Japanese Forces

Kiyomi Katsuki

japanese navy ace Kiyomi Katsuki, his first combat was in january 1942 piloting a F1M2 ‘Pete’ biplane scout fighter he shot down a Dutch PBY, On 4 October 1942, while flying combat air patrol over the fleet in his ‘Pete’, he spotted four enemy fighters and five B-17s. In order to prevent the bombers from hitting the seaplane carrier Nisshin, Katsuki dove on the leading B-17 (B-17E of the 72nd BS, flown by Lieutenant David C. Everitt Jr.) and commenced his attack. After completing his pass, he rammed the aircraft from below, tearing the right main wing and the vertical stabiliser off the bomber and damaging his own right wing. Together with his observer he baled out of his stricken aircraft and both were rescued by the destroyer Akisuki. The crew of the B-17 all perished. Katsuki later returned to Japan and began conversion training on seaplane fighters (Nakajima A6M2-N ‘Rufe’) at Yokusuka Air Base. in 1943 in the aleutians he shot down a B-25 piloting a A6M2-N ‘Rufe’ sea plane, in januray 1944 he shot down two B-24s with a N1K1 seaplane, He returned to Japan in February 1945 and was based at Omura airfield, where he flew Mitsubishi J2M Raidens (‘Jack’) on home defence sorties until the surrender. Katsuki ended the war with 16 kills (seven of the scored in seaplanes).