World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
11 Nov 2011 08:15:51 AM

SAMURAI:

Saburo Sakai had four victories in China
flying the A5M Claude, he later flew the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.
In 1937 he was among 1,500 men who applied for flight training, with the Imperial Japanese Navy, 70 had been selected for the training.
Sakai survived WWII after seven years of operational flying, 200 combat missions and 64 enemy aircraft shotdown. He was born on
August 16, 1916 and died September 22, 2000
he was 84 years old.

Meaning of the word Samurai: From the archaic
Japanese verb "Samorau" changed to "Saburau"
Meaning "To Serve"

Suggested Reading:

SAMURAI!
By Saburo Sakai
Publisher I Books, New edition January 2001
Paperback
ISBN: 0743412834

2.  Bill says:
19 Dec 2011 09:43:42 AM

SKILLFULL FLYING: AGAINST THE ODDS

In the hands of an experienced combat pilot
the A6M Zero was still a deadly fighter. Saburo Sakai stumbled alone into a formation of fifteen US Navy F6F Hellcats during the defense of Iwo Jima in 1944.
Sakai returned to combat flying even with the loss of one eye, fought a running twenty
minute dogfight and skillfully maneuvered his zero, with ninety fifty caliber machine guns firing at him the Hellcats broke off combat.
Sakai returned to base after landing his ground crew inspected the zero and discovered not one bullet had hit his plane!

Sakai had 3200 flying hours with 1500 in the
Zero. Photograph of PO2/c Saburo Sakai taken in cockpit of his Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" fighter, Hankow, China 1939.

F6F Hellcat armed w/6xfifty caliber machine guns w/400rpg 2400rounds
A6M5c Zero armed w/2x7.7mm machine guns with
700rpg, 2x20mm cannons w/125rpg