Strana 46
Kōkūtai 221, Hikōtai 407, Philippines, February 1945
ENS Sada-aki Akamatsu, Kōkūtai 302, Atsugi, Japan, February 1945
This aircraft, manufactured by Mitsubishi
company, was captured during the fighting
in the Philippines. It belonged to Hikōtai 407
which at that time was part of Kōkūtai 221. The
aircraft showed signs of operational wear, and
the tailwheel cover was replaced with one from
a Nakajima-built aircraft. The letter D on the
tail surfaces identifies it as part of Hikōtai 407.
In January 1944, Kōkūtai 221 was established at
the Kasanbara base in Kagoshima Prefecture.
It was given the battle name Arashi (“Storm”).
In July it was reorganized into an air group
with four fighter Hikōtai. One of these was the
newly formed Hikōtai 407 at Kagoshima base,
led by Lt. Yoshihige Hayashi. He had 48 fighter
aircraft at his disposal and under his command
Hikōtai 407 was deployed in the defense of
the Philippines from late October to December
1944. After returning to Japan, Hikōtai 407 was
incorporated into the elite Kōkūtai 343 (II) with
Shiden-kai fighters.
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.
KITS 10/2025
INFO Eduard46
October 2025