was a warrant officer and

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

fighter pilot in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

(IJN) during the

January 28 Incident The January 28 incident or Shanghai incident (January 28 – March 3, 1932) was a conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. It took place in the Shanghai International Settlement which was under international control. Japa ...

and the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

. During the January 28 Incident on 22 February 1932, while assigned to the aircraft carrier ''Kaga's'' fighter group, Kuroiwa participated in the IJN's first official shootdown of an enemy aircraft in combat. In the shootdown, Kuroiwa and two other fighters from his unit destroyed a Chinese fighter aircraft piloted by American contract Pilot Lt

Robert M. Short Robert McCawley Short (October 4, 1904 in Steilacoom, Washington - February 22, 1932, in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Republic of China (1912–1949), China) was an American aviator, United States Army Air Forces pilot, and Republic of China Air Force Academ ...

Disappearance

During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, assigned to the

12th Air Group was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Second Sino-Japanese War that operated mainly in the campaigns in Central China. History The unit was formed on 11 July 1937 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. ...

, Kuroiwa saw considerable action against Chinese air opponents. During his combat career, Kuroiwa was officially credited with shooting down 13 enemy aircraft. In 1939 he was deemed too old to continue with combat duty so Kuroiwa left the IJN and became a civilian pilot for

Imperial Japanese Airways was the national airline of the Empire of Japan during World War II. History With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there was a tremendous need for air transport capability by the Japanese military, which had traditionally drawn on th ...

. On 26 August 1944 the civilian transport aircraft he was flying disappeared off the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

and neither the aircraft nor Kuroiwa was ever found.

References

* *

External links

* 1908 births 1940s missing person cases 1944 deaths Aerial disappearances of military personnel in action Imperial Japanese Navy officers Japanese civilians killed in World War II Japanese naval aviators Japanese World War II flying aces Military personnel from Fukuoka Prefecture Missing aviators Missing person cases in Asia Missing in action of World War II {{Japan-mil-bio-stub

Disappearance

See also

References

External links