Dramatic Stories of Japan's Kamikaze Pilots

[RightDeve]

PART 2: KAMIKAZE STORIES CHAPTER 1

You can also watch the documentary-video version of this article, 

with Narration, musics, and sound effects, from this Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luc83G92WRc







For the PART 1, watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPHV3t1EZaM

This link goes to my own Youtube video, with subtitles of English & Indonesian language.

 If you like this article, please watch the video and subscribe to my channel  . 

I apologize for some wrong English pronunciation, since English is not my primary language.



For the Part 1 of this article, read here:

Heroic Stories of Japan's Kamikaze Pilots, PART 1









[FURTHER READING AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE]

************************************************** ************************************* 

The word Kamikaze was derived from the time of the Mongol invasion of Japan in the thirteenth century. When the huge Mongolian invasion fleet appeared at the inland sea, all hope seemed lost for the Japanese Empire. Then suddenly a furious typhoon descended from heaven, scattering and destroying the mighty ships. Miraculously, this typhoon would return 7 years later when the Mongols attempted the second invasion of Japan. This was the Kami-Kaze, or Divine Wind, that saved Japan from the brink of destruction. In the twentieth century Pacific War, when all hope seemed lost, Japan again rested its hope on the third Kamikaze miracle. This time, the heavenly wind would come in the form of warplanes coming down from the sky, and crashing themselves upon enemy ships. Inside of these planes were young and brave pilots, fully dedicated to sacrifice their lives for the Empire. They were more than happy, to serve as the embodiment of the Godly Wind that had twice saved the Empire.

The obsession that had gripped the Japanese people to die willingly for the Empire is best described in an incident involving a Lieutenant named Hajime Fujii. After serving as an infantry officer in the Army, he switched to the Air Force. In the late war, he volunteered three times to join the Kamikaze operation but was always rejected on the grounds that he was a family man, with a wive and two daughters under his care. One night when he came home, he discovered a letter from his wife. It reads: "I know that because of us, you cannot exert your utmost for the country. Therefore, allow us to take leave of this world before you join us. Please fight with nothing weighing on your mind". Astounded, he began searching high and low. The next morning, the police informed Fujii that his wife and two children had been found, and recovered from the Arakawa River. The mother had tied the two kids tightly around her, then drowned herself in the river. The depressed husband cried profusely as he wiped sands from the feet of her deceased wife. Then, five months later, his wish fulfilled, Hajime Fujii led a 9 plane Kamikaze unit, eager to join his family in the afterlife.

But ironically, the first ever Kamikaze pilot in history, was a man not even willing to sacrifice his life for such a suicide tactic. His name was Yukio Seki. A bright Naval Academy graduate whose piloting skills was beyond doubt. He's very much a blossoming man, recently married, with lots of life ahead of him. According to a war reporter, Yukio Seki is known to have said, "Japan's future is bleak if it's forced to kill one of its best pilots. I am not going on this mission for the Emperor or for the Empire. I am going for my beloved wife. I am going because I was ordered to." One night as he was ready to take a rest in a sweltering Philippines heat, he was suddenly ordered to meet his commanders. The higher command had already decided on a new and extreme tactic to turn the tide of war in Japan's favor. Yukio Seki was told, Japan's fate hinges upon the new Kamikaze operation, and for this, they need a man like him to lead the first ever Suicide planes. They see naval academy graduates as perfect candidate for leading this special unit. And they see in Yukio Seki, not only a Naval Academy graduate, but also a man who possessed great piloting skill and unwavering dedication to duty. Stunned with the news, Yukio Seki braced himself for quite a minute, thinking about his wife and family and careers that he would leave behind. But typical of the Japanese man, his was an unswerving loyalty to duty. With a straight tone, he answered that he was willing to lead the unit, despite his inner feelings saying otherwise.

For the next few days he would spend his time planning and organizing the Kamikaze unit under his command, evident that he's about to die. Not waiting for long, on October 21, 1944, an order finally came for them to take on the huge American fleet off the Philippines coast. At last their time had come. But upon hours of long flights and searches, none of the enemy was spotted. So they returned to base. This must have been very painful to these men already committed to die, not even harboring hope for a slight chance of living another day. Unfortunately this had to continue for three more times: they would take off, believing it is their time eventually, but forced to return either due to bad weather or non-existent enemy ships. But on October 25th, their wish was finally granted. After 3 hours 25 minutes of searching the enemy, they finally found a huge American fleet sailing proudly on the distance. Without further ado, Yukio Seki, at the lead of his unit, charged on toward the American vessels. After designating their own target ships, each dived gallantly for their deaths.

An American and Japanese observer reports said that one single Zero plane dived steeply and furiously despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, and then leveled off 30 meters above the water. It kept charging on a deadly course toward the Aircraft Carrier St. Lo. Eventually it released its 500 Kg bomb and crashed itself on the deck. The resulting damage was so huge that St. Lo was pounded by 8 more internal explosions from ammo and fuel storage inside the ship. St. Lo eventually sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Looking at the skill and deadly determination of this Zero pilot, it would be safe to say that the pilot is none other than Yukio Seki himself. His entire unit successfully sunk 1 Aircraft Carrier with thousands of people in it, and many other Carriers were badly damaged. This was a complete success for the new Kamikaze operation. Higher command in Japan were overjoyed by this news of victory. But for Yukio Seki's family, it's a mixed feeling. His lock of hair and letters were received, his mother cried profusely on her knees. But she can be proud of her son, who did his duty so incredibly that it gave new hope for the Japanese Empire to turn the tide of the war.

Glimpses of the lives of Kamikaze pilots could be seen from the diary of one Shouko Maeda. She was one of the many high-school girls tasked with helping and cleaning the billets of Kamikaze pilots. She described: The cockpits of Kamikaze planes were full of Sakura flowers. High school girls would forage the countryside for Sakura and stuffed these on the cockpits. When the pilots took off, the girls would wave Sakura branches frantically at the departing planes. After they took off, these planes would circle above the airfield, bidding farewell. Family members, high school girls, and townspeople, all stood at the airfield even long after the planes had disappeared from sight. Then, Sakura petals fell down from the sky, one by one, as if snowing. These flowers had been blown out of the cockpits by the departing Kamikazes. Back at the barracks, she remembered how humble these men lived; in a confined space, sleeping on mere straw beds and a single sheet of blanket. At first she thought these men were aloof and very dignified, yet once she started conversation with them, they turned out to be very gentle and friendly. The girls would stroll with the pilots, singing songs and laugh together. They were treated as little sisters by these Kamikaze men.

She would often stuff the cockpit with snacks and foods, and made a mascot doll for the pilots. She remembered giving a branch of Sakura to a kamikaze pilot as he got inside the cockpit. He kept saying thank you, thank you, profusely in extreme gratitude. When the time for departure comes, the pilots would shave and look neat, saying it was a special day so they had to look the best. Sometimes the men would do a show of determination just before departing. She witnessed a young lieutenant ripped off his insignia of rank and happily threw it to the girls. When it was the eleventh hour for take off, the men would line up in front of the command post.