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Bukosho
The ("Badge for Military Merit"), commonly called the Bukōshō, was a military decoration of the Empire of Japan, established on 7 December 1944 by Imperial edict. It was awarded by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) to living soldiers who had performed with exceptional valor in battle. Airmen, especially fighter pilots defending Japan against enemy bombers, were most likely to win the award. Eighty-nine ''Bukōshō'' were awarded during the eight months it was actively awarded. Background The Order of the Golden Kite had served for decades as an auspicious military award of the Japanese armed forces, and was the only Japanese order that was solely awarded to the military (the Order of the Rising Sun and the Order of the Sacred Treasure could also be awarded to civilians). However, the process by which Order of the Golden Kite was awarded was very lengthy: it was indeed awarded to military men who had died in service, while the remainder were normally awarded only ''after'' th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kawasaki Ki-61
The Kawasaki Ki-61 ''Hien'' (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft. Used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, it was designated the "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially believed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s and later an Italian Macchi C.202, which led to the Allied reporting name of "Tony", assigned by the United States War Department. The design originated as a variant of the Kawasaki Ki-60, which never entered production. The Ki-61 became the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to use a liquid-cooled inline V engine. Over 3,000 Ki-61s were produced. Initial prototypes saw action over Yokohama during the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, and continued to fly combat missions throughout the war. Design and development The Ki-61 was designed by Takeo Doi and his deputy Shin Owada in response to a late 1939 tender by the ''Koku Hombu'' for two fighters, each to be built around the Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makoto Ogawa (pilot)
was Japanese Army aviator known for achieving flying ace status against Boeing B-29 Superfortresses during World War II. In carrying out his duties, he downed the highest number of B-29s among the pilots in his air group—seven confirmed—and also two North American P-51 Mustangs. He was awarded the ''Bukosho'', the highest award given by the Imperial Japanese Army to living soldiers who demonstrated exceptionally valorous action in combat. Career Ogawa was born in 1917 in Shizuoka Prefecture. He enlisted in the army when he was 18 and was assigned to the 7th Air Regiment based at Hamamatsu Airfield located north of the city of Hamamatsu in his home prefecture. After a few years, he enrolled in the Kumagaya Army Flying School to learn to fly fighters. In August 1938 he graduated as a member of the 72nd class of students. Instead of being posted to a combat squadron in China, he was kept at the school as an assistant instructor. Toward the end of 1941, Ogawa was sent to Manc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshio Yoshida (pilot)
was a Japanese army aviator known for achieving flying ace status against Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Among pilots in his air group, the 70th Sentai, Yoshida downed the second-highest number of B-29s: six confirmed and one probable. He was awarded the '' Bukosho'', the highest award given by the Imperial Japanese Army to soldiers who demonstrated (and survived) exceptionally valorous action in combat. Career In 1921, Yoshida was born in Hiroshima, the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture. In 1939, he enrolled as an officer candidate in the 55th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy northwest of Tokyo. He completed his studies in March 1942 and was directed to the Akeno Fighter School to learn advanced fighter techniques. After this he was assigned to the 70th Sentai, flying the Nakajima Ki-44 ''Shōki'', called "Tojo" by the Allies of World War II. On 29 July 1944, American XX Bomber Command attacked Japanese military forces in Anshan, Manchuria, with 96 very heavy bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Ramming
Aerial ramming or air ramming is the ramming of one aircraft with another. It is a last-ditch tactic in air combat, sometimes used when all else has failed. Long before the invention of aircraft, ramming tactics in naval warfare and ground warfare were common. The first aerial ramming was performed by Pyotr Nesterov in 1914 during the First World War. In the early stages of World War II the tactic was employed by Soviet pilots, who called it ''taran'', the Russian word for "battering ram". A ramming pilot could use the weight of the aircraft as a ram, or they could try to make the enemy lose control of their plane, using the propeller or wing to damage the enemy's tail or a wing. Ramming took place when a pilot ran out of ammunition yet was still intent on destroying an enemy, or when the plane had already been damaged beyond saving. Most rammings occurred when the attacker's aircraft was economically, strategically or tactically less valuable than the enemy's, such as pilots f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isamu Kashiide
was a Japanese army aviator and flying ace known for achieving the highest number of victories over Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. He claimed to have shot down 26 of the heavy bombers; 7 were later confirmed. Career Kashiide was born in February 1915 in the seacoast town of Kashiwazaki, Kariwa District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In February 1934, he enrolled as a cadet in the Imperial Japanese Army flying school in Tokorozawa, Saitama. He graduated in November 1935, then entered fighter pilot school at Akeno Army Flying School northeast of Ise, Mie. His first squadron assignment was the 1st Rentai, probably flying the Kawasaki Ki-10 biplane. Kashiide was posted to China in July 1938 with the 59th Sentai, flying the Nakajima Ki-27 Type 97 ''Nate'' fighter, but he saw little action in the Hankou area. In September 1939, he fought in the final Battles of Khalkhin Gol in Mongolia. During one sortie on 15 September, he fought against eight Polikarpov I-16s, downing two then breaking ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ranks Of The Imperial Japanese Army
The Ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army were the rank insignia of the Imperial Japanese Army, used from its creation in 1868, until its dissolution in 1945 following the Surrender of Japan in World War II. The officer rank names were used for both the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy, the only distinction being the placement of the word (army) or (navy) before the rank. Thus, for example, a captain in the navy shared the same rank designation as that of a colonel in the army: (colonel), so the rank of denoted an army colonel, while the rank of denoted a naval captain. Meiji 19 insignia Officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Cap badges File:大日本帝國陸軍 1.svg File:大日本帝國陸軍.svg Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medal "For Courage" (Russia)
The Medal "For Courage" or Medal "For Valour" (russian: Медаль «За отвагу») is a state decoration of the Russian Federation that was retained from the Soviet awards system following the dissolution of the USSR. Award history The Medal "For Courage" was created by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on October 17, 1938. It was awarded to soldiers of the Soviet Army, Navy, border and internal troops and other citizens of the USSR, as well as to persons who are not citizens of the USSR, for personal courage and bravery displayed in battles against the enemies of the socialist fatherland, while protecting the state border of the USSR, during the performance of military duties in circumstances involving a risk to life. The first three Medals for Courage were awarded only three days later to three border guards for acts of bravery during the Battle of Lake Khasan. More than 4,2 million were awarded during the Great Patriotic War. From i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Médaille Militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, after the Légion d'honneur, a civil and military order, and the ordre de la Libération, a Second World War-only order. The ''Médaille militaire'' is therefore the most senior entirely military active French decoration. During World War I, 230,000 ''médailles'' were awarded, when 1,400,000 French Army soldiers were killed and 3,000,000 wounded. For comparison, the UK |
Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of military valour. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the : the (army), the (navy) and the (air force), as well as the , the Reich Labour Service and the (German People storm militia), along with personnel from other Axis powers. The award was instituted on 1 September 1939, at the onset of the German invasion of Poland. The award was created to replace the many older merit and bravery neck awards of the German Empire. A higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, was instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher grades ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the United States Army's second highest military decoration for soldiers who display extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree that they are above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations, but which do not meet the criteria for the Medal of Honor. The Army Distinguished Service Cross is equivalent to the Navy and Marine Corps' Navy Cross, the Air Force and Space Force's Air Force Cross, and the Coast Guard Cross. Prior to the creation of the Air Force Cross in 1960, airmen were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The Distinguished Service Cross was first awarded during World War I. In addition, a number of awards were bestowed for actions which took place before World War I. In many cases, the medal was awarded to soldiers who had received a Certificate of Merit for gallantry; at the time, this certificate was the only othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Mindanao
The Battle of Mindanao ( Filipino: ''Labanan sa Mindanao;'' Cebuano: ''Gubat sa Mindanao;'' Japanese: ミンダナオの戦い) was fought by the Americans and allied Filipino guerrillas against the Japanese forces on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines as part of Operation VICTOR V. It was part of the campaign to liberate the Philippines during World War II. The battle was waged to complete the recapture of the southernmost portions of the archipelago from the Imperial Japanese Army. Background The campaign for Mindanao posed the greatest challenge for the liberating Allied forces, primarily for three reasons: the island's inhospitable geography; the extended Japanese defenses; and the strength and condition of the Japanese forces, which contained the significantly remaining concentration of combat troops in the Philippines. Like most of the Philippine Islands and other similar places the U.S. Army operated elsewhere in the Pacific, the geographical conditions of Mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teruhiko Kobayashi
Teruhiko Kobayashi (小林 照彦, ''Kobayashi Teruhiko,'' 17 November 1920 – 4 June 1957) was a Japanese fighter pilot during World War II and a flying ace of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. He began his flying career as a bomber pilot, but then rose to fame when he became the leader of the 244th Sentai, making him the youngest sentai leader in the IJAAF when he took command in November 1944. He was described as an excellent and charismatic leader by his men and under his command the 244th would become the most famous and successful aerial defense unit in Japan. While leading this unit he achieved five kills (three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses and two Grumman F6F Hellcat, F6F "Hellcats") in the aerial defense of the Japanese archipelago, Japanese Home Islands. He would survive the war and in 1954 join the newly created Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). Early life Teruhiko Kobayashi was born on 17 N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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