Masao Sasakibara Explained

Masao Sasakibara
Birth Date:1921
Death Date:2005
Birth Place:Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Allegiance:Empire of Japan
Branch: Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN)
Rank:Ensign
Unit:Shōkaku
Junyō
343rd Naval Air Group
Battles:World War II


Attack on Pearl Harbor
Indian Ocean raid
Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of Dutch Harbor
Guadalcanal Campaign
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Operation Ke

was an ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Participating in many of the Pacific War battles and campaigns as a member of several units, Sasakibara was officially credited with destroying 12 enemy aircraft. He was seriously injured while supporting the Ke operation during the Guadalcanal Campaign, but survived after a lengthy stay in the hospital. He returned to Japan in June 1945 and survived the war.

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