Henry Sakaida’s book on JAAF aces illustrates Kato-sans’ Ki-43-I as having the markings of the Oscar in the painting posted (Note the thin, blue borders on the white stripes and arrow).
I botched Kato-sans’ rank in my previous post: He had already achieved Lt. Col. in spring , 1942.
My tired, myopic eyes also make out “Z9808” on the tail of the Blenheim.
I guess the following kind of confirms the episode…
From Asansol nine Blenheims of 60 Squadron flew to Dum Dum on 22 May in preparation for an attack on Akyab airfield. Initially it was planned that six bombers would fly up-river to attack targets there, while three others would attack the airfield. In the event, only the latter three finally prepared for take-off, but one suffered engine trouble and did not get away, while a second returned early with other technical problems. Only Blenheim Mk.IV Z9808 of 60 Squadron flown by Warrant Officer Martin Huggard managed to reach the target. The Blenheim dropped its bomb from low-level and sped off out over the Bay of Bengal at wave-top height.
Despite their element of surprise the Blenheim crew had spotted a number of 64th Sentai Ki-43s scrambling after them as they flew over Akyab. First off in pursuit of the enemy bomber was 10-victory ace Sergeant Yo****o Yasuda, who soon caught up with the Blenheim and dived in to attack. Fortunately for the three-man Blenheim crew, their turret gunner Flight Sergeant ‘Jock’ McLuckie proved to be a crack shot, despite having never before fired his guns in anger (the third member of the crew was the navigator Sergeant Jack Howitt). McLuckie hit Yasuda’s Ki-43 in its first pass, and the Japanese pilot was forced to return to Akyab.
Captain Masuzo Otani then took up the attack, but he too fell victim to a well-aimed burst from the gunner and had to retire back to Burma. Finally, after almost 30 minutes of constant attack, three Ki-43-I-Heis appeared on the scene, with Lieutenant Colonel Kato in the lead fighter. However when Kato pulled up after making his first diving pass on the Blenheim, McLuckie raked the fighter’s exposed belly with a long burst and the Ki-43 started to burn. Realising that he would never make it back to Akyab, Kato half-looped his stricken fighter and purposely dove into the sea to perish with it. He had advised his pilots on numerous occasions in the past to perform just such a manoeuvre if hit badly over the water. The remaining two Japanese pilots immediately returned to Akyab to report the terrible news (they also reported that Kato has shot down the bomber, which obviously wasn’t true).
The Blenheim returned to India unscathed by the Japanese attacks, and once British Intelligence had ascertained just who was flying the Ki-43 downed by McLuckie, 60 Squadron received the following signal from Air Officer Commanding Burma, Air Vice-Marshal D. F. Stevenson, on 2 August 1942:
“Please convey my congratulations toward Warrant Officer Huggards, Sergeant Howitt and Sergeant McLuckie on the successful action they fought against four enemy fighters which took place over Akyab on 22 May, and which resulted in Lt Colonel T. A. Keo Kato [sic], leader of the Japanese fighter force being shot down.’
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