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. Finally, the cold air blasting into the cockpit revived him enough to check his instruments, and he decided that by leaning the fuel mixture, he might be able to return to the airfield at Rabaul. He interviewed Saburo Sakai three times between 1970 and 1991. After WWII, Sakais In April 1944, he was transferred to Yokosuka Air Wing, which was posted to Iwo Jima. Saburo soon Japan destroyed most of the 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 If you happen to like our videos and have a few bucks to spare to support our efforts, check out our Patreon page where we've got a variety of perks for our . He is from 1916. was able to land his plane. Sakai had married late in the war, his bride keeping a dagger in case her husband was killed. With limited resources, Sakai was adopted by his maternal uncle, who financed his education in a Tokyo high school. Sakai, Saburo, Martin Caidin and Fred Saito. 1.555.555.555 | influencer scandal 2022. games with best gunplay 2020 0. [12] He spotted eight planes in two flights of four and initially identified them as F4F Wildcat fighters. Sakai was evacuated to Japan on 12 August and there endured a long surgery without anesthesia. Sakai had sent his daughter to college in the United States "to learn English and democracy." Later he was selected to fly the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter in combat over China. His first-aid efforts were useless in the windswept cockpit, and eventually he tore off part of his scarf to use as a bandage. [10] Mistaking the SBDs for more Wildcat fighters, Sakai approached from below and behind, targeting a VB-6 Dauntless flown by Ens. as the top fighter cover were to attack any aircraft coming towards It was not uncommon for the petty officers to At age 11, his father died, leaving his mother alone to raise seven children. His family was descended from a long line of samurai, but following the abolition of the caste system the Sakai family was forced to adopt farming as a source of income. My Father and I and Saburo Sakai 10 min read Half a century after his father's death, he struck up an extraordinary friendship with a man who had been there Francis R. Stevens, Jr. December 1998 Volume 49 Issue 8 1 2 3 4 View full article My quest began sometime shortly after World War II. The following day, a lone allied bomber came roaring over the Lae airfield and dropped a note attached to a long ribbon of cloth. 7, 1942, 18 Zeroes received the order to attack Guadalcanal In early 1937, he applied for and was accepted into the navy pilot training program. The pilot I snap-rolled in an effort to throw him off. I believed that we should fight having to stand. Description Mitsubishi A6M2 single engine, single seat, cantilever low wing monoplane fighter aircraft of all metal construction. ", Sakai speaks of the flight school recruiting process: "there When the war with the United States began, Sakai participated in the attack on the Philippines as a member of the Tainan Air Group. He graduated first in his class at Tsuchiura in 1937 and earned a silver watch, which was presented to him by Emperor Hirohito. any aircraft over Java.