Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
MIAs in incident; McLoughlin, Robert John; Porter, James Howard;
Thompson, Raymond; Nichols, James Larence; Tiller, Horace N.; Jensen,
Morton Henry; Peck, James Kenneth; Keene, Kassel Monford
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
James LORANCE Nichols is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/13/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
On November 18, 1952, a B-29 Superfortress (tail number 44-86392) with fourteen crew members departed Yokota Air Base, Japan, in a group of six medium bombers accompanied by fighter support aircraft. The briefed mission was a night bombing operation targeting the Sonchon supply depot in North Korea. After dropping its payload, the B-29 was illuminated by flares, cueing ground searchlights. The Superfortress was then lit up by multiple enemy searchlights, which highlighted it for nearby enemy MiG-15 fighters and during the ensuing attack that followed, both of the B-29's inboard engines were disabled and a fire broke out in the right wing. The aircraft commander immediately turned the aircraft south toward the Bay of Korea's island of Cho (Cho-do), which was under friendly control at the time. As the B-29 approached Cho-do, the flight engineer reported that the fire was quickly approaching the aircraft's fuel tanks. Fearing an explosion, the aircraft commander ordered the flight crew to exit the aircraft. After the entire crew bailed out, the Superfortress crashed into the water just north of Cho-do. Of the fourteen on board, two survived. Rescue personnel later located the remains of two others, but ten crew members remain unaccounted-for.
Airman First Class James Lorence Nichols, who entered the U.S. Air Force from Iowa, served in the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Wing. He was the central fire control gunner aboard this B-29 when it was shot down, and he was lost in the incident. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with A1 Nichols, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Airman First Class Nichols is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.
A1C JAMES LORENCE NICHOLS
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Country of Loss
- Home of Record