福田澄夫

War record

Born in Tokushima; 1941.3 graduated from the Naval Academy with the 69th class → 1943.2 completed 〔the 37th flight training course〕 and joined the carrier Jun'yō → 1943.4 moved up to Rabaul for Operation "I"; his first action was the attack on Guadalcanal (no chance of air fighting) → after the attacks on Oro Bay and Port Moresby he returned home → in mid-1943.7 the Jun'yō fighter unit moved up to Buin, with fierce air fighting day after day → 1943.9.1 Lieutenant j.g. 福田 was attached to the 〔204th Naval Air Group〕 → for about two months, until he transferred to the 〔252nd Naval Air Group〕 on 1943.11.4, he fought hard as a commander in the Rabaul and Buin interceptions and the Rendova attack (six shot down by himself) → with the 〔252nd Naval Air Group〕 he flew air defence of Taroa in the Marshall Islands; in the strafing and bombing of Makin on 1943.11.25 eleven were shot down, but six aircraft were lost and the attempt was abandoned → Taroa came under waves of B-24 raids, and about fifty were shot down in a month by repeated overhead attacks, but most of the aircraft had been lost by the end of 1944.1 and the unit withdrew to Truk and the home islands → 1944.3 promoted Lieutenant, instructor at the Kaminoike Naval Air Group → 1944.7 squadron leader of Fighter Squadron 163 of the newly formed 〔634th Naval Air Group〕, working up at Tokushima → 1944.10, with Operation Shō, moved up to Clark base in the Philippines → 1944.10.24, the day of the general attack, he set out against the US task force east of Luzon, fought a strong force of US fighters and went missing; officially declared killed in action.