KITS 10/2022

Ldg. Sea. Kenji Yanagiya, Kōkūtai 204, Rabaul base, New Britain, April 1943

This aircraft is reconstructed with the field applied

green paint typical for aircraft of this unit in early 1943.

It has a dismantled radio station and antenna column

to reduce weight. Leading Seaman Yanagiya made several operational flights with this plane during April 1943.

He also flew with it on April 18, 1943, while escorting

Admiral Yamamoto to Ballale on Bougainville Island. The

formation of two G4M Betty bombers and six Zeros was

surprisingly attacked by P-38 fighters, both Bettys were

shot down and Admiral Yamamoto was killed. Five of the

six accompanying Japanese fighters were successively

killed in action during the war, one of them being the second ranking naval ace, Shō-ichi Sugita (80 v.). The only

survivor of the war would be Yanagiya. Born in March

1919, after completing flight training in March 1942 he

was assigned to the 6th Kōkūtai, which was to be based at the captured Midway Atoll. From October 1942 he

was deployed to Rabaul and in November his unit was

redesignated Kōkūtai 204. In May 1943 he was promoted

to Petty Officer 2nd Class, but on June 7 he was severely wounded in aerial combat off Russell Island and had

to have his right arm amputated. After hospitalization

and rehabilitation, he was able to continue flying with

a prosthesis and served as an instructor until the end of

the war. He achieved a total of eight individual victories

and participated on eighteen shared kills. Kenji Yanagiya

died in February 2008.

c/n 3018, Tainan Kōkūtai, Buna airfield, New Guinea, August 1942

The aircraft was produced on June 15, 1942, and on August

22 was assigned to Tainan Kōkūtai detachment in Buna.

The aircraft was found by the Allies in an upside-down

position during the capture of Buna on December 27,

1942. From its color photograph it is estimated that the

tip of the tail surfaces were black, less likely red. It was

flown by, among others, Buntaichō and the commander of

the detachment in Buna, Lt. Kikuichi Inano, whose usual

aircraft was a V-190. PO2c Ichirōbei Yamazaki probably

crashed with V-177 on August 23 after a dogfight with

the RAAF's Kittyhawks of No. 75 Sq and suffered severe

injuries. This fighter pilot originally served with the Ôita

Kōkūtai and in the spring of 1942 was assigned to the 4th

Kōkūtai in Rabaul and Lae. In April was integrated with

his unit into the Tainan Kōkūtai. In March 1942 he was shot

down over New Guinea, about 80 miles inland, after a do-

gfight with the crew of a Hudson bomber. With the help of

friendly natives, he built a raft on which he sailed down

the river for four days to his own troops. He was wounded

over Port Moresby in May and had to undergo prolonged

medical treatment after his August wound. In May 1943

he was assigned to Kōkūtai 251 (formerly Tainan Kōkūtai)

and was killed in action off Rendova Island on July 4, 1943.

In total, he achieved 14 victories.

PO1c Kyoshi Itō, 3. Kōkūtai, Koepang airfield, Timor Island, September 1942

This aircraft was purchased by Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association, whose name is listed on

the patriotic donation inscription (Hōkoku) No. 1000.

It was flown by Kyoshi Itō, who used also Zero X-151

with Hōkoku No. 984. Itō was born in November 1921

in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture. He served on the

torpedo boat Ōtori in 1939, in late 1940 got flight

training at Tsuchiura Kōkūtai and in November 1941

was assigned for combat duty to 3rd Kōkūtai. With

this unit he fought in the Philippines and Indonesia

October 2022

and took part in raids on Australia. In September and

October 1942, with most of the 3rd Kōkūtai, he was

involved in the fighting over Guadalcanal. In November his unit was redesignated Kōkūtai 202 and returned to Koepang. From the spring until September

1943, unit conducted combat flights over Australia,

also with Zero Type 32 fighters. In November 1943, Itō

received a written command commendation stating

that he had shot down 23 aircraft and destroyed 9 on

the ground. He then served as an instructor in Japan

with the Ôita and Tsukuba Kōkūtai and joined the air

combat in February 1945. After the war, he married

the eldest daughter of the owner of the family construction company Katō in Murakami and adopted the

family name Katō. Under his leadership, the company

rose to the top position in Murakami, and he received the Medal with Purple Ribbon and the Minister of

Construction Award. Kyoshi Katō retired in 1992 and

died in July 2012.

INFO Eduard

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