- Yes
- No
Major Yohei Hinoki ( 檜與平)
Major Yohei Hinoki is a Japanese flying ace with 12 confirmed kills. Hinoki was nicknamed Ace of prosthetic legs, Ace of iron legs, and Ace of ships due to the loss of one of his legs during service. He flew Ki-43 and Ki-100 fighters.
Biography
Yohei Hinoki was born in 1919 in Tokushima Prefecture. In 1932 he graduated from the Ikeda High School, and four years later, in 1936, they entered a preparatory course for the Military Academies. In 1938, Hinoka volunteered for aviation service and passed the course on the second attempt (the first time he failed due to illness). In June 1940, he graduated from the Land Forces Air Academy with the rank of second lieutenant and was assigned to the 64th Aviation Squadron, also known as the Kato Hayabusa Fighter Corps, where he was taught by veterans of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. When the war in the Pacific broke out, the 64th Air Squadron began air operations over British Malaya, where Yohei Hinoki scored the first kills, first a Blenheim Mk.IV bomber, and then two more hurricanes. Then he took part in the battles for the Dutch East Indies, where he damaged a Brewster B-339D or E. In March 1942, Yohei Hinoki returned to Japan to undergo training as a squadron leader. After training in April 1942, the 64th Air Squadron went to China, where it fought American flying tigers. During one of the duels, Japanese Ki-43 fighters encountered American P-40Cs, among the American pilots was flying ace Robert T. Smith, who quickly dealt with inexperienced Japanese pilots. Yohei Hinoki was hit by 12.7mm bullets in the buttock and left shoulder, and one of the bullets got stuck in a parachute just inches from Hinoki’s back. Wounded Hinoki almost crash into a mountain reached the airport where he crashed due to lack of fuel. After this event, he spent a month in hospital. In November 1943, Hinoki scored another kill. It was not an ordinary kill, as it was the first P-51 aircraft shot down by the Japanese. It happened on November 25, 1943, on that day seven planes of unknown type were reported flying over Burma. To intercept the unknown planes, the 64th Air Squadron was scrambled, after reaching the place, the planes of the 64th Squadron quickly recognized the planes as American fighters and the fight began. The Americans, due to the long distance they still had to cover, could not throw away their additional underslung tanks, which led to the fact that the pilots of 64 Squadron quickly shot down three escorting P-40 fighters in combat, and one P-51 piloted by Harry R. Melton Jr. was shot down. Yohei Hinoki shot down a P-38 fighter and damaged a P-51 in a dogfight, after which he attacked one of the B-24 bombers frontally. After shooting down a B-24 bomber while trying to turn back from below, Hinoki’s Ki-43 fighter was fired upon by a damaged P-51 fighter. One of the 12.7 mm bullets hit straight into the right leg, which led to its rotation around its axis 10 centimeters below the knee. Hinoki tried to stop the bleeding with his scarf, but still lost a lot of blood. On the return flight, he still had in his mind the words of his former commanding officer, Captain Takeo Kato, who told him: “You can’t go on like this, do everything you can to get to the base.” When the Ki-43 finally arrived at the base, Hinoki was immediately taken to a field hospital, where his right leg was amputated 10 centimeters below the crotch. Yohei Hinoki was then sent to Japan for further treatment and rehabilitation. In a military hospital, he received a prosthetic leg made of duralumin (it was also used to make airplanes). Although the loss of a leg often means the end of his work as a pilot, Hinoki did not give up and was readmitted to duty as an instructor in the Akeno Instructor Flying Division in October 1944. In January 1945, he got married, and in June he was promoted to the rank of major. When Hinoka was an instructor, he was called up to active duty to fight the Americans over the Japanese islands. He received a modern Ki-100 fighter and on July 16, 1945, he shot down a modern American P-51D fighter in an air duel. On the same day, the Japanese army command created the 111th Elite Air Squadron, which was to include the best pilots and the most modern fighters. Hinoki was appointed commander of the 2nd Battalion, 111 Squadron. He served there without further success until the end of the war. He is credited with 12 confirmed kills, 11 of which are in the Nakajima Ki-43 fighter (1 x Blenheim Mk .IV , 1 x Brewster B-339D /E , 2 x Hurricane , 1 x P-51B/C , 1 x P-38 , 1 x B-24) and one in the Ki-100 fighter (1 x P-51D). Yohei Hinoki died in January 1991 at the age of 72.
Major Yohei Hinoki
Interview with Major Yohei Hinoki
In 1981, Major Yohei Hinoki was interviewed about how he fought during the war. Here is part of this interview:
Japanese Ace Interviews - Hinoki Yohei (Ki-43, Ki-100 Pilot)
Summary
Major Yohei Hinoki is a very interesting historical figure, a great pilot and a person who did not give up on adversity. It is perfect for a profile picture, which will be a good way to commemorate such a historical figure.
Internet sources
檜與平 - Wikipedia
Yohei Hinoki Shot at B-29 on Jun 5, 1945 | 赤井照久のブログ、Teruhisa Akai’s Blog
As Japonais - HINOKI Yohei
Book sources
- Henryk Sakaida. Japanese Army Air Force Aces. 1937-45. — Aces’ OSPREY Aircraft, 1997, No. 13.
Osprey aircraft of the aces 013 - japanese army air force aces 1937-45 | PDF
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots