71st Hiko Sentai (71st Flying Regiment)
Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF)

Background
The 71st Hiko Sentai (71st Flying Regiment) in the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) operated the Type 1 Fighter / Ki-43 Oscar and Type 4 Fighter Hayate / Ki-84 Frank.

Wartime History
During 1945, operated from Carolina Airfield (Manapla) and Puerto Princesa Airfield.

On January 7, 1945 in the morning, Ki-84 Frank pilot Sgt Fukuda took off from Carolina Airfield (Manapla) armed with a 150 kg bomb on a patrol to the west of Bacolod to report the presence of any American ships. Returning, he encountered P-38 Lightnings from 431st Fighter Squadron (431st FG) moments after P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 pilot Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. crashed. Fukuda engaging the three remaining P-38s and made a head on pass and shot down P-38J Lightning 43-28836 pilot Major Jack B. Rittmayer. Afterwards 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 made a force landing at Carolina Airfield (Manapla) and while landing flipped over and was injured in the crash landing.

References
Emblems of the Rising Sun page 32 (71st Sentai)
Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units And Their Aces 1931-1945 (2002) pages XXX (71th Sentai)

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