大野竹好

War record

Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1921 → 1940 graduated from the Naval Academy with the 68th class → 1942.6 completed 〔the 36th flight training course〕 and was posted straight to the Tainan Naval Air Group at Rabaul → first action 8.27 over Buna, where, on patrol leading two wingmen, he took on a P-39 alone and shot it down → by the time he returned to the home islands in early November he had shot down five, growing so fast that he was looked to as a second 笹井, the lieutenant who had been killed → 1943.5, when the 〔251st Naval Air Group〕 moved up to Rabaul again, he went as division leader; beginning with the attack on Oro Bay on 5.14 he flew as a middle-ranking commander in the air battles over the Russell Islands on 6.7 and 6.12 and in the attack on shipping off Lunga on 6.16, and in the attacks of 6.12 and 6.16 in particular, young as he was, he acted as overall commander of the 〔251st Naval Air Group〕 fighter unit and shot down two on his own and two shared → sortied as division leader in the attack on Rendova on 6.30 and was hit and crashed in the confused fighting; killed in action.