10. Japanese aces have contradictory kill counts in most cases
Aces of the Empire of Japan flew in both the Air Force and the Naval Air Forces, with records of victories by their pilots often unconfirmed. Tetsuzo Iwamoto is generally regarded as the leading Japanese ace of the war. Iwamoto flew for the Japanese Navy, for much of the war aboard the aircraft carrier Zuikaku, or from landing fields on Rabaul and other Japanese-held islands. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto fought in China, and claimed an additional 14 victories there. Most sources credit him with 80 air-to-air victories, making him the ace of aces for the Pacific War, with twice the number of kills as the leading American ace, Richard Bong.
Iwamoto’s personal diary includes claims of victory over 48 American Corsairs, If true, he accounted for more than 25% of all the Corsairs lost in the Pacific during the war. He also claimed 29 victories over the F6F Hellcat, operated by the US Navy. Iwamoto’s diary claimed 78 victories over the SBD Dauntless dive bomber, including during the Battle of the Coral Sea, as well as in later operations at Rabaul. He also listed numerous aircraft destroyed on the ground by strafing, and several attacks on destroyers and other ships. If all of Iwamoto’s claims are true he destroyed far more than the 80 airplanes for which he is generally credited, but confirmation of his claims remains impossible. He survived the war, dying of sepsis following botched surgery in 1955.