was a Japanese

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

army aviator, credited with at least 18 aerial victories and who was honored posthumously by an award of the

Order of the Golden Kite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

Biography

Katō was born and raised in present-day

Asahikawa, Hokkaidō is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

. His father Sergeant Tetsuzo Katō was killed in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. He graduated from the 37th class of the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

in 1925, and enrolled in the Tokorozawa Flying School two years later. In May 1927, he was posted to the 6th ''Hiko Rentai'' (flight regiment) in Heijō, Chōsen. His flying skill with the Kawasaki Ko-4

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

fighter (a license-built

Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 The Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 was a French single-seat biplane fighter (C.I category) designed and built by Nieuport-Delage for the French Air Force. Design and development The prototype NiD.29 was an equal-span biplane with ailerons on both u ...

) was so outstanding that he was selected to become a

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...

at Tokorozawa in 1928. In 1932, Katō was promoted to head instructor at the

Akeno Flying School Akeno may refer to: * Akeno, Ibaraki, a former town in Makabe District, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan * Akeno, Yamanashi, a former village in Kitakoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan * Akeno Station, a railway station in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japa ...

, the premier air academy for the

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ) was the Military aviation, aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground ...

. In 1936, Kato became commander of the 5th ''Rentai'', and with the outbreak of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

in 1937, he became commander of the 2nd ''Daitai'', equipped with

Kawasaki Ki-10 The was the last biplane Fighter aircraft, fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army, entering service in 1935 in aviation, 1935. Built by Kawasaki Aerospace Company, Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. for the Imperial Japanese Army, it saw combat ...

"Perry" biplane fighters, which achieved a level of

air superiority An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmospher ...

in operations over

northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling, Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone ...

. On 25 March 1938, during the

Battle of Taierzhuang The Battle of Taierzhuang ( zh, t=, p=Tái'érzhuāng Huìzhàn) took place during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. It was fought between the armies of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan in the peak of the Xuzhou Campaign. The ba ...

, Capt. Katō led the 1st ''Chutai'' of the 2nd ''Daitai'' with ''1''Lt. Kosuke Kawahara leading the 2nd ''Chutai'' on an attack over ''Gui'de'' Airbase and claimed over a dozen Chinese Air Force I-15bis shot down, however, his co-commander ''1''Lt. Kawahara was himself shot down and killed; distraught at the loss, Katō shaved-off his signature moustache the following morning. His unit's Type 95 fighters were being replaced by the new Type 97 fighters the following month. Katō claimed nine Chinese fighters during his rotation, making him the top-scoring Army pilot in China during the period 1937–1941. Katō returned to Japan in 1939 to attend the Army Staff College and was assigned to the headquarters staff of the

Imperial Japanese Army General Staff The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Role The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Af ...

. He also visited

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

on assignment, together with General

Hisaichi Terauchi Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of ...

, and inspected the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. During this period, he was also promoted to major. Kato Tateo

In 1941, with the start of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, Katō was again given a combat command – this time as commander of the 64th ''Sentai'', based at

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, China, and equipped with the latest

Nakajima Ki-43 The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, "Peregrine falcon"), formal Japanese designation is a single-engine land-based tactical Fighter aircraft, fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied World War II Allie ...

''Hayabusa'' fighters.Sakaida, Henry. (1997). ''Japanese Army Air Force Aces, 1937–45'', pp. 27–28. His unit participated in the early stages of the war, especially distinguishing itself during the

Battle of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

. The 64th ''Sentai'' was based at Duong Dong airfield on

Phu Quoc Phu may refer to: Places *PHU (Polish-Hungarian Union), personal union between Poland and Hungary in 14th century. People Given name *Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen *Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), firs ...

Island to provide cover for the Japanese invasion fleet bound for Malaya, and to attack ground targets in Malaya and

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. The 64th Sentai had its first combat experience against the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

on 25 December 1941, escorting a bomber raid on

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

. Under Katō's command, the unit recorded over 260 aerial victories over Allied aircraft. He disallowed individual victory credits for the sake of teamwork. "Tokyo Awards List Big Officer Loss; Vice Admiral, 2 Rear Admirals and 2 Major Generals Win Posthumous Honors; 55 Naval Fliers Named; Group Included Covers the Japanese Pacific Dead Up to Mid-February"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', October 16, 1942. Katō was promoted to lieutenant colonel in February 1942. On May 22, 1942, while over the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

, Katō was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

while attacking a flight of

No. 60 Squadron RAF No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at HMS Sultan (shore establishment), Gosport. It is currently part of No. 1 Flying Training School RAF, No. 1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire flying the Eurocop ...

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...

bombers. As Kato pulled up after making his first diving pass on the Blenheims, turret gunner Flight Sergeant "Jock" McLuckie raked the fighter's exposed belly with a long burst and the Ki-43 started to burn and crashed into the sea. Katō was posthumously promoted two steps in rank to major general, and was honored by a special

State Shinto was Empire of Japan, Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for Kannushi, priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that ...

ceremony at Tokyo's

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

as a "god of war" in mid-October 1942. Katō's heroism had considerable

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

value, and the Japanese government sponsored a

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

titled (1944) glorifying his life story.

Notes

References

* Hata, Ikuhiko Hata (2002). ''Japanese Army Air Force Units and Their Aces: 1931-1945.'' London:Grub Street. (cloth) * Sakaida, Henry. (1997). ''Japanese Army Air Force Aces, 1937-45.'' London:

Osprey Publishing Osprey Publishing is a British publishing company specializing in military history formerly based in Oxford. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company p ...

. * Stanaway, John. (1998). ''Nakajima Ki.43 "Hayabusa": Allied Code Name "Oscar."'' Bennington, Vermont: Merriam Press.

External links

"Japan's Hero's"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' October 26, 1942. * Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War
Credibly researched bio notes + digitized photographic image
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Tateo 1903 births 1942 deaths People from Asahikawa Japanese World War II flying aces Japanese generals Aviators killed by being shot down Imperial Japanese Army personnel killed in World War II Military history of Malaysia

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links