source: North Carolina Collection
Durham County Library
Durham, North Carolina

original source:
Durham Morning Herald
Wednesday, March 30, 1949

497th Bomb Group (VH), 871st Bomb Squadron

AIRCRAFT COMMANDER

AIRCRAFT SERIAL NUMBER

NICKNAME

Mc SPADDEN

44-69899

497th Bomb Group Virtual Cemetery

source: Scott Muselin

Case History 328

Documents concerning Osaka executions

My thanks to the following for their assistance with these pages:

North Carolina Collection
Durham County Library
Durham, North Carolina

John Szalay
Rolland Swank

Scott Muselin
Jim Bowman

John Lehnen
Roy Wall

Randy Watkins
Phillips University Marburg

POW Research Network Japan

Throughout these pages you will encounter the term
Individual Deceased Personnel File ( IDPF )

Unless otherwise noted, all the documents within SSgt Sparks' place within the 73rd Bomb Wing Honor Roll are from his file

SSgt Logan Sparks was born in Fort Mills, South Carolina, on 11 December 1924.

He was the youngest of three children and
his parents were Lee Roy and Emma Ruth McGuinn Sparks.

By 1930 the family had moved to Durham, North Carolina
and his father may have worked for the Duke Construction Company.

In the 1940 Census his father was working at Duke Hospital
and their residence was on or close to the campus of Duke University.

His draft registration card is dated 1942 and he was a student at Durham High School.
On 21 May 1943 his induction notice was mailed and
he was ordered to report to a the bus depot in Durham on 3 June 1943.

His high school graduation took place 1 June 1943.

A list of his stations is below, with the first being
the Reception Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 18-24 June 1943.

His basic training concluded at Gulfport Mississippi at
the end of September 1943.

Between then and 30 August 1944 he attended four schools.

Sgt Sparks most likely joined the 2nd Lt Joe McSpadden crew at Clovis AAF in September 1944.

His position was Flight Engineer with MOS 737.

Additional information is in the McSpadden Crew section.

The McSpadden crew was flying 73rd Bomb Wing Mission #65 on 5 May 1945 when
their B-29 was shot down 50 miles Southeast of Osaka.

Details are in the 73rd Mission and McSpadden Crew Sections.

SSgt Logan Sparks was one of the four survivors and was caputured near the crash site.

He was first taken to local Kempei Tai units and then transported to Osaka Kempei Tai Headquarters.

He was executed at the Shinodayama Military Maneuver Area on 15 August 1945.

In the Recovery and Identification sections are documents with details from Case History 328 .

In early 1949 his remains were returned to the United States on U S Army Transport Star Reefer.

His burial took place around 30 March 1949 in Durham, North Carolina.
Details of his return home are in the

Coming Home
section.

 

Below is his list of stations, Registration Card, Induction Notice, and Enlistment Record.

Continuing on the second page of this introduction are pages
from a document published in 1946.
This lists all casualties who were from North Carolina.

INTRODUCTION PART II

LIST OF STATIONS

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REGISTRATION CARD
FRONT

source: Ancestry.com

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REGISTRATION CARD
BACK

source: Ancestry.com

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ORDER TO REPORT FOR INDUCTION
21 MAY 1943

source: Ancestry.com

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ENLISTMENT RECORD
PAGE 1

source: National Archives

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ENLISTMENT RECORD
PAGE 2

source: National Archives

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