AAF STATION F-150, APO 637 U.S. ARMY Personal Combat Report VIII Fighter Command F.O. No. 429
b. 4 July, 1944
c. 62nd Fighter Squadron
d. Approx. 1830 hours
e. Conches Area
f. Cloud layer 6/7,000'
g. Me 109's
h. One Me 109 claimed Destroyed, and One Me 109 claimed Damaged. I was leading Red Flight and we followed White Flight down through a break in the clouds on a gaggle of e/a. As I started a turn to the right I saw three Me 109's in a "V" formation flying towards me, about 100' off the deck. I tightened in my turn to about 600 yds. astern of them. Opening fire with a long burst, I then held my fire until about 200 yds. distant and then opened up again, getting an excellent concentration of heavy strikes on the wing roots and fuselage. The Jerry apparently chopped his throttle and I came up into the deck and exploded. Another P-47 came in from about 500 yds left of Jerry but I did not see any strikes. I then started a climbing turn and, at 3,000' saw two Me 109's pass perpendicularly to my course, in a thin layer of clouds. I pulled in on the #2 man, at that point, found another 109 behind me. Surprisingly, he passed me and pulled off to the right without firing. The #2 dived away and turned 180° to me about 2,000 yds. distant. I turned him, however, and at 4,000' he went for the deck in a dive. I fired a long burst from about 200 yds. and saw hits along the fuselage before pulling out at 2,000'. The e/a was still going down but, when I had recovered from the dive, I had lost sight of him. I claim One Me 109 Destroyed, and One Me 109 Damaged.
GORDON E. BAKER, Major, Air Corps. AMMUNT REPORT 42-26337 1,650 rounds API/T "...I also saw Major Baker attack and score heavy hits on another Me 109 - he closed in on the e/a during this, and the latter went on in..." BAIRD H. RICH, 2nd Lt., Air Corps.
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by Gordon Baker of the 56th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of Gordon Baker's combat experience.
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