Yukio Seki
Yukio Seki (関 行男) | |
|---|---|
Lt. Seki in flightgear | |
| Born | August 29, 1921 Iyo Saijō, Ehime, Japan |
| Died | October 25, 1944 (aged 23) USS St. Lo (CVE-63), Leyte Gulf, Philippines |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN) |
| Years of service | 1938–1944 |
| Battles / wars | |
Yukio Seki (関 行男, Seki Yukio, August 29, 1921 – October 25, 1944) was a Japanese naval aviator of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a kamikaze pilot, Lieutenant Seki led one of the three fighter groups of the second official kamikaze attack in World War II (the first official attack was an unsuccessful attempt led by Yoshiyasu Kunō on October 21, 1944). Seki's final action took place on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He led a unit of five bomb-armed Mitsubishi Zero fighters, crash-diving his plane deliberately into USS St. Lo's flight deck, being the first kamikazes to sink an enemy ship.