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| JAAF 71st Hiko Sentai |
Pilot Sgt Mizunori Fukuda (injured, survived) Crash Landed January 7, 1945 Aircraft History Built by Nakajima. At the factory, painted with dark green upper surfaces and gray lower surfaces. Delivered to the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) as Type 4 Fighter Hayate / Ki-84-I Ko (Frank) manufacture number unknown (four digits). Wartime History Assigned to the 71st Hiko Sentai (71st Flying Regiment). No known markings or tail code. Mission History On January 7, 1945 in the morning took off from Carolina Airfield (Manapla) piloted by Sgt Mizunori Fukuda armed with a 150 kg bomb on a patrol to the west of Bacolod to report any American ships but saw none. Returning, he saw Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto and flew back together. While preparing to land at Carolina Airfield (Manapla) when he saw Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto engage a flight of four P-38 Lightnings and P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 pilot Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. crash then Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto intercepted by P-38s piloted by Weaver and Thropp. Fukuda broke off his landing and entered the dog fight and made a head on pass against P-38J Lightning 43-28836 pilot Major Jack B. Rittmayer and shot him down. Afterwards, he was fired on by P-38L "Doots" 44-24876 pilot Captain Edwin R. Weaver and damaged. He fired on P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. but was again hit by Weaver and his engine began loosing power. Disengaging, Fukuda few into the clouds then returned to land at Carolina Airfield (Manapla) and while landing the left landing gear leg collapsed and his plane flipped over and he suffered back injuries in the landing. Fate of the Pilot Fukuda was rescued by ground crew and given medical treatment on Negros then embarked aboard a ship and transported to Japan. After three months recovering from his injuries, he resumed flying combat missions in defense of the Tokyo area until the end of the Pacific War. Afterwards, he returned home to Kagoshima and was a farmer. References "What Really Happened to McGuire?" by David Mason via Wayback Machine January 27, 2012 The Search For The Crash Site of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. by David Mason, 2000 McGuire Final Report: Investigation into the final combat mission of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. (2009) by David J. Mason Thanks to David Mason for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated August 4, 2024 |
 Ki-84  Map Fukuda Jan 7, 1945 |
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