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!
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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.