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Old 6th April 2013, 14:19
Johnny .45 Johnny .45 is offline
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Japanese aircrew bailouts, prisoners?

I was just thinking the other day looking at a photo of an Allied airman being "rescued" and taken prisoner by an Italian patrol floatplane. Since the Japanese infantryman was expected to commit suicide and die gloriously in combat if possible, what was the Japanese policy on bailing out of damaged aircraft, or ditching them? I know I've heard accounts of Japanese pilots trying to ram an enemy target if they were shot down, but what if there is no enemy ships nearby, and you just got pounced and shot down by Hellcats? Are you expected to stay in your plane and die? What if you just have engine problems or run out of fuel over the ocean. To bail out and end up in a life raft puts you in grave danger of being captured without a chance to fight, if an enemy vessel comes across you before a friendly one does.
So did Japanese pilots wear parachutes, and how many of them were "rescued" and taken prisoner after being shot down or ditched?
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