Famous world war 2 Imperial Japanese Navy Fighter Ace. Considered by many to be Japan’s greatest pilot. He was part of the famous Tainan wing in early 1942 along with Saburo Sakai. He survived the slaughter of the Solomon Islands campaign, and served as an instructor in Japan afterword. Reassigned to the Philippines in 1944 he lead the fighter escort of the first “official” Kamikaze raid in October 1944 where Lt. Yukio Seki led the actual “Shikishima” unit of the kamikaze planes in the attack. Nishizawa was lost the next day as a passenger in a transport plane (or “Helen” Bomber?) that was intercepted in the waters of Mindoro by U.S. Navy Hellcats. He was likely shot down by Lt. J.G. Harold Newell who claimed a “Helen” that day. Nishizawa’s actual victory count is unknown but many experts place his victories at about 30. Nishizawa himself has been allegedly quoted at claiming “a hundred or so” but this is discounted by historians due to the habit of wildly over claiming of young fighter pilots , especially by the Japanese. Whatever the case, he is unanimously considered to be among the greatest pilots of any nation during World War 2. Fellow Ace Saburo Sakai called Nishizawa a “Poet” in the air regarding his flying skill.
Famous world war 2 Imperial Japanese Navy Fighter Ace. Considered by many to be Japan’s greatest pilot. He was part of the famous Tainan wing in early 1942 along with Saburo Sakai. He survived the slaughter of the Solomon Islands campaign, and served as an instructor in Japan afterword. Reassigned to the Philippines in 1944 he lead the fighter escort of the first “official” Kamikaze raid in October 1944 where Lt. Yukio Seki led the actual “Shikishima” unit of the kamikaze planes in the attack. Nishizawa was lost the next day as a passenger in a transport plane (or “Helen” Bomber?) that was intercepted in the waters of Mindoro by U.S. Navy Hellcats. He was likely shot down by Lt. J.G. Harold Newell who claimed a “Helen” that day. Nishizawa’s actual victory count is unknown but many experts place his victories at about 30. Nishizawa himself has been allegedly quoted at claiming “a hundred or so” but this is discounted by historians due to the habit of wildly over claiming of young fighter pilots , especially by the Japanese. Whatever the case, he is unanimously considered to be among the greatest pilots of any nation during World War 2. Fellow Ace Saburo Sakai called Nishizawa a “Poet” in the air regarding his flying skill.
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