WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. John M. Larkins, 26, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 13, 2025.
In the summer of 1944, Larkins was assigned to the 678th Bombardment Squadron, 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Bomber Command. On June 26, Larkins was a crew member on a B-29 Superfortress when it crashed into a rice paddy in the village of Sapekhati, India after a bombing raid on Imperial iron and steel works at Yawata, Kyushu Island, Japan. All 11 crew members were killed instantly in the crash.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Larkins's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.