Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Gentlemen,

What do you know about Tetauzo Iwamoto,known to be Japan's top air ace with at least 87 victories which includes 14 in China? His victory in my opinion is questionable.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

That is a very big question, Edward.
Anything in particular you are looking for?
Hata and Izawa in their book Japanese Naval Fighter Aces credit him with 66 victories in WW2 and 14 in China. His own writings found after his death record 202 destroyed, 27 unconfirmed destroyed, 26 shared and 2 on the ground.
Because of the way the Japanese treated aerial victories (and also because of overclaiming) it is very difficult if not impossible to determine what may be the true number for any particular pilot.
Peter

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Tetsuzo Iwamoto kept a personal diary during the war. Unfortunately, some of the dates are way off. His diary was turned into a book, published under the title ZERO SEN GEIKTSUI O (ZERO FIGHTER SHOOT DOWN KING) in 1972 by Konnichi No Wadai Sha, Tokyo.

There is a handwritten list of his claims. Some of his claims were:
F4Fx7, P38 x 4, F4U x48, P40 x 1, F6F x 29, P47 x 1, P51 x 1, PBY5A x 1 (group)...202 individual, 26 shared, 22 uncertain, 2 damaged, and 2 on the ground.Grand total: 254.

I was interested in his PBY claim, so I checked US records, and sure enough, a group of Zeroes brought it down. He was right on. Strangely, his China War claims are not listed. According to Hata/Izawa, he was the top Navy pilot with 14 in China. Of course, none of these claims are verified.

In 1975, I wrote to Mrs. Iwamoto, asking if I could drop by and interview her. She politely declined and giving the polite and customary excuses, which translated into English meant: I don't want to see you, please do not bother me. She did say that she had no photos of her husband (hard to believe) and could offer nothing.

During his time at Rabaul, Japan News sent a team to take movies for the people back home. He was filmed and his wife, who was 14 at the time, remembered seeing his face in the movie house. They would marry later.

Iwamoto was greatly respected as a veteran, having fought in the China War and surviving the war (1937 to 1945). Because he fought for so long, it was assumed that he shot down many planes.

I met Mr. Takeo Tanimizu in Japan. He too fought at Rabaul. He knew Iwamoto when the pilot was transferred to the 203 KU in the home defense. They flew together and jointly claimed a B-29. That's what Mr. Tanimizu told me.

After the war, the Navy was kaput, and Iwamoto was forced to do menial jobs to survive. He had no job skills other than piloting a fighter plane.
Well, you know the rest.

Iwamoto's claims are simply claims and nothing more. If an American vet tells me that he mowed down 50+ German soldiers with his BAR and took out a pillbox with a grenade, who am I to argue with him? How is he going to prove it and who cares anyway? We didn't have US Infantry BAR aces. Maybe someday, we will! People are so obsessed with scores! Does notching 50 kills on the stock of his BAR PROVE his claims??? Besides, in hand-to-hand combat, whose keeping scores???!

I think Japanese "aces" should be categorized by length of combat service.
But that's just not appealing.

About 15 years ago, I met with Iyozoh Fujita in Los Angeles and showed him Izawa/Hata's bio on him. And I asked, "Did you shoot down ten American planes at Midway???" And he answered: "I think I hit that many but I don't know how many went down."

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your prompt answer. Iwamoto's score over USN F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs simply were overclaimed. 29 Hellcats and 48 Corsairs shot down? I don't think so.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

In the end, what we think does not matter. Only what we know.
Peter

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Dear Luftwaffle8,

can you tell me the decimals of the 26 shared kills in Iwamoto's Memory ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

This is from Iwamoto's book.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

The diary is from the beginning of the war (Pearl Harbor) until the end of the war, so his China claims are not listed. The column on the left, top to bottom reads: Victories (202); group (26); uncertain (22), damaged (2), and burned on the ground (2). Addd them up and he gets 254. In the list, he has English Spitifire x 4 downed with 2 more set on fire on the ground; SBDx48 with 7 uncertain; TBFx5 with 14 uncertain; SBDx30 with aerial burst bombs

These were his claims, none were verified except for the PBY which I investigated.
If he shot at a plane and thinks he hit it, then he claimed it.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Hello Luftwaffle8.

thanks for the document.
Wow, this guy destroyed a quarter of all the American Corsairs that were lost in WW2 ! ;-)
And he also records his uncertain, damaged and ground claims, which means he thinks he has a score of 202+26sh certainly, destroyed, in the air !!! ;-)
Do you know the algorithm by which Hata/Izawa reduced his 202+26sh down to 80 ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Relax and grab a beer, these are Iwamoto's CLAIMS! Not verified. Sadaaki Akamatsu claimed 350. Izawa/Hata arrived at their scores by taking the unverified scores attributed to the pilots from official and non-official sources.Just because a Japanese newspaper or a Navy citation says so-and-so shot down X planes, doesn't make it so...because the score was never verified. They had no system of verification, no gun cameras, and claims were taken on face value. If I tell you that I caught a dozen trout and 2 bass on my fishing trip, you will not question me on them because it really is not important.

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

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

I know of two sons: One joined the Navy but did not get into aviation. Looked like his old man. He visited me once.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Good morning Luftwaffle8,

it's cool you knew McCampbell.
This website
http://acepilots.com/usn_mccampbell.html
indicates that he was married only four times.
Should this be corrected or could you imagine he exaggerated his marriage score to become a wedding-ace ? ;-)
Do you know what his "lenghty illness" from which he died, was ?

Kind regards,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Good morning Gentlemen,

OSPREY will publish a Zero volume in the Aircraft of the Aces series next April:
https://www.amazon.de/Zero-sen-Aces-...=a6m+zero+aces
I hope it'll make definite statements about the scores of Iwamoto, Nishizawa and Sakai.

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Good Morning
does anybody have any contacts with books stores in Japan that might have a copy of his book?
please let me know
thank you in advance.
Santiago

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Do you mean Iwamoto's logbook ?

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

I suggest contacting this company.


https://rarebooksjapan.com/

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Every nation overclaimed. Look at the insane claims bomber crews claimed. Those claims, like most a ludicrous.

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

I'm a bit disappointed because the new Zero book by OSPREY
https://www.amazon.de/Zero-Sen-Aces-...gateway&sr=8-1
mostly adopts the scores indicated by Hata, Izawa & Shores.

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Well of course--it's not like they can follow a diving aircraft down trailing exhausts if they think they succeed in hitting it! Not to mention that if you're talking about bomber gunners you've probably got every gunner in the whole formation all claiming they hit an aircraft that actually got destroyed.

Let's take a more 'rational' approach, and stick to 'pursuit pilot' and their claims

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

One fellow wrote that Iwamoto's 216+16sh kills are rather "attacks" than shootdowns. But the score of 80 indicated by Hata, Izawa & Shores is an arbritrary figure, isn't it ?

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

They can also be viewed as "victories" in the same sense as used in WW1, ie. he defeated 216 planes and they conceded the airspace to him.


That Tetsuzō Iwamoto's autobiographical book "8 years of air battle : Zero shoot down King" ISBN: 9,784,769,820,505 has not been translated to English yet is disappointing :(

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

Yes, that's a pity.
Whereas there are some different sources about Nishizawas score, I have never heard about another source about Iwamoto's score than himself
(214+26sh) and the assessment of Hata, Izawa & Shores (80). Have any wartime authorities ever mentioned his tally ?
The score suggested by himself is not WW1 standard because it was not officially confirmed by his commanding officers, was it ?

Have a nice evening,

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

...I mean: was the reduction of Tetsuzo Iwamoto's score from 216+26sh to ca.80 by Hata, Izawa & Shores arbitary ?

Michael

Re: Tetauzo Iwamoto
 

...is it known how many of Iwamoto's kills were scored over Asia and how many over Australia&Oceania ?