(excerpts from the)

1992-1996 FINDINGS

OF THE KOREAN WAR WORKING GROUP

 

 

8 July 1950

Summary of Incident. “On 8 July 1950, Col Robert R Martin (redacted, but deduced from other records), Infantry, was killed in action in

Chonan, Korea. He was the (34th Infantry) Regimental Commander and was leading a subordinate battalion of his unit in an effort to repel a severe attack by tanks and infantry against his positions. While endeavoring to single-handedly knock out a tank with a bazooka at a range of 15 yards, he was killed instantly by a tank projectile which struck him squarely in the body at close range.”


Archival Records

Russian. TFR 300-1 is a telegram addressed to Zakharov and signed by Shtykov (Soviet Ambassador to North Korea). This document is a progress report on the Korean War as of 24 July 1950. Most of the document is about the success the North Korean People’s Army is having against the US Army’s 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division-lists of equipment captured, POW numbers, etc. This document states, “ The 34th Regiment of the 24th American Division was routed during the battles for the town of Tajden. 108 soldiers and officers were taken prisoner, among these was Commander of the American 34th Regiment.”
U.S.  
According to CILHI and other sources, there were four separate commanders of the 34th IR prior to 24 July 1950. They were and their tenure as Commanding Officer are:

COL Jay B. Lovless 25 June - 7 July 1950 Relieved and returned to Japan

Col Robert R Martin (redacted, but recreated) 7 - 8 July 1950 Killed in action

LTC Robert Wadlington. 8 - 18 July 1950 Temporary Commanding Officer Never captured

COL Charles Beauchamp 18 July 1950 - 1951 Departed Korea approx. April 1951 for Tokyo

Of the four possible candidates above, Martin is the only Commander who was at the appropriate place and time. He is currently listed on the CILHI list as KIA/BNR based on the eyewitness account of his being struck at point blank range by a tank projectile. Although his remains were not recovered, his death was never in question prior to receipt of this Russian report.

 

Current Status

It is possible that did not die as reported and was captured. In the heat of battle, the eyewitness account could be in error. It is equally possible that the Russian report is in error and that the officer reported captured was not the Commanding Officer, but one of the staff officers for the regiment. This case has been presented to the Russian side of the Commission. The Russians maintain that their report must be in error, however, no additional information has been provided to

substantiate either possibility.

 

 

RB-45  4 December 1950

Summary of Incident. On 4 December 1950 around noon time, John Raymond Lovell 924A and ___________ AO-16783 took off in a RB-45 from Yokota Air Base, Japan. Since Lovell was not a regular member of the aircraft crew, but was rather a senior Air Force intelligence officer assigned to the Pentagon and on TDY in the Far East, __________served as an observer on this mission. At approximately 1250 hours, the RB-45 was intercepted by a flight of MiG-15 fighters and was shot down 70 km east of Andung. At least one person managed to parachute from the aircraft.32

Personnel Involved.

Charles Edward McDonough AO-794558, pilot

Jules Edwin Young AO-800628, co-pilot

James Jerome Picucci AO-928027, navigator

Archival Records

Russian. name does not appear on any of the lists of names provided to the

U.S. side of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission.

TFR 242: This is a set of two documents. Originally the Russians provided the U.S. side of the Commission with one document that was in reality a sanitized, pasted together version of the two. A contractor working for the Defense POW/MIA Office, however, was able to provide the U.S. side of

the Commission copies of the two original documents. The first document is a message dated 17 December 1950. It is from General Belov, who was

then the commander of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps, to Generals Shtemenko and Batitskii.33


 

 

The purpose of the message was to inform the senior Soviet leadership that for the first time an RB-45 had been shot down. At the time, the RB-45 was seen as the “hottest”, light bomber in theAmerican inventory and General Belov was clearly pleased to inform Moscow of his unit’s success. In the message, Belov reported, “An aircraft shot down on 12-4-50 of the B-45 type fell in a region 70 km east of Andun. The aircraft caught fire in the air and upon falling to earth burned up completely.


The crew bailed out in parachutes
[emphasis added]. The pilot was taken prisoner...The crew numbering 3 persons bailed out in parachutes. The

navigator having landed ran off, where the radio operator disappeared to . . .  he did not see. The captive himself was burned and is in critical  condition.” It is clear from this message that the Soviets did not know there were four and not three people on the RB-45. The next day, General Stepan Akimovich Krasovskii, then a senior Soviet advisor to the North Koreans, sent a cryptic message to Moscow, “I report that the pilot from the shot down RB-45 died on route and the interrogation was not completed.”34


TFR 76-31: This is the transcript of interrogation. According to a note at the

bottom of the document, a Major Kuznetsov prepared the questions. It is not clear who conducted the interrogation, but a Chinese official translated the original English text into Russian.35 During the interrogation, stated that the RB-45 ‘has a crew of three - a pilot, navigator, and radio operator.” Later recounted, “The plane caught fire and all three (emphasis added) crew members bailed out. I saw one run off, I don’t know where the other went to, and I landed where the plane crashed.” It is important to note that did not mention during the interrogation that his RB-45 was carrying a fourth crew member - . Indeed, a close reading of the transcript strongly suggests that was deliberately trying to conceal from his captors the fact there was a fourth man aboard the aircraft.

 

 

U.S. A document titled “Air Force Personnel Reported to Have Died in POW-Camp, Been, Very Ill in POW Camp or Killed in Crash...” simply states “ told another POW he was only survivor. Believed was dead.”36

21 September 1955: In a letter to a Mr. Joseph P. Nagoski, U.S. Department of State from LTC Richard A. Steele, USAF, Chief, Casualty Branch, Personnel Services Division, Directorate of Military Personnel, Headquarters USAF, LTC Steele provides the following details of the shoot down on the RB-45 carrying . “... furnished the following details concerning

his missing status to Captain Hamilton B. Shawe, Jr.37 indicated that while flying a B-45 (sic) along the Yalu River, the aircraft was attacked by five MiGs and two engines were shot out. He stated that he was the only one who escaped from the aircraft (emphasis added), having managed to get the canopy off and bail out at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. landed in the burning wreckage and was severely burned about the hands and face. After evading capture, for 3 or 4 days without shoes, he turned himself in to the North Koreans...he was placed in a cell with Captain Shawe in Sinuiji, North Korea. Two days later they were removed from the cell and Captain Shawe joined a group of prisoners starting a march to another prison camp. could not walk and was carried to an ox cart by fellow prisoners. The North Koreans said he was being taken to a hospital for medical treatment, because he was suffering from frostbite and gangrene of both legs. He was not seen again by repatriates after 16 December 1950, and they reported his condition was so bad at that time that he was not expected to survive.”

Propaganda Broadcast - On 21 May 1951 U.S. listening stations intercepted an enemy (no further information) propaganda broadcast “in which a Lieutenant Colonel Lorel, United States Air Force, was mentioned as being captured in northern Korea. The spelling of the name could not be

verified, was believed to be phonetic, and resembled none of the names of Air Force personnel missing in Korea, with the exception of ____________.”38

Personal Accounts

 

Colonel Aleksandr Fedorovich Andrianov - He was the pilot who shot down the RB-45 that carried .39 He was first interviewed by a Department of Defense contractor and later by the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIA Affairs at the April 1995 Working Group Talks in Moscow.

During the first interview, Colonel Andrianov described in detail the shootdown, “When I fired the first time, it was still too far. And then the distance was about 600 to 800 meters. I started firing.  And here I saw that something fell from him...And during the second approach, he (the RB-45) burst into flames. And here he started to descend and only the pilot (emphasis added) jumped out of the aircraft. The crew was supposed to be three or four people, I don’t remember exactly now. We probably got them when we were firing. The plane hit the hill before our eyes. An explosion. We kept circling above. The pilot landed with his parachute. He was picked up by a special team, the Korean team would pick up all the pilots who were shot down, including ours. And he went to prison.”

In April 1995, Colonel Andrianov expanded up his earlier testimony, “At approximately 3,000 meters or lower, I saw one parachute deploy from the aircraft. All of my colleagues saw only one parachute as well. None of us saw any other parachutes [emphasis added]. Although I have heard that others jumped, we did not note any other parachutes....However, I clearly saw the aircraft crash and explode.”

Although Colonel Andrianov was not present, he was able to describe during the first interview how the pilot of the RB-45 ultimately died based on what a friend Colonel Pavel Vasilyevich Fironov told him. Fironov was a lieutenant colonel at the time and the regimental political officer. It was Fironov who interrogated the American pilot. “He (the pilot) was kind of arrogant”, according to Andrianov. “...(T)he Koreans executed him the same way. They got a piece of plywood. They wrote down all he

said on that plywood -- ‘I am an American pilot. This is my third surveillance flight. According to my data such and such towns and plants were destroyed, such and such number of older people and children were killed’. And with it they let him go to Singisyu. They gave him a one man escort. That  patrolman was given specific instructions not to interfere too much. First, he walked as if through a
38
AFPMP-12-E 704 Missing (4 Dec 50) SR&D Case #80

39 Colonel Andrianov was born in 1919 and is a veteran of both the Second World War and the Korean War.

 

formation. People were on both sides. First, they only shouted at him, cursed him, threw sticks. The

patrolman did not interfere too much. Then, they started to spit at him, hit him...he was finished.”

Colonel Pavel Vasilyevich Fironov - In early 1995, Colonel Fironov was interviewed in

Moscow by an investigator from the Joint Commission. This was for Fironov at least his second

interview. Not long before, he was interviewed by Igor Morozov, a Russian journalist working for the

BBC. Apparently during this interview, Fironov was given background information on the shootdown

of the RB-45 and in particular information on the crew members. As a result, Fironov’s testimony to

the Joint Commission can be considered at potentially influenced or “tainted”.

BBC Interview - In March 1996, the BBC television network aired on Time Watch a special

report titled “Stalin’s Secret War”. One segment of this program discussed the case of

. Colonel Fironov was introduced as the man who interrogated . Then

for several moments Fironov was interviewed in Russian with an English voice over. Portions of the

interview were edited out and replaced with the narrator’s summary of what Fironov said.

Fironov describes his initial meeting with , the fact that he had a fact book on the

Soviet Air Force (described by the narrator as a “highly classified document”), and the anger of the

North Korean general, who was also present for the interrogation, over perceived arrogance.

Then switching to a photograph of , the narrator says, “The North Korean

general angered by belligerence had him marched to the local town, a placard with

the words “War Criminal” hung around his neck. was beaten to death by the local

people.”

The program does not indicate how Fironov knew that the person he interrogated was

and not or another airman. However, when an investigator from the Joint

Commission interviewed Fironov a few months after his interview by the BBC, it seemed that Fironov’s

identification of is less certain.

During the interview with the Joint Commission investigator, Fironov recounted that the man

identified himself as “the commander of that crew, although he himself told me that he was a regimental

commander.” When asked if this man was , Fironov replied, “Yes, yes, yes.” Then when

76

asked, “And how is that you heard his name?”, Fironov said, “Who? The regimental commander?

Morozov’s (the Russian journalist who first interviewed Fironov) daughter told me this.”

Later, during the April 1995 Working Group Talks in Moscow, Colonel Fironov was

interviewed by members of the Joint Commission. When asked to describe the man he interrogated,

Colonel Fironov said, “I would say (he was) about 32 - no more than 32 years of age”. Asked if the

man he met wore glasses, Fironov replied, “No”. Finally when requested to describe his prisoner,

Fironov said, “About like me. Regarding his physical characteristics, he was similar to me”. Colonel

Fironov is of slender build and about 5’ 7” tall while was 5’ 6” inches tall and stout at 183

lbs. was also forty-six years of age and wore glasses. , however, was

31 years of age, tall, and slender at 6’ 2” and 195 lbs. He did not wear glasses.

It should also be noted that during Colonel Fironov’s first interview with an investigator from

the Joint Commission, Fironov was asked, “Tell me, did you hear what happened to him, this person

with whom you talked?”

Fironov replied, “No, how would I know?”

Investigator, “You didn’t hear that they killed him, or that he died?”

“No, no”, Fironov responded.

A similar line of questioning was raised with Fironov at the April 1995 Working Group Talks by

a Joint Commission staffer who asked, “When he (the RB-45 crewman) asked you to spare his life,

was it within your power to do so?”

“We had no relationship whatsoever with the prisoner,” Colonel Fironov answered. “Don’t you

understand that all we did was conducted a discussion with him regarding aircraft? We had no other

relationship regarding the prisoner.”

Colonel Firnov in his two interviews with members of the Joint Commission apparently sought

to distance himself from his earlier testimony that the American flyer he interrogated was killed by an

irate crowd of North Korean civilians.

Current Status.

77

There is a high probability that died in the crash of the RB-45 on which

he flew. Furthermore, it is argued that the American flyer interrogated by Colonel Fironov was

, the pilot of the RB-45, and not .

First, this assessment is based on an evaluation of Colonel Fironov’s description of the man he

interrogated. Fironov’s description more closely fits that of than it does of

. Second, Colonel Fironov inadvertently seems to have been influenced by a statement from a Russian

journalist’s daughter suggesting he had interrogated a . Third, an American airman who

occupied a cell with a man who identified himself at

strongly suggests that it was indeed who survived the crash and not

. Fourth, this American airman, Lieutenant Shawe said that told him that only

he ( ) survived the crash of the aircraft. The fact that told his captors that

the entire three man crew managed to bail out can be attributed to a conscious effort on

part to deceive his North Korean/Chinese captors. A further indication of this deceptiveness is the fact

that told his captors that there were only three men on the RB-45 and not four! Fifth,

the fact that Colonel Andrianov, the man who shot down the RB-45, saw only one parachute supports

the assessment that only one crew member bailed out. Sixth, the contemporary Russian documentary

record shows that a was interrogated. There is no mention in the Russian

documents available to the U.S. side of the Commission suggesting that a colonel was captured on or

about 4 December 1950. Had an American colonel been captured, especially one with an intelligence

background, the senior Soviet leadership would have certainly been informed immediately.

Colonel Fironov’s statement that the flyer he interrogated was killed by an angry North Korean

crowd can not be verified although it is plausible. Fironov’s veracity on this point is weakened by his

apparent effort to back away from supporting this statement.

Although the U.S. side of the Commission firmly believes that there is a high probability that

died in the crash of the RB-45 and was not captured, the Commission will continue to seek additional

information that will clear up any ambiguity surrounding this case.

 

5 December 1950   PVT MILTON LAWSON

Summary of Incident. PVT Lawson, a Marine Corps Reservist , was called to active duty on

27 July 1950 to serve in the Ground Forces in North Korea. On or about 5 December 1950, after

telling a fellow Marine he thought his feet were frostbitten, PVT Lawson began to walk to an aid station

near the town of Hagaru-ri. He was never seen or heard from again. PVT Lawson was declared MIA.

Background. On 22 June 1991, 60 Minutes aired a program called The Last Gulag: Perm 35.

This program was narrated by Mike Wallace of CBS News and the film footage of the Russian prison

camp was shot by the French. While watching this program, thirteen of Milton Lawson’s friends and

relatives identified one of the inmates as Lawson.

Archival Records

None

Personal Accounts

In September 1992, a member of Task Force Russia met with a former Perm 35 inmate “who

easily identified a reputed MIA photo of PVT Lawson as a friend and former inmate named Vladimir

Shchebol.”

On 5 June 1995, Task Force Russia interviewed Vladimir Iosifovich Shchebol. He confirmed

that journalists had been to Perm 35 and had taken pictures and films of several inmates. He stated that

he had been born in Belarus and did not even have any knowledge of Lawson. During the interview,

Task Force Russia took photographs of Shchebol.

Current Status

Based on an analysis of the photographs of Shchebol and Lawson and the testimony of

Shchebol himself, it is highly probable that the man identified as Lawson on the 60 Minutes program

was in fact Vladimir Shchebol. Other than the alleged association of PVT Lawson with a Russian

prison camp by friends and family, there is no Russian activity regarding this case.

 

B-26  5 April 1951  CPT HALBERT UNRUH

Summary of Incident. 5 April 1951, a B-26 piloted by CPT Unruh departed Taegu Air Base

for a night intruder mission in the Pyongyang area. Shortly after take off, a routine report was received

from LT (rank at time) Unruh indicating that there were no difficulties and they were proceeding on

course to target area. No further contact was made. The fate of the crew and aircraft is unknown.

Personnel Involved.

UNRUH, Halbert, CPT MIA

Archival Records

Russian. CPT Unruh’s name appears on the list of 71 more formally known as List of

U. S. Air Force Crew Members Participating in Combat Operations in North Korea 1950-53, and

About Whom Information Has Been Found in Documents of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. This list

was compiled by the Russians and given to the U.S. side in 1992. Number 67 on this list states,

“Ul’RIKh KhOL’BERT-perished in crash.”

TFR 76-25: The Russian side of the USRJC has provided an additional document which

mentions the fate of CPT Unruh. TFR 76 -25 is a cover sheet which states, “I am submitting to you a

translation of the document taken from the dead American flier ULL’RIKH KHAL’BERT, shot down

by AAA on 4 April 1951 near KHAKUSEN...” Unfortunately, the attached document lists the

personal effects belonging to vice CPT Unruh. Regardless of the mix up, the cover letter

states that the personal effects of CPT Unruh were retrieved. According to the Russians, in several

cases where the pilot perished, those personal documents (i.e. ID card, ration card etc.) found intact at

the crash site were gathered and sent through an interrogation point for processing. There is little reason

to doubt this statement as it is common practice in the U.S. and NATO militaries as well.

U.S. CPT Unruh’s name appears in the 77 page document formally titled The Transfer of

United States Korean War POWs to the Soviet Union. This document is actually a collection of studies

and hypotheses compiled by the U. S. side to use as a working tool. CPT Unruh’s name appears in this

122

document as part of a study conducted by TSGT Siedling on Korean War POWs on whom the Russian

archives may contain information.

Current Status

Despite the obvious “mix up” of the /Unruh files, there is little reason to doubt the

veracity of the Russian documents. The Russian side has complied with our request to try to locate the

“correct” documents belonging to CPT Unruh. Both sides of the USRJC agree that there is a high

probability that CPT Unruh perished.

 

B-29  12 April 1951   SGT LOUIS BERGMANN

Summary of Incident. On 12 April 1951, a flight of B-29s departed Kadena Air Base for a

combat mission over North Korea. The flight was attacked by a number of enemy aircraft. Moments

later SGT Bergmann’s B-29 was observed leaving the formation with one engine and left wing in flames

and shortly afterwards spiraling downward out of control. The aircraft exploded upon impact with the

side of a mountain.

Personnel Involved:

                             MIA             SGT Bevans, Robert  MIA

                             MIA             SGT Bergmann, Louis MIA

1LT Aaron, George KIA                                              MIA

                             poss. KIA      SGT Gant, John       RMC

2LT Bullock, Elmer KIA               SGT Millward, George RMC

MSG Jones, Robert KIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 76-8 to 76-14: The Russian side of the Commission presented to the U.S. side

a document entitled “Brief Biographical Data on Prisoners”. Under the heading “Prisoners from B-29

No. 69682, 93rd Squadron 19th Air Group”, biographical information obtained from SGT Gant, SGT

Millward and SGT Bergmann is summarized. With the exception of SGT Bergmann, all POWs

mentioned in this section of the Russian document were subsequently repatriated.

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Personal Accounts

A report received from the Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, dated 15 October

1951, revealed that a Korean Military Observer allegedly received word that five persons were seen

parachuting from the disabled plane before it crashed. He further related that of the five, four had been

captured by the enemy forces and that a search was in progress for the fifth.


Statements from former POWs and witnesses confirm that three of the eleven individuals from

the B-29 survived the crash and were captured. SGT Gant, SGT Millward, and SGT Bergmann were

held prisoner in the same camp. SGT Gant and SGT Millward were repatriated during Operation Big

Switch. Both Gant and Millward saw SGT Bergmann alive in the camp. In fact, SGT Gant shared a

cell with SGT Bergmann. Repatriated POWs from other crews as well recall meeting SGT Bergmann

while in captivity. He was seen alive several times between September and November 1951. At one

point during his imprisonment, SGT Bergmann apparently became ill with amebic dysentery and he was

taken to a hospital to be treated by a Hungarian medical team. Whether or not he returned alive from

the hospital is unknown. It can, however, be said with certainty that SGT Bergmann was seen alive in a

POW camp after the crash of the aircraft.

Current Status

Both Russian and U.S. sources confirm that SGT Bergmann survived the crash, was in a POW

camp and was interrogated. SGT Bergmann did not return to United States military control after the

war. The U.S. side has requested that the Russians provide additional information on SGT Bergmann.

To date, no additional information has been provided. The ultimate fate of SGT Bergmann remains

unknown.

Repatriated crew members reported that there were only three survivors. JCSD believes that

there is a high probability that the “unaccounted for” (MIA) crew members, ,

, and , perished in the crash.

Additional Information. According to documentation and statements of repatriated POWs, of

the eleven B-29 crew members, two were captured and returned, one was captured and not returned

and eight did not survive the crash. Additional information has since been found regarding four of the

deceased crew members. On 8 December 1993, The United States Army Central Identification

Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) received a shipment of 31 skeletal remains from the Korean War. These

remains were recovered by the North Korean Government and turned over to the U.N. Command.

Remains were then taken to CILHI for processing. In 1994 the remains of the following individuals

from the B-29 crew were identified by CILHI:

1. 1LT Aaron, George

2. 2LT Bullock, Elmer

3. MSG Jones, Robert

The identification of the remains believed to be those of _______________ is pending.

 

B-29    7 May 1951

Summary of Incident. On 7 May 1951, this B-29 departed Yokota Air Base for a bombing

mission in the Pyongyang area of North Korea. After arriving in the target area, the plane was severely

damaged by enemy flak causing a fire in the right wing and two engines. The aircraft commander

radioed that they would have to crash land and were heading for friendly territory. Shortly thereafter,

another radio report was received indicating that the fire could not be controlled and that the crew

would have to leave the disabled aircraft. The parachutes of four unidentified crew members were then

seen leaving the plane before it crashed to the ground southwest of Pyongyang. An extensive aerial

search was initiated by Air Rescue units and the wreckage of the burning aircraft was sighted, but all

efforts to locate the crew members were to no avail.

Personnel Involved.

Unaccounted for:

Adler, Junior Merle

Bacon, Raymond Randolph MIA

Black, Vance Eugene MIA

Chapman, Dewey Lyle MIA

Chesnowsky, Frank Joseph MIA

Collins, John Soulard MIA

Erickson, Lee Eldon MIA

Hawes, Richard Elliot MIA

Rice, John Andrew MIA

Stoll, Edward Joseph MIA

(the above names were redacted, but recreated from other sources)

Accounted for:

McTAGGART, William C., CPT RMC

JONES, Richard M., S/SGT RMC

SMITH, Ellsworth E, S/SGT RMC

Archival Records

Russian. The alleged Pravda article. JCSD is trying to obtain a copy.

U.S. The Individual Deceased Personnel File (293 file) of _____________contains several

documents entitled “Returnee Report on Death of an Individual in a Captured Status”. According to

repatriated POWs who witnessed his death, _________ died of dysentery and malnutrition while in a North Korean POW Camp and was interred in November 1951.

Personal Accounts

In August 1992, JCSD members interviewed Colonel Gavril Korotkov, a retired senior Soviet

intelligence officer. Colonel Korotkov stated that he personally interrogated two American POWs.

Korotkov could not recall the names of any of the American POWs who were processed through

Khabarovsk, except for a ___________ (first name unknown).

Colonel Aleksandr Semenovich Orlov, a retired Soviet intelligence officer and current

Commissioner on the Russian side of the Joint Commission, met with ____________ in North Korea in June 1951 and set up an interview between ________ and a local Pravda correspondent.

According to Colonel Orlov, the article appeared in the summer of 1951. JCSD has not seen a copy of

this article.

Current Status

According to U.S. Air Force records, ______________ died of dysentery and malnutrition in

November 1951, six months after his capture. The Russian side of the Commission has been forthright

with the fact that the Russians interviewed _________ while he was a POW.

 

F-86  18 June 1951

Summary of Incident. On 18 June 1951, F-86 formation was attacked by eight

enemy MiG-15s. F-86 was last seen making a right break trying to avoid the attackers.

The flight leader stated that MiG-15s were seen firing but no results observed. A search of the area

revealed no indication of the pilot or the aircraft.

Personnel Involved.

MIA

Archival Records

None

Personal Accounts

Several witnesses have given statements concerning this incident. Although no archival material

has been produced to confirm these testimonies, all the statements appear to confirm one another.

Askold Germon: A retired Soviet Air Force Colonel reported that he was able “to determine,

with a reasonable degree of reliability, the fate of .” Germon learned that on 18 June 1951

an American F-86 was involved in a collision during an air engagement. Both aircraft crashed as a

result of the incident. The Soviet airman was able to parachute to safety, but the American was killed.

This incident was reported in the 21 June 1951 edition of Izvestiya. Other Soviet veterans have

previously reported seeing identification card.14

Vladimir Vladimirovich Dorofeyev: Dorofeyev claimed that he developed information that ...................

had a mid-air collision with a Soviet MiG during a dog fight. The MiG pilot by the name of Subotin

bailed out and survived. Allegedly, Subotin witnessed death when his plane crashed.15

14Paul Cole, POW/MIA Archive Research Project: Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and

Berlin, Volume 1: Moscow Research (DFI International, Washington D.C., 1995)

15 Per request from the U.S., the Russian side of the Commission has located the Soviet pilot Subotin.

Unfortunately, he is currently very ill and not capable of an interview.

 

Vladimir Mikhailovich Roshchin: Soviet Korean War veteran recalls seeing the papers of a pilot

of a shot down plane. According to Roshchin, these papers belonged to Karl Crone.

Current Status

There are discrepancies in the testimonies regarding dates, correct spelling and first name of the

American pilot. The majority of the circumstances however, are consistent. Based on the testimonies, it

is reasonable to assume that the pilot referred to by the witnesses Moreover, he

probably did not survive the crash. Both the U.S. and Russian sides continue to search for additional

archival documentation that may confirm this assessment.

 

F-86  2 September 1951

Summary of Incident. On 2 September 1951, F-86 was shot down over

North Korea. He radioed that he was going to try to reach the northwest coast of Korea and bail out

over water. According to Air Force casualty reports, another member of the flight observed him

parachuting from the damaged F-86 near the mouth of the Ch’ongchongang River. The observer

circled above and watched as the chute hit the water. Air Rescue units were alerted and an aerial

search was immediately initiated. No trace of the missing officer could be found, but during the search

an unidentified launch was seen in the vicinity of where parachute was last sighted. An

additional witness states that he observed the aircraft as it hit the water and did not see

bail out nor his parachute. is listed as POW/BNR on the CILHI Korean War Data Base.26

Personnel Involved.

POW/BNR

Archival Records

Russian. Soviet Operational Summary Number 0277 of the Headquarters, 64th Fighter Corps

for 2 September 1951, reports that six F-86 aircraft were shot down that day. The summary states,

“The 17th Fighter Regiment encountered 10 F-86s at 10,000 meters in the region of Syukusen at 1035

hours. As a result of the attack conducted against the enemy fighters by the regiment, Major Pulov27

shot one down...One F-86, according to crew observations, scattered in the air.”28

26 In a recent study, POW/MIA Archive Research Project: Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,

and Berlin, Volume 1: Moscow Research (DFI International, Washington D.C., 1995) Paul Cole

suggests that casualty status be changed from MIA to POW/BNR. However, U.S.

records indicate that status is POW/BNR.

27 Major Pulov is currently living in the Moscow area but is very ill. JCSD will attempt to interview him.

28 Paul Cole also indicates that an illegible word in the Russian document might be “Bailed out”. As

stated above, the actual translation reads, “F-86... SCATTERED in the air.

68

U.S. An intelligence report received from the Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, in

November 1951, reveals that was believed to have been rescued by persons aboard a

large power boat observed at the time of the search. The report further stated that this craft was known

to be operated by the enemy.29

Current Status

There is obviously conflicting evidence in this case. The Russian side of the Commission has

been asked to provide all search reports and any additional information on this incident. In light of the

circumstances, the possibility cannot be excluded that survived the crash. To date, no

further information has been found.

29 The following was noted in AFM 200-25, “...inquiry regarding the validity of the above report [boat

sighting] revealed that the information may have been in error since purported source of the information

had no record of subject being picked up by a Communist power boat.”

 

B-29 SHOT DOWN 23 OCTOBER 1951

Summary of Incident. B-29 was shot down on 23 October 1951 over Korea. The aircraft caught fire
and was last seen disappearing into the clouds. Approximately 233 search missions were made during the three day period of 23 - 26 October. The co-pilot of the missing plane, LT Beissner, was rescued three hours after landing in the water.8 No trace of the remaining crew was found. Upon returning to military control, LT Beissner reported that after a fire developed in the damaged engine, the aircraft commander instructed the crew to bail out. All of the crew members were believed to have successfully bailed out. LT Beissner was among the last to leave the plane . SSg Botter is currently listed as POW/BNR. Of the thirteen member crew, one was rescued, remains of one were recovered from the Korean Bay, five were captured and repatriated, two are listed POW/BNR, and

four are MIA/BNR.

Personnel Involved.

Unaccounted for:

Black, Wayne forest MIA

Foulks, James Arch MIA

MOORADIAN, Ara, CPT MIA

FUEHRER, Alois, SGT MIA

____________________POW/BNR

BOTTER, William, SSG POW/BNR
(some of the above names were redacted, but recreated from other sources)

 

Accounted for:

WENTWORTH, Lloyd, LT RMC

KISSER, Kenneth, SSG RMC

STRINE, John, SSG RMC

JONES, James, SGT RMC

MacCLEAN, Gerald, SGT RMC

BEISSNER, Fred, LT Rescued

COFFEY, Arthur, CPL KIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 138-86: TFR 138 is a 300 plus page document consisting of operational summaries from the Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. This unit, based in North Korea, was responsible for many of our shoot downs. TFR 138-86 is a report from 23 October 1951. This report mentions the shoot down of two B-29s on that day. The report states that both aircraft crashed and the crew of one perished. Unfortunately, no further details are given as to the disposition of the crew on the other aircraft or remains of the perished crew.

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Personal Accounts

The following information pertains to LT Ara Mooradian , a missing crew member from the

same B-29 incident as _________________.

On 27 October 1992, TFR-Moscow interviewed Nikolay D. Kazersky, a 1950-51 inmate of

the Zimka labor camp in the Komi ASSR. Kazersky told of his contact in 1952 or 1953 with an

American pilot from California shot down over North Korea and forced down over Vladivostok. He

stated that the pilot said there had been a crew of three. Kazersky described him as about age 30,

slender, dark hair and complexion, and of southern European background. He also had a small oval

scar on one of his cheeks.

TFR provided this information to the Air Force Casualty Office which concluded that

LT Mooradian came closest to the description based on biographical information. The following

information on Mooradian corresponded to Kazersky’s information:

1. His shoot down date would have placed him in the camp at that time.

2. He fit the physical description.

3. The ethnic tag could also apply to an Armenian.

4. Born in California.

 

Information that did not correspond:

1. His aircraft was shot down over the Bay of Korea, on the opposite side of the peninsula from

Vladivostok.

2. He was the bombardier rather than the pilot.

3. There were 13 in his crew rather than three.

Current Status

The U.S. side of the Joint Commission has asked the Russians to provide any additional

information they have concerning this incident. Unfortunately, there is not enough evidence to arrive at

any firm conclusions. To date, no additional information has been provided.

 

F-84  23 October 1951 

Summary of Incident. On 23 October 1951, the F-84 piloted by departed

Taegu Air Base for a bomber escort mission over NW Korea. Upon approaching the target area, two

MiG-15s were encountered and attacked the planes. The flight was returning to escort

position when F-84 was attacked. A garbled message was received from

at this time and flames were observed coming out from under his aircraft. The aircraft was out of

control. Efforts to contact were to no avail. Circumstances prevented continuous

observation and the aircraft was lost from view was not seen to leave the aircraft during

the brief period of observation. No organized ground search could be conducted since the incident

occurred in enemy territory.

Personnel Involved.

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 76-26: The Russian side has provided to the U. S. side a document listing the

personal effects of . This document is entitled “List of Captured Documents”

These items have been verified as belonging to . Included on the list of items were an

identification card, pilots license, and aviators qualification all in his name. According to the Russian’s,

in several cases where the pilot perished, those personal documents (i.e. ID card, ration card etc.)

found intact at the crash site were gathered and sent through an interrogation point for processing.

There is little reason to doubt this statement as it is common practice in the U.S. and NATO militaries as

well. The Russian side maintains that perished and only his personal effects transited an

interrogation point.60

60 When this list of documents, TFR 76-26, was given to the U.S. side, it was attached to a cover

sheet stating, “documents taken from a dead American flier ULLRIKH KHALBER”, TFR 76-25. (see

UNRUH, Halbert file) Neither a cover sheet for nor additional documents for Unruh have

been provided.

112

U.S. name appears in the 77 page document entitled The Transfer of U.S. Korean

War POWs to the Soviet Union. This document is actually a collection of studies and hypotheses

compiled by the U.S. to use as a working tool. His name is mentioned in connection with a study

conducted by TSGT Siedling as a Korean War POW on whom the Russian archives should contain

information.

Personal Accounts

Task Force Russia members conducted a series of interviews with former Soviet Army Officer

(Ret) Gennadii Semyenovich Donets. During the Korean War, Donets served as an Air Intelligence

Officer in the combat operations center of the 64th IAK. Donets recalled personally seeing the ID card

and other documents of an individual named “ .” Additionally, he recalled that the pilot “

” perished in the crash.

Current Status

Both sides of the USRJC agree that based on Russian documents and testimonies, there is a

high probability that perished in the crash.

 

 

TBM-3  21 December 1951

Summary of Incident. , USMC is currently listed on the CILHI Korean War

data base as MIA-BNR. According to the USMC casualty report, status was changed

to KIA-BNR due to evidence of death in 1953. This change is not reflected on current lists. It is likely

that this evidence was the statements of repatriated crew members.

was one of three crew members on a TBM-3 that was shot down on 21 December 1951. Two crew

members survived the crash, were held as POWs and subsequently repatriated.

Personnel Involved.

Unaccounted for:

MIA

Accounted for:

STILL, Richard L., LT RMC

THRASH, William G., LTC RMC

Archival Records

Russian. The Russians have provided us with the interrogation reports of several U.S.

servicemen captured in North Korea. These reports were forwarded to the Russians by the Chinese.

The majority of these individuals have been repatriated. Among these reports was the testimony of one

of crew members. According to the report, was “killed in the

aircraft.”

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary

Current Status

Based on the witness statements of his own crew, it seems highly probable

was killed in the aircraft.

 

 

F-86   10 February 1952

Summary of Incident. On 10 February 1952, the F-86 piloted by was shot down

by fire from a MiG-15.16 “His aircraft went into a steep dive...Seconds later, the F-86 went into a

series of lazy dives, climbs and spirals, and then crashed into the side of a hill approximately twelve

miles northeast of Sonch’on. Although it appeared that the canopy had been jettisoned, the

accompanying pilot was unable to determine whether had left his aircraft prior to the crash.

Friendly aircraft searched the crash site but were unable to find any trace of the missing officer. Efforts

to locate his parachute were also unsuccessful, the search being extremely difficult due to the

background of snow covered terrain.”

Personnel Involved.

MIA

(Information was obtained from Russian and Chinese sources. It should be noted that both the Russians

and the Chinese have claimed credit for the shoot down.)

Archival records

Russian. None.

U.S. According to F-86 Sabre, , who was expected to become the Korean

War’s “ace of aces...the leading ace of the war”’ was killed on 10 February 1952.

Other. A 1990 Beijing publication, Chinese Military Power Almanac, 1949-1989, reported that

Chinese Korean War Volunteers’ (CVF) Battle Records stated that American ace was

shot down by Zhang Jihui on 10 February 1952.

A 1989 Korean War Logistic Work Experience Summary-Pictorial, endorsed by former

Chinese President, Yang Shangkun, showed pictures of along side of a photo of his dog

tags. The caption above the pictures stated, “Deceased American ace jet pilot picture and

dog tag. was shot down by Zhang Jihui.”

38

A March 1953 book published by Chinese Youth Publication Press, Fearless Warrior of Our

Great Nation, included an interview with Zhang Jihui, the Chinese pilot who claimed to have shot down

, on the detail and the sequence of the shoot down. Furthermore, the article also discussed that the

deceased pilot’s dog tags were found during a search of the F-86 crash site.

Personal Accounts

According to Colonel Germon,17 was shot down and killed shortly after he had shot

down two Soviet MiGs. “At the sight of the crash,” Germon added, “besides documents the search

team found his pistol. It is quite possible that he was shot down by Mikhail A. Averin.”

Lt Gen. Georgii Lobov, commander of the 64th Air Corps, noted in his memoirs, “Our pilots

shot down... , the top American ace of the war at the time (killed).”

Additional Information (April 1995) Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), United States

Division Deputy Chief conveyed the results of a Chinese investigation on this case. He said that

had been shot down by Zhang Jihui in air combat on 10 February 1952. His plane crashed into the side

of a hill. had been found dead at the crash site. The Chinese MFA did not think that

the Chinese had been involved in handling the body...The Chinese had looked at the plane and a

Chinese person had found articles at the crash site. An American Air Force Ribbon found at the site is

on display in an exhibit hall in Anyang City. The Chinese MFA was unable to locate the dog tag

depicted in the photograph.

(August 1995) A member of the U.S. Consulate Shenyang reported that . dog

tags are on display at the Dandong Korean War Museum. The tag is exhibited with photos of an

American reported to be , articles said to be taken from him or his aircraft and pieces of

wreckage said to be from the F-86 he was flying.

16 rank at the time of the incident was Major. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while

MIA.

17 Paul Cole, POW/MIA Archive Research Project: Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and

Berlin, Volume I: Moscow Research (DFI International, Washington D.C., 1995) Askold Germon-

Retired Soviet Air Force Colonel.

39

Current Status

Several independent sources confirm the shoot down of on 10 February 1952.

There is no direct evidence from Russian archives that confirms that was killed in the crash of

his F-86. Although Chinese and Korean sources testify that was killed in the crash, it should

be noted that both the Russians and the Chinese have claimed credit for this kill. Moreover, the

discovery of dog tags and personal effects in a Chinese museum leads one to believe that

additional information on the fate of may be available. The Commission continues to

investigate this case.

 

B-26  4 April 1952

Summary of Incident. On 4 April 1952 at 0108 hours, a B-26 with as the

navigator departed Kunsan Airdrome, South Korea to perform a night combat mission. The aircraft

arrived in the target area and reported to ground control that the mission could not be accomplished

because of unfavorable weather conditions. Shortly after, at 0330 hours the control station again

established radio contact with the B-26 and assigned it an alternate target. This was the last

communication. The crew was reported missing in action when the aircraft failed to return to the base.

Personnel Involved.

VAN FLEET, James Alward Jr., LT MIA MIA

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. None

U.S. A report dated 26 May 1952 from Air Intelligence indicates “that a twin (engine) U. N.

bomber crashed in the vicinity of Haeju at dawn on 4 April 1952. Records reveal that the subject B-26

was the only Air Force plane lost on that date. The intelligence report further indicates that an inhabitant

of the area stated he observed the remains of one American lying thirty meters from the crash site...He

had no knowledge of the fate of the other crew members or the identity of the deceased...”

Personal Accounts

Donets. On 22 June 1994, Task Force Russia members held an interview with former Soviet

Army Captain (Ret) Gennadii Semyenovich Donets. Donets had served as the Air Intelligence Officer

in the combat operations center of the 64th IAK. Donets recalled hearing that the B-26 Bomber piloted

by LT James Van Fleet (son of General Van Fleet) was intercepted and shot down during a bombing

mission and that the entire crew had perished. was a crew member of this B-26.

Gennadii Donets is considered by some to be a credible and knowledgeable source of information. His

85

statements track with the facts as recorded by U. S. sources. Collectively, these events are highly

suggestive of the fact that and the entire crew of this B-26 perished.

Ananchenko. A recent interview by JCSD-Moscow has uncovered information that may

indirectly be related to this case. The following information pertains to LT Van Fleet, the pilot of the B-

26 on which was a crew member. A former MVD Lieutenant Ananchenko informed

JCSD personnel that in 1956, he was involved in escorting a group of prisoners from one Soviet camp

to another Soviet camp. Ananchenko was told by the operations officer that one of the prisoners

claimed to be the son of an American four star General. Ananchenko believed he was a spy who came

to the Soviet Union during WWII and was captured.

The U.S. researched all four star generals in the U.S. Army starting from Pershing and the only

one that had a son who is listed as MIA was General James Van Fleet, Sr.42 LT James Alford Van

Fleet, Jr., son of General Van Fleet, graduated from West Point in 1949. This would make him

approximately 28 years old in 1956. Ananchenko, who was approximately 25 in 1956 when this

incident took place, recalls that the American prisoner was about his age or a few years older.

Current Status

There is insufficient evidence at this point to come to any firm conclusions about the fate of

, LT Van Fleet or any other member of the crew. The Russians have been asked to provide any

information regarding this case. To date, we have received no Russian archival records regarding this

case. JCSD has investigated Ananchenko’s statement, however, the information can not be verified at

this time.

42 General Van Fleet was the Commander of the Eighth Army in Korea and later Commander of the

Far East Command.

 

F-86  13 April 1952

Summary of Incident. On 13 April 1952 after radioing that his F-86 had been hit,

was seen heading south toward the Yellow Sea. Repeated efforts to contact him were

to no avail. Minutes after the last radio message, the pilot of a friendly aircraft observed a huge splash in

the waters of the Yellow Sea, followed by an oil slick. Subsequent search of the reported crash area

failed to reveal any trace of the missing officer or his aircraft.

Personnel Involved.

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 16: We believe the name of appears on two documents

provided to the U.S. side of the Commission by the Russians. In 1992, JCSD received a list of 59

names compiled by the Russians entitled List of United States Air Force Personnel, Shot Down in

Aerial Combat or by Anti-Aircraft Artillery During Military Operations in Korea and Transited Through

an Interrogation Point. All but one name on the list of 59 names were identified shortly after the list was

received, despite the garbling of most names during transliteration from English to Korean to Russian

and back into English. The unidentified name was “MAJ Dzhilliam.”

The Russians subsequently provided the U.S. side with the documents that the list of 59 was

based upon. They have referred to these documents as interrogation reports. However, in some cases,

the “interrogation” document was not an interrogation report per se, but a list of personal effects. The

Russian explanation for this is that in several cases where the pilot perished, those personal documents

(i.e. ID card, ration card etc.) found intact at the crash site were gathered and sent through an

interrogation point for processing. There is little reason to doubt this statement as it is common practice

in the U.S. and NATO militaries as well. Entry # 26 on this list states, “14 April 1952...51st

Wing...Major Dzhilliam, Chief Operations Department...Pilot died in the area 50 km north of Andung.”

TFR 76-42: This document is a list of personal effects entitled, “Documents from Major

Dzhilliam, the Chief of the Operations Section of the 51st Wing. He was shot down by a MiG-15 on 14

135

APR 52 over the territory of the Peoples Republic of Korea in an area 50 km north of An’dun.” The

6th entry on the list is “ a photo of the deceased Major Dzhilliam and the plane he was shot down in.”

U.S. The two Russian documents identified “Dzhilliam’s” rank, unit, duty position, date of shoot

down, and area of shoot down. When compared with U.S. records, each of these references

correlates with . Moreover, is the only casualty on or about this shoot down date that

matches any of the information on the Russian list. The U.S. has since regarded this name as

.

Current Status

Both documents describe “Dzhilliam” as having perished in the crash. Based on this analysis,

both sides of the USRJC agree the evidence is highly suggestive of the fact that

perished in the crash.

 

F-86  3 May 1952

Summary of Incident. was a member of a two plane flight of F-86 aircraft which

departed for a combat fighter mission on 3 May 1952. During an engagement with enemy aircraft,

aircraft was seen by the flight leader to dive away from an enemy MiG and execute evasive maneuvers

at an extremely low altitude. was informed of his low altitude and instructed to pull up.

Immediately thereafter he leveled the wings of the F-86 which then struck the surface of the water in a

low-angle high-speed glide approximately 3 miles off shore near the mouth of the Yalu River.

According to the flight leader, F-86 hit the water at too great a speed for a safe ditching.

Enemy aircraft forced the leader to leave the area. Prior to his departure, he did not see

abandon the F-86 nor the aircraft sink beneath the water. Later in the day, search aircraft returned to

the site of the crash-landing. North Korean surface craft were observed in the vicinity, but no trace of

or his aircraft were found.

Personnel Involved.

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 284: Operational Summary number 00124 of the Soviet 64th IAK for 3 May

1952 contains direct evidence concerning . The information in the Russian document

describing the shoot down of is consistent with USAF data. According to the document,

“Senior Lieutenant Mazikin saw 2 F-86s ahead of him, which were pursuing one MiG-15 at 16:38 at

the approach to the Myaogou airfield. Senior Lieutenant Mazikin attacked the enemy and shot down

one F-86...The body of a pilot was found in the remains of one of the F-86s shot down in the area of

Myaogou airfield. From documents, it has been established that the pilot is Captain Dzhil’bert Tenni

who belonged to the 51st Fighter Air Group.”

TFR 274: Operational Summary number 00132 of the Soviet 64th IAK for 11 May 1952 also

mentions the shoot down of . According to part five of the document, “Captain Dzhil’bert

of the 51st Group, who was shot down on 4 May, wrote in his log that ... (unrelated info.)”

115

TFR 76: The Russian side provided several documents listing the personal effects of pilots that

were shot down. According to the Russians, the personal effects (i.e. ID card, license, money) found

intact at the crash site were gathered and sent through an interrogation point for processing. In several

cases, these documents state the fate of the pilot. There is little reason to doubt this statement as it is

common practice. Document TFR 76-37,38 is entitled, “Documents from the F-86 flier CPT

DZHIL’BERT Tenni shot down on 3 May 52 in the area of Myaogou Airfield (flier dead).”

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Personal Accounts

In June 1994, Task Force Russia members and representatives from the Russian side of the

Commission interviewed Russian Army Captain (Ret) Gennadii Semyenovich Donets who served as an

air intelligence officer for the 64th IAK in Korea from 1950 - 1953. Donets recalled looking at the

personal ID cards and other documents of someone named Tanney, Albert and another pilot.

Additionally, he recalled hearing talk on the radio with other U.S. pilots before he crashed.

According to Donets, the pilot ( )died when his aircraft crashed.

Current Status

Based on documents that we received from the Russians and testimony of former Russian

officers, both sides of the USRJC agree that there is a high probability that died in

the crash.

 

 

F-84 9 May 1952

Summary of Incident. On 9 May 1952, an F-84 piloted by was

“hit by ground fire during a bomb run at an altitude between 1000 - 1500 feet. The aircraft burst into

flames. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft exploded and was last seen burning on the ground. No

radio contact was made, no chute observed.”

Personnel Involved.

KIA/BNR

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 138-133 to 137: TFR 138 is a 300 plus page document consisting of shoot

down reports from units of the Soviet 64th IAK. Pages 133 to 137 contain “material concerning the F-

84 shot down on 9 May 1952...” The five pages include a photo copy of a data plate from the aircraft,

a statement, a sketch of the crash site and fragments from an American map. According to the Russian

document, this statement was “compiled at the crash site of an F-84. The aircraft crashed in the hills

near the town of Tok-inri in the Rikhen district. The fuselage was flattened, the engine was smashed,

the tail section was broken off and located 70 meters from the fuselage...The pilot burned with the

aircraft, and local inhabitants buried his remains.”

U.S. was the only F-84 pilot shot down on 9 May 1952 who is currently

carried as KIA/BNR. Moreover, the data plate found by the Russians at the crash site lists the aircraft

as type F-84E15RE. According to our records, was the only pilot flying an F-84E15RE.

This fact alone excludes other pilots within that time frame.23

Current Status

Both sides of the Commission agree that there is a high probability that

perished in the crash and his remains were buried by local inhabitants.

23 This Russian document was originally associated with a shoot down that occurred on 8 May 1952.

 

B-26  31 May 1952

Summary of Incident. On 31 May 1952 at 1957 hours, a B-26 on which was a

navigator departed South Korea to perform a night combat mission between Sinanju and the Yalu River

in North Korea. Approximately one hour after departure, a routine report was received from the B-26

which revealed that it was experiencing no difficulty in flight and was proceeding on course to target

area. No further contact was established with the B-26 and its crew was reported missing.

Personnel Involved

MIA MIA

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 249 is a 23 page document that entirely pertains to this particular case. The

following excerpt is from page one, TFR 249-1, of this document:

“...A search group established that on 31 May 1952 a burning B-26 type aircraft passed at low

altitude through the Sonchen region and crashed near the village An-Khari.

The aircraft broke into pieces upon impact; the three-man crew perished and was buried by

Korean citizens on the following day. The force of the impact scattered aircraft fragments in a 50 - 100

meter radius.

At the crash, the search group gathered separate parts; documents; charred maps in English,

scale 250000; plates from the plane and a pilot’s dog tag...”

The subsequent pages contain inventories of documents found at the crash site, photographs of

the crash site, a photo of the dog tag, statements, air plane parts, etc.

TFR 249-5 states, “Copy of a Dog Tag of a Perished Pilot from the Downed Type B-26

Enemy Aircraft on 31 May 1952.” Below this title is a drawing of the dog tag of , the

pilot, including serial number and blood type.

105

10 February 1994, The Washington Times ran an article that was quoted from Izvestiia, a

Russian newspaper. The Russian article was the story of how the dog tags (probably the sketches) of

were found in a military archive in Russia. The Russian article and TFR-249 contained the same

information.

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary

Current Status

Based on the Russian report, photographs and physical evidence found in this case, there is little

doubt that and the crew perished in the crash.

 

B-29   11 June 1952

Summary of Incident. According to USAF records, a B-29 (44-62183) was reported

destroyed in a mid-air explosion and observed falling to earth in three burning sections. According to

statements of 16 witnesses from accompanying aircraft, no parachutes were observed and the

possibility of anyone surviving was small. However, at least one member of the crew, Anton Brom,

survived the explosion, was held as a POW and subsequently repatriated.

Personnel Involved.

MIA MIA

CPT BROM, Anton RMC MIA

MIA MIA

MIA MIA

MIA MIA

MIA MIA

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 272: Russian Operational Summary No. 00613 from the Headquarters of the

Soviet 64th IAK reports “the aircraft explosion and the retreat of two burning B-29s were observed by

search light crews...according to Korean and Chinese comrades, one B-29 fell into the sea 20 km SE

of Simni-do and exploded. Up to four cutters approached the area where the aircraft fell.” A second

paragraph confirms that “During the night of 11 June 1952, night fighters shot down three B-29 aircraft

and damaged one other. The corpses of 8 American pilots were found, as well as debris from one

aircraft.”

The following documents pertain to , a crew member of B-29 No. 44-62183.

52

TFR 16: name appears on a list of 59 names compiled by the Russians entitled List of

United States Air Force Personnel, Shot Down in Aerial Combat or by Anti-Aircraft Artillery During

Military Operations in Korea and Transited Through an Interrogation Point. Of the 59 names, two are

duplicates and one is a non-American. The majority of the 56 U.S. servicemen on this list have been

repatriated. is one of the five from this list who is still “unaccounted for.” The Russians

subsequently provided the U.S. side with the documents that the list of 59 was based upon. They have

referred to these documents as interrogation reports. However, in some cases, the “interrogation”

document was not an interrogation report per se, but a list of personal effects. The Russian explanation

for this is that in several cases where the pilot perished, those personal documents (i.e. ID card, ration

card etc.) found intact at the crash site were gathered and sent through an interrogation point for

processing. There is little reason to doubt this statement as it is common practice in the U.S. and

NATO militaries as well. Entry # 24 on this list states, “10 June 1953... ”

TFR 76-39: This document is a list of personal effects entitled, “Inventory of , a

gunner from the 19th Bomber Group. Shot down in a B-29 by a MiG-15 the night of 10 June 1952.”

Unfortunately, the fate of is not specified.

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Other. A passage in a Chinese book published by The Academy of Military Science History

Department also confirms the B-29 shoot downs on the night of 10 June.21

Current Status

The shoot downs mentioned in the Russian document correspond to the loss of two USAF B-

29s. Servicemen from both crews are still unaccounted for. Unfortunately, it cannot be determined

with certainty, which aircraft and crew were found by the Russian search team. The Russians maintain

that perished and only his personal documents transited an interrogation point. The Russian

side of the USRJC has been asked to provide any documents that could clarify this case. To date, no

additional information has been provided.

53

21 The War to Resist U. S. Aggression and Support Korea, Academy of Military Science History

Department (People’s Liberation Army) December 1990.

 

 

F-86  4 July 1952    LT AUSTIN BEETLE

Summary of Incident. USAF casualty records indicate that LT Austin Beetle, pilot of an F-86,
was lost in air-to-air combat on 4 July 1952 at approximately 1257 hours. LT Beetle drowned

almost immediately after ejecting over Chodo Island. He could not be recovered with grappling hooks

used by United Nations (U.N.) forces although they were no more than 300 yards away when LT

Beetle hit the water.

Personnel Involved:  Beetle, Austin, LT KIA

Archival Records

Russian. TFR 269: According to Operational Summary Number 00186 from the Soviet 64th

IAK for 4 July 1952, an F-86 was shot down by Soviet MiGs. The summary reports, “At 1145,

Captain Sevast’yonov’s group engaged and fired upon four F-86s near Chisyu-Bikhen. Two pilots fired

on the enemy aircraft. Sr. Lieutenant Mishin shot down one F-86.”

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Current Status

The Soviet account for the 1145 shoot down appears to be consistent with the loss of LT

Beetle. LT Beetle’s status in CILHI data base is KIA/BNR.

 

 

 

F-86   1 August 1952    MAJOR FELIX ASLA, JR.

Summary of Incident. On 1 August 1952, a MiG aircraft was seen chasing and firing on the F-86 piloted by Major Asla. His aircraft lost the left wing and was last seen spinning downward 15 miles southeast of Sakchu, North Korea (XE 8365). A subsequent aerial search of the area failed to reveal any trace of the missing pilot or his aircraft. No further information as to the fate of the pilot exists. The serial number of Major Asla’s F-86 was 51-2767.

Personnel Involved.  Asla, Felix Jr., MAJ MIA

Archival Records: 

Russian. TFR 291: Operational Summary Number 00214 of the Headquarters of the Soviet

64th IAK dated 1 August 1952 states in Part V, “One of the downed F-86s fell 7 km southeast of

Sakchu. The side number is USAF 12267, the ... fuselage was marked with 9 stars... The aircraft was

destroyed, the pilot perished and his identity cannot be established.”


JCSD analysts concluded that the tail number of Major Asla’s aircraft “12767” was probably

mistakenly recorded as “12267” in the Russian document. (51-2767 would have been displayed on the

tail as 12767. It was common practice to shorten the tail numbers by omitting the first number in the

production year). All other information in the Russian and U.S. records agrees.


U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Additional Information. The U.S. received from a British source, a copy of a photograph

alleged to be the remains of Major Asla. It is a gruesome photograph leaving no doubt that the

individual pictured perished in the crash. The British source said he obtained the photograph from the

Russian archives at Podol’sk. It is believed to be the remains of Major Asla because accompanying the

photograph were other photographs of an aircraft wreck. The tail number of the aircraft shown in one

of the accompanying photographs is that of the aircraft flown by Major Asla (12767). There is also a

photograph of the fuselage showing the nine red stars as mentioned in the operational summary.

 

A copy of this photograph was sent to CILHI with a request that a forensic specialist at CILHI

attempt to verify that the remains are Major Asla’s. On 18 January 1996, CILHI informed the U.S.

that “it is not possible to exclude or confirm that the remains depicted in this photograph ...are those of

Major Felix Asla, Jr., 16568 A, U.S. Air Force.”


Current Status

Based on the Russian documents and photographs, both sides of the USRJC agree that there is

a high probability that Major Asla perished in the crash.

 

 

F-86  22 August 1952 

Summary of Incident. On 22 August 1952, departed from Suwon Air Base for

the Chong Chong Gang River. At approximately 1047 hours, the F-86s patrolling at more than 37,000

feet were attacked by MiGs. last known location was YD 5099.

Personnel Involved.

MIA

Archival Records

Russian. Operational Summary No. 00202 of the Soviet 64th IAK for 22 August 1952 states,

“Flights completed their mission in the area of Kajsen, Anju and Dzyunsen. Captain Frolov’s flight

encountered and engaged six F-86s at 0950 hours at 37,350 feet...Two pilots shot at the enemy

aircraft. Senior Lt (Ignatov?) shot down one F-86 from a distance of 500-600 meters...The enemy

aircraft crashed in the area of Kajsen; the (aircraft) remains were found; the pilot perished.”

U.S. USAF records as stated above in summary.

Personal Accounts

This case has been associated with an interview of a retired Soviet Colonel. According to Paul

Cole, POW/MIA Archive Research Project...Volume I: Moscow Research (DFI International),

status should be changed from MIA to POW based on a personal account. During a 1992 interview,

Soviet veterans Col. Georgi Plotnikov and Col. Valentin Sozinov recalled, “The name Major Delit came

up in my conversation with Lobov. I don’t know what his position is. But he (Delit) also ejected and

was captured, then escorted somewhere...” It is clear from further reading of the interview transcript

that the veterans were not certain of the name of the individual nor whether or not he was ever a POW.

The only information they seemed to have was the fact that the person allegedly mentioned by Lobov

was a Major. It should be emphasized that this information was based on second hand hearsay. The

individuals interviewed had no direct knowledge of this information. The USRJC has investigated this

case and has found no evidence that suggests these incidents or names are related.

43

Current Status

Based on the positive association between the U.S. and Russian data on the day, time,

geographic location, and circumstances, there is significant evidence that the Russian records describe

the shoot down of . Moreover,