Amakusa Naval Air Group Monument
Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture
The Amakusa Air Group was formed in March 1944 as a detachment of the Hakata
Naval Air Group in Fukuoka Prefecture. The base at Amakusa, an island off the
west coast of Kumamoto Prefecture, had more than 50 seaplanes, including Type 0
Observation Seaplanes, Type 93 Intermediate Trainer Seaplanes, and Type 95
Reconnaissance Seaplanes (Allied code names of Pete, Willow, and Dave,
respectively). [1]
The monument, erected in August 1973, has the following inscription on the
front:
Amakusa Naval Air Group
Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Monument
A sign just outside the gate to the fenced-in monument
area gives the following history of the Amakusa Air Group:
During the Pacific War, the Amakusa Naval Air Group was based in this area.
The Amakusa Naval Air Group was a training air group that trained seaplane
pilots. However, in March 1945 when signs of Japan's defeat became more
pronounced, the designation as a training air group was eliminated, and it
became a Kamikaze Special Attack Corps base where their planes loaded with
bombs took off to crash into enemy ships.
After several months of intense special attack training in which three
men died, the first special attack squadron took off in the latter part of
May 1945, and the second squadron made a sortie in the latter part of June. By the
light of the moon they flew toward Okinawa, and 16 young men in 8 planes
died as they dove into enemy ships.
We build here this monument on a hill overlooking the Ariake Sea in order
to honor the spirits of these Kamikaze Special Attack Corps members and
others connected with the Amakusa Naval Air Group who died in battle.
Amakusa Air Group Association
Hondo [2] Tourist Association
The Amakusa Air Group pilots flew Type 0 Observation Seaplanes in their
kamikaze attacks. Most sources indicate the Amakusa Air Group seaplanes did not
make these attacks directly from Amakusa, but rather the planes flew first to
Ibusuki Air Base at the southern end of Kyushu and then made sorties from there.
Sign to monument with painting of
Type 0 Observation Seaplane (Pete)
The following last letters were written by Kamikaze Special
Attack Corps members from the Amakusa Naval Air Group who died in special attacks:
Notes
1. The information in the first paragraph comes
from a web page about the monument. This web page is in the Archives of Culture
and Nature in Kumamoto, a section of the web site maintained by Kumamoto
Prefectural Government. The web page address is the following:
<http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/arinomama/contents_dbpac/asp/bunkazai/s_frame.asp?id=871&group_id=6&pageCnt=4&order_kind=&disp_img=&syu=&syu2=>
(February 22, 2008), link no longer available.
2. In March 2006, Hondo City merged with Ushibuka
City and eight smaller towns to become Amakusa City.
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