three years in prison before poor health—and
a lack of proof—prompted his release. The
elder general then assumed a private life in
Celles, Hannover, where he died on February
24, 1953. A capable and talented general, he
was respected by his peers, and even so no-
table a leader as Field Marshal Bernard L.
Montgomery declared Rundstedt “the best
German general I have come up against.”
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Manitoba: Fedorowicz, 2000.SAKAI, SABURO
Sakai, Saburo
(August 26, 1916–September 22, 2000)
Japanese Navy Fighter Pilot
T
he one-eyed Sakai was the most famous
of Japan’s naval aces to survive World
War II. Despite shooting down 64
enemy craft in 200 missions, his proudest ac-
complishment was never having lost a wing-
man in combat. Sakai’s success is a reflection
of his personal motto, futo fukutsu(Never
give up!).
Saburo Sakai was born in Saga Prefecture
on August 26, 1916, the son of a low-born
samurai. A poor student, he joined the navy in
May 1933 to cover his shame for dropping out.
Sakai worked as an ordinary seaman for three
years on board the battleship Kirishima,
until one day he witnessed an aircraft being
catapulted from the deck. The sight so fasci-
nated him that he immediately applied for
flight training. Having failed the entrance ex-
amination twice, Sakai finally passed on the
third attempt, and in November 1937 he grad-
uated at the top of his class. His flight skills
seemed so promising that the school com-
mandant awarded him with the emperor’s Sil-
ver Watch. At this time the Sino-Japanese War
had erupted, so Sakai transferred to China as
part of the 12th Kokutai (air group), then
equipped with fixed-wheeled Mitsubishi A5M
fighters. He flew repeatedly bit did not score