Comments on: The Solomons Campaign: Operation Vengeance – The Shootdown Of Yamamoto http://blog.usni.org/2009/10/12/the-solomons-campaign-operation-vengeance-the-shootdown-of-yamamoto/ The Naval Institute’s taken its independent forum to a new level - with you in the middle of it. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:43:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul M Hupf http://blog.usni.org/2009/10/12/the-solomons-campaign-operation-vengeance-the-shootdown-of-yamamoto/comment-page-1/#comment-160215 Paul M Hupf Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:30:40 +0000 http://blog.usni.org/?p=4646#comment-160215 Admiral Matome Ugaki, the Chief of Staff of Admiral Yamamoto, kept a diary, which was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 1991 under the title "Fading Victory". The book is excellent reading. Admiral Ugaki describes in detail the events on the occasion of the interception of the two Japanese planes, one with Admiral Yamamoto aboard and the other with Admiral Ugaki aboard. The two planes took evasive action when the attack began. "After we had evaded about twice, I turned to the right to see how the first [Yamamoto's] plane was doing. What I saw was astounding. Lo! The first plane was staggering southward, just brushing the jungle top with reduced speed, emitting black smoke and flame...I grabbed the shoulder of Air Staff Officer Muroi, poined to the first aircraft, and said, 'Look at the commander in chief's plane!' This became my parting from him forever. All this happened in about twenty seconds." Admiral Ugaki's plane, also under attack, crashed into the sea. He blacked out but recovered to find himsel in the water "about two hundred meters from shore". Somehow he made it. "The body of the commander in chief was found on the seat outside the plane, still gripping his sword. It hadn't decomposed yet and was said to be in a state of great dignity...A postmortem made while his body was being carried on a subchaser found two piercing machine bullet wounds in his lower jaw and shoulder. Most probably he was killed instantly while in the air." On August 15, 1945, Admiral Ugaki, carying in hand the sword Admiral Yamamoto had given him, boarded an aircraft at the Oita airfield in Japan. His plane along with others headed for Okinawa. There is no record of any successful Kamikaze attack on any American ship at Okinawa on that date. The editor of the diary notes: "Apparently they went down at sea." Admiral Matome Ugaki, the Chief of Staff of Admiral Yamamoto, kept a diary, which was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 1991 under the title “Fading Victory”. The book is excellent reading. Admiral Ugaki describes in detail the events on the occasion of the interception of the two Japanese planes, one with Admiral Yamamoto aboard and the other with Admiral Ugaki aboard. The two planes took evasive action when the attack began. “After we had evaded about twice, I turned to the right to see how the first [Yamamoto's] plane was doing. What I saw was astounding. Lo! The first plane was staggering southward, just brushing the jungle top with reduced speed, emitting black smoke and flame…I grabbed the shoulder of Air Staff Officer Muroi, poined to the first aircraft, and said, ‘Look at the commander in chief’s plane!’ This became my parting from him forever. All this happened in about twenty seconds.” Admiral Ugaki’s plane, also under attack, crashed into the sea. He blacked out but recovered to find himsel in the water “about two hundred meters from shore”. Somehow he made it. “The body of the commander in chief was found on the seat outside the plane, still gripping his sword. It hadn’t decomposed yet and was said to be in a state of great dignity…A postmortem made while his body was being carried on a subchaser found two piercing machine bullet wounds in his lower jaw and shoulder. Most probably he was killed instantly while in the air.”

On August 15, 1945, Admiral Ugaki, carying in hand the sword Admiral Yamamoto had given him, boarded an aircraft at the Oita airfield in Japan. His plane along with others headed for Okinawa. There is no record of any successful Kamikaze attack on any American ship at Okinawa on that date. The editor of the diary notes: “Apparently they went down at sea.”

]]> By: Strategy, ethics, and the law of war—or, how do you connect the Japanese Admiral who planned Pearl Harbor with Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens? « Sweet Briar College { Bragaw } http://blog.usni.org/2009/10/12/the-solomons-campaign-operation-vengeance-the-shootdown-of-yamamoto/comment-page-1/#comment-159286 Strategy, ethics, and the law of war—or, how do you connect the Japanese Admiral who planned Pearl Harbor with Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens? « Sweet Briar College { Bragaw } Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:55:00 +0000 http://blog.usni.org/?p=4646#comment-159286 [...] The US Naval Institute blog has a fascinating analysis of the succesful plan to shoot down Admiral Y.... [...] [...] The US Naval Institute blog has a fascinating analysis of the succesful plan to shoot down Admiral Y…. [...]

]]> By: The Solomons Campaign: Operation Vengeance – The Shootdown Of Yamamoto « Steeljaw Scribe http://blog.usni.org/2009/10/12/the-solomons-campaign-operation-vengeance-the-shootdown-of-yamamoto/comment-page-1/#comment-159222 The Solomons Campaign: Operation Vengeance – The Shootdown Of Yamamoto « Steeljaw Scribe Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:59:10 +0000 http://blog.usni.org/?p=4646#comment-159222 [...] at USNI’s blog [...] [...] at USNI’s blog [...]

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