Kamikaze Pilot Survived 

After　Nine Sorties 

In July, the Army began considering a kamikaze corps.

Originally, Army bombs were designed to be effective against ground attacks. A naval bomb is an armor-piercing bomb that explodes after penetrating the deck. As the battle line expanded to the southeast, it was becoming increasingly necessary for army planes to attack ships. Front-line combat units demanded armor-piercing bombs that would be effective in attacking ships, just like the navy, but they were unsuccessful.

The first aircraft used by the Army for special attacks was the Type 99 twin-engine light bomber. Emphasizing fighter-like speed and maneuverability rather than bomb load and cruising range, it was developed mainly for the purpose of destroying enemy planes at enemy airfields. Even so, it was inferior to fighters in terms of speed and maneuverability, and it was difficult to achieve results in kamikaze attacks. The crew is a total of 4 people, the pilot, the radio operator, and two shooters .

A Type 99 light bomber modified into a kamikaze. The two protruding tubes are the detonation tubes of the bomb. When detonated, the bomb explodes in the bomb bay, blowing up the aircraft and crew.

Knowing this, Captain Iwamoto modified it so that it could drop bombs in case it could not find the enemy ship and returned home, and also modified the detonation tube to one to improve maneuverability.

A Manjutai Type 99 twin-engine light bomber carrying bombs during a training flight in the Philippines. The model has a single detonator.

On October 30, Captain Iwamoto gathered only the pilots.

"Our mission is to bomb and sink the American fleet in the Leyte Gulf. We will study how to attack it, but before that, let me explain about our aircraft. It was designed to have three detonation tubes at first to ensure the explosion, but in fact one is enough. Also, if there are three tubes, it will interfere with flight.Therefore, we asked them to reduce the three tubes to one. It was not possible to drop bombs, but now it is possible.

When there are not enough pilots or planes, a one-time attack is enough to increase the wear and tear. The point is to hit the bomb against the enemy, not to die by ramming. Iwamoto did not do this out of desperation. He wants to use his life and his skills in the most meaningful way possible to bring down as many enemy ships as possible. "

Iwamoto talks about dive bombing,

"You can start over as many times as you like until you reach your goal. Until then, use your life wisely. Never die in vain."

Iwamoto handed out maps showing nearly 150 landing sites in the Philippines.

"Even if you sortie, hit the bomb and come back."

After that, not only rapid descent but also landing training was repeated.

"Immortal Kamikaze" p69

The sky on November 12th was clear.  Caloocan airport.

At 4:00 a.m., Commander Tominaga of the 4th Air Force shook hands with each member and gave instructions.

The sortie was carried out with 5 members of the Bandatai on board. 4 Type 99 twin-engine light bombers Originally, the  bomber was operated by four people, but the machine guns were all removed in order to make it lighter for the kamikaze attack. It flew with one pilot in stead of two.

Sake was served to the members of the Bandatai who held a plain wooden box containing pieces of paper for four officers, including Iwamoto, who had shot down earlier .

The four aircraft took off in order while being sent off by many staff members, airmen, and maintenance personnel. The escort consisted of 11 "Hayabusa" fighter planes. One returned due to engine failure on the way, but the other three crashed into Leyte Gulf. The "Hayabusa" that was in support got into an air battle with the "P-38" that was escorting the convoy. entered the fleet.

All four members of the "Bandakutai" that rushed in were thought to have been killed in action, but it was later revealed that Sasaki had made a normal attack instead of ramming the enemy ship, and had survived to Cagayan Airfield on Mindanao Island. When Sasaki returned to Caloocan from Mindanao, Saruwatari, chief of staff of the 4th Air Division, asked him, "What was your intention in coming back?" He also reported to the 4th Air Force Headquarters and reported his return to Major Koji Minobe, the staff officer, but Minobe reported to the Imperial General Headquarters that ``Sasaki was killed in the attack''. I hope that the next attack will really sink the battleship."

Sasaki was indignant at the absurdity of having to die just as he had reported to the emperor, but Tominaga, the military commander, was unexpectedly kind. "Well done. Come back as many times as you like until you've achieved your goal. Don't be hasty or impatient." Just when I thought about it, I heard that you have other plans. Since it's a big deal, let's present it as a souvenir," he happily handed the canned food to Sasaki. Sasaki was honored to receive a gift from the military commander and left the headquarters.