was an officer and

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 ...

fighter pilot in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

(IJN) during 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 ...

and the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In aerial combat over China and the Pacific, he was officially credited with destroying 13 enemy aircraft.

Early career

Shigetaka Ōmori enlisted into the Navy in May 1933 and graduated from the 33rd IJN enlisted pilot training class in September 1936. In February 1938, he was posted to the 13th

Kōkūtai A ''kōkūtai'' () was a military aviation unit in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), similar to the Group (military aviation unit), air groups in other air arms and services of the time. Some comparable units included ''wing'' in th ...

operating in central China. His first successful aerial combat was on 25 February 1938 over the city of

Nanchang Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...

, where he shot down one aircraft. In March he was transferred to the

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 Central China. History The unit was formed on 11 July 1937 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. ...

, which operated in the same area. In December he was first transferred to the carrier '' Akagi'' and then to several land-based units in Japan. At the beginning of the Pacific War, he was assigned to the aircrew complement of the aircraft carrier '' Hōshō''.

Pacific War

In May 1942,

Petty Officer First Class Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations. Canada Petty officer, 1st class, PO1, is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of petty officer 2nd-cla ...

Ōmori was transferred to the carrier ''Akagi'' and participated in the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

. He flew the escort for the morning strike against

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an unorganized and unincorporated territory. The largest island is Sand Island, which has housi ...

. On the way to the atoll, they were intercepted by a large group of Midway-based Marine fighters. In the following engagement, he was credited with destroying two enemy fighters. When he returned to ''Akagi'', he was immediately sent back in the air to defend the IJN carriers against

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

torpedo bombers. During the

combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...

(CAP), he and his unit were credited with shooting down six enemy torpedo bombers. He landed on '' Hiryū'' after ''Akagi'' was hit by USN SBD Dauntless dive bombers. In the afternoon he took off from ''Hiryū'' to conduct CAP, but ''Hiryū'' too was hit he along with his unit commander

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Ayao Shirane were forced to ditch. They were picked up by a Japanese light cruiser. After the Battle of Midway, Petty Officer Ōmori was transferred to the carrier ''Shōkaku''. In August 1942, he participated during the

Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and in Japanese sources as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea) took place on 24–25 August 1942 and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campa ...

, where he was assigned to cover the strike force that attacked US carriers. The escort of nine Zeros was led by Lieutenant Yasuhiro Shigematsu. When they spotted the USN aircraft approaching the IJN fleet, Ōmori along with four other Zeros broke away from the strike force to attack the enemy. However, one of his wingmen,

Petty Officer Third Class A Petty officer third class is a non-commissioned officer in some navies and coast guards. By country United States Petty officer third class is the fourth enlisted rank in the United States Navy, U.S. Navy and the United States Coast Guard, ...

Sadamu Komachi, did not follow and stayed with Shigematsu. In October 1942, Petty Officer Ōmori participated in the

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, fought during 25–27 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or Third Battle of Solomon Sea, in Japan as the Battle of the South Pacific ( ''Minamitaiheiyō kaisen''), was the fourt ...

where he and his wingman Petty Officer Komachi conducted CAP. While defending the IJN carriers against SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the carrier ''Hornet'', Ōmori was killed in aerial combat while attempting to ram the leading bomber. They managed to account for four enemy dive bombers during their approach. He was posthumously promoted to

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

References

; Notes ; Sources * * * * ; Combat reports * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Omori, Shigetaka 1916 births 1942 deaths Japanese naval aviators Japanese World War II flying aces Military personnel from Yamanashi Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy personnel killed in World War II Imperial Japanese Navy officers