Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument
The Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument, erected in 1983, is located in a
secluded area near the edge of the Miyazaki City Airport. The main monument
shown at right has inscribed the Japanese word chinkon (meaning
"repose of souls"). The Navy established Miyazaki Air Base in December 1943 as a training base.
Later in the war Miyazaki become a major base for both Navy and Army air
operations.
There were 47 Ginga (Frances) bombers with 140 crew
members who took off from Miyazaki Air Base to make special (suicide) attacks [1]. Suisei
(Judy) dive bombers, with a total of 19 crew members, took off on March 27
and 29, 1945, to make special attacks [2]. Also, 605 Navy and Army
aircraft crew
members who participated in conventional attack and torpedo bomber operations perished after taking off from
Miyazaki Air Base.
A long plaque in front of the main monument gives the history of the air base
at Miyazaki:
This location is the site of the former Navy's Akae Airfield and Miyazaki Naval Air Group.
Until the war's end on August 15, 1945, as the
largest air base in southern Kyūshū for Japan's defense, it served as a
sortie base for special attack squadrons and torpedo bomber squadrons in
many battle operations that included joint Navy and Army operations.
Now we are enjoying a peaceful and prosperous life. However, behind the
peace and prosperity, we must not forget that there were many sacrifices by our
country's people; millions of dead, wounded, and sick in battle; and a great
number of hardships and privations by our nation's people. Among these are
the Navy and Army Special Attack Corps members and torpedo bomber unit
members who died in the skies of the southern seas with the motto "for the
country" and who believed especially in eternal peace for the country and
final victory. We want to tell future generations of their noble spirit and
virtue.
On December 1, 1943, Akae Airfield opened as a training base for the
Naval Air Group. In July 1944, an organizational policy was worked out so
that Akae Base would be converted from a training base to a frontline operations
base. On October 10, 1944, it officially opened as an operations base.
On October 12, 1944, it plunged into the Taiwan Air Battle. Navy and Army
fighters and torpedo bombers that had been deployed to Akae Base
took off for Taiwan. Akae Base played a pivotal role both as a sortie base
and transit base. A total of 544 aircraft participated in the operation
including 344 Navy aircraft such as the Type 1 Attack Bomber (Allied code
name of Betty) and 200 Army aircraft such as the Hiryū
Bomber (Allied code name of Peggy). Battle deaths
in this operation were 635 for the Navy and 80 for the Army.
With the conclusion of this operation, the opportunity
to win had passed in vain. It was not thought that airmen's laying down
their lives would cause a favorable turn in the war situation. Rather than
waiting to die in vain, Navy and Army young eagles who burned with
conviction for the country entrusted everything to Special Attack Corps
members who would die honorably in the skies. They carried out taiatari
(body-crashing) attacks together with their planes against enemy aircraft
carriers. They devoted all of their strength and initiated attacks at Leyte
Gulf in the Philippines, where the 1st Air Fleet, which had the misfortune
of no air cover, gave its final farewell to the Imperial Combined Fleet.
On October 25, 1944,the 1st Kamikaze Special Attack Unit Shikishima
Squadron was the first group to attack. Starting with Proclamation No. 59
through Proclamation No. 259, there were 2,507 Navy Kamikaze Special Attack
Corps members who made sorties and died in special attacks. There were 1,392
Army Special Attack Corps members who made sorties and died in special
attacks. Most Special Attack Corps members took off from this Akae Base,
either by participating in direct attacks from here or by visiting here as a transit
base and then participating in special attack operations in the Philippines,
Taiwan, and Okinawa. It was the last place for these young eagles who were
Special Attack Corps members who burned with the ardent desire to save their beloved parents, dear hometowns, and country by offering their
lives. They died for their country during an unprecedented national crisis.
On March 18, 1945, Miyazaki suffered its first air attack. Shooting by
American carrier-based aircraft started with one night fighter at 5:45 a.m.,
150 Grumman fighters until 8 a.m., 540 aircraft until 10 a.m., and 200
aircraft from noon to 4:45 p.m. There was a counterattack, but there were
only 90
Zero fighters of the 306th Fighter Hikōtai and 307th Fighter Hikōtai of the
721st Air Group. Total human casualties by air attacks on Miyazaki were 123 dead and 136
wounded.
There is an immense war responsibility related to the talented persons
lost in the Greater East Asian War. At this coastal area with beautiful
scenery where the endless dark blue open sea off Akae and the blue sky still
retain their beauty, we now connect the noble spirit of those who went after
to those who went before with selfless devotion and died for the country
while still young buds on a cherry tree. We recall those days with immense emotion for this place. This monument
has been erected by contributions from Miyazaki Prefecture citizens and
other volunteers nationwide. This monument jointly honors our friends who
gave their lives for the country with sincere patriotism, civilian war
victims in the Miyazaki air attacks, and those who died in civilian air
accidents as we pray for eternal world peace and air safety for those who
travel. We erect this monument here to honor the great feats of our
forefathers that should not be forgotten and to convey these to future
generations. We dedicate this monument with the name of Monument for Repose
of Souls.
Names of persons enshrined at Monument for Repose of Souls and of other
honored individuals (stored in main building):
- Names of Navy and Army units stationed at Miyazaki Base
- Names of Navy Kamikaze Special Attack Corps members who died in
battle
- Names of Army Special Attack Corps members who died in battle
- Names of Navy and Army airmen from Miyazaki Prefecture who died in
battle
- Names of persons who died during Miyazaki aerial bombing
- Names of Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument Erection Committee
members
March 1983
Written jointly by Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument Erection Committee
members
Plaque with history of air base at Miyazaki
In addition to the main monument, there are
several black stone tablets with white engravings. A stone tablet to the left of the main monument honors the 22 Army and 46
Navy airmen whose home was in Miyazaki Prefecture and who died in special attacks during
the war. The same plaque also has a listing of 42 men from Miyazaki Prefecture
who were in the Army's Youth Pilots training program and died during the war
although not necessarily during a special attack. The first name in the Navy's
section of the plaque with men from Miyazaki Prefecture who died in special
attacks is Hajime Nagamine, who was a member of the Kamikaze Special Attack
Corps Shikishima Squadron led by Lieutenant Yukio Seki. This squadron carried
out the Navy's first official special attack on October 25, 1944, after taking
off from Mabalacat Airfield in the Philippines. Nagamine has a separate monument
with his farewell poem right
behind the main monument. Two black stone tablets erected in 1997 list the names with home prefecture
of 127 Ginga bomber crewmen who died in special attacks.
Site of Miyazaki Naval Air Group
The following last letters were written by Special
Attack Corps members who took off from Miyazaki Air Base and died in special attacks:
Notes
1. The information in this paragraph comes from a
sign dated March 1999 at the entrance of the walkway to the main monument.
However, a stone plaque dated March 1983 to the left of the main monument
indicates that 127 Ginga crew members perished in special attacks. An exhibit at
the Kanoya Air Base Museum indicates that 125 men in total from Miyazaki Air Base
died in special attacks.
The first sign one sees when taking the road to the monument indicates that
544 planes and over 1,400 men died in special attacks after taking off from
Miyazaki Air Base. No explanation is provided for the inconsistency of these
numbers with the figures on the other sign and on the stone plaque. Based on
other sources such as Tokubetsu Kōgekitai (Special Attack Corps) (1990) and the Kanoya Air Base Museum,
the figures on this first sign appear to be grossly overstated.
2. Tokkōtai Senbotsusha 1990, 162, 323.
Source Cited
Tokkōtai Senbotsusha Irei
Heiwa Kinen Kyōkai (Tokkotai Commemoration Peace Memorial Association). 1990.
Tokubetsu Kōgekitai (Special Attack Corps). Tokyo: Tokkōtai Senbotsusha
Irei Heiwa Kinen Kyōkai.
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