Mitsuo Fuchida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mitsuo Fuchida
淵田 美津雄 |
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Captain Mitsuo Fuchida
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| Born | 3 December 1902 Katsuragi, Nara, Japan |
| Died | 30 May 1976 (aged 73) Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/ |
 Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1924–45 |
| Rank |    Captain |
| Unit | 1st Air Fleet |
| Commands held | Akagi: 1st (flag), 2nd and 3rd air squadrons |
| Battles/wars | World War II
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| Other work |
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Mitsuo Fuchida (淵田 美津雄, Fuchida Mitsuo, 3 December 1902 – 30 May 1976) was a Japanese captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. He was a bomber observer for the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II.
Fuchida is famous for leading the first air attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He worked under Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo and was in charge of the entire air attack.
After the war, Fuchida became a Christian convert and evangelist. He traveled across the United States and Europe to share his story. He later lived in the U.S.
Contents
Mitsuo Fuchida was born in Katsuragi, Nara, Japan, on December 3, 1902. In 1921, he joined the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. There, he became friends with Minoru Genda and found a passion for flying.
He graduated in 1924 and was promoted several times. By 1930, he was a lieutenant. Fuchida became an expert in horizontal bombing and taught this skill in 1936. He gained experience fighting during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1939, he joined the aircraft carrier Akagi as the air group commander. He was promoted to commander in October 1941.
World War II Actions
Leading the Pearl Harbor Attack
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, a Japanese force was ready to attack the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This force included six aircraft carriers and 423 planes. At 6:00 AM, the first group of 183 planes took off. These planes included dive bombers, torpedo bombers, horizontal bombers, and fighters. They flew from carriers about 250 mi (400 km) north of Oahu.
At 7:40 AM, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida arrived over Oahu. He was with the first attack wave. Fuchida ordered his planes to take attack positions. When he saw no U.S. activity at Pearl Harbor, he fired a dark blue flare. This was the signal to attack.
At 7:49 AM, Fuchida told his radio operator to send the signal "To, To, To" (meaning "to charge") to the other planes. He then sent the famous code words "Tora! Tora! Tora!" back to the carrier Akagi. This message meant that the attack had achieved complete surprise.
Fuchida stayed over Pearl Harbor to see the damage and watch the second wave attack. He returned to his carrier only after the second wave finished. He proudly announced that the U.S. battleship fleet had been destroyed. His plane had 21 holes from anti-aircraft fire. The successful attack made Fuchida a national hero. He even met Emperor Hirohito.
Other Important Raids
On February 19, 1942, Fuchida led the first wave of 188 planes in a huge air raid on Darwin, Australia. On April 5, he led more air attacks against Royal Navy bases in Ceylon. This was the headquarters of the British Eastern Fleet. Winston Churchill called this "the most dangerous moment" of World War II.
Battle of Midway Injury
On June 4, 1942, Fuchida was on board the Akagi during the Battle of Midway. He had just had an emergency surgery and could not fly. He was on the ship's bridge when U.S. planes attacked. After Akagi was hit, burning fuel and bombs started to destroy the ship. Fuchida tried to escape down a rope. An explosion threw him to the deck, breaking both his ankles.
Later War Service
After recovering, Fuchida spent the rest of the war in Japan as a staff officer. In October 1944, he became a captain. The day before the first nuclear weapon was dropped on Hiroshima, he was in that city for a military meeting. He was called back to Tokyo. The day after the bombing, he returned to Hiroshima to check the damage. Everyone else in his group later died from radiation sickness, but Fuchida showed no symptoms. His military career ended in November 1945.
Life After the War
After the war, Fuchida was asked to speak at trials for some Japanese military members. He was angry about this, feeling it was unfair. In 1947, he met his former flight engineer, Kazuo Kanegasaki. Everyone thought Kanegasaki had died in the Battle of Midway. Kanegasaki told Fuchida that he had been treated well as a prisoner. He also spoke of a young lady, Peggy Covell, who showed great kindness to prisoners. Her missionary parents had been killed by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines.
Fuchida found this hard to understand. In the Bushido code, revenge was expected. He wondered why someone would treat enemies with love and forgiveness.
In 1948, Fuchida found a pamphlet about Jacob DeShazer. DeShazer was a U.S. airman captured by the Japanese. His story told of his imprisonment and how he found faith in God. This made Fuchida even more curious about Christianity. In September 1949, after reading the Bible, he became a Christian. In May 1950, Fuchida and DeShazer met. Fuchida then started the Captain Fuchida Evangelistical Association. He traveled and spoke about his conversion, calling his talks "From Pearl Harbor To Calvary."
In 1951, Fuchida helped write a book about the Battle of Midway from the Japanese side. In 1952, he toured the U.S. as part of a Christian missionary group. He continued this work for the rest of his life.
In 1954, Reader's Digest published Fuchida's story of the Pearl Harbor attack. He also wrote other books, including From Pearl Harbor to Golgotha (also known as From Pearl Harbor to Calvary). His autobiography was published in Japan in 2007 and in English in 2011.
In 1959, Fuchida met General Paul Tibbets. Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Fuchida recognized Tibbets and they talked.
Fuchida had a green card for permanent residence in the U.S. but never became a U.S. citizen. He died on May 30, 1976, near Osaka, at age 73. His death was due to problems from diabetes.
Books by Mitsuo Fuchida
Fuchida wrote three main books:
- Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's Story (2000) was written with Masatake Okumiya. This book describes the Battle of Midway from the Japanese view.
- For That One Day: The Memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, the Commander of the Attack on Pearl Harbor (2011) is his personal story.
- From Pearl Harbor to Calvary (2016) tells the story of how Fuchida became a Christian.
Portrayals in Film
In the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, Mitsuo Fuchida was played by Japanese actor Takahiro Tamura.
Historic Map Auction
In 2013, Fuchida's hand-drawn map showing the damage after the Pearl Harbor attack was sold at auction for $425,000. This map was later given to the Library of Congress in 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Mitsuo Fuchida para niños
