Saburō Sakai
Saburō Sakai | |
|---|---|
Sakai in the cockpit of a Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 fighter (Hankow airfield, China in 1939) | |
| Native name | 坂井 三郎 |
| Nickname(s) | Sky Samurai |
| Born | 25 August 1916 Saga, Japan |
| Died | 22 September 2000 (aged 84) Atsugi Naval Air Station, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN) |
| Years of service | 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Junior Grade |
| Unit | Tainan Naval Air Wing Yokosuka Naval Air Wing 343rd Naval Air Group |
| Battles / wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Hatsuyo (1944-1947) Haru (1952-2000) |
| Children | 3 |
Saburō Sakai (坂井 三郎, Sakai Saburō, 25 August 1916 – 22 September 2000) was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace ("Gekitsui-O", 撃墜王) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Sakai had 28 aerial victories, including shared ones, according to official Japanese records, though he and his ghostwriter Martin Caidin claimed much higher numbers.