Continued from February 14, 2023.
The Japanese claim the shot that caused Ensign Tadayoshi Koga's plane to crash came during the attack on Dutch Harbor.
The fatal shot severed the return oil line and Koga's plane immediately began trailing oil. He reduced speed to keep the engine from seizing for as long as possible.
The three Zeros flew to Akutan Island, 25 miles east of Dutch Harbor which had been designated for emergency landings. Waiting near the island was a Japanese submarine assigned to pick up downed pilots.
At the island, they circled until they found a fairly flat piece of ground, but as Koga began his descent they saw there was water on the ground and it was too late for him to pull up. The landing gear mired in the mud and the plane flipped over and skid to a stop.
Although the arcraft survived nearly intact, Koga was killed instantly, either due to a broken neck or blunt force to his head. Koga's wingmen circling above had orders to destroy the plane to prevent its capture, but did not know if Koga was alive or not so did not strafe it.
They left and later the Japanese submarine was driven off by the USS Williamson.
--GreGen
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