Kaneyoshi Muto
| Kaneyoshi Muto | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 1916 Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | 24 July 1945 (aged 29) Bungo Channel, Japan |
| Allegiance |
 Imperial Japanese Navy
|
| Years of service | 1935–45 |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Battles/wars |
Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War |
Kaneyoshi Muto (武藤 金義 Mutō Kaneyoshi, June 1916 – 24 July 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace known for his great skill in fighter aircraft. Fellow ace Saburō Sakai called him "a genius in the air."
Kaneyoshi Muto was born to a humble farming family in June 1916 in Aichi Prefecture. Muto grew to a height of 1.6m (5' 3") —short in stature—and enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Navy in June 1935 when he was 19. After serving for a brief period aboard the destroyer Uranami he applied for flight training to advance his career. In July 1936 he graduated as a naval aviator and was assigned to the Omura Air Group.
Muto went to war in China flying with the 12th Air Group. He earned his first air victory on 4 December 1937 during the Battle of Nanking when he shot down a Soviet-made Polikarpov I-16. Muto continued fighting in China, flying many sorties over Hankou to become an ace with five victories. For his distinguished service, he was honored with an official commendation on 30 April 1938. Among his fellow pilots on the ground, he was well-liked for his great sense of humor.
Parallel to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces attacked the Philippines. On 8 December 1941 Muto, flying with the 3rd Air Group, took part in the attacks on Iba Airfield and Clark Airfield to eliminate the immediate threat of American air power.
Muto fought further air battles in the Java Sea, in the Solomon Islands, and in New Guinea. He fought alongside Saburō Sakai through mid-1944 on the island of Iwo Jima, surviving to be called by Sakai "the toughest fighter pilot in the Imperial Navy."
...
Wikipedia