Yoshinao Kodaira | |
---|---|
Born | 1918 Nagano Prefecture, Japan |
Died | 2008 |
Allegiance | Japan |
Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN) |
Years of service | 1935-? |
Battles/wars | World War II: Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of the Coral Sea Guadalcanal Campaign Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle of Leyte |
Other work | Japan Air Self-Defense Force |
Yoshinao Kodaira (小平 好直 Kodaira Yoshinao , 1918 - 2008) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Participating in many of the Pacific War battles and campaigns as a member of several units, including the fighter units of the aircraft carriers Shōkaku and Chiyoda, Kodaira was officially credited with destroying 13 enemy aircraft. After the war, he served with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. In 2008, Tsubasa-kai, the veteran's organization of JASDF, reported his death on its web.