Osamu Kudō

Osamu Kudō
Kudō in 1938 or 1939 while serving on the aircraft carrier Kaga
Born	1915 Ōita Prefecture, Japan
Died	3 March 1942 Broome, Western Australia
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJN)
Years of service	1931–1942
Rank	Lieutenant Junior Grade
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War

Osamu Kudō (工藤 修, Kudō Osamu, 1915 – 3 March 1942) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. In aerial combat over China and the Pacific, he was officially credited with destroying seven enemy aircraft. Kudō was killed in action while participating in an air attack on Broome, Australia on 3 March 1942. He was shot down by ML-KNIL Lieutenant Gus Winckel, who had dismounted the 7.99mm machine gun from his Lockheed Lodestar and balanced it on his shoulder while firing.

References

• Hata, Ikuhiko; Yasuho Izawa (1989) [1975]. Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II. Translated by Don Cyril Gorham. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-315-6.