Operation Storm: Japan's Top Secret Submarines and Its Plan to Change the Course of World War II (41 page)
Authors: John Geoghegan
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #History
Heiji Kondo watched from the
I-401
’s bridge as Asamura was handed his sword. The little
Seiran
pilot quivered with emotion
as he grasped its hilt. But it wasn’t Asamura’s shaking that moved Kondo, it was the expression on his face. Conflict was written there, the conflict between seriousness of purpose and the will to live. Although Asamura was overcome with emotion, he did not hesitate. He’d vowed in his heart to die for the mission, and though he couldn’t speak for the other pilots, he knew what he must do.
44
Takahashi felt the blood drain from his face as Ariizumi handed him his sword.
Is this finally the end?
he wondered.
After the ceremony was over, public relations officers flocked around the
Seiran
crews, handing them thick squares of expensive paper on which to write their last words. The results would appear in a future issue of Japanese newspapers and be preserved at Etajima for posterity.
Takahashi thought for a moment before dipping his brush into a pool of black ink. When his words had dried, he thought they’d captured his feelings, perfectly.
“I do not regret giving my life for my country,” he’d penned. “But what will become of my mother?”
45
*
There is some confusion around when and where Ariizumi briefed his men about the Ulithi mission. According to some accounts, he did so before he left for Tokyo, when the
I-13
and
I-14
were still present with their full complement of
Seiran
. If this is the case, it seems unlikely he would have pleaded to continue the Panama Canal mission when he met with the NGS. Since Ariizumi clearly fought the decision to cancel the Panama Canal mission, he probably waited to brief his men until he returned from Tokyo. If he briefed them upon his return to Nanao, part of his fleet might well have been missing. However, if he waited until he reached Maizuru, the
I-13
and
I-14
had already departed for Ominato. The dates provided by the historical record are contradictory, confusing, or incomplete.
†
Both Nambu and Sato recalled that the farewell dinner in Maizuru was held on July 19. Takahashi, however, said it was July 18.
‡
Nambu says the ceremony took place on July 20, as does Sato. However, if the
I-401
arrived in Maizuru on July 13 as Sato suggests, it means the sub remained in Maizuru for eight days, not the seven days he claims.
ART
V
RACE AGAINST TIME
HAPTER
29
DEPARTURE
T
HE
I-400
LEFT
M
AIZURU
N
AVAL
B
ASE ON
J
ULY
21, 1945.
1
L
ED BY
a minesweeper, the sub motored slowly on the surface, while a reserve
Seiran
aircrew ran along the shoreline shouting encouragement.
2
Takahashi had no more stomach for tearful goodbyes. “Get out of here, you idiots,” he shouted at his comrades. “I don’t want to see your face.”
3
Kusaka’s sub was heading for Ominato,
4
a naval port near the northern tip of Honshu. Ominato was the final departure point for the
Sen-toku
force. Situated on Mutsu Bay, a day’s journey, the port provided access to the Pacific Ocean through the well-guarded Tsugaru Strait. It was virtually the only exit from the Sea of Japan that the Sixth Fleet could still use.
Before Nambu followed in the
I-401
, he raised a banner on the bridge.
5
Meant to inspire his crew it proclaimed in large, bold characters, “Japan, land of the gods.”
6
But it seemed like the gods had abandoned Japan. An increasing number of bombing raids had taken place since the first attack in November 1944, and the recent addition of carrier-based attacks only increased the pressure. Every night U.S. Armed Forces Radio filled the airwaves with a Japanese-language broadcast listing the cities to be destroyed by morning. As one submariner noted, in terms of propaganda “it sure beat ‘Tokyo Rose.’ ”
7
For those who didn’t have radios, B-29s dropped leaflets. “Read this carefully as it may save your life,” one pamphlet explained. “In the next few days, four or more of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs.”
8
Japanese records estimated that by the end of July 1945, at least half a million civilians had been killed in nationwide air
strikes, with another million injured. B-29s were hammering the civilian population so often, they were being driven to the point of insanity.
9
If Japan’s civilians were terrified, her military remained unmoved. To get the point across, Allied forces launched air strikes against naval bases at Yokosuka, Kure, and Sasebo. By the end of July, little remained of the Imperial Japanese Navy except smoking hulks.
The raids had an impact on the
I-400
subs still under construction. The
I-402
, which had been converted into a gigantic fuel carrier, was unharmed, but the
I-404
, which had been moored off Kure awaiting completion,
10
was sunk by U.S. carrier planes.
11
And though work had commenced on the
I-403
and I-405,
*
12
it had since been abandoned along with the underwater aircraft carriers
I-406
through I-417.
13
The
I-13
and
I-14
were first to arrive at Ominato on July 4.
14
The subs were there to load two
Saiun
aircraft each, which were partially disassembled, crated, and waiting dockside.
15
The Nakajima C6N
Saiun
was a single-engine, carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft, but by the time Ariizumi needed the planes, there were no Japanese carriers left for them to fly off of.
Built by Nakajima, the
Saiun
carried a pilot, a navigator (who doubled as an observer), and a radio operator (who doubled as a gunner when the plane came under attack). The
Saiun
could outrun a Grumman F6F Hellcat, and Nakajima was so confident in the plane’s speed, it had built a night fighter version.
16
Her Allied code name was “Myrt,” but
Saiun
, which means “Painted Cloud,” was far more poetic.
The
I-13
and
I-14
had conducted live-fire exercises while in Mutsu Bay. Using their largest deck gun, they had fired long distance to perfect their aim.
17
And since the war had reduced shipping traffic
to almost nothing, there was little chance of hitting anything they didn’t want to.
The
I-14
was scheduled to leave Ominato first, followed by the
I-13
,
18
but the bearings
19
in the
I-14
’s prop shaft
20
overheated, requiring repair. As a result, the
I-13
left Ominato on July 11.
†
21
The crew’s friends and family were invited for the sendoff. Since it was the last time they were likely to see one another, the parting was emotional. The crew lined up on deck wearing white headbands with the characters for “Certain Victory” spelled out.
22
As the surrounding mountains bore silent witness to the painful parting, the
I-13
got slowly under way.
U.S. battleships had already begun shelling northern Honshu and Hokkaido by then.
23
It was the first time U.S. naval gunfire had been directed against the Japanese mainland.
24
The Kaminishi ironworks, south of Ominato, were reduced to scrap metal,
25
and railyards and harbors were targeted as well. Ominato was also on the list.
During the time it took to repair the
I-14
, Allied air raids repeatedly forced her to the harbor floor. It must have been frustrating to constantly crash-dive as carrier planes attacked, yet that didn’t prevent the
I-14
from riding out the raids on the bay’s bottom. Captain Shimizu guessed they’d be spending most of the voyage to Truk submerged; a little more underwater time wouldn’t hurt.
26
Despite being attacked day after day, the
I-14
managed to depart Ominato on July 17.
27
It’s remarkable that any of the
I-400
subs managed to escape during this period, especially since Maizuru and Ominato were on the receiving end of several significant attacks. Large in size and slow to submerge, the subs were sitting
ducks when anchored in a harbor. Nambu’s former sub, the
I-361
, had been sunk earlier in the month. Only three of her crew had survived.
28
Every submarine Nambu had served on since the beginning of the war had now been destroyed. The
I-401
was the last one left.
N
AMBU REACHED
O
MINATO
on July 22.
29
It was early evening, and there was a drizzling rain as the
I-401
sailed into the harbor.
30
Kusaka’s sub had arrived a few hours earlier. Since the
I-401
had been replenished at Maizuru, her stay at Ominato was brief. Nambu gave half his crew permission to go ashore, while the other half remained to load perishables.
31
It would be their last chance to enjoy such delicacies as mackerel and the other fresh foods that were available in Ominato.
Takahashi was one of the lucky ones granted shore leave. He knew it would be the last time he’d set foot on land, so he savored the few hours he had. First he enjoyed a hot bath. Then he sat down to write his will. There were many things he wanted to say to his mother. Unfortunately, everything he wrote sounded sentimental or whiny, so he kept the letter simple. When he was finished, he gave it to two junior officers to deliver, along with the short sword Ariizumi had presented him and the 100 yen in bonus pay he had left. Stripped of his belongings, Takahashi felt relieved.
32
While Takahashi spent the evening arranging his personal affairs, Ariizumi dined with a friend. Dinner was a sedate affair compared to Ariizumi’s last evening at Maizuru. He enjoyed two extra helpings of his favorite dish, accompanied by his usual intake of liquor.
33
This seemed a more fitting way to spend his last night ashore than singing drinking songs and giving emotional toasts.
Kondo, one of the
Seiran
mechanics, enjoyed a cup of sake that night. After the day he’d had, he deserved it. Kondo had been detailed to paint one of the
I-401
’s
Seiran
. For some reason, the planes hadn’t been disguised in Maizuru, and Kondo was assigned to rectify this. He didn’t have strong feelings about the task; he was just carrying out orders. Regardless, there was no denying how strange a
Seiran
looked disguised as an American plane.
34
Kondo had been painting the fuselage earlier in the day when a Japanese patrol craft appeared overhead. The plane took Kondo by surprise. There were so many American fighters around that the Japanese aircraft could easily have mistaken the newly disguised
Seiran
for the enemy. Kondo rounded his back in an awkward attempt to hide the American markings. As the patrol craft circled, he stood frozen, his face only inches from the wet paint. Fumes filled his nose and his eyes began to water as Kondo maintained the uncomfortable position. The situation would have been funny if it hadn’t been so dangerous.
The air patrol eventually lost interest and flew away.
35
If Kondo had been attacked, there was nothing he could have done but run. The irony alone would have been enough to kill him. As it was, he managed a sigh of relief.
The
I-400
left Ominato the next day at 2:00
P.M
. Two hours later the
I-401
followed.
‡
The rain had finally stopped, making for a beautiful afternoon.
36
The sun was beginning to set, and the Shimokita Mountains loomed green and lovely in the background.
37
Since Nambu expected this to be his last view of Japan, he seared it into his memory.
38
He had no way of knowing the
I-401
’s mission would be the Sixth Fleet’s final offensive of the war.
There was constant fear of enemy subs penetrating the Tsugaru Strait, and of course Halsey’s Third Fleet was not far away. Fortunately, the only things Nambu passed as he sailed through the strait were fishing boats. Then at two in the morning, a water spout erupted behind the sub’s stern.
39
It was followed seconds later by a loud report.
40
A bridge lookout pointed at a flash from the Hokkaido coastline. Moments later another shell smacked into the sea, this time off their port side. The
I-401
was under attack.
41
“Submerge immediately!” Nambu cried.
42
A Japanese shore battery had spotted the sub’s silhouette and,
thinking her the enemy, opened fire. Nambu dove his sub before the shore battery had a chance to improve its aim, but it had been a close call.
The
I-401
’s captain was so disturbed by the incident, he kept repeating “Dangerous, dangerous” under his breath.
43
Ariizumi was incensed enough to fire off an angry radio message scolding the army for its trigger-happy response.
It’s no surprise that friendly fire almost sunk Nambu’s sub, especially since it was operating in secret. At least Japan’s coastal forces were paying attention. This might have been cold comfort, but if Ariizumi’s mission failed, a strong defense would be necessary.