run. The AVG ambushed them again, shooting
down two fighters and several bombers. But
the day after, Japanese ground forces captured
nearby Lashio, forcing the Americans to aban-
don Loiwing altogether. In their repeated skir-
mishes with the 64th Sentai, the AVG had the
better of it, shooting down 11 Ki 43s for a loss
of six P-40s. It was a display of skill and sacri-
fice reflecting the greatest merit to both sides.
By comparison, the Japanese land cam-
paign in Burma was startlingly successful. To
stem the Japanese advance, the RAF fre-
quently sortied light bombers from airfields in
India to harass them. On May 22, 1942, a flight
of three Bristol Blenheimstook off to attack
Akyab airfield, but mechanical problems
forced two to abort. The final craft ap-
proached low over the Bay of Bengal and
dropped its bombs, triggering a quick Japa-
nese response. Several flights of the 64th Sen-
tai were on hand to intercept this lone in-
truder, which pluckily beat them off. At length
Kato arrived in company with two other
Hayabusas.The three made raking passes at
the British aircraft, but as Kato pulled up from
his dive, the British tailgunner sent a long
burst into his exposed belly. The Ki 43 started
burning, and Kato realized that his craft
would never make it back to Akyab. Without
hesitation, he quickly half-looped the stricken
craft and dove directly into the ocean, killing
himself. His death came as a shock to the Ja-
panese people, who perpetuated his memory
through the song “Kato Hayabusa Sentoki
Tai” (Kato’s Fighter Air Group). At the time of
his passing, Kato was credited with 18 kills.
The “War God” was also posthumously ele-
vated two grades to major general, a standard
Japanese practice. More important, the les-
sons he taught the 64th Sentai allowed it to
continue fighting successfully without him. It
would emerge as the most famous Japanese
army air force unit of World War II.Bibliography
Busechel, Richard M. Nakajima Ki–43 Hayabusa.At-
glen, PA: Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1995;
Ford, Daniel. The Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault
and the American Volunteer Group.Washington,
DC: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1991; Izawa, Yasuo.
“Japan’s Red Eagles: The 64th Flying Squadron.” Air
Classics 8 (July–August 1972): 11–17, 38–47; 9
(1973): 24–29, 74–75, 82; Sakaida, Henry. Japanese
Army Air Force Aces, 1937–1945.London: Osprey,
1997; Scott, Peter. Emblems of the Rising Sun: Im-
perial Japanese Army Air Force Unit Markings.
Aldershot, Hants, UK: Hinoki, 1999; Shores, Christo-
pher F., and Yasuho Izawa. Bloody Shambles.2 vols.
London: Grubb Street, 1992–1993; Stanaway, John.
Nakajima Ki-43 “Hayabusa”: Allied Code Name
Oscar.Bennington, VT: Merriam Press, 2000.KEITEL, WILHELM
Keitel, Wilhelm
(August 22, 1882–October 16, 1946)
German Staff Officer
T
he tall, ponderous Keitel was Ger-
many’s highest-ranking officer of World
War II. His shameless subservience to
Adolf Hitler proved disastrous for German
strategy and garnered him the nickname
“Lakaitel” (lakai,lackey).
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel
was born in Helmscherode, Hannover, on Au-
gust 22, 1882, into a family of farmers. The
Keitels were distinctly nonmilitary in outlook,
and his father, when drafted into the army,
was not allowed to wear his uniform in the
house. In 1900, Keitel broke with family tradi-
tion by becoming an artillery officer. He ini-
tially served as a battery commander during
World War I, but his intelligence and diligence