Quote:
Originally Posted by knusel
You think 10 is tremendous ?
Is that the total that's verified by Allied losses ?
Michael
|
The last word on TAINAN KU pilots comes from the masterpiece EAGLES OF THE SOUTHERN SKY by Lucas Ruffato and Michael Claringbould.
According to their research and methodology, they give Sakai credit for 4.3 victories. This doesn't include his two victories over Tulagi (SBD and a F4F which are verified through US Navy records). Don't ask me to explain how they arrived at the score, just get the book if you really want to know. I support their work.
SAMURAI! by Martin Caidin, Fred Saito, and Saburo Sakai is horrible and I consider it almost fiction. WINGED SAMURAI by Henry Sakaida is much better, but EAGLES OF THE SOUTHERN SKY is the best! The authors compared Allied and Japanese losses, and that's how they arrived at the scores.
4.3 + 2 = 6.3 victories with the Tainan KU. Sakai's China War claims of 2 are unverified. Neither are his claims prior to Tainan KU. And neither are his claims at Iwo Jima.
A Japanese researcher told me that Sakai had around 10 victories and I believe him. I asked Sakai if he had 64 victories and he said he didn't remember how many he shot down...he made claims only but could not confirm them because there was no confirmation process like the Americans had.
Whether 6.3 or 10, such a score would be incredible for a Japanese pilot. We are too used to seeing the scores of Luftwaffe aces with their scores of 100, 200, 301, and 352 victories.
Treat Japanese aerial victory scores as a CLAIM, and not CONFIRMED. Sakai admitted that he survived because he was wounded and sent back to Japan. The truly great pilots flew from 1937 until the end of the war.
When I met the Zero pilots, they would never mention scores, but would tell me that so and so was a great pilot, "he survived Rabaul" or "he fought at Guadalcanal" or "he flew against B-29s..."