"Bye Bye Black Sheep" By Masajiro "Mike" Kawato WW II Zero Fighter Ace I, Masajiro "Mike" Kawato was born on Sep 19, 1925 north of Kyoto, Japan. My aviation interest started early age. When I was in the third grade, I and my friends build an "airplane" out of bamboo and canvas. It was powered by a bicycle tube and flew it from a 1,000 ft high cliff. It was enough to instill the desire for flight and in 1941 at age of 16, I volunteered as a junior student in pilot training school of Imperial Japan Navy. 1943 at age of 18, after graduation of "Fighter Pilot" training, I entered the World War II in the South Pacific. As a Zero Fighter pilot, I shot down 19 Allied planes while being shot downed five times and wounded 17 times. On January 3 1944, I shot down an F4U Corsair over York Island near Japanese base Rabaul. It was a strange sight. An American F-4U Corsair was chasing a Zero. Right behind the F-4U was another Zero, followed by another F-4U. The first Zero burst into flames and crashed. A moment later, the F-4U was headed down in smoke and flames. I was much higher at 15,000 ft, immediately put in a dive on the second F-4U. I came down too low behind him, then I got back up behind him. I fired bursts of 20 mm cannon, 2 to 3 rounds hit the engine cowling. The F-4U began to smoke as he zigzagged and descended to escape from me. At about 3,000 ft, I saw a figure jumped out. The F-4U crashed into the ocean after the pilot ejected in his parachute. Imagine my surprise to find that the pilot of this F4U Corsair was well kown Marine Ace Gregory "Pappy" Boyington commanding the VMF-214 "Black Sheep Squadron". It is from this encounter that I take the title of my autobiography, "Bye Bye Black Sheep". I was shot down my 5th and final time while attacking an Australian destroyer. With my Zero crippled and badly wounded myself, I settled on a suicide crash on the destroyer. But return fire zapped my Zero off course and cartwheeled into the ocean. I drifted for days, then hid out on a nearby island. Eventually, I was picked up by natives and taken to a hospital in Australian POW camp. At war's end I returned to Japan and found that I was declared dead and without citizenship. After I regained my citizenship, I joined newly organized Japan Air Force. I worked as an instructor and test pilot. After the Air Force, I worked for several domestic Airlines. In 1976 at age of 51, in tribute to the US Bicentennial and to honor the over 7,000 US and Japanese pilots killed in the Pacific war, I made the first non-stop solo flight in a single-engine aircraft from Tokyo to Crescent City CA. It took more than ten years of planning. It was 35 hours and 15 minutes flight by 260 horsepower Piper Comanche. In 1977, I met "Pappy" Boyington face to face again at Los Angeles. When I asked to him "Is all the old animosity gone?" Pappy replied, "There never was animosity. It didn't exist with pilots." We became good friends, even though he did not like the title of my book. To order my book "Bye Bye Black Sheep" with personalized autograph, please check the order form here. NOTAM: Author Mike Kawato's autographed book is no longer available. Masajiro "Mike" Kawato, An old fighter pilot took off for his final mission on Dec 17, 2001 11:45 hours. Salute to an extreme Pilot ! His friend T.H |
