World War 2 In The Pacific

[PETERTHEEATER]

It was April 1945 and the war in the Pacific was going badly for Japan. The Imperial Japanese High Command held a secret meeting and decided that desperate measures were needed to avoid an American invasion of the homeland. An order went out inviting volunteer pilots from the Army and Navy air arms to assemble at an air base to carry out an unspecified mission. Volunteers were told only that the success of their mission would bring victory to the Japanese nation.

And so it was that some three hundred pilots of all grades found themselves seated on rows of chairs in an aircraft hangar. Facing them was a stage with a single rostrum and a stand covered with a dustsheet.

The assembly, whispering quietly amongst themselves were suddenly called to order as a side door opened and the Chief of the High Command strode in followed by a file of very senior officers. The pilots stood rigidly to attention as the General positioned himself at the rostrum.

‘Gentlemen, be seated’ he commanded. He paused until he had the full attention of the assembly.

‘What you see and hear today is top secret and is not to be discussed with anyone, including your fellow servicemen outside of this meeting. Any infringement of this order will be met with summary execution and dishonour for your families’

‘The war is not going well for us despite the encouraging news that you may read in the daily papers. The American dogs command the sea and air spaces around our homeland, their armies are advancing toward us from island to island and we are powerless to stop their progress. In just a few weeks it is likely that they will launch an invasion. We have one hope left; a new and secret weapon that you have volunteered to use’.

He stepped over to the covered stand and pulled back the dustsheet to reveal a model of a stub-winged aircraft.

‘This is the Baka rocket boosted bomb. We have chosen to call it Kamikaze, divine wind. We have built many hundreds of these aircraft and, with your skilful piloting, they will win this war for us by sinking the capital ships of the enemy. The aircraft is a glider and has conventional controls. It will be carried to within visual distance of the selected target underneath a bomber aircraft. Early tomorrow morning, each of you will climb into one of these aircraft. The cockpit canopy will be bolted shut’ he cleared his throat, ‘ahem, to prevent it from blowing open at high speed.

‘Communication with your parent aircraft will be by direct intercom; there is no radio. The commander of your parent aircraft will designate your target once within range. After release you will use your piloting skills to glide your aircraft to the target and set up a diving attack. In the centre of the windscreen is an aiming mark that you will position on a vital point of the enemy ship at which point you will ignite the solid rocket motor installed in the tail of the aircraft. This will boost your speed in the dive so that enemy anti-aircraft guns will be unable to track you. The nose contains one thousand kilos of high explosive contact fuzed with a slight delay to allow penetration after impact. One of these is enough to sink the largest aircraft carrier or battleship’.

He paused and scanned the assembly meeting noting the inscrutable sea of faces. He continued, his voice rising in pitch with excitement, his face flushed.

‘With hundreds of these aircraft released simultaneously above the ships of the American dogs and striking together their fleet will be annihilated. We will regain control of the Pacific and victory will be ours. Your actions will have saved our emperor and the land of the rising sun. Honours will be bestowed upon you’.

He thrust his fist into the air and screamed ‘Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!’ As one man the assembly leapt to their feet and joined him in screaming for victory.

‘Gentlemen, be seated’ he ordered. ‘Right, are there any questions’?

There was much shaking of heads, the seated men glancing at those next to them for silent support. Suddenly, there was the sound of a chair scraping on concrete as a diminutive junior grade lieutenant of the Japanese Army Air Force stood up and snapped to attention. Clearing his throat he said ‘Yes Sir. I have a question. Are you out of your f------g mind?