I te Hōngongoi o te tau 1942, i whakawhiwhia a Lieutenant Kofukuda hei "Hikōtaichō" o te 6th Air Group, i whakaarohia hei kaitiaki mo Midway Island engari i te mea kaore i taea e nga Hapanihi te hopu i a Midway
He aha? I taua wa i tu te waahanga ki Kisarazu i Hapani ka whakahaua kia neke ki Rabaul i New Britain i te 21 o Akuhata. I arahi a Lieutenant Kofukuda i te rererangi rererangi 5,000-kilomita mo te 18 nga kaiwhaiwhai Zero mai i Japan ki Rabaul ma nga motu motu (Iwo Jima, Saipan, Truk me Kavieng), kaore ano kia kitea mo te rererangi kotahi-noho i taua wa.