Allegiance Japan Rank Chief petty officer | Name Hajime Toyoshima Years of service 1938–44 | |
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Battles/wars World War II
Bombing of Darwin
Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Breakout Died August 5, 1944, Cowra, Australia Battles and wars World War II, Bombing of Darwin, Cowra breakout | ||
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Navy | ||
Sergeant Hajime Toyoshima (豊嶋一, Toyoshima Hajime) (died August 5, 1944) was a Japanese airman in World War II. His A6M Zero was the first of that type (after those recovered after the Attack on Pearl Harbor) to be recovered relatively intact on Allied territory when he crash landed on Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia. Toyoshima was the first Japanese Prisoner of War to be captured in Australia. While a Prisoner of War, Toyoshima was one of the instigators of the Breakout from the Prisoner of War Camp located in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia, sounding a bugle to signal the commencement of the escape and died during the escape attempt.
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Early life
Toyoshima was born on 29 March 1920. Little is known of Toyoshima's early life.
Raid on Darwin
Toyoshima took part of the 19 February 1942 Japanese air-raid on Darwin, Australia. His Zero, tail code BII-124, was launched from the IJS Hiryu. His Zero crash-landed on Melville Island, where he was taken prisoner by local islander Matthias Ulungura. Toyoshima was the first Japanese Prisoner of War to be captured in Australian territorial jurisdiction. Toyoshima suffered only superficial injuries in the crash-landing. He strove to move as far away from his Zero on foot, understanding that the aircraft would aid Allied Military intelligence. Before Toyoshima's crash, only nine Zeros had been shot down in the Pearl Harbor attack, 74 days before the first Air Raid on Darwin; their pilots had died, and the badly damaged wrecks were of little use.
Cowra breakout
By the time Toyoshima had arrived at the Cowra POW camp, he had adopted the alias "Tadao Minami" (南忠男, Minami Tadao). Toyoshima signaled the 1:45 am start of the mass escape of Japanese Prisoners of War from the Cowra POW Camp with a bugle call. He died at some time later in the breakout.