Warbird Information Exchange

In the continuation of my research of my uncle who was a B-29 Navigator and was shot down 1-27-45, I've been trying to find information on the Japanese fighter pilot who shot his bee two nine down. He was Sergeant Suzuki Shoichi and was with the 244th Squadron flying a Tony or Hien. Apparently he was shot down by an F6F. I have one very blurry photo of him, but would like to find out more about him.
If his family is still aware of what he did, it would be great to go there to Japan and meet his family. I hope to one day write a book for the families of the crew members as a preservation of this piece of history.

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"According to the map, we've only gone 4 inches."

Look at Hap Halloran's website.., Hap was able to find the fighter pilot who saluted him when he was coming down via a parachute.., instead of shooting him.., the fighter pilot saluted him.,. he was then interred in a POW camp with Pappy Boyington.., and they both survived to tell.

Interesting website.., Hap's B-29 was rammed and brought down by the way.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!!

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S.

A quick check of Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937-1945 by Henry Sakaida (Osprey), lists 1Lt Shoichi Suzuki with 17 kills. If he was in the 244th Sentai, you can read some more about its homeland defense tactics against the B-29s, including ramming, in the last chapter, Home Defence. A quick scan did not turn up his name specifically in that chapter. The difference in rank may be due to a posthumous promotion, something that was not uncommon, it seems, to those who brought down B-29s, especially by ramming. Sakaida also wrote B-29 Hunters of the JAAF, also Osprey, which might have more info about him but I don't have a copy handy at the moment. You might try writing Henry Sakaida through Osprey with your request and see if he can help directly. If that fails, PM me and I'll see if I can't provide a contact. Sorry, all I can offer for now. All the best.

Randy

There is quite a bit written about air combat in the Pacific in the war in the out islands, but it seems there is not so much of the later part of the war.

I don't have any idea of the losses of B-29s near Japan or if losses were mainly flak or fighters or weather or mchanical? I don't know is there were many fighter attacks on the bombers or many air to air combats between the 51 escorts and the Japanese fighters?

Are there any P-51 aces from this part of the war?

It would seem that the Japanese air defenses were depleted as Enola Gay and others B-29s flew over the home islands without being attacked.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Try these forums as well:

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/forumdisplay.php?f=26

http://www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php

Dave

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There was plenty of aerial opposition to B-29s during the war. High altitude operations was one way to avoid the fighters (as the Enola Gay did) but most of the heavy bombing that did the most damage was done at lower levels and later at night with incendiaries.

I show some 3943 B-29s were built, 562 were lost, including 35 in Korea and these were all causes, combat and "other". If I do my math correctly that shows about a 14% attrition rate (about 10% combat). About 300 B-29 were lost in WW2 due to enemy action (fighters and flack. Here's more info...

I found some info on the losses.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/aafsd/aafsd_pdf/t165.pdf

20th Bomber Command
80 total, with 22 due to fighters, 7 from AAA and 51 from "other"
breakdown by year is:
1944 70 total, with 20 due to fighters, 5 from AAA and 45 from "other"
1945 10 total, with 2 due to fighters, 2 from AAA and 6 from "other"

21st Bomber Command
334 total, with 52 due to fighters, 47 from AAA, 19 from fighter/AAA and 216 from "other"
breakdown by year is:
1944 25 total, with 4 due to fighters, 1 from AAA, and 20 from "other"
1945 309 total, with 48 due to fighters, 46 from AAA, 19 from fighter/AAA and 196from "other"

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"If its red or dusty - DON'T TOUCH IT!

Very good research Flyboy,thanks.

It looks like "other" is the worst category.
Maybe outsourcing your maintenance is not a new thing after all. Either way that is a lot of 29s lost, if they were all 29s.

The Enola Gay bombed, I think from 15,000 feet, not too high and easily within a Zeros range.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Yes it did...

Actually later fighters gave the B-29s trouble - "Bocks Car" actually made contact with fighters when it bombed Nagasaki.

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"If its red or dusty - DON'T TOUCH IT!

244 Sentai Reunion Association website:
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~s244f/

One reason that Enola Gay and its weather recon sisters did not have opposition is that the Japanese by then rarely attacked single B-29s figuring that to do so would only serve to highlight that city or facility as important thus inviting an air raid. In fact I think that Tibbetts was planning on just that sort of non reaction as part of the mission rather than encumbering Enola Gay with fighter escorts that might in turn have triggered a more alert response from the Japanese.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Capt Abner M. Aust a Mustang pilot of the 506th FG 20th AF became the last confirmed Ace of WW2 claiming three Ki 84s in July 1945 and two Zeros on August 10. He was initially only credited with 4 victories because his gun camera failed on the last mission. Then 15 years later his brother was visiting Japan and discovered a memorial plaque erected to honor his last victim. This was considered enough evidence to confirm his final kill.

Oscar Perdomo (P-47) claimed 5 kills in one day on August 13, 1945 and became the last ace confirmed during WW2.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Also a Colonel James B. Tapp scored 8 and Major Robert Wilson Moore scored 11 (of 12) victories over Japan in Mustangs both of the 15 FG.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Dang I haven't I haven't heard that crazy old man's name in a while

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Don't touch my junk!!

Hello there,

I'm looking for additional, and reliable, info on Shoichi Suzuki.
I was visiting Yasukuni Jinja during Oshougatsu, with my Japanese wife, when her mother mentioned about having an uncle which was KIA in '45 while flying for the Army.
Comms are a bit complicated: I'm Brazilian, my wife is the only one that speaks English+Japanese, but I managed to get some info, and scan from some descendants house, and a letter (in Japanese) with some explanation from another distant relative.
The letter mentions about his actions against B-29s, and being killed in Feb '45.
My mother-in-law thought he was Kamikaze squadron, but I guess he might have been one of the 244th Sentai "rammers".
Found some close info on 244th Senati's page, but also in Japanese, and my wife had a hard time trying to translate (she left Japan when she was 20).
My interest come since I'm myself an WW2 History buff (more on the European Air War side), an ex-fighter pilot (80s era)

Any help would be highly appreciated.
I have scan of his pictures, aircraft profile (Watanabe), and leftovers which I can e-mail (dunno how to post here). My e-mail is dariodubai@yahoo.com
Posted also, with picture, on http://www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php?topic=13337.0
Thanks in advance
Paulo
Paulo

Thanks for the message, when I have a chance I'll send you an email. I have recurrent next month for the airline I'm flying for, so I'm studying for that. Was great to hear from you, excited to hear what information you have.

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"According to the map, we've only gone 4 inches."