Tetsuzo "Tetsu" Iwamoto

From The Air Combat Wiki

JNAF Lieutenant J/G

Born in June 1916 in Shimane (Hata/Izawa) - or Hokkaido (Sakaida) Prefecture Graduated from Masuda Agriculture & Forestry School Tetsu did not want to be a farmer and so Joined Imperial Japanese navy in June 1934 December 1936 - Graduated as fighter pilot - from 34th pilot training course February 25 1938 - His baptism of fire is with 12 AG - claims 4 destroyed & 1 probable (I-15s & I-16s) April 29 over Hankow - downs 4 more fighters September 1938 - sent to Japan to join Saiki AG At war's end he had flown 82 sorties & claimed 14 Kills He was Japan's top Ace of the China War

Serving aboard the carrier Zuikaku, Iwamoto flew top cover - for the Japanese Invasion Fleet at Pearl Harbor Returned to Japan December 24th participated in the battles of the Indian Ocean & Coral Sea August 1942 - became an instructor Transferred to Air Group 281 - spring 1943 Spent summer on Paramushir Island doing air defense November '43 - went with 15 new fighters to Rabaul Where he joined 204 AG & later 253 AG February 1944 - withdrew to Truk Island to - protect against near constant B-24 bombardment June 1944 - He returned to Japan September '44 - attached to Fighter Hikotai 316, 252 AG & Promoted to ensign October - air battles over Taiwan & Philippines by November he's back in Japan Spring 1945 - transferred to AG 203 & sent to Kyushu - for more air defense operations He spent the last months of the war training - Kamikaze pilots at Iwakuni Airfield

Tetsuzo Iwamoto finished the war credited with approximately 80 planes destroyed in WW2. Add them to the 14 that he had destroyed during the China war and we have the total figure 94. This is however only an estimate. (Athough the 14 from China, I believe, are official) Iwamoto did not adjust well to Japan's defeat and turned to alcohol after the war. I read somewhere (no idea where though so this could be straight bullshit) that at times he would go into a drunken rage and make claims to having been the highest scoring pilot in WW2. With over 350 kills! His own writings however, which were found after his death, have him claiming 202 planes destroyed. The Japanese were probably the worst overclaimers of WW2 however and since Nishizawa was considered "Top Dog" by the Japanese at the time, You might consider the estimate of 80 to be somwhat high.