Strana 95
ENS Sada-aki Akamatsu, Kōkūtai 302, Atsugi, Japan, February 1945
Sada-aki Akamatsu was one of the most
famous Japanese fighter pilots. Born in 1910,
he voluntarily entered the Imperial Navy in
1928 and completed pilot training in March 1932.
He successively served aboard the aircraft
carriers Akagi, Ryūjō, and Kaga, and also with
the Yokosuka and Ōmura Kōkūtai. In December
1937, Akamatsu was assigned to the Kōkūtai 13
in China, where he achieved 11 victories. In April
1941, he was transferred to the Kōkūtai 3 and
from December 1941 he took part in the battles
for the Philippines and the Netherlands East
Indies. In July 1943 he was assigned to Kōkūtai
331 and in December he participated in the raid
on Calcutta. In 1945, as part of the Hikōtai 1 of the
Kōkūtai 302, he successfully contributed to the
defense of the Japanese home islands. Flying
the aircraft shown here, built by Nakajima, he
scored four confirmed and two unconfirmed
kills against Hellcats in clashes with US Navy
pilots on February 16 and 17. These successes
were marked on the fuselage of his aircraft
with cherry blossom symbols. Akamatsu was
known for his courage but also for displays
of disobedience and disrespect toward his
superiors. He logged over 6,000 flight hours
and achieved approximately 27 victories.
BUILT
INFO Eduard
95
May 2026