IJN
Junyo
Pilot Sub-Lt. Setsuo Kuno (KIA)
Reconnaissance Petty Officer Tadao Maruyama (WIA / KIA)
Radio/Gunner Warrant Officer Hisao Sato (survived)
Crashed October 17, 1942
Crew History
Kuno was in the 67th Class (1939) from the Navy Academy
Wartime History
A6M2 Zero along with B5N2 Kate from Hiyo and Junyo attacked shipping offshore at Lunga Point. Shot down by VMF-121 WF4F Wildcats, it crashed off Cape Esperence. One crew member escaped the crash, and met a downed Zero pilot Kaname Harada in the jungle. Together, the two tried to save Maruyama, trapped in the wreckage but were unsucessful. They stayed with the bodies for one night before leaving.
Rescue
They were finally rescued by a group of Japanese engineers who were building a submarine base Kamimbo Bay (Tambea)
References
The First Team covers this mission on pages 317-319.
Thanks to Ron Werneth for historical details, told in the forthcoming book: "Beyond Pearl Harbor: The Untold stories of Japan's Navy Airmen"
Kate
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