American in the JAAF?

[Alex Smart]

Hi,


From another thread here.

An American that flew for the JAAF in WW2 ?

New one on me, I have not heard of this before.

Please open up this item and tell us about this man.

The Units he flew with, the aircraft he flew, any claims he made.

his eventual fate ?

Was he the only American to serve the Jap forces ?

Thanks

Alex

[kaki3152]

Alex

From what I know this was the offspring of a Japanese consular official and his American wife who was killed in action in 1945 flying against B-29s

[ArtieBob]

IIRC, at a University in Michigan, some years ago. A man of Japanese parents, but I believe born and educated in the USA. Returned with his parents to Japan just prior to WW II. Was inducted in the military and became an instructor pilot, was scheduled for kamikaze duty but war ended before he saw combat. Returned to USA after war and taught english as a second language at college level.


Best regards,

Artie Bob

[fsbofk]

Although not about a pilot, Russell Spurr's account of IJN Yamato's final mission off Okinawa ("A Glorious Way to Die") tells of several nisei sailors who were in the Japanese navy. Ensign Shigeo Yamada, on board the cruiser Yahagi, was born in Idaho and "raised on potatoes," and his friend Kunio Nakatani, on Yamato, was from Sacramento. Each was sent to universities in Japan by their families, and were there when Japan went to war with the US. Faced with imprisonment (or possible execution as suspected spies) or collaboration, they enlisted in the navy. Another Yahagi crewman, Ensign Kuramoto, had been born in Santa Monica. Yamada survived the war; though not able to retrieve his US citizenship, he went to work in the US for Japan Air Lines, finally returning to Japan as a JAL vice president.