Kamikaze
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	Army Special Attack Corps Pilot Osamu Shibata (permission required from Yuko Shirako for photo use)

Stories

This web site on Kamikaze Images contains the following personal stories:

• A Cargo Doomed to Boom - John Laughton, Hobbs Victory crewman, describes kamikaze attack that killed 13 men and sunk his cargo ship at Kerama Rettō during Battle of Okinawa.
• Amakusa Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane Squadron: Two Planes in First Battle, Dove into Reef - Two Kamikaze Corps seaplanes dove into reef during night attack at Okinawa.
• Among the Remnants of the Suicide Subs - Keith Fitzgerald expresses his thoughts about a visit to Ōtsushima, an island with remains of a WWII kaiten human torpedo base and the Kaiten Memorial Museum.
• Assorted Thoughts During War - Kiichi Kawano writes about two fellow airmen in Kamikaze Special Attack Corps 7th Mitate Unit who died in suicide attacks from Kisarazu Air Base less than one week before the end of WWII.
• Censored Suicide - Tragic suicide by wife and two children of Japanese Army First Lieutenant so that he would be free to join Special Attack Corps in order to carry out suicide attack against enemy.
• Continued Commitment: Main Force for Mainland Decisive Battle - Japanese Navy planned to use trainer aircraft, including Shiragiku trainer, in suicide attacks during the expected mainland decisive battle.
• Crash Attack With New Wife On Board - Story of squadron of Japanese Army pilots in Manchuria who made suicide attack against Soviet tanks after Emperor announced war's end.
• Drop Training: Hard-to-use Spear, Observed Reality - Opinions of men involved in training for Japanese ōka human bomb attacks.
• First Battle Results: Change in Tactics, Only Sinking - First and only sinking of American ship by Japanese ōka rocket-powered glider bomb.
• For Five Seconds, A Gunner - Account of twin engine Japanese attack bomber that dove into Dutch freighter off Ie Shima.
• Forever Grateful - Fred Mitchell is forever grateful to shipmates who helped him survive after two kamikaze planes hit the destroyer Drexler, which sank in 49 seconds after the second plane hit the ship. 
• Image from 69 Years Ago: Toward American Warship Showered with Countless Machine Gun Fire, Older Brother's Tragic Bravery - 16-second film clip that shows American fighter machine gun fire at Japanese Army special attack plane during Battle of Okinawa.
• Kamikaze Pilots Visit Ritsu Tsurumaru's Home - Letter written to kamikaze pilot's parents by woman who received two visits from their son to her home near Kokubu No. 2 Air Base.
• Kamikaze, the Ultimate Sacrifice - Eyewitness account of kamikaze plane that dove into American landing ship off Okinawa on May 20, 1945.
• Lack of Experience: Hard 600-km Flight over the Sea - Special (suicide) attack mission of Army 144th Shinbu Special Attack Squadron pilot Kiichi Matsuura from Bansei Air Base.
• Last Writings: Hero, Dying in Vain, Reality That Cannot Be Expressed by Dualism - Special attack pilot Ryōji Uehara, who wrote farewell notes about liberalism.
• LCS 118: A Radar Picket Patrol - Earl Blanton describes mass kamikaze attack on May 4, 1945, at the radar picket station where his ship was stationed and where destroyer Luce (DD-522) and LSM(R) 190 were sunk by kamikaze aircraft hits.
• Little Italy to Okinawa - Joe Curgino, survivor of sinking of destroyer Drexler by two kamikaze planes, relates his wartime experiences and his family's loving support.
• Magnificent Comrades of Tsukuba Unit - Nobuya Kinase, former Tsukuba Air Group flight instructor, describes kamikaze unit formed mostly from Reserve Students (Yobi Gakusei).
• Man Killed In Action Who Returned - Yoshihiko Konishi, leader of 433rd Shinbu Special Attack Squadron, crashed into mountain on Okinawa and hid in cave until more than two months after end of war.
• May 28, 1945—Another Day of Infamy - Dr. Rex Davis tells how his landing craft, the LCS(L) 114, saved 119 men from the water when the destroyer Drexler sank after being hit by two kamikaze planes.
• Mighty Midget 2007 Reunion - 21st annual reunion of veterans of 130 LCS(L) (Landing Craft, Support (Large)) ships, many which battled kamikaze planes during the Battle of Okinawa.
• My Personal History: Two Lives - Excerpts from Kaoru Hasegawa's memoirs about his experiences in the Japanese Naval Air Corps including the kamikaze mission in which he crashed into the sea and was rescued by an American destroyer.
• Observer Training Aircraft: Mobilization of Plane Not Fit for Battle - Thoughts of Masato Tajiri, pilot trained on Zero fighter, about use of Shiragiku trainers as special (suicide) attack aircraft.
• Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 1): Squadron Members With No Wish to Volunteer - Two Shiragiku trainer pilots in Kamikaze Special Attack Corps share thoughts about aircraft and planned daytime attack.
• Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 2): Sudden Cancellation, Not Even Any Record - Cancellation of Kamikaze Corps daytime attack by Shiragiku trainer aircraft ready to take off from Kushira Air Base.
• Phantom Kenmu Squadron: Cancelled Just Before Takeoff - Kiichi Yasuda, Kamikaze Corps Zero fighter pilot, had takeoff cancelled at Kanoya Air Base when American fighters attacked.
• Preparing to Sortie and Waiting for Orders Every Day for Two Weeks - Yukitoshi Kataoka, pilot in the 302nd Shinbu Special Attack Squadron, writes about his feelings while waiting for two weeks for his expected suicide mission.
• Remembering Times Past from 34 Years Ago - Article by former buntaichō (Division Officer) about kamikaze pilots from Tsukuba Air Group who advanced to Kanoya Air Base to sortie on suicide missions.
• Rescued Kamikaze Pilot Also Callaghan Survivor - Leo Jarboe, survivor of the sinking of the destroyer USS Callaghan (DD-792) by a kamikaze plane attack on July 29, 1945, describes the earlier rescue of a kamikaze pilot who crashed into the sea on May 25, 1945.
• Resolved to Die - Shirō Satō, member of the 136th Shin'yō Special Attack Squadron stationed at Miho Base in Shizuoka Prefecture, shares his wartime experiences.
• Shin'yō Special Attack Squadron - Toshio Ōta, member of the 118th Shin'yō Special Attack Squadron stationed in Saga Prefecture, relates what happened during an enjoyable day on leave from the shin'yō explosive motorboat base.
• Shunsuke Tomiyasu - Story of kamikaze pilot who hit aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) with his Zero fighter carrying 500-kg bomb.
• Sinking of USS Drexler DD-741 - Gene Brick, founder of the Drexler Survivors Reunion Association, gives his account of what happened when two twin-engine kamikaze aircraft crashed into the destroyer Drexler.
• Sorties Cancelled Twice: Enjoyment of Long Life Due To Small Difference - Sadayoshi Kamioka, Shiragiku trainer Kamikaze Corps crewmember, survived WWII when his two planned sorties from Kanoya Air Base were cancelled just before he planned to take off.
• Special Attack Corps Waiting Room at Tomitaka Base - Yūji Naito, who became President and Chairman of a large pharmaceuticals firm, describes the feelings of kamikaze pilots waiting at Tomitaka Base in Miyazaki Prefecture.
• Special Mission: Symbolic of "Irresponsibility" in Upper Ranks - Osamu Yamada, Kamikaze Corps seaplane pilot, searched for transit base location for Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplanes to refuel on way to Okinawa.
• Spiritual Foundation of Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Members - Senri Nagasue, former pilot in Japanese Navy, describes feelings when assigned to Kamikaze Special Attack Corps.
• Survival of Drexler Survivors Reunion Association - May 2006 reunion of 14 men who survived sinking of Drexler.
• Two Days Before War's End, Jinrai Butai's Last Sortie - Story of 2nd Jinrai Fighter-Bomber Squadron, which made sortie from Kikaijima Air Base on August 13, 1945.
• 2007 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion - Cincinnati reunion of 17 survivors from last ship sunk by kamikazes in WWII.
• 2007 USS Morrison (DD-560) Reunion - Gathering in May 2007 of ten survivors of sinking of destroyer Morrison, which was hit by four kamikaze planes on May 4, 1945.
• 2010 USS Drexler (DD-741) Reunion - Six survivors meet in San Antonio and visit National Museum of the Pacific War for 65th Anniversary Memorial Service of destroyer Drexler's sinking by two kamikaze aircraft.
• 2012 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion - Reunion in New Orleans of four survivors from last destroyer lost in WWII when sunk by Japanese kamikaze training plane carrying a bomb in nighttime attack.
• Who Sank the Destroyer Drexler? - Investigation to determine which squadron of kamikaze planes sank Drexler on May 28, 1945.
• Without Telegraph: No Way to Communicate Battle Results - Many Shiragiku trainers in Kamikaze Special Attack Corps did not have telegraphs so that aircraft crewmen could communicate with base.
• Yoko's Hopes and Losses - Yoko Sato becomes engaged to Osamu Shibata, who dies shortly thereafter in a kamikaze attack off Okinawa. Story written by daughter of Yoko Sato.

I have translated thirteen pages for Stories of Bereaved Families, which are included on the Japanese web site Aozora no hateni (To the blue sky's end). These stories relate to families of kamikaze pilots who died in the war, and several of the stories include letters written by the pilots. The webmaster for this site is Senri Nagasue, a former kamikaze pilot who has written several books in Japanese on the Navy's kamikaze corps in addition to creating this large Japanese web site about his wartime experiences and the stories of men who served with him in the Japanese Navy.

The following web pages are a sample of these translated stories:

• To Hometown Skies - Kamikaze pilot flies over home to drop final letter to his mother.
• Final Duty to His Parents - Mothers worried about their sons' situation and searching for some news. Final letters of kamikaze pilot to his mother and to his home village.
• Bravely - Son writes only a short letter to family prior to kamikaze attack probably due to military censorship of correspondence.
• Connecting Threads - Woman finds out details of uncle's death more than fifty years after end of war.
• I Do Not Yet Want to Die! - Son's final farewell to mother is very different than the words in his final letter to his family.