Posted on 12/13/2010 6:48:56 AM PST by FredJake
Kamikaze - a Japanese word meaning "divine wind" - was a last-ditch effort by the Japanese to stop the Allied advance in the Pacific during World War 2. Pilots, mostly young students, gladly volunteered for suicide missions out of a strong sense of duty to their Emperor.
Most of us know of the kamikaze through documentaries or old videos. But the suicide attacks were very real for Grove Schoolcraft, 85, of Sandpoint, Idaho. In fact, the ship he served on as a signalman, the USS PC-1603, was struck twice at the Battle of Okinawa, and scuttled on May 26, 1945.
Schoolcraft, originally from North Platte, Nebraska, entered the Navy about 14 months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Eventually, he was assigned to the submarine chaser PC-1603.
The PC-1603 was built in 1941 and originally commissioned USS Force (AM-99), an Adroit-class minesweeper. On June 1,1944, she was renamed PC-1603, and reclassified as a PC-1568 class submarine chaser. The ship earned three battle stars during her service in the Pacific.
Schoolcraft recalled his experience and the decision that saved his life.
We were still at alert stage, 4 hours on and 4 hours off. One day I had just been relieved and was heading below. Another feller from Omaha came to me and said, "How about using your bunk and I will let you read a western I have."
At first I said, "No soap", but he pressured me a bit and said he had been up for 2 days with no sleep, and he looked it. So I finally agreed, took his book and went back to the pilot house, made my self comfy and started reading."
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
ping
Mistsibishi, killing Americans for over 70 years!
My dad was on the Maryland, manning a gun emplacement at the bottom of the #3 turret when the top of said turret took a Kamikaze in the same battle.
....My Dad was at Okinawa and it was really bad...the fanatical resistance there helped convince Truman to eventually drop the bomb...if the Japs fought that hard at Okinawa, imagine the meat grinder of invading the home islands.
The enthusiasm of the Kamikaze pilots wasn’t quite as great as a lot of people think. A lot of the “volunteering” was extreme peer pressure.
My grandfather was Damage Control Officer on the Bunker Hill when it got kamikazied at Okinawa. A truly horrific attack. Any peacenik nutbar who questions why we dropped the A-bombs on Japan to end the war should see the pictures my grandfather had from that event.
1. Below the bridge?
(Bridge of this ship was deck level.)
2. Man one of four 20mm guns? Ship is listed as having 1 3”/50 and 1 40mm.
3. 4 fatalities? Record shows only 3.
Have to say though - a ship this small taking two kamakazi hits - and staying afloat with only 3 fatalities - a miracle of sorts.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/PC/PC-1603.html
=8-)
The decision for suicide aircraft was actually fairly rational. By the time of invading the Philippines, the Navy had figured out how to use radar for effective vectoring of their combat air patrols. If the Japs got past them, the survivors then were up against radar controlled 5 inch and 40 mm gun mounts using proximity fuse ammunition. Attacks against U.S. were becoming suicide anyway. When the officer said you were being given the rare opportunity to die for your country and ancestors, he was really saying we didn’t have time and you don’t have the aptitude to be a really good pilot, so we are going to give you this second line crate to fly one way into a Yankee ship. Banzai!
Later refitted with 5 x 20mm guns...again not 4.
=8-)
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My dad had been on Okinawa, too. When the bomb dropped he was back on Luzon, retraining and refitting for the next invasion. Dad wasn’t starting any long books...
I served on the USS Henrico (APA-45) in the late 50’s and she was hit at Okinawa,
She had gotten hit in the bridge, lost quite a few officers and a lot of the Army troops that were being transported.
The ‘Happy Hank’ was also involved in the ATests in 1946 so very surprised she was still around in the 50/60’s.
Other interesting fact on Henrico.
From what I can see, she was the ONLY ship that was involved in the invasion of North Africa, D Day Normandy, kamikazied at Okinawa, ATests in 46, 1st wave at Inchon in Korea and was part of the 1st ‘official’ troop lift into Vietnam.
She has long been decommissioned, serving 25 yrs and was named for Henrico County VA, which is just North of Richmond.
while I know that you know what you're talkin' about.....that's what 'volunteering' usually means! Dims volunteer for their suicide missions every day! (DADT comes to mind)....because of 'extreme peer pressure in their minds! the degree of extreme varies from dim to dim. I wuz with a bunch last nite....mostly ATT employees... where you probably couldn't measure 'extreme', but that doesn't change the result!
Actually, Kawasaki aircraft.
Try, www.navsource.org, better source of info, as a rule.
My Dad was a WW II vet, Army Air Force, and he always maintained we would have lost a million men invading Japan.
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