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Yukio Garan
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Image from 69 Years Ago: Toward American Warship Showered with Countless
Machine Gun Fire, Older Brother's Tragic Bravery (69nenme no eizō: Musū no dan'abi
beikan e, ani no hisō jikkan)
Researched and written by Shūji Fukano and Fusako Kadota
Pages 62-5 of Tokkō kono chi yori: Kagoshima shutsugeki no kiroku
(Special attacks from this land: Record of Kagoshima sorties)
Minaminippon Shinbunsha, 2016, 438 pages
A Japanese military special (suicide) attack plane skimming across the sea's surface
and bearing down on an American warship while being showered with countless
bullets from an American fighter. Bullets off the mark cause huge columns of
water on the sea's surface.
This was the image of a special attack of a Japanese Army aircraft
in the skies of Okinawa that was taken at about 5:30 p.m. on April 6, 1945, by
the gun camera that operated together with an American fighter's machine gun
firing. The 18 seconds of video footage also shows American warships moving at
high speed and Okinawan islands.
The citizen's group Toyo no Kuni Usa City Private School in Usa City, Ōita Prefecture, obtained this film clip from the U.S. National Archives. After analysis
of the footage, it was released to the media in April 2014.
Yūsuke Oda (28 years old, resident of Sendai City) from the Usa City private school
concluded that it was one of the Type 99 Assault Planes (Allied nickname of
Sonia) of the Army Air 62nd Shinbu Special Attack Squadron (4 aircraft) or 73rd
Shinbu Squadron (12 aircraft) that took off from Bansei Airfield in Tabuse
Village in Hioki-gun (currently Minamisatsuma City) at about 3 p.m. on April 6,
1945. The decisive factors in arriving at this conclusion included that this
special attack aircraft had a fixed undercarriage with wheels down during
flight, was loaded with bombs under the wings, and had a flying time of a little
over two hours from southern Kyūshū to Okinawa.
Oda compared Japanese and American records and determined that the special
attack took place near Iheya Island and that the American warship targeted by
the special attack aircraft was the destroyer Colhoun, which was hit by
four planes and suffered 55 casualties. It was unable to move and was sunk by
fire from accompanying American warships.
Oda states, "How each Special Attack Corps member met his end is hardly
known. By uncovering remaining American historical records, I want to clarify
how as many men as possible met their end."
"Did the plane crash under such a furious attack without any way to resist?
Seeing it 69 years after the war's end, I could truly feel my older brother's
tragic bravery." In April 2014, Tadao Garan (79 years old), who lives in
Hinode-chō, Kagoshima City, saw the footage, first discovered by the private
school in Usa City, while watching a news story on a local television station.
His older brother by more than ten years, Corporal Yukio Garan, was a member of
the 73rd Shinbu Squadron. He died in battle at the age of 19.
Special attack aircraft taken by gun camera of American
fighter. The areas that appear white are machine gun
fire. April 6, 1945, sea northwest of Okinawa.
(provided by Toyo no Kuni Usa City Private School)
While Yukio, an athlete proficient in the martial arts, was in junior
high school (currently Kagoshima Gyokuryū High School), he volunteered as an
Army Youth Pilot against his mother's wishes. On March 30, 1945, he was
designated as a member of the 73rd Shinbu Squadron at Pyongyang, Korea, under
Japanese rule. Before then he had been a member of the 23rd Rensei Flight Squadron stationed
there.
From his squadron's formation to its sortie, there was just one week.
Dear Father,
I hope that you have been doing well.
It has been decided that next I will take off to OO [1],
and perhaps I will pass through Chiran.
At that time I will let you know, so please understand.
If there is free time, I would like to see you.
If you come, please come as soon as possible. I will let you know.
The above express postcard written by Yukio Garan is displayed at the Bansei
Tokkō Peace Museum located at the site of the former Bansei Airfield.
This postcard addressed to his father Tōkichi was sent from Kinsei Ryokan, an
inn in Amagi Town, Asakura-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture (currently Asakura City). It
was the location of Tachiarai Airfield, which was an Army air base. It was the
only place where the 73rd Shinbu Squadron stopped as they advanced from
Pyongyang to Bansei.
Tadao says, "My older brother who was a strong person was 19 years old. I
think that is was difficult for him to prepare his heart to die in a very short
time. His desire to see his parents came out when he mentioned the name of
Chiran and when he wrote to 'please come as soon as possible.'"
The Garan Family, having the description in the postcard, assumed for nearly
30 years after the war's end that Yukio had made a sortie from Chiran. Until an
announcement came from Bansei, which independently began a memorial service in
1972, "I did not know at all that there was a special attack base at Bansei."
Tadao Garan who said, "Looking at the film clip,
I could truly feel the hardship of my older brother
who was a Special Attack Corps member."
Note
1. OO indicates that the name was censored before
the postcard was mailed.
Translated by Bill Gordon
October 2024
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