-Caveat Lector- http://history.acusd.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/LUTZ/okin.html
WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Kamikaze: Japan's Last Offensive in Okinawa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- The source of this timeline is The Fast Carriers:Forging of an Air Navy, by Clark Reynolds. March 1945 Task Force 58 begins making attacks on Okinawa, Kyushu and Tokyo in preperation of the landing on Okinawa 4/1. The intention of these attacks was to eliminate the Kamikaze threat that had proven to be such a problem at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. This would also be the time for recon of the Okinawa invasion beaches by Naval airplanes. 3/10 U.S. carrier Randolph hit by a lone Kamikaze in the base of Ulithi Same day Task Force Commander Adm. Mitscher transfers flag to the carrier Bunker Hill. 3/18 While U.S. carrier planes are striking Kyushu the Japanese retaliate with suicide attacks that lightly damage carriers Yorktown, Enterprise and Intrepid. Same day a special unit of Japanese pilots flying the new "Shinden-Kai" fighters led by Capt. Genda inflict losses on U.S. Naval pilots flying Hellcats. U.S. planes damage Japanese carrier Ryuho, Amagi and Battleship Yamato. 3/19 Japanese counter attacks by bombers and fighters severly damage carriers Wasp and Franklin. Between the two carriers over 900 died in these preperatory attacks. Task Force 58 now shifted to prelanding bombardment of the invasion beaches. U.S. naval planes remain constant alert for attacking Kamikaze planes. Visual sighting now the key since the Japanese had figured out how to evade the Destroyer pickets that would pick the up by radar contact. The Japanese planes would fly below the radar screen. They would also make the destroyers their target and knock out the U.S. early warning ability from attacks. 3/21 First attempt of Japanese using Okha suicide jet aircraft. Attacks unsuccessful. 3/27 British Task Force57 joins Task Force 58 in Okinawa area of operations. Their job is to eliminate Sakishima Gunto an island south of Okinawa used as staging base for planes being shuttled to Okinawa. 3/31 Begin their first series of attacks also face strong Kamikaze attacks. British inexperience and few 40MM Bofors made shooting at Japanese plans all but impossible after they had started their dives. The one saving grace of all the British carriers was their thick armouring of the flight decks that could with stand heavy damage. British carrier Indefatigable struck by a Kamikaze and able to continue normal flight operations after the wreckage was cleared. 4/1 D-Day on Okinawa the U.S. troops land unopposed with strong air support. Looking For the Next Japanese Attack 4/6 Japanese strike with a Kamikaze raid of over 350 planes. U.S. send all bombers below decks and only fly fighter sorties. Only carrier Belleau Wood slightly damaged. Defense of the ships came down to the experienced U.S. antiaircraft gunners. A 40 MM Bofors in action 4/6 Japanese super battleship Yamato sighted heading tward Okinawa escorted by a light cruiser and 4 destroyers. 4/7 Yamato on a suicide course to attack the invasion fleet at Okinawa and force the U.S. fleet to retreat. Without air cover the ship was defenseless to airplane attacks. The ship was sunk long before it ever made sight of Okinawa. One of the final chapters of the battleship and it being replaced by the carrier as the dominant capitol ship. 4/7-4/30 Task Force 58 forced to support the ground troops because bad weather delays the construction of airfields on Okinawa. Kamikazes still attacking in great numbers Carrier Hancock severly damaged 4/7. Enterprise damaged 4/11 Intrepid damaged 4/16 Numerous picket destroyers sunk and damaged by Kamikaze attacks. 5/11 Adm. Mitscher flag ship carrier Bunker Hill hit by a Kamikaze that Killed 350. 5/14 Adm. Mitscher moves flag to night carrier Enterprise and decides to move TF 58 north for a raid on Kyushu. Enterprise later damaged after recieving Kamikaze attack. After 59 days off Okinawa Mitscher requests TF 58 be relieved. Luckily no more major raids were attempted by the Japanese. >From Oct. 25, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945 Japanese Kamikazes were able to sink 2 Escort Carriers, 3 Destroyers. They were also able to damage 23 Carriers, 5 Battleships, 9 Cruisers, 23 Destroyers and 27 other ships. There had also been 738 killed and another 1,300 wounded from the result of these attacks. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? 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