(25 February 1912 – 14 November 1942) was an officer,
ace fighter pilot, and leader in the
Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the
Second Sino-Japanese War and the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
. Before his death in combat, Kaneko was officially credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft.
Early career
He attended Tokyo First Middle School (now
Hibiya High School). He entered the
Imperial Japanese Navy Academy and graduated from the 60th class in November 1932. At the outbreak of the
Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937,
Lieutenant (jg) Kaneko was posted as a section leader (''Shōtaichō'') in the carrier
''Ryūjō's'' fighter group. On 22 August, he led four
Nakajima A4N fighters on patrol near
Shanghai, where they encountered and engaged 18
Chinese Air Force Hawk III
The Curtiss BF2C Goshawk (Model 67) was a United States 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success and was part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and f ...
fighter-attack planes. During the surprise attack, his section claimed six shot down, including that of acting
4th Pursuit Group
The 4th Pursuit Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, Second United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 April 1919. There is no modern Unit ...
commanding officer Captain Wang Tien-Hsiang (standing-in for the wounded Colonel
Gao Zhihang); two of the Hawks which were credited to him.
In August 1938, Lieutenant Kaneko was posted as a division leader (
Buntaichō) in the 15th Air Group in
Central China, where his unit mainly provided base defense and support for the ground forces. In April 1939, he was assigned as a buntaichō of
12th Air Group
was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Second Sino-Japanese War that operated mainly in the campaigns in the Central China.
History
The unit was formed on 11 July 1937 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese ...
that was based in
Hankou, but saw no further combat. He then served in a couple of units based in Japan, before being appointed as a fighter squadron commander of the newly commissioned carrier
''Shōkaku'' in September 1941.
Pacific War
Lieutenant Kaneko participated in the
attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the
Indian Ocean Raid in April 1942. During the Indian Ocean Raid, he claimed shooting down three British
Hawker Hurricane fighters and therefore achieved the status of
ace. In May, he was transferred to the
6th Air Group
was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific War that was involved in Battle of Midway and then extensively in the Guadalcanal Campaign and Solomon Islands Campaign. The air group was redesignated as the 204th ...
and became its commander. The unit was intended to be the airbase garrison unit on
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...
after its capture in the upcoming
Operation MI. Taking passage aboard the carrier
''Akagi'', Lieutenant Kaneko participated in the
Battle of Midway, where he defended the carriers against the attacks from Midway-based bombers. He claimed to have shot down two American bombers before his carrier ''Akagi'' got hit and set ablaze. Nevertheless, He was rescued and returned to Japan.
Following the Battle of Midway, Lieutenant Kaneko was assigned as the group leader (
Hikōtaichō) of the carrier
''Hiyō''. In October 1942, the carrier was sent to the
Solomon Islands. On 17 October, Lieutenant Kaneko led the fighter escort for the combined ''Hiyō'' and
''Jun'yō'' strike against the
Henderson Field. The strike did very little damage in exchange for most of the
Nakajima B5N bomber lost. His fighters shot down one
Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter, but lost ''Hiyō'' ace
Petty Officer Kaname Harada
was a Japanese flying ace of World War II. He was credited with shooting down as many as 19 Allied aircraft between late 1941 and when he was himself downed in October 1942. After recovering from the injuries sustained in this incident, Harada ...
, who had to crash-land.
Several days later, ''Hiyō'' experienced a mechanical failure and its air group was transferred to a land base at
Buin through
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
. The group operated from Buin where Lieutenant Kaneko led almost daily missions against the
Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field. The term " ...
. During one of the raids on 11 November, he claimed shooting down three enemy Wildcat fighters. On 1 November, he was promoted to
lieutenant commander. On 14 November, during the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, he and his squadron flew a
Combat Air Patrol over the convoy of cargo ships that were delivering
Imperial Japanese Army troops and supplies to Guadalcanal. While attacking the enemy dive bombers that were about to bomb the ships, he was killed by one of the rear gunners. In return, he and his group managed to shoot down three dive bombers and badly damaged two more.
References
; Notes
; Sources
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; Combat reports
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaneko, Tadashi
1912 births
1942 deaths
Japanese naval aviators
Japanese World War II flying aces
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Battle of Midway
People from Tokyo
Japanese military personnel killed in World War II
Imperial Japanese Navy officers
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy alumni