Imperial Japanese Navy Warrant Officer Takeo Tanimizu poses beside his Mitsubishi A6M5c Model 52 Reisen fighter, tail code 03-09 (c/n 32374). At the time this photograph was taken, Tanimizu was assigned to the 303 Hikótai, 203 Kókūtai which was based at Kagoshima. The photograph was likely taken sometime in June, 1945. All told, Tanimizu was credited with between 18 to 32 kills, making him an ace. It was rare that Japanese fighters carried kill markings (as kill scores weren’t officially kept) but Tanimizu chose to put them on his aircraft as a way to boost morale among the many inexperienced pilots that predominated the ranks by 1945.
Tanimizu, during and long after World War Two, felt regret and sadness for the lives he took in combat. He did his duty nonetheless. After the war, he erected a small Buddhist shrine in his residence and every night, would offer prayers to those men whose lives he had cut short. Tanimizu, even during combat, was honorable and felt compassion for his opponents. In one example, his unit sparred with U.S. Marine fighters. The Japanese fliers won the contest and Tanimizu spotted a downed American pilot swimming in the ocean. Tanimizu struggled out of his life preserver (as worn by pilots operating over ocean), came down at low altitude, opened his canopy, and threw the life preserver to the pilot whose name was Captain Harvey Carter (who survived the war). On August 31, 1944, eleven B-24 bombers belonging to the 14th. USAAF which were operating out of Liuzhou, China were intercepted by Tanimizu and his comrades who sought to stop the bombers from attacking the Imperial Japanese Navy airfield in Takao. In the combat, Tanimizu was credited with downing one B-24 and severely damaging another.
Unbeknownst to Tanimizu, the crippled B-24 made it back to China but crashed into Maoer Mountain in Guangxi Province. Forward to 1996, the remains of the lost B-24 were discovered by farmers looking for medicinal herbs. Tanimizu learned of the find and knew he was the one responsible for the deaths of the crew. When asked about the discovery, he wished that the crew had found happiness in the afterlife. Tanimizu’s Reisen survived the war but was collected, along with other military aircraft, in Nagasaki and reduced to scrap in November 1945. Tanimizu himself passed on to the great beyond on March 12, 2008 at the age of 88.
What a great article! That story of him rescuing Capt. Carter shows a different side of the Japanese in World War II contrary to what wev'e been told. Thanks for sharing!!
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