WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Chester A. Johnson Jr., 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 9, 2025.
In the spring of 1945, Johnson served as a radio operator aboard a Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 878th Bombardment Squadron, 499th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy). On April 14, during a combat mission to Tokyo, Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Chiba Prefecture. Johnson survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Johnson'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.