Naoshi Kanno
Naoshi Kanno | |
---|---|
Born | Miyagi Prefecture or Pyongyang (Korea under Japanese rule),[1] Japan | 13 October 1921
Died | 1 August 1945 Off Yakushima, Ōsumi Islands, Japan | (aged 23)
Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
Service/ | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Hikotai leader |
Unit | 343rd Naval Air Group |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Naoshi Kanno (Japanese: 菅野直, 13 October 1921 – 1 August 1945) was a Japanese fighter ace[2][3] in World War II. He is credited with 25 confirmed kills.[4]
Life and career[]
Kanno enrolled in the Japanese Navy Academy in December 1938, graduating in February 1943 in the 70th class.[4] Upon completion of flight school, he was assigned to the front lines in April 1943, joining the 343rd Naval Air Group, quickly becoming a squadron commander (buntai leader) and by July 1944, leading (as the hikotai leader) the 306th Squadron of the .[4] He gained the reputation as a rebellious but skillful fighter pilot.[4] Initially based in Micronesia, his unit fought many engagements over the Philippines and the Yap island.[4] On 27 October 1944 he claimed to have shot down 12 Grumman F6F fighter planes.[4] He made requests to transfer to a kamikaze unit, but those were denied as he was considered too valuable a pilot to sacrifice.[4] In December 1944 he became the squadron commander of the 301st Squadron of the 343rd Air Group.[4] His unit moved back to the Kyushu in the Japanese home islands toward the end of the war.
His final mission took place on 1 August 1945, two weeks before the end of the war, when he took off to intercept a group of B-24 bombers escorted by P-51 Mustang fighters off the island of Yakushima south of Kyushu. He sustained damage when a barrel of his gun exploded, and went missing in action shortly afterwards, presumed dead.[4] His remains were never found. He was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant in the following month.[4]
In fiction[]
Kanno is one of the protagonists of the Drifters manga and anime, where he was voiced by Tatsuhisa Suzuki.[6][7]
References[]
- ^ 碇義朗『最後の撃墜王 紫電改戦闘機隊長菅野直の生涯』光人社NF文庫p35-36[needs Eng. translation]
- ^ Ikuhiko Hata; Yasuho Izawa (1989). Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II. Naval Institute Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-87021-315-1.
- ^ Yasuho Izawa; Tony Holmes (21 April 2016). J2M Raiden and N1K1/2 Shiden/Shiden-Kai Aces. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-1-4728-1262-9.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Ikuhiko Hata; Yashuho Izawa; Christopher Shores (1 March 2013). Japanese Naval Fighter Aces: 1932–45. Stackpole Books. pp. 247–248. ISBN 978-1-4617-5119-9.
- ^ Tony Holmes (24 January 2019). Hellcat vs Shiden/Shiden-Kai: Pacific Theater 1944–45. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-4728-2973-3.
- ^ "Drifters: Battle in a Brand-New World War Season 1 Review". Anime UK News. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Naoshi Kanno". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
External links[]
- Media related to Naoshi Kanno at Wikimedia Commons
- 1921 births
- 1945 deaths
- Japanese World War II flying aces
- People from Miyagi Prefecture
- Japanese military personnel killed in World War II
- Japanese naval aviators
- Missing in action of World War II
- Aerial disappearances of military personnel in action