2nd Lt. James B. McCracken was a bombardier with the 306th Bomb Group, 367th Bomb Squadron. 

He was born October 31, 1920, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1938, he graduated from Benedictine High School, and later joined the National Guard, entering the service in February of 1941. 

After rising to the rank of master sergeant, he transferred to the Army Air Forces in May of 1942 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant that October. His family, including his mother, Marion, and his sister, Monica, received word that he arrived safely in England on April 4, 1943. McCracken had only been with the 306th Bomb Group for five days when he flew his first combat mission on April 17, 1943.

Serving as bombardier aboard the B-17 Banshee II, piloted by Capt. William J. Casey, the crew's target was the Focke-Wulf factory in Bremen, Germany. They faced heavy flak and fighter attacks. An enemy fighter made a pass that killed five of McCracken's crewmates: Sgt. Lewis F. Ayscue, Sgt. Joseph R. Borzym, Sgt. Frank R. Stetler, Sgt. Morris J. Gecowets, and Sgt. Charles W. Raidline. 

With the aircraft severely damaged and flying on a single engine, the crew bailed out at 23,000 feet. McCracken, along with Lt. Edward J. O’Brien (Co-Pilot), Lt. William H. Owens (Navigator), and T/Sgt. Wilson C. Elliott (Top Turret Gunner), exited the aircraft just before the pilot. They landed near the Frisian Islands and were immediately captured.