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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] |
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 million residents ; the city proper has a population of 13.99 million people. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the prefecture forms part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and is the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. Originally a fishing village named Edo, the city became politically prominent in 1603, when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over one million people. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo" (). Tokyo was devastate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress, the Superfortress was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing, but also excelled in low-altitude night incendiary bombing, and in dropping naval mines to blockade Japan. B-29s dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat. One of the largest aircraft of World War II, the B-29 was designed with state-of-the-art technology, which included a pressurized cabin, dual-wheeled tricycle landing gear, and an analog computer-controlled fire-control system that allowed one gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets. The $3 billion cost of design and production (equivalent to $ billion today), far exceeding the $1.9 b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)
USS ''Belleau Wood'' was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier active during World War II in the Pacific Theater from 1943 to 1945. The ship also served in the First Indochina War under French Navy temporary service as ''Bois Belleau''. Originally laid down as the ''New Haven'' (CL-76), she was finished as an aircraft carrier. Reclassified CV-24 on 16 February 1942 and renamed ''Belleau Wood'' on 31 March 1942 in honor of the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. She was launched on 6 December 1942 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, and sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Holcomb, wife of the Commandant of the Marine Corps. She was commissioned on 31 March 1943, with Captain A. M. Pride in command. During the war, she was reclassified CVL-24 on 15 July 1943. Service history United States Navy After a brief shakedown cruise, ''Belleau Wood'' reported to the Pacific Fleet, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 26 July 1943. After supporting the occupation of Bak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VF-31
VFA-31 or Strike Fighter Squadron 31 is known as the ''Tomcatters'', callsign "Felix", a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Tomcatters are the second oldest Navy Fighter Attack squadron operating today. Squadron insignia and nickname The squadron was originally known as the ''Shooting Stars''. The original "Felix the Cat" squadron was VF-3. After the Battle of Midway, VF-3 and VF-6 swapped designations on 15 July 1943, resulting in a three-year controversy as to which squadron owned the Felix name and emblem until VF-3 was re-designated VF-3A on 15 November 1946, and awarded the official approval to adopt Felix the Cat by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). VF-3A was then re-designated VF-31 on August 7, 1948. The emblem and mascot is the famous cartoon character Felix the Cat, running with a large spherical black bomb with a lit fuse. The yellow field and outline were omitted from the aircraft an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kawasaki Ki-100
The Kawasaki Ki-100 (''キ100'') is a single-seat single-engine monoplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service during World War II. The Japanese Army designation was . It was not assigned an Allied code name. 275 Ki-100s were modified from Ki-61s as an emergency measure to accept a 14-cylinder Mitsubishi Ha-112-II radial engine in place of the original Kawasaki Ha-40 inverted V-12 inline engine which resulted in one of the best interceptors used by the Army during the war. It combined excellent power and maneuverability,Ethell, 1995, p.83 and from the first operational missions in March 1945 until the end of the war, it performed better than most IJAAF fighters against both United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and North American P-51 Mustang fighters as well as U.S. Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat carrier fighters.Picarella, 2005, pp.76–77 A newly built variant, the Ki-100-Ib, was produced with a cut down rear fuselage during ... [...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 Daimler- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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