岩井勉

War record

Born in Kyoto; 1938.8 completed the flight trainee course with the Otsu 6th Yokaren class → 1940.1 posted to the 〔12th Naval Air Group〕, moved up to Hankou → 1940.9.13 the air battle over Chongqing (13 aircraft shot down 27, a great success; two of them his) → 1940.10.26 the attack on Chengdu (flying as wingman to Flight Warrant Officer 山下小四郎, he shot down one unarmed trainer) → 1940.11 returned home → Tsukuba, Saeki and 〔Omura Naval Air Groups〕 → 1942.11 joined the carrier Zuikaku → 1943.1 moved up to Rabaul (covering the withdrawal from Guadalcanal, the Lae convoy, the attack on Buna) → 1943.4 Operation "I" (attacks on Guadalcanal, Oro Bay, Port Moresby and Milne Bay) → 1944.8 attached to the 〔601st Naval Air Group〕, working up at Matsuyama → 1944.10, with Operation Shō, sortied east of the Philippines aboard Zuikaku → 1944.10.24 he flew with the escort fighter unit under Lieutenant 小林保平 covering the strike on the US task force, but was intercepted by enemy fighters and landed alone at Aparri on Luzon; flying combat air patrol over 栗田's fleet he shot down two enemy torpedo bombers and returned to Batangas → after taking part in the attack on Leyte from Clark he got a lift in an Army heavy bomber back to Matsuyama → 1944.11 promoted Ensign → spring 1945 moved up to southern Kyushu and took part in the Okinawa air battles; the war ended for him at Suzuka.