Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Good morning Luftwaffle8,

wow, you caught a dozen trout and 2 bass on your fishing trip ? You're a fisherman ace ! ;-)

Only kidding, I know about the validity issue and meant it ironically only.
But I wonder if the reduction of Iwamoto's 202+26sh claims to a score of 80 by Hata/Iwata was arbitrary or if it followed some kind of calculation...

Have a nice Friday,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Back in the early 1960s, Japanese "aces" scores appeared in young boys/teens magazines. There was no vetting of "facts." In the attached, the top rung is Army and the bottom is Navy.

The top "ace" with 70 victories is Captain Yoshitaro Jobo with 70. How did he get 70? He made such a statement when he had too much to drink with a reporter, and this score has dogged him every since.

WO Hiromichi Shinohara has 54 here. He actually wrote a letter claiming this amount and this score is also attributed to him when he was honored after his death.

Anabuki has 46 and Capt. Isamu Kashiide has 26. Don't believe them.

Capt Isamu Kashiide wrote a book after the war. It was titled: 'I SHOT DOWN 26 B-29S." This score was disputed by his commander and comrades; they said that it was the squadron's claim, not his personal. This makes sense. It was all a team effort. A veteran told me: "It was nearly impossible for one plane to shoot down a B-29!!! Just to get in range was suicidal because they had all these guns pointed at you, and they sent out a wall of bullets!!! They flew in formation and that was very formidable."

A lone wolf cannot bring down a buffalo while attacking a big herd. The only way to bring down a B-29 was to cripple it, make it leave the formation, then gang up on it. Or ram it intentionally.

As for the Navy list, Nishizawa and Shoichi Sugita are 120 while Sakai is listed with his 64. I've already explained to you that Sakai's 64 was an advertising marketing gimmick, it's made up. Sugita made his claims. Nishizawa never claimed 120, not even a hundred. If you believe these claims as factual, then you will believe that you can save 15% or more on car insurance by switching to GEICO.

The great "aces" were the guys from the China War who survived until the end of the war and the pilots who survived Guadalcanal and Rabaul.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Don't embarrass yourself as a Japanese "aces" expert or buff by writing that Capt. Isamu Kashiide of the 4th Sentai, shot down 26 B-29s. Your proof?
Try this 1962 comic book story! It says on the bottom left that he shot down 26 B-29s. It's in black and white, and this cannot be disputed. This is your irrefutable proof!

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Can you tell me something about an enigmatic guy named Shigeo Fukumoto who is associated with a score of 72 by Sakaida ?

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Not much is known about Warrant Officer Shigeo Fukumoto. According to Mr. Sakaida, he was one of the NCOs from the 253 KU who were left at Rabaul when the unit pulled out to Truk. He commanded just a handful of pilots and the unit cannibalized old wrecks to form a new squadron. He returned to Japan later on before the end of the war. He claimed 72 victories, and of course, none were verified.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Good morning Luftwaffle8,

I was wondering if he existed at all...
The cieldegloire website accepts his 'score' at face value.
http://www.cieldegloire.com/010_fukomoto_s.php

Kind regards,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Fukumoto really existed. There are quite a few "aces" buffs who love compiling fictitious lists of Japanese aces' scores! It's laughable! About 35 years ago, I met a pilot named Masahiro Mitsuda. He told me that he shot down either 3 or 5 American planes in the war. I communicated this to a friend, and eventually, Masahiro Mitsuda's name appears on some list online with...5 victories!!!

Someday, there will be Wild West Gunfighter Aces...anyone who shot and killed 5+ would be listed. Look for Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Wyatt Earp to be up there. Then we will have Gangster Aces...look for Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, Machinegun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde...Bowling Aces anyone?

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

How about aces with five or more holes-in-one while playing golf? I know of at least three American aces with 5 or more; one with I think 13.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

I snapped this photo of my friend Capt David McCampbell, our top Navy ace, and his last wife Buffy. They came out to San Jose, CA for the 1977 Medal of Honor Convention and parade. Dave told me that he was married 5 times, which made him an ace in the marriage category!

Zsa Zsa Gabor and Jennifer O'Neill were married 9 times; Larry King, Mickey Rooney, and Liz Taylor were married 8 times.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

...hmm, I wonder which parameter would suffice in my own profession.
Maybe 5 publications in medical journals (English language journals only).
I have 3.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=michael+zeh

Do you know how many children McCampbell had ?

Michael Zeh