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Staff Sergeant Louis Henry Bergmann

  • Unit: 19th Bombardment Group (Medium), 93rd Bombardment Squadron
  • Date of Birth: May 1, 1926
  • Date of Death: March 31, 1954
  • Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Place of Death: near Sinuiju, North Korea
  • Award(s): Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Commendation Ribbon for Meritorious Service, Air Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon
  • Cemetery: Courts of the Missing, Court Five . Honolulu Memorial, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Contributed by Mrs. Kathryn Rotunda
Chaska Middle School East (Chaska, Minnesota)
2024/2025

Early Life

Louis Henry Bergmann was born on May 1, 1926, to Aloysius J. Bergmann and Evalina Cashmore Hennessey Bergman in St. Paul, Minnesota. A younger sister, Louisa Catherine Bergmann, followed three years later on March 13, 1929. His family was Catholic and was very involved in a local church. 

Louis attended Monroe High School in St. Paul where he played basketball. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on January 14, 1944.

Louis Bergmann as a sophomore at Monroe High School. He is kneeling in the front row, second from the left. Monroe High School yearbook, 1943.
Louis Bergmann as a junior at Monroe High School. He is in the middle row, third from the left. Monroe High School yearbook, 1944.
Louis played Varsity basketball for the Monroe High School Cagers. He is seated in the front row, second from the right. Monroe High School yearbook, 1944.

Homefront

Louis Bergmann’s hometown of  St. Paul, Minnesota, supported the Korean War. The middle-class community was close-knit and urban. The city of St. Paul contributed to the war effort by manufacturing bullets and steel-cased cartridges, which were essential supplies for the conflict. Raw materials were transported from Minnesota’s Iron Range to St. Paul’s industrial sector for production before being shipped overseas.

Twin Cities Army Ammunition workers prepare cartridges, 1940s. Minnesota Historical Society (143.E.17.2F).

Military Experience

Louis Henry Bergmann enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. He trained to be a radio operator mechanic and was assigned to the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bomb Group. He was discharged as a sergeant on August 7, 1946.

When the Korean War broke out, many former members of the U.S. Army Air Corps with specialized training were recalled to active duty to serve in the U.S. Air Force. On August 14, 1950 Bergmann was recalled and told to report to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He was sent to Travis Air Force Base in California and deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. 

As a radio operator during the Korean War, Bergmann was in charge of communications. It was his job to transmit and receive communication, make sure they were accurate and secure. He relayed mission updates, enemy positions and emergency distress signals. He flew on a plane nicknamed Hot Box, a B-29A Superfortress Bomber.  
The 93rd Bombardment Squadron operated out of Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. The group targeted railway bridges and other strategically important targets like tanks, trucks, and supply conveys.

The 93rd Bombardment Squadron’s logo, 1942. U.S. Department of Defense.
A B-29 Superfortress similar to the one in which Staff Sergeant Bergmann flew. Warfare History Network.
BOMBING Husky 1,000-pound demolition bombs hurtle from this U.S. Far East Air Forces B-29 “Superfort” of the 19th Bomb Group toward a Red target somewhere beneath the cloud layers in Korea. Bomber Command “Superforts” are able to unload heavy tonnages of bombs with pin-point precision despite thick cloud coverage by use of new techniques in radar aiming. August 1951

Commemoration

Missing in Action

Staff Sergeant Louis Henry Bergmann went Missing in Action after a mission over North Korea. On April 12, 1951, his B-29 bomber flew to Sinuiju, North Korea to bomb a railroad bridge. His aircraft was flying in the fourth position in a close formation air convoy. They were a few minutes away from the target when enemy fighters attacked. Bergmann’s plane started to spin and one wing was ablaze. The plane erupted into flames. No parachutes were observed before the crash.

Bergmann’s parents wrote many letters to the Air Force asking for updates and information about their son’s disappearance. The family received his personal effects in July 1951.

Despite the initial report of no parachutes being seen, several crew members did parachute out and were captured as Prisoners of War (POWs). In October 14, 1951, the Air Force contacted Bergmann’s parents via telegram to let them know that they had learned that some members of the crew had escaped the crash and that they were POWs, but they did not know which ones.

On April 14, 1952, one year after his disappearance, the Air Force sent them additional details. They declined to change Bergmann’s status at that time. 

Continuing Investigation

At least one crew member died in captivity and at least two survived and were released in 1953. When POWs were released, they were interviewed by military officials. Some reported Bergmann survived the crash and was being held in the “Pak’s Place” detention facility. They reported that he died there. His remains were not recovered.

In December 1993, remains were returned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Six members of the plane’s crew were identified. Bergmann was not among them.

Legacy

Staff Sergeant Louis Henry Bergmann received many awards, including a Commendation Ribbon for Meritorious Service during the Korean War, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Korean Service Medal, National Public Defense Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Citation, and a Republic of Korea War Service Medal. 

Staff Sergeant Louis Henry Bergmann is memorialized at the Korean War Memorial in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name is also engraved on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

Communication sent to Bergmann’s parents, April 13, 1951. Official Military Personnel File.
The Air Force sent Louis Henry Bergmann’s parents this telegram, giving them hope that their son might still be alive, October 14, 1951. Official Military Personnel File.
The first page of a letter sent to Louis Henry Bergmann’s parents a year after his plane crashed, declining to change his status from Missing in Action, April 14, 1952. Official Military Personnel File.
Bergmann’s mother requested the information on the two crew members who became prisoners of war and survived the war. The Air Force furnished their contact information, February 19, 1954. Official Military Personnel File.
Of the more than 114,000 Minnesotans who served in the Korean War, 725 did not return home. They are memorialized in St. Paul. Korean War Memorials.
Louis Bergmann’s name is permanently engraved on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. American Battle Monuments Commission.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Donald Clark. Oral history. Korean War Legacy. https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-clark/. 

Husky 1,000-pound demolition bombs hurtle from this U.S. Far East Air Forces B-29 “Superfort” of the 19th Bomb Group. Photograph. August 1951. U.S. Air Force. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B-29_Dropping_1,000lb_Bombs_Over_Korea_August_1951.jpg. 

Louis H. Bergmann. U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas. https://ancestry.com. 

Louis H. Bergmann. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. https://ancestry.com. 

Louis H. Bergmann. U.S., Korean War Prisoners of War, 1950-1954. https://ancestry.com. 

Louis Henry Bergmann. Honorable Discharge Certificate. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Louis Henry Bergmann. Individual Deceased Personnel File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Louis Henry Bergmann. Official Military Personnel File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Louis Henry Bergmann. U.S., Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957. https://ancestry.com. 

Louis Henry Bergmann. U.S. Veterans’ Gravesites, 1775-2019. https://ancestry.com.

Minnesota. Ramey County. 1950 U.S. Federal Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Monroe High School Yearbook. St. Paul Public Schools, 1943.

Monroe High School Yearbook. St. Paul Public Schools, 1944.

Secondary Sources

“93 Bomb Squadron (AFRC).” U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/434021/93-bomb-squadron-afrc/.

“Bergmann, Louis Henry.” POW Network. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://www.pownetwork.org/Korean_War_USAF_MIA/bergmann_louis_henry.htm.

Johnson, Jack K. “At Home and Abroad: Minnesota at War.” MNopedia. Updated November 27, 2024. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://www.mnopedia.org/home-and-abroad-minnesota-war.

Kaul, Greta. “Minneapolis Is Growing at Its Fastest Rate since 1950.” MinnPost [Minneapolis, MN], May 23, 2018. https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2018/05/minneapolis-growing-its-fastest-rate-1950/. 

“Korean War.” Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://www.mnvetmuseum.org/korean-war. 

“Louis Henry Bergmann.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://api.abmc.gov/decedent-search/bergmann%3Dlouis.

“Louis Henry Bergmann.” Defense Personnel POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000GKM1HEAX. 

“Louis Henry Bergmann.” Honor States. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/4668/. 

“Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS).” MNopedia.  Accessed January 10, 2025. https://www.mnopedia.org/group/military-intelligence-service-language-school-misls.

“Saint Paul, MN – United States.” Korean War Memorials. Accessed May 9, 2025. https://koreanwarmemorials.com/memorial/saint-paul-mn-united-states/

“SSGT Louis Henry Bergmann.” Korean War Project. Updated 2022. Accessed March 27, 2025.  https://www.koreanwar.org/html/2081/korean-war-project-minnesota-af17124468-ssgt-louis-henry-bergmann/

“Staff Sgt. Louis Henry Bergmann.” Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.  Accessed March 27, 2025. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000GKM1HEAX.

“Topics – B-29s – Personnel Losses.” Korean War Educator. Updated April 4, 2019. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://thekwe.org/topics/b29s/p_b29s_losses_personnel.htm#B.

“Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant.” MNopedia. Accessed May 9, 2025. https://www.mnopedia.org/place/twin-cities-army-ammunition-plant. 

“Twin Cities Ordnance Plant: Integrating the WWII Workforce.” National Park Service. Updated October 12, 2022. Accessed May 9, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/twin-cities-ordnance-plant-integrating-the-wwii-workforce.htm.

Woltman, Nick. “What Was St. Paul’s East Side like in Its Economic Glory Days?” Pioneer Press, August 22, 2016. https://www.twincities.com/2016/08/22/what-was-st-pauls-east-side-like-in-its-economic-glory-days/.

This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.