小田喜一

War record

Born 1913 in Niigata Prefecture → 1931 entered the navy as a paymaster rating → graduated from the 18th pilot trainee (the Pilot Trainee Course (Sōren)) class in November of the following year (1932) and transferred to the fighter-pilot branch → 〔Omura Naval Air Group〕, 〔Yokosuka Naval Air Group〕, 原翔 (as written), then back to 〔Yokosuka Naval Air Group〕 → 1937.8, just after the outbreak of the China Incident, joined Kaga and sortied off Shanghai → 9.19, the first attack on Nanjing: the main force was 12 Type 96 carrier fighters of the 〔13th Naval Air Group〕, with three more from Kaga under Lt 五十嵐, but the No.1 and No.2 aircraft turned back with engine trouble and only 小田's No.3 machine, flown by him as a petty officer 2nd class, went on; in the air battle over the capital he shot down three Curtiss Hawks (one of them unconfirmed) → added one more in the air battle during the 10.7 attack on Shaoguan (as written), and in December returned to 霞 Naval Air Group → the next year the 〔13th Naval Air Group〕, in June the 〔15th Naval Air Group〕, back at the Central China front, and in November home to Japan → when the 1st Air Fleet was formed he was posted to the carrier Sōryū, and at Pearl Harbor flew as leader of the 3rd section of the second wave's fighter unit, strafing Kaneohe airfield → 1942.4, the Indian Ocean operation: three shot down in the fierce air battle over Colombo, and on the 9th, on patrol over the carrier, his section shot down four of the Hudsons that came in → June, during the Midway operation, Sōryū was sunk while he was on patrol over the carrier; he was rescued and returned to the homeland → in May of the following year he was promoted to Flight Warrant Officer (Flight Warrant Officer) and placed on the reserve list, but was recalled the same day and served as an instructor at Iwakuni and 呉 → 1944.4 ordered to the 〔261st Naval Air Group〕, moved up to the bases in the Marianas and fought across the Inner South Seas → in July attached to Fighter Squadron 306 and remained at Truk → on 12.10, while returning to Japan aboard the submarine I-365, the boat was sunk in the the Ogasawara Islands (Ogasawara) area and he went down with her; promoted to naval ensign and officially declared killed in action.