nu-i problema!
Saburo Sakai se spune ca este singurul as japonez din WWII care nu a pierdut niciodata un coechipier in lupta.
Tot el este cel care a adus avionul avariat acasa, la Rabaul, dupa ce a zburat 1100 nm (mile nautice) la Guadalcanal in August 1942, ranit la cap si semiparalizat (ranit a zburat jumatate).
Mai jos e un pasaj din cartea "Samurai!" scrisa de Caidin/Saito (impreuna cu Sakai) (pag. 34, editia ibooks, 2001)
Citeaza
One of our favourite tricks was to try to discover the brighter stars during daylight hours. This is no mean feat, and without above-average eyes it is virtually impossible to accomplish. However, our instructors constantly impressed us with the fact that a fighter plane seen from a distance of several thousand yards often is no easier to identify than a star in daylight. And the pilot who first discovers his enemy and manoeuvres into the most advantageous attack position can gain an invincible superiority. Gradually, and with much more practice, we became quite adept at our star-hunting. Then we went further. When we had sighted and fixed the position of a particular star, we jerked our eyes away ninety degrees, and snapped back again to see if we could locate the star immediately. Of such things are fighter pilots made.
I personally cannot too highly commend this particular activity, inane as it may seem to those unfamiliar with the split-second, life-or-death movements of aerial warfare. I know that during my 200 air engagements with enemy planes, except for two minor errors I was never caught in a surprise attack by enemy fighters, nor did I ever lose any of my wingmen to hostile pilots