Giretsu Kūteitai
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Giretsu Kūteitai |
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 Captain Okuyama Michiro (third from left) shakes hands with Captain Suwabe Chuichi, the commander of the 3rd Independent Air Force Unit, shortly before the start to Okinawa. |
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| active | November 1944 to May 25, 1945 |
| Country |
 Japanese Empire
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| Armed forces |
 Imperial Japanese Army
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| Armed forces | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force |
| Branch of service | Parachute Troops (Imperial Japanese Army) |
| Type | Paratroopers |
| Strength | 126 |
| Insinuation | Dai-1 Teishin Shūdan |
| Location | Japan |
| Nickname | Giretsu ( 義 烈 "heroism") |
| Butcher |
Pacific War
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The giretsu kuteitai ( Jap. 義烈空挺隊 , dt. "Giretsu Airborne unit") was a commando unit that on 24 May 1945 during the Pacific War , the airborne operation GIGO Sakusen ( 義号作戦 ) on the of US troops occupied the island Okinawa carried out to render aircraft stationed there, airfield installations and fuel stores harmless. The Giretsus were part of the Dai-1 Teishin Shūdan (1st Air Storm Division) of the parachute force of the Imperial Japanese Army .
With high losses, two of the twelve transport aircraft used crash-landed on Okinawa. The Japanese paratroopers deployed were able to destroy nine planes, damage 22 planes and set fire to a fuel store with 250,000 liters. All paratroopers were killed in the operation. The damage caused could be repaired or replaced just a few days later.
planning
On November 24, 1944, B-29 bombers dropped their load over Tokyo for the first time . Since the B-29 had started from the Mariana Islands , the 1st Air Storm Brigade was commissioned to assemble a unit to attack the local airfield and destroy the B-29 there. Captain Okuyama Michiro , the commander of the pioneers of the 1st Air Storm Regiment, was in charge of the unit. Captain Okuyama was one of the founding members of the Army Parachute Force in 1940 and was therefore highly regarded by officers and men. Many paratroopers volunteered for the company, from which Okuyama selected 126 men for the suicide drive. The unit was named Giretsu Kuteitai (Giretsu stands for "heroism"). The men were divided into five platoons: 1st platoon: Lieutenant Utsuki, 2nd platoon: Lieutenant Sugata, 3rd platoon: Captain Watabe, 4th platoon: Lieutenant Murakami, 5th platoon: Lieutenant Yamada.
On December 5, 1944, the unit was transferred to the Army Air Force Academy near Saitama . There the paratroopers practiced attaching explosives to a scale B-29 model. Since Type-99 magnetic charges could not be attached to the aluminum B-29, two alternatives were developed. A two-kilogram explosive charge was attached to a bar that had a suction cup at the end that was supposed to be attached to the B-29 wing. Then a cord could be pulled, which triggered the fuse and delayed the explosive device. The second detonation solution was a string about 5 meters long with a small sand bag at one end to which explosives were attached. This should then be thrown over the wing.
The Giretsu Kūteitai went through intensive training and demonstrated their skills during a night exercise on December 22nd in front of senior officers who were enthusiastic about the ninja-like exercise.
While the paratroopers were ready for action, there were delays in the preparation of the pilots of the transport machines. The 3rd Independent Aviation Unit under Captain Suwabe Chuichi had been tasked with transporting the Giretsu , but its pilots were currently retraining to the Mitsubishi Type 97 Sally bombers. Nevertheless, the attack was planned for January 17, 1945, but US air raids on Iwojima damaged the airfield there, which had been designated for refueling the transporters. The operation was then canceled and the Giretsu paratroopers returned to Nyutabaru to join the 1st Air Storm Brigade .
Briefly there were plans to attack the airfield after the Allied landing on Iwojima , but the Japanese island crew was destroyed by March 26, 1945 and this plan was also dropped. During these weeks, the Giretsu unit continued to exist - ready for action at any time. The waiting time gnawed at the paratroopers who, having volunteered for a suicide campaign, had already mentally dealt with death. On April 1, US troops landed on Okinawa and shortly afterwards the Americans stationed hunters on the island to intercept the Japanese Shimpū Tokkōtai (Kamikaze). For this reason, the leadership of Air Army 6 requested the Giretsu unit from the Imperial General Headquarters . The company was to attack Okinawa Operation Gi-gō called.
The Giretsu Kūteitai and the 3rd Independent Air Force were relocated to Kyushu on the Kengun Airfield. 16 Type 97 Sally bombers were available for the operation and four Sally bombers in reserve. The bombers were not armed in order to save weight. Eight machines were scheduled to fly Captain Okuyama and the 1st, 2nd and 5th platoons to Yontan. Four machines were to transport Captain Watabe and the 3rd and 4th platoons to Kadena. The plan stipulated that the units should take off from Kengun in the evening and make an emergency landing at the US airfields on Okinawa around midnight. The Giretsu Kutetei should first destroy planes and buildings, then go into position in a closer bypass to prevent and obstruct repair work and take-offs and landings with machine gun fire. Nearly 50 Army and Navy bombers and fighters would attack the airfields shortly before the paratroopers landed in order to distract the Americans from the approach. For the day after the attack, it was planned that 180 naval and army kamikaze and over 30 bombers , conventional and also carrying Ōka bombs , would attack the US ships.
For the attack, all Giretsu Kūteitais were ordered to put additional camouflage on their olive green uniform. For this, black paint was applied indiscriminately to uniform and equipment, which led to additional camouflage.
Outline of the Giretsu Kūteitai
Management staff (10 men)
- Light machine gun squad
- Messengers -Trupp
- Telecommunication troop
1st to 5th move (same structure). Each move was divided into two half moves, which were structured as follows:
- 1st squad (platoon leader and 4 men). Armament: 1 type 99 rifle, 2 type 100 submachine guns, 2 stick explosives, 4 type 99 anti-tank mines
- 2nd squad (3 men). Armament: 1 type 99 rifle, 1 type 99 light machine gun, 1 stick explosive device, 4 type 99 anti-tank mines
- 3rd squad (3 men). Armament: 1 type 99 rifle, 1 type 100 submachine gun, 1 stick explosive device, 4 type 99 anti-tank mines
- 4th squad (3 men). Armament: 1 type 99 rifle, 1 type 100 submachine gun, type 89 grenade launcher, 1 stick explosive device, 4 type 99 anti-tank mines
The attack
The attack was scheduled for May 23, 1945, but bad weather over Okinawa forced the unit to postpone the date for a day. When the commando soldiers gathered on the airfield the next day, morale and mood were high, although none of the men expected a return. A short ceremony consisting of a speech and a sip of sake was held before the start. The transport aircraft were then boarded and at 6:50 p.m. on May 24, 16 bombers took off in a south-westerly direction on their 770-kilometer flight to Okinawa. Four of the bombers had to fly back to the base due to technical problems.
During the flight, the remaining paratroopers and the ground crew stayed next to loudspeakers that were connected to the transport machines by radio. At 10:10 p.m. she heard the message “Landing soon!”, Which made everyone cheer. Half an hour later, American radio reports could be heard that the Yontan airfield had been attacked. Japanese scouts confirmed they saw a large source of fire on the island.
Shortly before, Kamikaze had attacked the US frigates that were located around Okinawa and monitored the airspace by radar. From 8:00 p.m. Japanese fighters attacked the airfields on Okinawa, closely followed by the low-flying bombers with the Giretsu Kukeitai. The anti-aircraft guns of the US Marines and the US Army opened fire and shot down eleven two-engine aircraft. The Japanese bombers that were supposed to bomb the Yontan airfield missed the target. At 21:25 a Sally made an extremely low approach, but was also shot down. At 10:30 p.m., three more transport planes landed on Okinawa, but this trio was also shot down and hit next to the airfield. An anti-aircraft position was hit by a wing of one of the transport aircraft, killing two of the anti-aircraft crew. Some Giretsus were able to free themselves from one of the Sally’s that had crashed and attacked immediately. A fifth Sally belly landed on the northwest-southeast runway and came to a halt 70 meters from the tower . Approx. 12 Japanese climbed out of the plane, threw grenades and explosive charges, and fired wildly. Two fuel stores with over 250,000 liters went up in flames. All hell broke out when the Marines , ground crew, anti-aircraft personnel and airfield security shot in all directions. 18 US soldiers were probably wounded, one killed and parked aircraft damaged by self -fire.
losses
All Giretsu Kūteitai soldiers were killed. The last one was found in the undergrowth around 12:55 p.m. the next day. The Americans found 69 Japanese bodies that they buried. Some of the bodies showed signs of suicide. The Americans had lost three F4U Corsair fighters, two PB4Y patrol bombers and four R4D (C-47) transporters . 22 F4Us, three F6F Hellcat fighters, two PB4Ys and two R4Ds were damaged.
In the kamikaze attacks on May 25 and 27, there was nothing to indicate whether or not the Giretsu attack had reduced the number of American fighters. There were still an overwhelming number of US fighters in the air defending the fleet. The Yontan airfield was operational again by the afternoon of May 25, and the damaged aircraft were repaired within a few days.
consequences
Even after the Giretsu attack, which was carried out with dubious success, the Japanese leadership was willing to carry out further, similar operations. A few months later the airfields on Okinawa were to be attacked again. During the planned attack, twelve Type 95 off-road vehicles armed with 2 cm Type 98 automatic cannons with Ku-8 gliders were to be dropped off. The drivers were selected from the 1st Air Storm Panzer Regiment and the gunners from the 1st Air Storm Brigade. The command of the force was given to Captain Hirota Toshio . At the beginning of August 1945 the unit was relocated to Fussa Airfield near Tokyo and the operation was scheduled for the end of August. It never came to fruition, however, as Japan announced its intention to surrender on August 15.
literature
- Rottman & Takizawa: Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II Osprey Publishing, UK, 2005, ISBN 978-1-84176-903-5
Web links
- 義 烈 空 挺 隊 -Giretsu Airborne Unit-
- Japanese newsreel footage about the start of the Giretsu Kūteitai
- Los comandos aerotransportados Giretsu , Spanish
- 空 挺 給 水塔 其 の 7 義 烈 空 挺 隊 (Giretsu Kūteitai). tansannendo, accessed May 23, 2015 (Japanese).