Capt. James Baynham, U.S. Army, Air Corps, World War II, POW

Veterans Chronicles

James Baynham had never flown a plane before entering the service in 1942. In fact, he didn't even have an interest in aviation. What he did know is that he did not want to be in the infantry, so he volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Soon he was off to training, eventually being assigned as a B-24 pilot with the Mighty Eighth Air Force based in England. By mid-1944 he was flying missions, but his war service came to an abrupt end over the skies of Germany in late September.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Baynham tells us what it took to make it through flight school, the planning and execution that went into each mission, and why his fourth mission was even more harrowing than his last one.
Baynham also walks us step-by-step through his eleventh and final mission, during which his bomber was shot down by German fighters. He describes jumping out of a burning plane, being captured as he hit the ground, and what it was like to be interrogated by the Germans. He also tells us about the conditions at Stalag Luft 1 and what daily life was like there.
Finally, Baynham shares his memories of the prison being liberated by the Russians in April 1945, how he and a buddy did not want to wait around under Russian control and their grand adventure to get across Europe and eventually make it home.