World War II Japanese Fighter Ace. A Sub-Lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy, he was Japan's most famous fighter pilot during World War II, scoring an estimated 64 kills while flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. His ability to handle a warplane became legendary, but he was most proud of the fact that he never lost a wingman throughout his entire fighting career. He was sent on a kamikaze mission but forced to return (with his wingmen) due to impossible weather conditions. (Sakai's own account tells that the Kamikaze mission was aborted not due to weather but to a wild dogfight with at least seventeen American F6F Hellcats. Sakai and his two wingmen survived, only one of the eight torpedo bombers they escorted returned.) After the war he became a businessman and author, made provision for many of the relatives of his fallen comrades and formed friendships with many of western airmen that he'd previously seen only through a gunsight. He was a fearless critic of Japan's conduct of the Pacific War and visited the United States many times. During a dinner at an American airbase in Japan, he suffered a heart attack whilst leaning over a table to shake hands with a former enemy.
World War II Japanese Fighter Ace. A Sub-Lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy, he was Japan's most famous fighter pilot during World War II, scoring an estimated 64 kills while flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. His ability to handle a warplane became legendary, but he was most proud of the fact that he never lost a wingman throughout his entire fighting career. He was sent on a kamikaze mission but forced to return (with his wingmen) due to impossible weather conditions. (Sakai's own account tells that the Kamikaze mission was aborted not due to weather but to a wild dogfight with at least seventeen American F6F Hellcats. Sakai and his two wingmen survived, only one of the eight torpedo bombers they escorted returned.) After the war he became a businessman and author, made provision for many of the relatives of his fallen comrades and formed friendships with many of western airmen that he'd previously seen only through a gunsight. He was a fearless critic of Japan's conduct of the Pacific War and visited the United States many times. During a dinner at an American airbase in Japan, he suffered a heart attack whilst leaning over a table to shake hands with a former enemy.
Bio by: Sergeant Pepper
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