Kiyoshi Ito file photo [18581]

Kiyoshi Ito

SurnameIto
Given NameKiyoshi
Born1 Nov 1921
Died4 Jul 2012
CountryJapan
CategoryMilitary-Air
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseKiyoshi Ito was born in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, Japan as the third of six children. In Jun 1939, he joined Japanese Navy's Yokosuka Naval Air Group, initially serving aboard a minelayer. In Nov 1940, he was transferred to the Tsuchiura Naval Air Group. Upon the completion of flight school, he was assigned to the newly formed Takao Naval Air Group, based in Taiwan, in Nov 1941. He participated in the opening chapters of the Pacific War, seeing combat over the Philippine Islands and Borneo. Between Mar and Aug 1942, he participated in six sorties against targets near Kendari, Celebes and Kupang, Timor in the Dutch East Indies. In Sep 1942, his unit was transferred to Rabaul, New Britain. On 3 Oct 1942, while en route to attack US targets on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, his fighter experience fuel pump failure, forcing him to make a water landing; he drifted for five to six hours before being rescued by a Japanese destroyer. In Nov 1942, his unit was transferred to Kupang. In early 1943, he participated in 10 sorties against Allied targets in northern Australia and New Guinea. Ito returned to Japan in Nov 1943 after having destroyed 32 enemy aircraft (23 in combat, 9 on the ground). In Japan, he became a flight instructor. In Nov 1944, he was assigned to a fighter squadron based in Tsukuba, Japan consisted of flight instructors; he would see combat with this squadron until the end of the war. His final combat mission completed on 15 Aug 1945. After the war, he returned to Murakami and was employed by the Kato Group construction company. In 1947, when he married the daughter of one of the owners, he changed his family name to Kato. In 1976, he rose to be the president of the company. In 1980, he was awarded the Purple Ribbon award by the Japanese government. He retired in 1992 and passed away in 2012.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Aug 2013

Kiyoshi Ito Interactive Map

Photographs

Pilots of Japanese Navy 202nd Air Group, Kupang, Timor, Dutch East Indies, Feb 1943; note Yoshiro Hashiguchi (left most pilot), Kiyoshi Ito (right most pilot), and Zero fightersJapanese Navy flight instructor Kiyoshi Ito with cadet pilots, 1943-1944Kiyoshi Ito with a dog at Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, 1945

Kiyoshi Ito Timeline

1 Nov 1921 Kiyoshi Ito was born in Murakami, Niigata, Japan.
1 Jun 1939 Kiyoshi Ito joined the Yokosuka Naval Air Group.
3 Oct 1942 Kiyoshi Ito's fighter crashed into the water in the Solomon Islands due to fuel system issues; he drifted in the ocean for five to six hours before being rescued by a destroyer.
14 Feb 1945 Kiyoshi Ito saw combat against US carrier aircraft over central Japan.
15 Aug 1945 Kiyoshi Ito saw his final combat mission of the war over central Japan.
4 Jul 2012 Kiyoshi Ito passed away in Japan.




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Search WW2DB
More on Kiyoshi Ito
Event(s) Participated:
» Invasion of the Philippine Islands
» Dutch East Indies Campaign, Borneo
» Guadalcanal Campaign
» Preparations for Invasion of Japan

Kiyoshi Ito Photo Gallery
Pilots of Japanese Navy 202nd Air Group, Kupang, Timor, Dutch East Indies, Feb 1943; note Yoshiro Hashiguchi (left most pilot), Kiyoshi Ito (right most pilot), and Zero fighters
See all 3 photographs of Kiyoshi Ito


Famous WW2 Quote
"I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil."

General Douglas MacArthur at Leyte, 17 Oct 1944


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