Spath, Charles Ray
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.
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) Carles Spath is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "in hostile action" [KIA] by the National Archive. [wp0893.txt 10/18/93] Full file available through the P.O.W. NETWORK info@pownetwork.org
The Transfer of U.S. Korean War POWs Joint Commission Support Branch 26 August 1993 WORKING PAPER This study was prepared by Mr. Peter G. Tsouras, DAC with the assistance of Second Lieutenant Timothy R. Lewis, USAF This Study is for internal use only. It contains subjective evaluations, WORKING PAPER This study was prepared by Mr. Peter G. Tsouras, DAC with the assistance of Second Lieutenant Timothy R. Lewis, USAF Executive Summary
This transfer was a highly-secret MGB program approved by the inner circle The rationale for taking selected prisoners to the USSR was: o To exploit and counter U.S. aircraft technologies; o to use them for general intelligence purposes; o It is possible that Stalin, given his positive experience with Axis POWs, The range of eyewitness testimony as to the presence of U.S. Korean War POWs The Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps which supported the North Korean and A General Staff-based analytical group was assigned to the Far East Military o Prisoners were moved by various modes of transportation. Large shipments o Khabarovsk was the hub of a major interrogation operation directed o Irkutsk and Novosirbirsk were transshipment points, but the Komi ASSR and POW transfers also included thousands of South Koreans, a fact confirmed by The most highly-sought-after POWs for exploitation were F-86 pilots and Living U.S. witnesses have testified that captured U.S. pilots were, upon Missing F-86 pilots, whose captivity was never acknowledged by the
The Transfer of U.S. Korean War POWs to the Soviet Union Table of Contents Introduction 1
The First Modern Air War . . . . 3 Part II: The Hostage Connection . . 26 POW Exploitation . . . . . . . . . . 26 Part III Evidence From Within the Soviet Union . . . 40 Sightings in the Komi ASSR . . 40
Appendix B: 31 Missing USAF F-86 Pilots Whose Loss Appendix C: Korean War USAF F-86 Pilots Who Were 69
Appendix E: Individual Sources of Information
Table 2. BNR Cases Where Death Was Witnessed by 31 Missing USAF F-86 Pilots whose Loss Name Date of Casualty 1. Cpt William D. Crone 18 Jun 51 Source: USAF Casualty Affairs ... 11. Pilot: Captain Charles R. Spath, USAFR Captain Spath was forced to bail out due to damage sustained by his |
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https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000095DOBEA2 03/13/2021
Service Member
1ST LT CHARLES RAY SPATH
Captain Charles Ray Spath, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Ohio, served with the 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group. On February 3, 1952, piloting a F-86 Sabre (tail number 49-1223, call sign John Black), he departed Kimpo Air Base as the number four pilot in a flight of four. The briefed mission was fighter-sweep operation in a northwestern area near the China-Korea boarder known as MiG-Alley. As the flight neared Sinuiju, they intercepted six MiG-15s. A few minutes into the engagement, the number three aircraft developed a flameout and Capt Spath maneuvered to cover his wingman. A few minutes later, Capt Spath radioed that his Sabre was hit and burning. In a diving left and his F-86 smoking badly, he left the formation flying towards the harbor at Wonsan. About 40 miles from the coast, he radioed that both fire-warning lights were on and that he would have to bailout. This is the last anyone heard from Capt Spath. His flight proceeded his last radioed location and searched for the missing pilot; air rescue units also conducted an extensive search of the area, with negative results. No returning POWs mentioned contact with 1st Lt Spath, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Spath 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. |
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1st Lt CHARLES RAY SPATH
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