Kiyoshi Ogawa | |
|---|---|
.png) Ogawa wearing a hachimaki | |
| Born | October 23, 1922 Usui District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | May 11, 1945 (aged 22) USS Bunker Hill, near Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service |  Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN) |
| Years of service | 1944–1945 |
| Rank |  Ensign |
| Unit | 721st Kōkūtai |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Died in battle award |
Kiyoshi Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 清 Ogawa Kiyoshi, October 23, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator ensign (少尉) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a kamikaze pilot, Ensign Ogawa's final action took place on May 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. Piloting a bomb-laden Mitsubishi Zero fighter during Operation Kikusui No. 6, Ogawa flew through American anti-aircraft fire and attacked the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, less than one minute after his flight leader, sub-lieutenant Seizō Yasunori, crashed into the ship. He dropped a 250-kilogram (550 lb) bomb, never pulled out of the dive, and crashed deliberately into the flight deck near the control tower of the aircraft carrier. The bomb penetrated Bunker Hill's flight deck and exploded. Gasoline fires flamed up and several explosions took place when re-armed and re-fueled planes on deck exploded and caught fire. 393 American sailors died with Yasunori and Ogawa, 264 were wounded, and the ship was disabled for the remainder of the war.[1]
- ^ "Doing his Duty" Archived May 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine