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)
Raymond Knueppel is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/12/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
On April 22, 1951, a B-26B Invader (tail number 44-34706) with a crew of three took off from Miho Air Base, Japan, as the number five aircraft in a six-plane rail-cutting mission targeting marshalling yards on the outskirts of Yongdok, North Korea. While over the target, the Invader was hit and damaged by anti-aircraft fire. The plane caught fire, and one crew member was seen to bail out through the bomb bay doors. This crew member parachuted to the ground and successfully landed, but successive low passes by other aircraft over the area were unable to locate him. The damaged Invader continued to descend toward the south until the other crews on the mission lost visual contact. The Invader's other two crew members, the pilot and the gunner, eventually bailed out near the small village of Tolme, North Korea. Both men were captured and returned to U.S. custody after the end of the war.
Captain Raymond John Knueppel, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, was a member of the 730th Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Wing. He was the navigator aboard this Invader on April 22, 1951, and was the crew member who disappeared after bailing out through the bomb bay doors. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with Capt Knueppel, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for following the incident. Today, Captain Knueppel 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.