兼子正

War record

Born in Tokyo, the son of a lawyer → Tokyo Prefectural First Middle School, then the Naval Academy → graduated with the 60th class in 1932 → 1935.7 completed 〔the 26th flight training course〕, qualified as a fighter pilot → he was a fighter section leader aboard the carrier Ryūjō when the China Incident broke out; on 1937.8.22, on patrol near Shanghai leading three wingmen, he met a formation of 18 Curtiss Hawks, and in a hard air battle six were shot down (two of them by himself); he became known throughout the country → returned to the home islands after the attack on Canton in September → 1938.8 back to the central China front as division leader of the 〔15th Naval Air Group〕, on base air defence and direct support of ground units until the end of the year → after returning home, 1939.4 moved up to Hankou as division leader of the 〔12th Naval Air Group〕 but had no chance of air combat; 1940.5 〔Omura Naval Air Group〕, October division leader of the Miho Naval Air Group → 1941.9 division leader aboard the newly built carrier Shōkaku, taking part in the Pearl Harbor attack, the Salamaua attack and the Indian Ocean operation → 1942.5 squadron leader of the 〔6th Naval Air Group〕, sailing aboard a carrier for the occupation of Midway → Lieutenant 兼子 was aboard Akagi when, on 6.5, she came under successive waves of attack by US carrier aircraft; unwilling to look on, he took off with four wingmen and shot down two large attack aircraft (the large attack aircraft (Type 96 land attack aircraft)) in the interception → rescued when Akagi sank and returned home; became squadron leader of Hiyō; in October he sortied into the Solomons, but with the carrier aircraft unserviceable the squadron moved instead to the base at Rabaul, and from late October took part in the Guadalcanal offensive day after day → promoted Lieutenant Commander on 11.1, fighting hard at the head of his men; shot down three F4Fs in the 11.11 attack on Guadalcanal; on the 14th, leading eleven wingmen, Lieutenant Commander 兼子 sortied from Buin to cover the transport convoy of the 38th Division, and while engaging enemy fighters and bombers that came in at about 2.30 pm he was hit and crashed.