This article is the 200th original article of the "Burning Island Group", with a total of 5193 words and 40 pictures, which takes 10 minutes to read.
There is no shortage of information on the Japanese airborne special attack unit near the end of the Pacific War, the "Yilie Air Force", and this time let us make a comprehensive and objective evaluation on the basis of a comprehensive review of its combat process.
Figure 1. Bombing the B-29 Super Air Fortress on the Japanese mainland, this aircraft is mostly used to bomb Japan in the Asian battlefield
In July 1944, after the U.S. military captured Saipan, they considered taking advantage of the fact that it was closer to the Japanese mainland and expanded it into a departure base for the super heavy bomber B-29 "Super Air Fortress", from which it could reach Tokyo after a 7-8 hour flight.
Figure 2. B-29 SuperFortress base on Saipan
In response to this situation, the Japanese Navy at this time had spread its hands to show that it was powerless, and after the Battle of Mariana, the main force of the combined fleet hid in the South Sea to lick its wounds, and the newly built aircraft carriers on the mainland were not even worthy of carrier-based aircraft, and could only serve as large transport ships. The U.S. fleet swept across the ocean, and the next infantry was directed at the Philippine Archipelago and The Island of Taiwan.
Figure 3. Dragon Slayer and Flying Swallow fighters are intercepting the Super Air Fortress
On the one hand, the Japanese Army dispatched various fighters such as "Dragon Slayer", "Flying Swallow" and "Swift Wind" to intercept the incoming B-29; on the other hand, it planned to sneak into the B-29 departure base on Saipan with airborne troops to slow down the frequency of US aircraft dispatches. At that time, the Japanese army and navy each had their own airborne troops, and in the early stages of the war, they attacked many times, although the scale could not be compared with the airborne operations in the European battlefield, but it was already unique in Asia. After the Japanese lost their strategic initiative, this extremely risky method of warfare was not adopted.
Figure 4. Later Japanese weapons for intercepting the super air fortress - type II "Slaying dragons"
At this point, all plans to kill and injure the Miying Ghost Animals were under consideration, so on November 27, 1944, the Japanese Army transferred the 4th Squadron from the 1st Advancing Wing of its 1st Advance Regiment of the 1st Advance Regiment as a special attack force to attack the U.S. B-29 heavy bomber airfield on Saipan.
Figure 5. In the early days of the Pacific War, the Japanese army and navy had several small-scale airborne operations
It can be seen from the number that the 1st Advancing Regiment of the 1st Advancing Regiment was formed very early, and its soldiers were mostly volunteers selected from other units, with good individual quality, high training level, and high morale. In addition, the 4th Squadron was originally an engineer unit, and the officers and men were mostly familiar with blasting technology, which was suitable for such tasks of destroying the airport. Squadron Leader Michiro Okuyama was one of the first senior officers to join the paratroopers, and it is said that this person once picked up pieces of his subordinates who had been broken into parts during parachute training and put them back on, so he was "quite popular."
Figure 6. The whole team of the Yilie Air Support Team took a group photo, noting that the proportion of officers was quite high
In addition to the 4th Squadron as the backbone, 40 elite soldiers were drawn from other paratrooper squadrons to enrich the strength. In addition, the Army Nakano School, which specializes in the training of spies, also sent 10 people as an independent detachment to join the special attack team. It is worth mentioning that the most famous graduate of Nakano School is Onoda Hiroro, who insisted on guerrilla warfare in the Philippines for 30 years and did not surrender, see the search for "Onoda" under the public name of the same name.
Figure 7. The 97 re-explosion planned for airborne special attack operations
The 3rd Independent Flying Group, which was responsible for transport, was a special unit specially formed for the expedition to Saipan, equipped with "Type 97" twin-engine bombers (the Japanese called "97 Heavy Bombers"), mostly from the Hamamatsu Instructional Flying Division, which was responsible for heavy bomber training, and was commanded by Lieutenant Tadaichi Suwabe.
Figure 8. The 1997 explosion was good in the 1930s, but by 1945 it was getting old
The 97 Heavy Explosion was a twin-engine bomber developed by Mitsubishi Corporation, which flew in October 1936 with seven members and a bomb load of only one ton. From beginning to end, it participated in the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War, because its maximum speed was only 432 km / h, it gradually became a big meat in front of the flexible and agile fighters of the Allied forces, and by the end of the war, it was no longer able to compete in any front-line operation, and some of them were transformed into transport aircraft (Hundred Transport Aircraft), with a total output of 2054 aircraft. It is worth mentioning that the 97 heavy explosion, as the main bomber of the land aviation, participated in the bombing of Chongqing and was stained with the blood of Chinese.
Figure 9. The 97 bomber, suspected of being a Japanese land carrier, is bombing Chongqing
After the formation of the two small units was completed, the 4th Squadron broke away from the 1st Advance Regiment and became a direct unit of the Teaching Aviation Army, the task was strictly kept secret, only a few officers knew the combat objectives, according to the Japanese custom, this independent small unit was called "Okuyama Unit", and on December 8th, it was named "Divine Soldier Imperial Team" during training (in an instant, a strong sour fantasy wind came to the face).
Figure 10. Schematic of two types of special explosives: strip explosives and adsorption explosives
In order to completely blow up the huge B-29 "Super Air Fortress", the Ordnance Department specially developed two special explosive equipment: strip explosives and adsorption explosives. Ribbon explosives are tied to a 5-meter-long hemp rope with a lead pendant at one end and a pull-fire device at the other end, and when used, the lead drop end is forcefully thrown over the B-29 fuselage, so that the entire explosive is "hung" on the fuselage, and then the fire is detonated, blowing the fuselage into two pieces.
Figure 11. Members of the "Yilie Air Support Team" who are conducting aircraft blasting training
Because the top of the B-29 fuselage is 4.5 meters high, it is not easy to throw a heavy lead pendant over this height, and considering that the individual carrying equipment itself in actual combat has reached tens of kilograms, few people can complete this action at first, and can only carry out rigorous training.
Figure 12. Those who are boarding the plane, pay attention to the adsorption explosives held or shouldered by many people
Adsorption explosives are a 1.5-meter-long wooden pole with 4 kg of explosives at the top, equipped with a fuse and a pulling device, and a rubber suction cup on the top of the explosives, which can firmly adsorb the explosives to the wing root part of the B-29 3 meters above the ground, and then ignite and detonate, breaking the wings. The Japanese had calculated that only by blowing up the fuselage or wings could the massive B-29 be completely incapacitated.
Figure 13. Iwo Jima, nearby is the active volcano Origami Mountain, and there is an airport in the middle of the island, which shows that the island is small and lacks depth
On December 17, the small force was again given the name of the "Righteous Spirit Air Force", which was planned to take advantage of the inert nature of the US military holiday on Christmas Eve on December 24, but was repeatedly postponed due to insufficient training, and on January 17, because the Iwo Jima airfield originally planned for transit was destroyed by the US army, it was forced to cancel the plan to attack Saipan on January 27.
Figure 14. This map shows the distance between the Japanese mainland and Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa
In the next two months, there was a fierce Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Japanese army also planned to use Okuyama troops to support the operation of defending the island, but failed to find a suitable time to attack, especially Iwo Jima airfield was only used by the US military as a fighter airfield, the special attack was of little significance, and after the final loss of Iwo Jima on March 26, the plan was canceled.
Figure 15. On the far right are the members of the Yilie Air Standings, paying attention to their uniforms with dark green homemade camouflage and the adsorption explosives they carry on their shoulders
Only five days later, on April 1, the U.S. military began a large-scale landing on Okinawa, and as the defenders concentrated heavily on the south-central part of the narrow island, on the day of the landing, the U.S. army occupied two abandoned airfields in the north of the island: Yomitan Airport and Kadena Airport. According to the location of these two airports, it is also known as north airport and middle airport. It is worth mentioning that Kadena Airport is still an important airfield for the US military stationed in Japan.
Figure 16. Okinawa island sketch, in the north of the two airfields were abandoned by the defenders early, a few days later the Japanese will be killed again, tossing
Due to the strong construction capability of the US military, by April 13, more than 150 US aircraft stationed at the two airfields had quickly grasped the air supremacy in the waters of Okinawa, making it difficult for the Japanese air counterattack and island defense operations to move forward, the airfield became a thorn in the eyes of the Japanese army, and the "Righteous Martyrs Air Force" also had new targets.
Figure 17. Captain Michiro Okuyama, the captain of the Yoshinori Air Force, was expected to advance to the rank of Shōsa before the attack
Initially, the Army General Staff Headquarters was a little reluctant to use this elite soldier who had been trained for nearly half a year, hoping to be able to break it into pieces and enrich it into the newly formed unit to serve as the backbone, but due to the deterioration of the war situation in Okinawa, the chief of staff at first, General Umezu Mijiro, who initially held an opposing opinion, could only ignore his head and disregard his stomach, and on May 2 agreed to send the "Righteous Air Force" to break into the US military airfield in Okinawa and carry out the "Yi" operation that destroyed the airport. The specific organization was handed over to the newly formed 6th Air Force, whose predecessor was the Teaching Aviation Army that formed the "Righteous Martyr Air Standing Brigade".
Figure 18. Before the attack, in the middle was Lieutenant General Guan Yuandao, commander of the 6th Air Force
The battle is expected to be held in late May, waiting for the weather to be suitable for the attack. The strike crew, including 126 air supporters, 10 Nakano School agents, and 32 pilots and air crews of the Third Independent Flying Team, totaling 168 people, will be divided into 12 97 heavy bombers, each carrying 14 people.
Figure 19. The team members assembled before departure should pay attention to the various weapons and ammunition they carry, and the soldiers in the front carry Type 99 machine guns
In terms of troop formation, the "Yilie Air Support Team" is divided into a command squad and five squads (platoons), each squad is subordinate to two detachments (squads), each detachment is divided into four three-man combat groups, of which two demolition groups, a machine gun group, and a grenadier group, roughly half of the people are responsible for blasting US aircraft, and the other half are responsible for support.
Figure 20. The team members who are packing their bags pay attention to the forked bull's hoof leather shoes unique to the Japanese army
The command squad, including Captain Okuyama, consisted of 10 men and was organized into three combat groups, the first of which was responsible for combat cover, the second for passing orders, and the third for radio communications. The 10 agents of the Army Nakano School were dispersed to various detachments so that they could "play their expertise" in possible guerrilla warfare after completing the raid.
Figure 21. The Japanese army is usually equipped with a Type 94 pistol for pilots and other special personnel, which is characterized by its easy misfire
In terms of individual weapons, the "Righteous Spirit Air Force" completely changed the usual image of the Japanese army, equipped with a large number of automatic weapons and explosives. According to a data report, each detachment of the department (standardly equipped with 13 people) is equipped with 6 Type 94 pistols, 180 grenades, 4 Type 99 rifles, 1 Type 99 light machine gun, 4 Type 100 submachine guns, 1 Type 89 grenade launcher, 4 adsorption explosives, 16 Type 99 armor-piercing mines, and 2 radio stations.
Figure 22. The Type 99 armor-piercing mines equipped by the Japanese army and the anti-tank mines installed in 1939
In order to carry so many weapons, most of the personnel were equipped with Type II integrated canvas ammunition bags, divided into two layers, the upper central horizontal bag can hold pistol ammunition, the four side pockets on both sides can hold Type 99 grenades, the lower four long strip bags are used to carry the Type 100 submachine gun magazine, and there is also a Type 94 pistol bag on the right hand side.
Figure 23. On the far left are the members of the Yilie Air Force, pay attention to the type II uniform canvas ammunition bag they are wearing
It is worth mentioning that although the Japanese army purchased the German-made MP18 submachine gun as early as the 1920s (this gun is also imported from China, commonly known as the "flower machine gun", and the Red Army flew to seize the Luding Bridge, it was also used), but after research, it was believed that this item was too expensive and not suitable for a large number of equipment in poor Japan. Even if there is a small number of special forces needed, it is only necessary to import some imported products.
Figure 24. The German-made MP18 submachine gun, commonly known as the "flower machine gun", is also the prototype of the Type 100
It was not until 1940 (the year 2600 of the Imperial Japanese Era, the naval equipment defined in this year was called "Zero Type" and the Army equipment was called "Hundred Type"), the Japanese Army finally developed the Type 100 submachine gun, and produced it in small quantities, and began to equip a small number of elite troops in February 1941.
Figure 25. Side view of the Early and Late Versions of the Type 100 Submachine Gun
The Type 100 submachine gun fired 8 mm pistol cartridges, the magazine capacity was 30 rounds and 50 rounds, weighed about 3.4 kg, the rate of fire was about 450 rounds per minute (the later version was increased to 800 rounds per minute), the effective range was about 150 meters, because the manufacturing process was not deliberately simplified, the output was not high, and when the Pacific War broke out in full swing, after suffering enough in the island melee, the Japanese were even more unable to mass-produce, with a total output of only about 17,500 (10,000 ordinary types and 7,500 paratroopers).
Figure 26. A paratrooper type 100 submachine gun with a foldable stock
May 22 was the original date of the attack, but it was deliberately postponed by one day because of the continuous rain for several consecutive days, which was not conducive to the heavy airborne troops. At 17:00 on the afternoon of the 23rd, all personnel assembled at the Jianjun Airport in Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Kyushu, to hold a ceremony, and the commander of the 6th Air Force, Lieutenant General Michio Sugawara, personally attended the scene for training. In order to enhance the propaganda effect and boost the morale of the Japanese people to "crush the jade" to the end, several reporters were specially invited to the scene to shoot.
Figure 27. All the members of the team at the departure ceremony, formerly the commander Ofo Michiro Okuyama, noted that the uniforms were all dark green homemade camouflage
Sugawara Michidai was the commander of the Teaching Aviation Army when he was formed from the Okuyama Unit, and the "Yoshinaka Air Support" can be said to be a unit he single-handedly organized and trained, although he knew that most people would have no return, ten deaths and no life, but also hardened their scalps to make the final send-off. Japanese reporters took a large number of photos, from Captain Okuyama to ordinary soldiers, leaving a very valuable historical information for this airborne operation.
Figure 28. Lieutenant General Michidai Sugahara "encouraged" his men to die, which caused strong resentment among some survivors after the war
Just when all the ceremonies were completed and all the staff were ready to board the plane, they received an urgent notice from the Navy, saying that the weather around Okinawa was bad, and the naval air attack that was scheduled to follow up immediately after the "Yi" operation would be postponed by one day, and the "Yilie Air Support" as an army could have insisted on attacking, but in order to maximize the effect of destroying the US military airfield, it was finally decided to postpone the operation for another day.
Figure 29. During the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese land and sea aviation frantically counterattacked, and suicide bombs were seen
Ironically, by the morning of the next day, the 24th, HNA was confused and launched a large-scale attack on the US fleet according to the original plan, and the operation originally agreed to be suppressed by the Navy at the important Airport of Ie Island northwest of Okinawa was also canceled, and the coordinated operations of the army and navy became a failure, and Lieutenant General Sugahara was angry that he blew his beard and stared, but he could not do anything about the navy. It was impossible to postpone the "Yoshi" operation any longer, and Sugawara decided to attack resolutely on the evening of the same day, that is, on the evening of the 24th.
Figure 30. Kikusui conducted 10 rounds of special attacks, and the American fleet and the airfield on the island were under great pressure
So yesterday's ceremony was still carried out another round, and by 18:40, all the team members finally boarded the plane, and 12 97 heavy explosions began to start the engine, and slid into the air in turn. After half a year of planning, training and iteration, one of the most well-known airborne operations of the Japanese army is finally about to begin.
Figure 31. According to the custom of the Japanese army, before going to battle, they must drink severed head wine
According to the battle plan, Captain Okuyama will lead the command squad, Squad 1, 2, and 5 to attack the North Airfield (Yomitan Airport) in Aircraft 1-8, and Lieutenant Rio Watanabe, Deputy Captain and 3rd Squad Leader, will lead The 3rd and 4th Squads to attack the middle airfield (Kadena Airport) in Flights 9-12.
Figure 32. When it is drunk, it becomes a wine banquet, and the style of painting with a chicken leg changes
The flight time is expected to be approximately three and a half hours, and radio silence will be maintained throughout the entire process to prevent being monitored. At the same time, in order to prevent detection by the US radar, once it flies out of the Japanese land, all aircraft will descend to an altitude of only 5 meters close to the sea level and fly at an ultra-low altitude.
Figure 33. Captain Michiro Okoyama is a bit baby fat, and the round glasses are very similar to the ghost image in the movie
The flight route will detour to the west side of Okinawa, and is expected to reach the turning point located in the northwest of Okinawa at 21:50, and then turn left in its entirety and sprint towards two airport targets on Okinawa. In order to cooperate with and cover this airborne unit, the Japanese Army Air Force will continue to dispatch various aircraft to harass the airport that night in order to confuse the fish.
Figure 34. The air flight route of the Yilie Air Standing Team drank the turning point to show the turning point
However, the beginning was very bad, during the take-off process, the No. 9 aircraft (fuselage number 6547), which was originally scheduled to be taken by Captain Rio Watanabe, was abandoned because of the abnormal engine sound, and Watanabe and others immediately replaced a reserve plane (the number is unknown) to continue the attack. Coincidentally, the No. 8 machine (fuselage number 4475) also malfunctioned, the engine could not start normally, at this time the other aircraft have been lifted off the group, the No. 8 machine does not want to lag behind the formation, simply do not replace the reserve aircraft, directly board the just abandoned No. 6547 aircraft to take off, catch up with it.
Figure 35. Riding on the old 97 heavy explosion converted into a transport plane, the Yilie Air Force set off
At such a critical moment, two consecutive aircraft failed, which really shows the low support capacity of Japanese aircraft at this time. But this bad start didn't end there, and shortly after takeoff, four planes malfunctioned in a row. Aircraft No. 5 (fuselage number 4082) and No. 10 (fuselage number 6001) returned to Kumamoto Prefecture Kumanojo Airport for landing, and Aircraft No. 8 (fuselage number 6547), which was replaced by Captain Watanabe, could not fly normally and returned to Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Aircraft No. 11 (fuselage number 4161) also returned due to malfunction and landed in a paddy field on the outskirts of Yashiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and crashed into a cement bridge pier on the river bank during the forced landing, resulting in the death of co-pilot Kiyo hyochocho.
Figure 36. On May 23, all the team members at the first expedition ceremony
Such a bad mechanical condition caused the "Righteous Martyr Air Force" to reduce the number of personnel by one-third before it entered the battle, although only one person died, but in fact 56 people withdrew from the actual battle, as a carefully planned special attack operation for more than half a year, such a high failure rate can really seriously suspect that this is the air and ground crew of the 3rd Independent Flying Team colluding to deliberately rectify.
Figure 37. Near the time of boarding and departing, the devils bowed goodbye to their respective hometowns, paying attention to the reasons for the different directions
At 22:11, 11 minutes after the scheduled breakthrough time of 22:00, the headquarters of the 6th Air Force received a telegram from The "Yilie Air Force" Captain Michiro Okuyama by plane, and shortly thereafter, the Four-type re-detonation piloted by Captain Hideo Sugimori of the 60th Flight Squadron dropped two flares over Cape Remnant, indicating the target for the assault aircraft group, but the aircraft subsequently lost contact near the north airport and failed to return.
Figure 38. List of the members of each aircraft of the Yilie Air Force
At 22:25, the commander of the 110th Flight Squadron, who was responsible for the advance bombing mission, confirmed that four red signal flares had been raised in the direction of the north airfield, which was a successful landing signal agreed in advance, and two signal flares were also observed in the direction of the central airfield, so he sent a telegram to the Kengun airfield that "the Suwa troops landed successfully.".
Figure 39. The North Airport (Yomiya Airport) burst into fierce artillery fire that night
At 22:45, the Japanese radio monitoring station intercepted a clear-code cable from the US military: "An abnormal situation has occurred at Yomitan Airport (North Airport), and a plane has forcibly landed", and informed the nearby US military planes not to land at Yomiya and Kadena airports. Judging from the above indications, the Japanese army successfully broke into the airfield and achieved certain results.
Figure 40. Vice Captain Lieutenant Watanabe, who led four aircraft in charge of the attack on the central airfield (Kadena airport)
In fact, since there is no one on the Japanese side in the next process, the perspective of the account will be changed to the Main American side, in order to prevent the length of the single article from being too long, friends who intend to understand the details of the encounter of the "Righteous Spirits Air Support Team" in Okinawa, please click "Pay" decisively, you can get the next episode update and release at the first time.
Focusing on the historical review and commentary of the Pacific War and the Sino-Japanese War, "Burning Island Group" was first created in May 2000, has been online since 2005, and has been transferred to the public account (the same name) and self-media platforms in 2017. This site strives to be informative and accurate, the comments are unique, not blowing, not black and not spraying, the completed works are 11 pearl harbor articles, Midway 7 articles, 12 articles of the death of the giant beast, 3 articles of the victory artifact, etc., welcome new and old friends to continue to pay attention.