Saburo Sakai was born August 16th 1916 in the farming village of Nishiyoka in the Saga prefecture on Kyushu island, Japan. "[31], Sakai visited the US and met many of his former adversaries, including Lieutenant Commander Harold "Lew" Jones (19212009), the SBD Dauntless rear-seat gunner (piloted by Ensign Robert C. Shaw), who had wounded him.[32]. I thought this very odd - it had never happened before - and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I could almost reach out and touch the Grumman. The next day, his squadron included fellow aces Hiroyoshi Nishizawa and Toshio ta.
It has a retractable tail wheel and an enclosed cockpit directly over the wing. assigned to the battleship Kirishima as a turret gunner. He came to know the legendary fighter intimately, logging some 1,500 hours in the type.
The initial Allied landings captured an airfield, later named Henderson Field by the Allies, that had been under construction by the Japanese. Japan Center for Asian Historical Record, Tainan Air Group action report Reference code C08051602100.
He had an
panic as she and the children began frantically waving, hoping to
one on August 17, 1945. he was wrong.
to even pump fuel into my aircraft at this time, if that shows you
After peeling off from the Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty bombers they had escorted, the Zeros attacked targets of opportunity.
In August 1944, Sakai was commissioned an ensign () a record-breaking 11 years from enlistment to commissioning in the very rank-conscious Japanese navy. Unfortunately, his school was not as impressed
In a seven-year combat carrier, he credited with at least 28 aerials victories and shooting down or severly damaging well over 60 Allied aircraft, despite later in the war flying a plane that was .
Saburo Sakai, a Japanese fighter pilot in World War II who said he shot down 64 Allied planes, including one of each type the United States flew, but who later befriended the Americans he once. His flight leader was not pleased; the lieutenant did all the talking while Sakai did all the listening. An air combat of Saburo Sakai, Japanese ace tanoovicharangsan 352 subscribers Subscribe 19K views 6 years ago This was when Sakai fought the US Wildcats and Dauntless SBDs. we arrived over Clark Field we were amazed that we had not been intercepted,
His autobiography, Samurai!, ends happily with Hatsuyo throwing away the dagger after Japan's surrender, saying she no longer needed it. Sakai's Tainan Kokutai became known for destroying the most enemy planes in the history of Japanese military aviation. ", ______________________________________________, Saburo Sakai's A6M2 Zero by Benjamin Freudenthal *, On 7 August 1942, Saka leaves Rabaul (background)
Inspired by this, Nishizawa came up with the idea of doing demonstration loops over the enemy airfield. He graduated first in his Naval Class at Tsuchiura in 1937, earning a silver watch presented to him by Emperor Hirohito himself. Adams scored a near miss, sending a bullet through Sakai's canopy, but Sakai quickly gained the upper hand and succeeded in downing Adams. Sakai produced the helmet he had worn on August 7, 1942, still bearing evidence of Jones marksmanship. Sakai managed to shoot down one Hellcat and escaped the umbrella of enemy aircraft by flying into a cloud. In August 1944, he was promoted to ensigna record-breaking 11 years from enlistment to commissioning.
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Afterwards, Sakai was adopted by his maternal uncle who paid for him to attend Tokyo High School, but did not excel and in his second year .
it went: either to the United States or Australia. than after we were at war with your country. The book was not published in Japan and differs from his biographies there.[34]. The rear gunners claimed that the Zero as a kill when it dove away in distress in return for two planes damaged (one seriously).[21]. My death would take several of the enemy with me. After WWII, Sakais
sons, had 3 sisters.
Taught to live by the code of Bushido (Hagakure - the code of the Samurai), which meant serving the lords of Saga and living your . our manner. Clark airfield in the Philippines. After graduation, "We had additional
In it, Sakai is portrayed by the actor Hiroshi Fujioka.
Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero Fighter Aircraft : Japanese Navy Air
surpassed by the Yamato and Musashi, and all the world knew we had
I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7mm machine guns. accurate and heavy. Two Wildcats jumped on the commander's plane. Whatever the case, Sakai sustained serious wounds from the bombers' return fire.
In August of 1942, Sakai was shot in the face by a 7.62 mm (0.3 in) bullet that entered the right side of his skull and passed through his brain. On 3 August, Sakai's air group was relocated from Lae to the airfield at Rabaul. However, Sakai failed to do well in his studies and was sent back to Saga after his second year. planes in the history of Japanese military aviation. I turned the 20mm cannon switch to the 'off' position and closed in. On the third day of the battle, he shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress flown by Captain Colin P. Kelly. Yes, young Saburo Sakai was beginning to
live with myself doing that.
saburo sakai daughter Saburo Sakai - acesofww2.com In his first combat against Americans, he shot down a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and destroyed two B-17 Flying Fortresses by strafing them on the ground. most of all, never losing a wingman in over 200 missions. $0.00. Sakai described the reaction to the Thach Weave when they encountered Guadalcanal Wildcats using it:[14].
Saburo Sakai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Zubiaga
Both aircraft returned to their base at Yontan Airfield, Okinawa. However, in 1937 when
However, by 1941 he was well established as a petty officer, flying A6M2 Zeros with the Tainan Kokutai, still based on Formosa. had a chance to combat the B-29 formations, and I must say that their
Sakai, Saburo, Martin Caidin and Fred Saito.
On 8 December 1941, Sakai flew one of 45 Zeros[2] from the Tainan Kokutai that attacked Clark Air Base in the Philippines. his class back home, his new school proved to be out of his league. So I thought I shouldn't kill them.
Saburo Sakai - Pacific Wrecks Others were not so skillful or fortunate. Sakai sent his daughter to college in the United States "to learn English and democracy. This was my first combat against Americans,
Joining the Japanese Navy at age 16, he was one of 70 students accepted into flight training of out 1,500 applicants.
The sturdy dive bombers with their rear-mounted twin 7.62mm (0.3in) machine guns proved tough adversaries, and a blast fired by one or more of the SBDs' rear gunners, possibly including Shaw's gunner, AO2/c Harold L. Jones, shattered and blew away the canopy of Sakai's Zero.[11]. He was one of just three pilots from his pre-war unit who had survived. Lucidity ebbed and flowedat some point his mothers voice came to him, scolding him for a growing urge to give up. Nakajima was raging when he got back to Rabaul; he had been forced to dive and run for safety.
[18] According to Sakai, that was his 60th victory. On September 22nd, 2000, he attended a party at the American Atsugi
The pilot
I could not stay there any longer so I enlisted in the navy
any aircraft over Java. The third day was 10 December
This
passing out from the blows. My quest began sometime shortly after World War II.
Sabur Sakai - Wikiwand
Sabur Sakai | Military Wiki | Fandom Led by James. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! When a recruit passed out they'd throw cold water
Attempting to compensate for centuries of isolation, Japan rushed to catch up with the West in a few decadesand succeeded. Sakai, who did not know Southerland's guns had jammed[citation needed], recalled the duel in his autobiography: They were soon engaged in a skillfully maneuvered dogfight. came down and got much closer. The record-setting missions required extreme fuel economy, and Sakai was proud of his reputation as a gas miser. var username = "joe";
The squadron commander was furious and reprimanded the three pilots for their stupidity, but the Tainan Kktai's three leading aces felt that Nishizawa's aerial choreography of the Danse Macabre had been worth it.[13]. 12257 97 Avenue, Surrey, V3V 2C8. [33], Claims have been made that his autobiography Samurai! The order was to shoot down
distance, which he presumed to be F4Fs as well
They were soon engaged in a skillfully-maneuvered dogfight. Despite facing superior enemy aircraft, Sakai demonstrated his skill and experience by eluding the attacks and returning to his airfield unscathed. fights with larger boys. There she married an American, and gave Saburo two American-born grandchildren. Check out our sakai saburo He was 84. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. I had just arrived with them from Sky Harbor Airport when warbird owner Bill Hane rolled out his P-51D, Ho Hun! left him somewhat paralyzed.
Additional reading: Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, by Mark Pattie; and Zero!, by Jiro Horikoshi and Masatake Okumiya. [3] He was the third-born of four sons (his given name literally means "third son") and had three sisters.
Ace of the Month: Saburo Sakai - News - War Thunder P-40s we had seen jumped us. "This ship had sixteen-inch guns, the largest
all of the crew.
Saburo Sakai: Samurai of the Air - HistoryNet While touring the U.S., Sakai was surprised to learn that his hosts believed he was credited with 64 victories. In April 1944, he was transferred to Yokosuka Air Wing, which was posted to Iwo Jima. Saburo Sakai died of a heart attack in 2000, following a U.S. Navy formal dinner - where he had been an honored guest - at Atsugi Naval Air Station. He was engaged by Hellcat fighters near the task force's reported position, and all but one of the Nakajima B6N2 "Jill" torpedo bombers in his flight were shot down. The entire village was proud of me.
Sabur Sakai: The Samurai of the Skies - YouTube The body and mind can take only so much
almost 600 miles back to Rabaul.
[clarification needed][27].
But Sakai chose his time and rolled into an effective gunnery pass. I thought that these might be important people
He
Two days later Sakai and squadron mates attacked a B-17 over Clark Field and shot it down. In early 1937, he applied for and was accepted into the navy pilot training program.
While I was there I was taught by an American, Mr. Martin, and his wife came to the class to teach us while her husband
The fighters attacked the Consolidated B-32 Dominator, new to combat with the 386th Bomb Squadron, and inflicted damage. Over the next four months, he scored the majority of his victories in flying against American and Australian pilots based at Port Moresby. hours.
[22], Likewise, although Japan had been defeated in the Second World War with great loss of life, Sakai serenely accepted that outcome: "Had I been ordered to bomb Seattle or Los Angeles in order to end the war, I wouldn't have hesitated. After completing his training the following year, Sakai was graduated as a Sailor Third Class (Ordinary Seaman) (). based on his experience. had spared their lives.
saburo sakai daughter - enchelab.com
Graduating at the top of his class in flight school, where he fell in love with the . We reformed and continued on. To my surprise, the Grumman's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like an old torn piece of rag. It became an instant classic and is still in print today, well after his death.
Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The C-47 erupted
was during the bombing of Java. This was the first B-17 shot down during the Pacific war, and Sakai admired its capacity for absorbing damage. The following day, a lone Allied bomber flew over the Lae airfield and dropped a note attached to a long cloth ribbon. there was no better. In truth, Johnson probably never got within 80 miles of the target. One of them, Harold Jones, exchanged gifts and recollections with the Japanese ace near Los Angeles in 1983. and we could not; our orders were to not engage until all of our bombers
However, he considered the arrangement worthwhile owing to the many friendships and contacts he made in America. On 3 August 1942, Sakai's air group was relocated from Lae to the airfield at Rabaul.
Winged Samurai: Saburo Sakai and the Zero Fighter Pilots is a 1985 book by Henry Sakaida dealing with the wartime history of Sabur Sakai.