Iwamoto file photo [9343]

Tetsuzo Iwamoto

SurnameIwamoto
Given NameTetsuzo
Born15 Jun 1916
Died20 May 1955
CountryJapan
CategoryMilitary-Air
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseTetsuzo Iwamoto was born in Karafuto Prefecture, Japan (now southern Sakhalin Island). He grew up in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan after his father was appointed the chief of police of that city. In 1929, his father retired, and the whole family moved to his father's home town, Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, where he studied at the Masuda Agricultural and Forestry High School. In 1934, upon graduating high school, he was sent to a large city to take the college entrance exams, but instead he applied for and passed the exam for the air arm of the Japanese navy. In 1936, he served aboard carrier Ryujo with the rating of mechanic 2nd class. He began flight training on 28 Apr 1936. On 1 Nov 1936, he was promoted to the rating of mechanic 1st class. On 26 Dec, he graduated from the program and was promoted to airman 1st class. He was assigned to the Saeki Air Group for six months of advanced training, and then was transferred to the Omura Naval Air Group on 16 Jul 1937.

ww2dbaseOn 10 Feb 1938, Iwamoto was transferred to the front lines as he flew from Omura Airfield near Nagasaki, Japan to Nanjing, China, thus beginning his career in WW2. With the 13th Flying Group's fighter squadron in China, his first combat mission took place on 25 Feb over Nanchang, China as he escorted Type 96 attack aircraft. The flight was attacked by 16 Chinese fighters. During the dogfight, Iwamoto claimed 3 confirmed and 1 probable kills, but was scolded after he returned for his overly-aggressive actions. On 22 Mar 1938, the 13th Flying Group's fighter squadron was merged with the 12th Fighter Squadron. On 29 Apr 1938, he fought Chinese Air Force fighters and scored several victories, and was later awarded a citation by Commander Tsukahara. He was ordered back to Japan in Sep 1938; at this point, he had 14 kills on his records and was one of the aces among Japanese airmen in China.

ww2dbaseBack in Japan, Iwamoto served as a member of the Saiki Air Group as a trainer. In 1940, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite 5th Class. During the Pacific War, he was initially a pilot with the carrier Zuikaku from Dec 1941 to May 1942, during which time he participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In late 1943, he was sent to Rabaul, New Britain. In 1944, he was successively transferred to Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands and then the Philippine Islands. In Oct 1944, he was promoted to the rank of ensign. During the Okinawa Campaign, he participated in Operation Kikusui. His own diary claimed that he had downed 202 aircraft during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War while sharing credit with others for another 26 kills; this translated to somewhere between 80 and 90 kills based on the scoring system used by American airmen during WW2.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Iwamoto was summoned for several interviews and interrogations by the Allied administration. Although he was eventually cleared and thus not declared a war criminal, he was still unable to get a job due to potential employers wishing to please the occupation administration. In 1952, the Allied occupation gave control of Japan back to the Japanese people, and he was finally able to get a job at a local spinning mill. In the summer of 1953, he underwent a series of surgeries for enteritis (mis-diagnosed) and appendicitis (actual cause of stomach pains). Shortly after, he complained of back pains and received another surgery. He passed away in his home town of Masuda after getting septicemia after the final surgery. According to his wife, his last words were "[w]hen I get well, I want to fly again".

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Jan 2010

Photographs

Flight leader Masao Sato (second row, third from right) with his pilots aboard Zuikaku, 6 Dec 1941; note Tetsuzo Iwamoto second row, right-mostPilots of Japanese 253rd Air Group Sadakami Komachi (front row, right), Tetsuzo Iwamoto (rear row, left), Tetsutaro Kumagai (rear row, center), and others, Feb 1944Japanese Navy pilot Tetsuzo Iwamoto, circa 1945

Tetsuzo Iwamoto Timeline

15 Jun 1916 Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in Karafuto, Japan.
28 Apr 1936 Tetsuzo Iwamoto began receiving flight training by the Japanese Navy.
1 Nov 1936 Tetsuzo Iwamoto promoted to the rating of mechanic 1st class.
26 Dec 1936 Tetsuzo Iwamoto graduated from flight training and was promoted to the rating of airman 1st class.
10 Feb 1938 Tetsuzo Iwamoto was transferred to Nanjing, China.
25 Feb 1938 Over Nanchang, China, Tetsuzo Iwamoto saw combat for the first time, claiming 3 confirmed and 1 probable kills.
29 Apr 1938 Tetsuzo Iwamoto shot down several Chinese fighters in combat.
20 May 1955 Tetsuzo Iwamoto passed away in Shimane, Japan from complications after surgery for appendicitis.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
More on Tetsuzo Iwamoto
Event(s) Participated:
» Battle of Coral Sea
» Okinawa Campaign

Ship(s) Served:
» Zuikaku

Associated Aircraft:
» A6M Zero

Tetsuzo Iwamoto Photo Gallery
Flight leader Masao Sato (second row, third from right) with his pilots aboard Zuikaku, 6 Dec 1941; note Tetsuzo Iwamoto second row, right-most
See all 3 photographs of Tetsuzo Iwamoto


Famous WW2 Quote
"All that silly talk about the advance of science and such leaves me cold. Give me peace and a retarded science."

Thomas Dodd, late 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!