JAAF
50th Sentai
Brad Blythe, 2007
Pilot Sgt. Toshisada Kurosawa
Crashed February 9, 1942
Pilot History
Sgt. Kurosawa was born in 1921, once lived in Sapporo. In 1959, he was enshrined in the Gokoku Jinja in Sapporo. At that time, as the bereaved family member, his father, Setsusuke, Nishi 5-home, 20, Kita 16 Jo, Sapporo was registered, however, currently no one related to the Kurosawa family lives there.
Mission History
One of six Nates that took off from Clark Field to fly a patrol. After a Ki-46 spotted a Stinson biplane piloted by Jesus Villamor and four escorting P-40s over Limay, returning from a photo mission and escort. When the Nates reached them, the escorting P-40s engaged them from lower altitude. This Nate was pursued by a P-40E piloted by Stone.
On the ground at Mariveles, a Japanese fighter had been observed chasing a P-40 overhead, gaining on it. The two went in and out of clouds around Mount Mariveles, then an explosion was heard. Both the Nate was lost and Lt. Stone MIA.
Wreckage
A few days later, American forces located this crash site of this Nate in a deep gulch, describing the site as bits scattered over a hundred feet of jungle and the pilot's body nearby. Wreckage of the engine was rediscovered by a team, including Spike Nasmyth.
Spike Nasmyth adds:
"It was our team that found the Type-97 [Nate]. We were hopeful the wreckage was [P-40 pilot] Lt. Earl Stone, but as soon as the radial engine was found we knew it was the Nate. We are not giving up. After this rainy season is passed, we're up the mountain again."
Kevin Hamdorf adds:
"The wreckage found to date is highly fragmented and widely scattered (impact speed was probably in excess of 300mph) over a steep slope, covered with thick jungle vegetation on Cogon Tarak Ridge, Mt. Mariveles, on Bataan into which both aircraft crashed (at least the "Nate" crashed into this ridge). We plan to hike to the site later this year (after the wet season) and conduct a detailed analysis of the wreckage to determine the angle of impact and other information that might provide a better bearing on the possible location of the yet to be found P-40 (piloted by Lt. Earl Stone). According to eyewittness accounts, the "Nate" was firing at the P-40 from behind, when both aircraft entered the cloud cover over Mt. Mariveles. Apparently, both aircraft then crashed immediately into the mountain (engine noise from both aircraft stop almost simultaneously - as described in Allison Ind's book, "Bataan"). We therefore conclude that both aircraft crash sites are most likely to be within the same general area."
References
Doomed from the Start pages 312 - 314, 461
Thanks to William Bartsch for additional information
Thanks to rediscovery team members: Spike Nasmyth, Brad Blythe and Kevin Hamdorf
Ki-27
Photo Archive
Fighter Discovered
