Tetsuzo Iwamoto
| Tetsuzo Iwamoto | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Zero Fighter Ace Kotetsu "Tiger Tetsu" |
| Born |
June 15, 1916 Karafuto, Japan (now Sakhalin, Russia) |
| Died | May 20, 1955 (aged 38) Masuda, Japan |
| Allegiance |
 Empire of Japan
|
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
|
| Years of service | 1934–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Junior Grade |
| Battles/wars |
Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
| Awards |
Order of the Golden Kite - 5th class Order of the Rising Sun, Green Paulownia Leaves Medal - 7th Class |
Order of the Golden Kite - 5th class
Lieutenant Junior Grade Tetsuzō Iwamoto (岩本 徹三 Iwamoto Tetsuzō?) was one of the top scoring aces among Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force (IJNAF) fighter pilots. He entered the Imperial Navy in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over China in early 1938. He emerged as the top ace of the Imperial Japan during WWII, credited with at least 87 aerial victories including 14 victories in China. Subsequently he flew Zeros from the aircraft carrier Zuikaku from December 1941 to May 1942, including at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
In late 1943, Iwamoto's air group was sent to Rabaul, New Britain, resulting in three months of air combat against Allied air raids.
Subsequent assignments were Truk Atoll in the Carolines and the Philippines, being commissioned an ensign in October 1944. Following the evacuation of the Philippines, Iwamoto served in home defense and trained kamikaze pilots.
Iwamoto was one of the highest-scoring Japanese aces. As a result of the Japanese use of the British naval practices, the IJNAF scoring system was based on the system the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF) adopted from World War I until World War II. This system differed from the scoring system used by some other nations during World War II. Research by academics surnamed Izawa and Hata in 1971 estimated his score at about 80 or more than 87. In December 1993 Izawa wrote that Iwamoto was virtually the top ace of the IJNAF.
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