Mitsuo Fuchida
| Mitsuo Fuchida | |
|---|---|
Captain Mitsuo Fuchida
|
|
| Born | 3 December 1902 Nara Prefecture, Japan |
| Died |
30 May 1976 (aged 73) Kashiwara, near Osaka, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Navy
|
| Years of service | 1924–45 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 1st Air Fleet |
| Commands held | Akagi: 1st (flag), 2nd and 3rd air squadrons |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work |
|
Mitsuo Fuchida (淵田 美津雄 Fuchida Mitsuo?, 3 December 1902 – 30 May 1976) was a Japanese captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and a bomber aviator in the Japanese navy before and during World War II. He is perhaps best known for leading the first air wave attacks on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Working under the overall fleet commander, Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, Fuchida was responsible for the coordination of the entire aerial attack.
After the war ended, Fuchida became a Christian evangelist and traveled through the United States and Europe to tell his story. He settled permanently in the United States but never became a U.S. citizen.
Mitsuo Fuchida was born in what is now part of Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, Japan to Yazo and Shika Fuchida on 3 December 1902. He entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima, Hiroshima, in 1921, where he befriended classmate Minoru Genda and discovered an interest in flying. He graduated as a midshipman on 24 July 1924, and was promoted to ensign on 1 December 1925 and to sub-lieutenant on 1 December 1927. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1930. Specializing in horizontal bombing, Fuchida was made an instructor in that technique in 1936. He gained combat experience during the Second Sino-Japanese War, when he was assigned to the aircraft carrier Kaga in 1929 and then to the Sasebo Air Group, He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 December 1936 and was accepted into the Naval Staff College. Fuchida joined the aircraft carrier Akagi in 1939 as the commander of the air group. Fuchida was made commander in October 1941.
...
Wikipedia