山本旭

War record

1934.7 graduated from the 24th pilot trainee course → Tateyama and Ōminato Naval Air Groups → 1935.11 joined Hōshō (the China Incident, south China operations) → 1937.9.27 the raid on Canton (as No.2 to Lieutenant 花本; two Curtiss Hawks shot down, his first) → December Kasumigaura Naval Air Group (returned home) → 1939.10 attached to the 〔12th Naval Air Group〕 (China front, to 1940.7) → instructor, Ōita Naval Air Group → joined Kaga just before the outbreak of war → 1941.12.8 the Pearl Harbor attack (leader of the third section of the air-superiority unit of the first wave; shot down a civilian sightseeing aircraft — the first victory of the Pacific War), and strafed Hickam Field (six aircraft burned single-handed) → the Battle of Midway (combat air patrol over the carrier; five shared victories with his section; with Kaga bombed he landed on Hiryū, and shot down four in the attack on Yorktown) → July joined Zuihō → 10.26 the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (promoted Flight Warrant Officer) → 1943.3–4 detached to Rabaul (four shot down in all in the Lae convoy operation and the attacks on Port Moresby, Buna, Oro Bay and Guadalcanal) → May transferred to the 〔Yokosuka Naval Air Group〕 (returned home) → 1944 sortied in the Iwo Jima fighting (wounded by naval gunfire, recovered) → 1944.11.24, intercepting B-29s over Yachimata in the first raid on the home islands, he was hit and got out, but his parachute failed to open and he was killed.