Oral History Interview with Zenji Abe, May 4, 1993

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The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Zenji Abe. Zenji was born in Honshu on 18 August 1916 and graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in March 1937. He received a year of training on various combat vessels as a midshipman. In March 1938 he was promoted to ensign and assigned to the destroyer Uzuki. In August he was sent to flight school and became a dive bomber pilot. After serving aboard the Soryu, he was transferred to the Akagi as a squadron leader of Val dive bombers. He was a squadron leader in the … continued below

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58 p.

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Abe, Zenji May 4, 1993.

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This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 125 times, with 17 in the last month. More information about this text can be viewed below.

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National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

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The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Zenji Abe. Zenji was born in Honshu on 18 August 1916 and graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in March 1937. He received a year of training on various combat vessels as a midshipman. In March 1938 he was promoted to ensign and assigned to the destroyer Uzuki. In August he was sent to flight school and became a dive bomber pilot. After serving aboard the Soryu, he was transferred to the Akagi as a squadron leader of Val dive bombers. He was a squadron leader in the second wave of dive bombers assigned to attack the American carriers at Pearl Harbor. Since the carriers were absent, his squadron attacked battleships instead. His next combat action was bombing Darwin, Australia in February 1942. He also recalls sinking British heavy cruisers HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Cornwall, as well as the carrier HMS Hermes, in the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Flying from the Junyo in June, he attacked Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. He transferred next to the carrier Hiyo. He was aboard until she broke down and Zenji’s squadron was transferred ashore to southern Bougainville Island. From Bougainville his squadron made repeated attacks on Guadalcanal. He contracted malaria and was hospitalized in Japan in November 1942. He returned to the Junyo in early 1944 and recalls his squadron was flying a new German dive bomber, named Suisei. In June 1944 he participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In September he was shot down by American fighters and crashed on Rota in the Marianas. He was given command of the naval garrison on Rota until 2 September 1945, when he surrendered to the United States. The Japanese garrison was taken to a POW camp in Guam where he remained for fifteen months until he was returned to Japan in late November 1946. When the Korean War started, he joined the National Police Reserve overseen by the American occupation forces.

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58 p.

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National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

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National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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  • May 4, 1993

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  • Oct. 15, 2023, 9:02 p.m.

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Abe, Zenji. Oral History Interview with Zenji Abe, May 4, 1993, text, May 4, 1993; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1606444/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.

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