白浜芳次郎

War record

Born in Tokyo; 1938 enlisted as a volunteer at the Yokosuka Naval Barracks → 1941 completed the 56th Pilot Trainee Course as a seaplane pilot → Kashima / Hakata / Kure Naval Air Groups → transferred to the 16th Naval Air Group and took part in the capture of Mindanao at the outbreak of the war → 32nd Naval Air Group / Otsu Naval Air Group → retrained as a carrier fighter pilot at the Tsuiki Naval Air Group → 1943.12 attached to the headquarters of the 1st Carrier Division as part of the fighter sweep unit of the rebuilt mobile force → 1944.1 moved to Singapore and trained hard aboard the carrier Shokaku at Lingga anchorage → 1944.6.19 in the sea battle off the Marianas he shot down one aircraft and returned alone, being recovered by Zuikaku → 1944.6.20 he intercepted the attacking US carrier aircraft, shot down 3, then ditched on the open sea in the dark and was rescued by a destroyer and returned to Japan → training at the Oita base as senior pilot of Fighter Squadron 166, 653rd Naval Air Group → 1944.10, on the launching of Operation Sho-Go, he stayed behind on ferrying duty (via Taiwan to Bamban base on Luzon → Cebu base), then rejoined the main body for interception and the Leyte offensive operations before returning to Oita → 1944.12 with the reorganisation of the 601st Naval Air Group he transferred to Fighter Squadron 310 and trained at the Matsuyama and Iwakuni bases → 1945.2 moved to the Kanto district and sortied against US carrier aircraft → 1945.3 deployed to Kokubu base in southern Kyushu for the decisive battle for Okinawa; on 4.3, flying alone, he shot down 3 in combat over Kikaigashima → 1945.5 returned to the Kanto district and was at Suzuka base at the end of the war