page_title: Hiroyoshi Nishizawa
section_title: Philippines campaign
hierarchical_section_title: Hiroyoshi Nishizawa / World War II / Philippines campaign
caption_attribution_description: English: A Japanese Mitsubishi A6M kamikaze plane hits the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27) in the waters off the Philippines on 26 October 1944. Suwannee had already been hit by a kamikaze on 25 October 1944. Just after noon on 26 October, another group of kamikazes attacked. A Mitsubishi A6M crashed into Suwannee's flight deck at 1240 hrs and careened into a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber which had just been recovered. The two planes erupted upon contact as did nine other planes on her flight deck. The resulting fire burned for several hours, but was finally brought under control. The casualties for 25–26 October were 107 dead and 160 wounded.The photo was taken from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26).
context_page_description: Lieutenant Junior Grade Hiroyoshi Nishizawa was an ace of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II.
  He is officially credited in Japan with the following aerial victories:
  victories - 36
  damaged - 2
  shared damaged - 49
  It is possible that Nishizawa was the most successful Japanese fighter ace of the war; he personally claimed to have had 102 aerial victories at the time of his death. Some uncertainty is due to the Japanese habit of recording victories for pilots' units, rather than the individual, after 1941, as well as the often wildly exaggerated claims of aerial kills that were frequently accepted. Some sources credit Nishizawa with over 120 to 150 victories.
context_section_description: In October, however, the 203rd was transferred to Luzon. Nishizawa and four others were detached to a smaller airfield on Cebu.
  On 25 October 1944, Nishizawa led the fighter escort consisting of four A6M5s, flown by Nishizawa, Misao Sugawa, Shingo Honda and Ryoji Baba for the first major kamikaze attack of the war, targeting Vice Admiral Clifton Sprague's "Taffy 3" task force, which was protecting the landings in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
  The kamikaze volunteers, led by Lieutenant Yukio Seki, piloted five bomb-armed A6M2 Model 21 Zeros, each carrying a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb. They deliberately crashed their planes into U.S. warships in the first official kamikaze attack of the Tokkōtai suicide squadron "Shikishima". They were the first kamikazes to sink an enemy ship. The attack was very successful, as four of the five kamikazes struck their targets and inflicted heavy damage: USS Kalinin Bay (CVE-68): Four diving planes attacked from astern. Two planes were shot down by AA fire. One crashed into the port side of the flight deck, damaging it badly. The other hit the aft port stack, destroying it; USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71): The port catwalk was clipped and the aircraft exploded off the port side, causing one death and no significant damage; USS White Plains (CVE-66): Two planes attacked. AA fire scored a hit on one attacker who changed course for St. Lo. The second plane was destroyed by AA fire just yards astern of White Plains. White Plains was not hit, but debris was scattered on the aft deck, causing 11 minor injuries. An A6M2 likely flown by Seki crashed onto the flight deck of the escort carrier USS St. Lo at 10:53. The Zero's 250 kg (550 lb) bomb exploded on the portside hangar deck, resulting in a fire and secondary explosions which soon detonated torpedoes and the bomb magazine of St. Lo. The escort carrier sank half an hour later; 126 men were lost in action. Seki is recorded as saying before the mission: "Japan's future is bleak if it is forced to kill one of its best pilots. I am not going on this mission for the Emperor or for the Empire... I am going because I was ordered to!" 
  While flying fighter escort to this kamikaze mission, Nishizawa recorded at minimum, his 86th and 87th victories (both Grumman F6F Hellcats), the final aerial victories of his career. 
  Nishizawa had a premonition during the flight; he saw in a vision his own death. Nishizawa reported the sortie's success to Commander Nakajima after returning to base. He then volunteered to take part in the next day's Tokkōtai kamikaze mission. His request was refused.
  Instead, Nishizawa's A6M5 Zero was armed with a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb and flown by Naval Air Pilot 1st Class Tomisaku Katsumata. A less experienced pilot, he nevertheless dove into the escort carrier USS Suwanee off Surigao. Katsumata crashed on Suwanee's flight deck and careened into a torpedo bomber which had just been recovered. The two planes erupted upon contact as did nine other planes on her flight deck. Although the ship was not sunk, she burned for several hours, and 85 of her crewmen were killed, 58 were missing and 102 wounded.
caption: USS Suwannee (CVE-27)attacked 26 Oct 1944
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