Tetsuzo Iwamoto
Encyclopedia
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
Tetsuzō Iwamoto (岩本徹三, Iwamoto Tetsuzō) (15 June 1916–20 May 1955) was one of the top scoring fighter ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
s of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His total of confirmed claims is believed to be about 80.
Iwamoto was one of only a few Japanese aviators to see action over China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and the Pacific. By the end of the war, he had served as a Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
(IJNAS) frontline Chutai (squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
) and flying instructor.
By mid-1944, Iwamoto and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa
Hiroyoshi Nishizawa
Lieutenant Junior Grade was an ace of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II.It is possible that Nishizawa was the most successful Japanese fighter ace of the war; he personally claimed to have had 87 aerial victories at the time of his death...
were the only IJNAS fighter pilots credited with over 100 victories (kills). Because their respective totals are disputed, it is unclear which pilot was Japan's most successful ace. A diary, found after Iwamoto's death, suggests that he destroyed 202 aircraft, belonging to units from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. However, IJNAS pilots tended to log higher victory claims than those from other air services, in part because the IJNAS used a unique victory-claiming system, modelled on that of the British Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS). In 1993, two scholars estimated that Iwamoto was probably the top ace of the IJNAS and had destroyed approximately 80–87 enemy aircraft.
Iwamoto entered the IJNAS in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in early 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. He emerged as the top naval ace of the war, credited with 14 aerial victories. He subsequently flew Zeroes
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
, based on the aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Zuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...
from December 1941 to May 1942, including at the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
In late 1943, Iwamoto's air group was sent to Rabaul, New Britain, during three months of the hardest combat for the IJNAS — against air raids by Allied air units. Iwamoto was later based at Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. In 1945, during the last months of the war, Iwamoto served as an instructor, training junior pilots.
Like many Japanese veterans, Iwamoto is reported to have suffered from depression, following the end of the war.
Early life
Tetsuzo was the third son of the Iwamoto family. He was born on a border town, in the southern part of Karafuto, 15 June 1916, he later grew up in Sapporo, HokkaidōHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He enjoyed skiing in his elementary school days. When he lived in Sapporo, his father was a chief police officer.
When he was 13, his father retired and Tetsuzo moved with his family to his father's hometown, Masuda, Shimane prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
. He studied at the Prefectural Masuda Agricultural and Forestry High School. His favorite school subjects were mathematics and geometry; in these subjects, he always scored A's on his school report.
He was an active and nimble boy. He joined a school club brass band as a trumpeter. Another hobby was growing plants and flowers. He helped local fishermen in the fishing season, going out to the sandy beach early in the morning and driving fish into the nets. He talked down to his teachers sometimes in discussions, which was very impolite for a school student in pre-war Japan. He was regarded as the most opinionated student in his school.
Starting military career
Iwamoto started his military career in 1934, after he graduated the school at 18. Following the advice from his parents to study while young, Tetsuzo left for a large city where he was supposed to take a college entrance examination. He, however, secretly applied for and passed the exam of Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class, soon be promoted to 3rd class 5 months later. His parents were very disappointed reportedly, for they became counting on Tetsuzo rather than his eldest brother, who was already studying at some university in a large city and wouldn't come back to Masuda.In 1936, when he was a naval mechanic 2nd class and a crewman on the light aircraft carrier Ryujo, he studied hard and passed the difficult IJNAS exam, among thousands of applicants, being enrolled in the class 34th Soju-Renshusei (Soren in short, means flight trainee program) for naval petty officers and sailors. He graduated as one of the select 26 young aviators of the class 34th Soju-Renshusei (flight trainee program) in December of that year.
On April 4, 1936, he was sent to Kasumigaura-Ku (Kasumigaura FR(AG)) as a probation for the class 34th Sojyu-Renshusei (flight trainee program), then on April 28, formally joined Kasumigaura-Ku. While his training going on November 1, 1936, he was promoted to naval mechanic 1st class. Finally on December 26, he graduated 34th class of Sojyu-Renshusei, was promoted to airman 1st class (old rank name of pre-war Japan, equivalent to senior airman).
During flight training school at the Tomobe branch of Kasumigaura-Ku (Kasumigaura FR(AG)), his fighter course instructor was the famous Chitoshi Isozaki. Isozaki was promoted to lieutenant until the end of the war and was later respected among all ranks of IJNAS Zero fighter pilots postwar Japan.
The six members of the fighter course, the class 34th Soju-Renshusei were as followed:
- Hamada, Inao, reportedly died on his first mission of escorting bombers to HankouHankouHankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Feb. 18, 1938, 13th FR(AG). - Hatanaka, Morinosuke, survived the war.
- Iwamoto, Tetsuzo, survived the war.
- Iwase, Kiichi, was reported killed taking off from Buna AirfieldBuna AirfieldBuna Airfield was an aerodrome located near Buna, Papua New Guinea. Built as an emergency landing ground, it was extended during the Second World War by the Imperial Japanese...
, East New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, at 0615JST, August 26, 1942, 2nd FR(AG). - Kuwabara, Kiyomi, survived the war.
- Yamashita, Sadao, was reported killed at Lae airfield, East New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, August 27, 1942, Tainan FR(AG) - Yoshii, Kyouichi, reportedly died on a Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
air raid, East New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, March 23, 1942, 4th FR(AG)
In December 1936. Iwamoto entered Saeki Kokutai (Air Group) for 6 months of advanced training (called as extended education), finished and next entered Omura Kaigun Kokutai (Naval Air Group) at July 16, 1937. He had hard training there every day from senior pilots including Air Petty Officer 1st class Toshio Kuroiwa (rank grade was at that time), who was the IJNAS legendary dogfight master pilot. Tetsuzo Iwamoto (called Tetsu in short from his senior pilots) had to wait for his debut until February 10, 1938.
China front
Tetsuzo's ability as a fighter pilot was recognized by all on his first air mission with the 13th Flying Group on February 25, 1938 over NanchangNanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, China.
After combat training, on February 10, 1938, Tetsuzo Iwamoto was led by his leader APO 1/C Toshio Kuroiwa, flying for two and a quarter hours over the China Sea from Omura Airbase at Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
to the airfield outside of Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, China.
His squadron on the Chinese frontline was the 13th Flying Group Fighter Squadron. This Flying Group was the considered the best and was famed as the Nango Fighter Squadron, named after its former squadron leader, Mochifumi Nangō, who showed extreme courage and conspicuous leadership. Nango had a famous samurai sword named Kotetsu with him, which became the metaphor for old IJNAS pilots' yearned for Commander Nango .
Iwamoto's first combat came on February 25, 1938 over Nanchang. The squadron fighters escorted bombers Type 96 land-based attack aircraft
Mitsubishi G3M
The Mitsubishi G3M was a Japanese bomber used during World War II.-Design and development:...
. Then the Chinese Air Force
Republic of China Air Force
The Republic of China Air Force is the aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The ROCAF's primary mission is the defense of the airspace over and around Taiwan...
attacked. His squadron leader Lieutenant Takuma was lost on this mission.
Iwamoto described his first combat in his notes. During the escort mission, his squadron was intercepted by sixteen I-15s
Polikarpov I-15
The Polikarpov I-15 was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika because of its gulled upper wings, it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force, and together with the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, was one of the standard fighters of the Spanish Republicans during...
and I-16s
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
at an altitude of 5000 meters. Iwamoto claimed 4 victories (1 probable) in the combat. He got his first victory by firing when within 50m of the enemy fighter. He first saw white smoke, then the enemy burned up and crashed. He was then at an altitude of 4000 m. When he looked back, there was an enemy fighter just behind him. He instantly made a Split S maneuver and narrowly escaped.
He got his second victory against an I-15. He saw it below him, turned and attacked from its 6 o'clock high. When it was hit, it climbed sharply and went spinning downward out of control and crashed into the ground. He kept his altitude of 4,000 m. He got an I-16 at the top of its roll in his gunsight and fired a burst, its engine burning and out of control; Tetsuzo lost sight of it before it crashed, and he reported this as probable. Another I-15 came down to him from 12 o'clock ahead. Both made a climb and were soon in a dogfight. The I-15 tried to break free of him and made a straight dive. That action made it easier for Tetsuzo to aim. He downed this I-15 on farmland near the airfield. He was down to an altitude of 2000 m.
Above him, many enemy fighters kept maneuvering. He found one of them coming down with landing gears down. He chased it to an altitude of 200 m and fired a burst. The I-16 was surprised and made a split S maneuver, but crashed at a corner of the airfield. This was his 4th victory.
Anti-aircraft guns started firing heavily, and he found himself in a terrible barrage of flak. Rushing to escape at full throttle with a number of enemy fighters behind him, he succeeded in returning safely from the battlefield. His leader Kuroiwa had already returned to the Wuhu airfield, Anhui China, waiting for his return. Kuroiwa scolded Tetsu severely for his rash attacks of the day.
| Chutai and Shotai | Leader | Wingman | Wingman |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Chutai | |||
| 1st Shotai | Lt. S.Takuma, lost | APO 3/C K.Suzuki | APO 3/C S.Omori |
| 3rd Shotai | APO 1/C T.Kuroiwa | APO 2/C J.Kusunoki | A 1/C T.Iwamoto |
| 5th Shotai | APO 1/C S.Akamatsu | APO 2/C T.Matsuyama | |
| (Shotai-12FG) | APO 2/C T.Koizumi | A 1/C Y.Ozeki | |
| 2nd Chutai | |||
| 2nd Shotai | Lt.J.G. Y.Yotsumoto | APO 3/C K.Kashimura | A 1/C T.Ochi, lost |
| 4th Shotai | APO 1/C T.Arai | APO 3/C A.Kikuchi | A 1/C M.Matsumura |
| 6th Shotai | APO 1/C M.Naitoh | APO 3/C K.Fujiwara |
- Every rank name was the old rank name used in pre-war Japan, May 1, 1929 - May 31, 1941
- Air Petty Officer 3rd Class Kanichi Kashimura was the famous national hero of Japan for his miraculous return safely with his Type 96 carrier fighterMitsubishi A5MThe Mitsubishi A5M, Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'...
left wing lost in combat December 1937. - Air Petty Officer 1st Class Toshio Kuroiwa was the best dogfighting master pilot before the Pacific War. He was the national hero and one of the trio of IJNAS's first aerial victory over Shanghai on February 22, 1932. He finished his combat with 13 victories on the China front. He was promoted to Warrant Officer and retired IJN after the air battle settled in China October 1938, became a pilot of commercial airline Dai Nippon KokuImperial Japanese Airwayswas the national airline of the Empire of Japan before World War II, and was the forerunner of the modern Japan Airlines.-History:With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there was a tremendous need for air transport capability by the Japanese military, which had traditionally drawn on the...
. It was the most successful career course for a non commissioned officer pilot in peacetime Japan. He was missing off shore Malay Peninsula on an aerial transport task August 26, 1944, officially recognized as honorably died on a military mission. - Air Petty Officer 1st Class Sadaaki Akamatsu was another dogfight master pilot before the Pacific War. He was famous for his yo-yo tactics.
The 13th Flying Group Fighter Squadron was merged with the 12th Fighter Squadron on March 22, 1938, where Type 96 carrier fighters
Mitsubishi A5M
The Mitsubishi A5M, Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'...
for 1st Chutai had gears painted in red called Red legs squadron, for 2nd Chutai in blue called Blue legs squadron.
Iwamoto was awarded the citation of flying group Cmdr Tsukahara for his extreme courage and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as a fighter pilot against intense Chinese Air Force on April 29, 1938. He made 82 sorties and 14 victories credited in the China front. Tetsuzo Iwamoto became the top IJNAS ace. His activities subsequently earned him Order of the Golden Kite - 5th class recommendation in 1940.
In September 1938, 22 years old Iwamoto was ordered back to Japan, where he became a member of the Saiki Air Group and appointed to a training staff.
His flight log
- Flying Technique: Class-A of IJNAS
- Flght hours: over 8,000hrs on March 1944
- (net hours, not tripled as U.S. single-seated fighter pilot. It was very unusual among IJNAS, IJAAF fighter pilots, although 10,000 flying hours were usual among multi-seated aircraft)
- Oceanic Transition: possible, navigating and leading his fighter chutai (without Radar)
- Instrument Flight: possible
- Night Flight: possible
- Single-seat Fighter renaissance and attack mission across night ocean: possible
- Night landing: possible with simple approach lighting system
- Night carrier landing: possible with approach path indicator lights
- Note that only experienced ranked fighter pilots in IJNAS could do instrument flight with their single-seated fighter aircraft on their combat mission, few IJNAS officer pilots could do instrument flight even to their best.
His tactics
Single to single dogfight tactic - from losing to winning- Quick roll (Roll Sempoh)
- (up and down quick roll tactic, skidding sideways (sudden decelerate) within 1/2 quick roll to forward the opponent aircraft on one's tail and get tail shot position of it. Cmdr Takeo SHIBATA promoted, his men developed and taught him.)
- Coke-screw loop (Hineri-Komi Sempoh)
- (short-cut or twist-in loop tactic, skidding loop. Lieutenant Isamu Mochizuki's special, Section leader and Warrant Officer Toshio KUROIWA trained him.)
- Yo-yo turn (Suichoku-Senkai Kasoku Sempoh)
- (Lt. JG Sadaaki AKAMATSU's special at China front. )
Formation tactics -
- Two groups linked formation attack
- one section plays offense, zooming and diving formation attack, another section plays defense, positioned on the higher altitude to cover and support the offense section.
- Keeping his groups underneath thick clouds to hide his formation and waiting until the small number of opponent aircraft group coming down, then diving and zooming attack with all in formation.
- Attacking the opponent groups after their mission over and on the way to the waiting circle, in a group to fly back across the distance range over the sea. This tactics was taken when his group had much less number of aircraft.
No.3 Aerial Bomb attack tactic -
- Twelve o'clock high vertical dive attack from the front top in inverted flight (Haimen Suichoku Kohka Sempoh)
- Almost vertical diving (about 60 degree) attack because the 30kg No.3 Aerial Bomb needs the releasing speed over 280knot/h to work timer correctly for 1st small explosion.
- Inverted flight at the starting point because Zero Fighter could not keep steep angle while diving due to its excellent flight stability.
Victories
{|class="wikitable"|+Victories claimed by Tetsuzo Iwamoto
! Kill !! Date !! Flying !! Victim !! Place !! Notes
|-
| 12 || 25/02/1938 || A5M ¨Claude¨
Mitsubishi A5M
The Mitsubishi A5M, Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'...
|| 6 I-15
Polikarpov I-15
The Polikarpov I-15 was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika because of its gulled upper wings, it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force, and together with the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, was one of the standard fighters of the Spanish Republicans during...
s
6 I-16
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
s || Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, China
|-
| 14 || - || A5M ¨Claude¨ || 1 I-5s
1 I-16s || unknown
|-
| 15 || 05/04/1942 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || PBY-5 || Rangoon, Burma
|-
| 17 || 25/10/1942 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 Hurricanes
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
|| Rangoon, Burma || Destroyed at the ground
|-
| 18-25 || 08/05/1942 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 12 Dauntlesses || Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
, Australia
|-
| 26-29 || 08/95/1942 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 4 Wildcats || Coral Sea, Australia
|-
| 30-31 || 02/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 5 Mitchells || Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, New Guinea
|-
| 32-37 || 03/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 5 Helldivers || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 37-43 || 03/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 6 Dauntlesses || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 43-49 || 04/11/1942 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 6 Dauntlesses || Rabaul, New Guinea (in separated sorties)
|-
| 50-53 || 04/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 3 Avengers || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 53-55 || 04/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 Marauders || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 56-57 || 04/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 Mitchells|| Rabaul, New Guinea (night kill)
|-
| 58-59 || 05/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 P-38
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s || Rabaul, New Guinea (night kill)
|-
| 60-61 || 06/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 P-39s || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 62 || 06/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 1 P-51B || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 92 || 06/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 30 Dauntlesses || Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
|| Destroyed at the ground
|-
| 93 || 07/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 1 Wildcat || Rabaul, New Guinea
|-
| 100 || 08/011/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 7 Hellcats || Rabaul, New Guinea (in separated sorties)
|-
| 112 || 08/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 12 Corsairs || Rabaul, New Guinea (in separated sorties)
|-
| 113 || 09/11/1943 || AGM ¨Zeke¨ || 1 P-40 || Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
|-
| 114-116 || 12/11/1943 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
|| Ubon
Ubon Ratchathani
Ubon Ratchathani is a city on the Mun River in the south-east of the Isan region of Thailand. It is known as Ubon for short. The name means "Royal Lotus City." The provincial seal features a pond with a lotus flower and leaves in a circular frame. Ubon is the administrative centre of Ubon...
, Siam
|-
| - || 07/01/1944 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 1 Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
|| Krabi
Krabi
Krabi is a town on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River where it empties in Phangnga Bay. As of 2005 the town has a population of 24,986. The town is the capital of Krabi Province and Krabi district...
, Siam || Damaged
|-
| - || 07/01/1944 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 1 Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
|| Krabi, Siam || Burned
|-
| 117-118 || 10/01/1944 || A6M ¨Zeke¨ || 2 Avengers || Avon
Avon
-Rivers:*River Avon or Avon River , various rivers*Avon Water, a river in Scotland*Afon, the Welsh word for river, often anglicised to 'avon'-Canada:*Avon, New Brunswick, in the province of New Brunswick...
, New Britain
|-
World War II, Pacific Front and Indian Front, 8 December 1941 - 15 August 1945
- 228 aerial victories:
- victories - 202
- shared victories - 26
- unconfirmed - 27
- damaged - 2
- destroyed on the ground - 2
- Strafed Destroyers - 3 (Rapopo Rabaul, Night 5 February 1944)
- Strafed Landing Craft - some hundreds (Kerama islands, Okinawa, night 26 March 1945)
- Strafed Airfields - Lae, Eastern New Guinea, 23 January 1942; Torokina, Bougainville, Solomons, night 1944)
Postwar
Postwar tales of friendship between Allied pilots and IJNAS aces were not the case for Iwamoto. Allied Occupation Forces searched for war criminals in the Japanese Officer Corps. He was summoned twice to Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's Allied GHQ office in Tokyo. Though he was not declared a war criminal, he was blacklisted for public sector employment. Managers of nongovernmental businesses and factories in his hometown also did not employ him.
Japanese journalists who had promoted militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
during World War II started a postwar radio program called ""Shin-Jitsu wa Kou da (The Truth Is This)"", criticizing former heroes.
Iwamoto had a hard time until the San Francisco Peace Conference was held and the Allied Occupation Forces left Japan in the spring of 1952.
In 1952, he finally got employment at the spinning mill, Masuda factory of Daiwa Bouseki (now renamed as "Daiwabo" Co., Ltd, 大和紡績 ). However, in the summer 1953, he got a stomachache. A surgeon examined him and diagnosed enteritis
Enteritis
In medicine, enteritis, from Greek words enteron and suffix -itis , refers to inflammation of the small intestine. It is most commonly caused by the ingestion of substances contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, dehydration and fever...
. It was found later to be appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
.
After a series of operations, he complained of a backache. They decided to operate on him again. With cause unknown, they removed three or four ribs without anesthesia. This led to sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
(septicemia, blood poisoning).
His wife recalled his words, "When I get well, I want to fly again." He died on 20 May 1955.
CG Movie
- Tetsuzō Iwamoto at the Battle of the Coral Sea [EU] (superimposed text in Japanese)
Movie
- Nippon Eiga-sha, Feb.16, 1944, Nippon News No.194 Solomon no Gekisen Nankai-Kessenjo (means, Southern Ocean Battle Fields of Solomon)
- Nippon Eiga-sha, Feb.2, 1944, Nippon News No.192 Rabaul (means, Fortress Rabaul)