Sadaaki Akamatsu
{{refimprove|date=April 2018}}{{Infobox military person
|name= Sadaaki Akamatsu
|image=Sadaaki Akamatsu.jpg
|caption=Akamatsu photographed in 1944 or 1945 with the 302 Air Group at Atsugi, Japan
|birth_date=30 July 1910
|death_date= 22 February 1980 (aged 69)
|birth_place= Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
|death_place= Kōchi, Japan
|nickname= Matchan or Matsu-chan (meaning a little pine tree) and Temei{{sfn|Sakaida|2002|p= 86}}
|allegiance= {{flag|Empire of Japan}}
|branch= File:Naval Ensign of Japan.svg Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN)
|serviceyears= 1928–1945
|rank= Lieutenant Junior Grade
|unit=
|commands=
|battles=
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{{tree list/end}}
|awards=
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{{nihongo|Sadaaki Akamatsu|赤松 貞明|Akamatsu Sadaaki|30 July 1910 – 22 February 1980}} was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. In aerial combat over China and the Pacific, he was officially credited with destroying 27 enemy aircraft.
Flying ace
Akamatsu was known as a troublemaker and trickster. Many of his air victories were obtained while drunk. Despite this, his supervisors stood behind him, as did his fellow pilots who frequently defended and covered for him. Henry Sakaida confirmed that Akamatsu flew for more than 8,000 flight hours. At the end of the war, Akamatsu flew the Mitsubishi J2M Raiden fighter.{{sfn|Sakaida|2002|pp= 87-88}}
Akamatsu was credited with shooting down 11 enemy aircraft over China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, including four in a single engagement near Nanchang on 25 February 1938. In the opening months of the Pacific War, he served in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies campaigns. From January 1944 until the end of the war, Akamatsu flew out of Atsugi Air Base, defending Tokyo from Allied air attacks.
After the war
After the war, Akamatsu worked as a fish search pilot for the Kōchi Fishery Association and later ran a small cafe in Kōchi. After struggling for years with alcoholism, Akamatsu died of pneumonia on 22 February 1980.{{sfn|Sakaida|2002|pp= 87-88}}
References
= Notes =
{{Reflist|30em}}
= Sources =
- {{cite book
| last = Hata
| first = Ikuhiko
| author2 = Yasuho Izawa
| translator = Don Cyril Gorham
| orig-year = 1975
| year = 1989
| title = Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| location = Annapolis, Maryland
| isbn = 0-87021-315-6
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/japanesenavalace00hata
}}
- {{cite book|last=Sakaida|first=Henry|year=2002|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=DYgNAAAACAAJ}}|title=Aces of the Rising Sun, 1937–1945|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Great Britain|isbn=1-84176-618-6}}
External links
- [http://cgi2.nhk.or.jp/shogenarchives/jpnews/movie.cgi?das_id=D0001300382_00000&seg_number=002 "Song of Raiden fighter squadron"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324225910/http://cgi2.nhk.or.jp/shogenarchives/jpnews/movie.cgi?das_id=D0001300382_00000&seg_number=002 |date=2012-03-24 }}, Nippon News, No. 254. in the official website of NHK. {{in lang|ja}}
- {{Cite web|url=http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Zero/A6M2-21-302Kokutai-3D-126-Akamatsu.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625162413/http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Zero/A6M2-21-302Kokutai-3D-126-Akamatsu.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-06-25|title=Asisbiz aircraft profile of Mitsubishi A6M2-21 Zero Unit: 302nd kokutai Serial: 3D-126 Pilot - Sadaaki Akamatsu. Atsugi airfield, Japan, On 16-17 February 1945|date=2013-06-25|access-date=2018-05-05}}
- [http://acesofww2.com/bad_boys.htm The Bad Boys]
- {{Cite web|url=http://cieldegloire.com/010_akamatsu_s.php|title=As Japonais - AKAMATSU Sadaaki|last=Laurent|first=PARRA|website=cieldegloire.com|access-date=2018-05-05}}{{in lang|fr}}
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Category:Japanese naval aviators
Category:Japanese World War II flying aces
Category:People from Kōchi Prefecture