Naoshi Kanno

Naoshi Kanno
Naoshi Kanno
Naoshi Kanno c. 1945
Nickname(s)Bulldog
Yellow Fighter
Kanno the Destroyer
Born(1921-10-13)13 October 1921
Pyongyang, (Korea under Japanese rule), Japan
Died1 August 1945(1945-08-01) (aged 23)
Off Yakushima, Ōsumi Islands, Japan
AllegianceEmpire of Japan
Service / branchImperial Japanese Navy
Years of service1943–1945
RankCommander
Unit343rd Naval Air Group
Battles / warsWorld War II

Naoshi Kanno (Japanese: 菅野直, 13 October 1921 – 1 August 1945) was a Japanese fighter ace[1][2] in World War II. He is credited with 25 confirmed kills.[3]

Life and career

Kanno's Kawanishi N1K had extra stripes painted on it; he hoped they would lure enemies into attacking him.[4]

Kanno was born on 13 October 1921, as the second son in Ryukou (now near Pyongyang, North Korea), where his father was posted as the police chief. He grew up in Edano Village, Igu District, Miyagi Prefecture; his parents were from the same area.

Kanno attended Kakuda Junior High School, where he was devoted to Takuboku Ishikawa, liked tanka, and formed a literary circle with his classmates. Some tanka of Kanno were selected for the literary section of the Kahoku Shimpo. When he was in the fourth year of junior high school, he was studying for university entrance exams, but for financial reasons, decided to join the military.[citation needed]

Kanno enrolled in the Japanese Navy Academy in December 1938, graduating in February 1943 in the 70th class.[3] 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, he was leading (as the hikotai leader) the 306th Squadron of the 201st Naval Air Group [ja].[3] He gained a reputation as a rebellious but skillful fighter pilot.[3] Initially based in Micronesia, his unit fought many engagements over the Philippines and Yap island.[3] On 27 October 1944, he claimed to have shot down 12 Grumman F6F fighter planes.[3] He made requests to transfer to a kamikaze unit, but the requests were denied, as he was considered too valuable a pilot to sacrifice.[3] In December 1944, he became the squadron commander of the 301st Squadron of the 343rd Air Group.[3] His unit moved back to Kyushu in the Japanese home islands toward the end of the war.

Disappearance and aftermath

Kanno's 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 the barrel of his gun exploded, and went missing in action shortly afterwards, presumed dead.[3] His remains were never found, and he was subsequently enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan.[citation needed] He was posthumously promoted two ranks to Commander.[3]

In fiction

Kanno is one of the protagonists of the Drifters manga and anime, where he was voiced by Tatsuhisa Suzuki.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Tony Holmes (24 January 2019). Hellcat vs Shiden/Shiden-Kai: Pacific Theater 1944–45. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-4728-2973-3.
  5. ^ "Drifters: Battle in a Brand-New World War Season 1 Review". Anime UK News. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Naoshi Kanno". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 31 October 2019.