Japanese Forces

Matsuo Hagiri

japanese navy air force ace Matsuo Hagiri in rabaul island 1943, he first saw combat in china september 1940, piloting a zero fighter his squadron annihilated any chinese fighter encountered with no losses, in october 1940 Hagiri and tree other zero fighter pilots landed on a chinese airfield for a sabotage mission destroying several fuel tanks, they managed to escape under heavy chinese machine gun fire, he then recieved a china incident war medal for his actions and returned to japan as a pilot instructor, in july 1943 he is sent to the solomons islands On September 23, 1943, 27 planes of a Zero fighter Group are sent to intercept an Allied raid against the base. hagiri destroyed tree Corsair fighters but was wounded by machine gun fire, in 1944 he returned to japan for the defence of tokyo against the B-29 bombers he destroyed two b-29 bombers before being wounded by machine gun fire, during his career he won 15 air victories, he died in 1997