|
|
|
|
Piece of writing found in Second Lieutenant Gotō's trunk. It reads, "I
want to make a sortie with a perfect plane." (Chiran Peace Museum for
Kamikaze Pilots, Minamikyūshū City)
|
|
|
Dilapidated Planes: Young Squadron Commander, Difficult Struggle With
Maintenance (Onboro ki: Wakaki taichō, seibi ni kutō)
Researched and written by Shūji Fukano and Fusako Kadota
Pages 79-81 of Tokkō kono chi yori: Kagoshima shutsugeki no kiroku
(Special attacks from this land: Record of Kagoshima sorties)
Minaminippon Shinbunsha, 2016
"I want to make a sortie with a perfect plane."
Mitsuharu Gotō, 66th Shinbu Squadron Commander, left these words for his
family. On May 25, 1945, he made a sortie from Bansei Army Airfield in Tafuse
Village, Hioki-gun (now Minami Satsuma City). He was 22 years old.
The 12 members of the 66th Shinbu Squadron, which was formed at Akeno Airfield in Mie
Prefecture on April 1, 1945, were all Second Lieutenants. Second Lieutenant Gotō,
who was the only one who graduated from the Army Academy, was designated
squadron leader even though he was the youngest.
However, in a little less than two months until the sortie, the young
squadron commander continued to be troubled with aircraft problems. In Mitsuharu Gotō's
diary written up to his sortie, his struggle with aircraft maintenance appears.
On April 7, the 66th Shinbu Squadron was ordered to advance from Hōfu
Airfield in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Chiran Airfield, but four planes could not
take off due to mechanical problems.
On April 30, all 12 planes gathered together at Metabaru Airfield in Saga
Prefecture. On May 3, they tried to leave for Bansei Airfield in order to be
ready for the 6th Combined Air Attack that would begin on May 4, but again four
planes could not fly.
During the sortie on May 4, five of the eight planes, including Gotō's,
could not take off or were forced to turn back to base due to mechanical problems.
Three planes made sorties.
Afterward on May 20, the remaining nine planes gathered together again at
Bansei. But on the 25th, only the planes piloted by Gotō and one other
pilot finally dove into the American fleet at Okinawa.
Second Lieutenant Mitsuharu Gotō's brother Yoshiumi (90 years old,
Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture), who was one year younger, first looked
through his older brother's diary at their childhood home in Mie Prefecture in
1994 just before the 50th anniversary of his death.
He recalls, "I truly was surprised when I read it since I had not known that
my older brother underwent such hardships up to the time of his sortie."
"He had to worry about not only his own plane but also planes of squadron
members. He also probably was blamed by military leadership for sortie
preparations not being satisfactory. I think that this increased his anxiety."
The planes given to the 66th Shinbu Squadron were Army Type 97 Fighters
(Allied code name of Nate). This aircraft was a light fighter that was placed
into service officially in 1937. However, in the latter part of the Pacific War,
it had become obsolete to the extent that it could not be used as a regular
fighter.
Tokiyoshi Sakiyama (95 years old, Takasu-chō, Kanoya City) used to maintain
this aircraft type when he was in the Army's 25th Hikō Sentai
(Flying Regiment) while active in the Chinese mainland. Just before the end of
the war, he together with four Type 97 Fighters,
which had become special (suicide) attack planes, transferred to Sacheon at the
southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
Sakiyama points out, "Since a special
attack resulted in the loss of a plane in a single attack, Army units everywhere did
not want to use anything but dilapidated planes."
Not a single line of Second Lieutenant
Gotō's diary offers a glimpse into his personal feelings such as
discontent and grumbling. On the other hand, the piece of writing with the word
"perfect" (see beginning of page) was hidden at the bottom of a trunk that was
returned to his family home. Yoshiumi says, "In the diary I feel my older
brother's pride as a professional Army officer. Nevertheless, he wanted to
express his frustrations only to his family."
Translated by Bill Gordon
August 2025
Related Web Page
HOME >
Stories > Dilapidated Planes: Young Squadron
Commander, Difficult Struggle With Maintenance
|
|
