田中国義

War record

Born in Saga Prefecture; one of the leading aces of the China Incident. Entered the navy in 1934 and graduated from the 31st pilot trainee (the Pilot Trainee Course (Sōren)) class in 1936.3, posted to 〔Omura Naval Air Group〕 → with the outbreak of the China Incident he was transferred in 1937.10 to the 〔13th Naval Air Group〕 and moved up to Shanghai; his first air combat came in the attack on Nanchang on 12.9 (one Curtiss Hawk and one Corsair shot down) → with the fighter unit short of pilots, 田中, an airman 1st class and the youngest man there, was favoured by fortune and flew the most sorties of anyone — six air battles, in which he shot down 12 aircraft in all; in July he returned to 〔Omura Naval Air Group〕 → after Ryūjō, Suzuka and Kanoya naval air groups he was promoted to petty officer 1st class (Flight Petty Officer) in 1941.10 and posted to Tainan (Taiwan) Naval Air Group, going into the Pacific War → on 12.8 he took part in the first strike on Luzon as No.2 to squadron leader Xinxiang, sharing in shooting down one P-40 → in the Netherlands East Indies fighting he made a speciality of attacking B-17s (on 1942.1.24, on patrol over the landing convoy at Balikpapan, he attacked a file of seven B-17s that came in and, though wounded by enemy fire, saw one collide with its wingman and go down; on 2.8, over the Java Sea, he was one of nine Zeros led by Lt Xinxiang that found a B-17 formation [led by Major ダフレーン] and shot down two, including the leader's aircraft, in a head-on attack) → 1942.4 transferred as an instructor to Ōita Naval Air Group; after his return home valvular heart disease kept him from the front, and he served as an instructor at 〔Tsukuba Naval Air Group〕 and Kasumigaura Naval Air Group until the end of the war.