World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
10 Jun 2011 09:38:28 PM

Hiroyoshi Nishizawa had 87 kills some sources
claim 100 victories. Squadron mates called him "The Devil". Nishizawa died at age 24 as a passenger aboard a transport aircraft

2.  Bill says:
29 Jun 2011 07:47:50 PM

LEGEND IN ITS OWN TIME:

During the Guadalcanal campaign, the Japanese
sent Zeros on regular fighter sweeps from Rabaul a distance of 600 miles one way over water.
Mitsubishi built 560 A6M3 Model 22 fighters
armed w/2x20mm cannons w/100rpg and 2x7.7mm machine guns w/500rpg. Operations continued, until the Japanese could build airbases on Bougainville, however, with the arrival of the P-38 Lightning and other new American fighters, and tactics to fight against the Zero and with Japanese losses at Midway and
Guadalcanal, the day of the zero was over.

JAPAN COULD NEVER MAKEUP THE LOSSES:

By 1943 Japan was never able to makeup the loss in experienced pilots it had at the start of the war.
The replacement pilots were hastily trained
and lacked experience. In the 1930s only the
very very best were accepted for pilot training with 100 men trained as pilots each year as combat losses increased, Japan rushed
its pilot training programs, but could never
match the US.