Lt. John Baber (CP) flew with the 95th BG and then with the Pathfinders (482BG) at Alconbury. Shot down on 21 Feb. 44, he arrived at Barth in the first week of March '44. During his 14 months there, he had no idea that a pre-war interest in photography would lead him to become an important chronicler of life at Stalag Luft 1. After the Germans abandoned the camp, Lt. Baber (along with Sgt. Ken Wilcox 15AF) was assigned the task of scouting the German darkroom for cameras and other items of interest. While his fellow Kriegies were absorbed with the excitement of liberation, they were taking pictures and developing German negatives.

Some were published in Morris Roy's "Behind Barbed Wire". When he returned home to Maywood, Illinois, Lt. Baber printed sets of 200 images and made them available to former POW's, at cost. In the fall of 1945, Col. Ross Greening put together an exhibit which highlighted the conditions that that PW's had to contend with. Sponsored by the Red Cross, the "Kriegie Krafts Karnival" displayed the ingenuity employed to overcome them. Lt. Baber's photos were featured and he joined the travelling exhibit to help manage the displays.