freenovelworld Chapter 773: Operation Kikusui
Chapter 773: Operation Kikusui
On April 2, 1945, the offensive forces of the United States Tenth Army, which had successfully landed, began to advance from the landing point toward the east of Okinawa Island, preparing to cut off the Japanese defense line on Okinawa Island.
On April 4, 1945, two Marine divisions of the United States Tenth Army successfully crossed the entire island of Okinawa, reached Nakajo Bay on the east coast of Okinawa Island, and occupied the central area of Okinawa Island, dividing the Japanese 32nd Army's defense line on Okinawa Island into two. The United States Tenth Army originally planned to complete the task in 15 days, but it was successfully accomplished in just four days.
The original plan of the Japanese military headquarters was to launch an aviation operation code-named "Operation Ten-go" when the American army carried out the landing operation on Okinawa Island, concentrating the army and navy's aircraft to attack the American landing ships.
When the American army launched a landing operation on the Kerama Islands on March 26, 1945, the Japanese military headquarters judged that the American army's landing operation on Okinawa Island had begun. Therefore, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, commander of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, immediately ordered the implementation of "Operation Ten-go".
However, the main force in the "Operation Ten-go" plan was the shore-based aviation force of the Japanese Navy's Fifth Air Fleet stationed in the Kyushu region. The Japanese Fifth Air Fleet suffered heavy losses in the counterattack against the U.S. army's air raids on the Kyushu region of Japan on March 18 and 19, 1945, and is now unable to organize large-scale air operations.
Most of the other aviation units of the Japanese Navy are still in training, and the aviation units of the Japanese Army have not yet been transferred from other battlefields to the Kyushu region of Japan. Therefore, the Japanese army only dispatched a small number of aircraft to attack the American fleet.
From March 26 to 30, 1945, the Japanese army only dispatched 100 aircraft, including reconnaissance aircraft, to attack the American army, including 20 kamikaze suicide planes.
However, although the Japanese military headquarters' "Operation Ten-go" ended in a hasty manner and the number of kamikaze suicide planes that launched the attack was small, it still caused certain losses to the American army.
Among them, on March 31, 1945, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, the flagship of Admiral Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy, was hit by a Japanese kamikaze suicide plane. Two large holes were knocked out of the hull by the Japanese kamikaze suicide plane. The ship had to rush to the temporary base of the United States Navy in the Kerama Islands for emergency repairs. Admiral Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy, had to change his flagship to the battleship USS New Mexico.
By April 5, 1945, Japanese aircraft had sunk one fast transport ship of the Allied Navy and damaged 39 ships of various types, including two battleships, one escort carrier, and three cruisers.
On April 6 and April 7, 1945, the Japanese Imperial Headquarters ordered the launch of Operation Kikusui No. 1. The Japanese Imperial Headquarters used the Fifth Air Fleet and the Sixth Air Army in Kyushu as the main forces, and the First Air Fleet in Taiwan and the Eighth Flying Division in the Sakishima Islands as auxiliary forces. A total of 462 Japanese naval aircraft and 237 Japanese army aircraft, a total of 699 aircraft, launched an attack on the United States army that was attacking Okinawa Island. Among them, 355 aircraft were carrying out kamikaze suicide missions.
During the two-day "Kikusui No. 1" operation, the Japanese army sank three American destroyers, a tank landing ship and two 10,000-ton ammunition ships that were attacking Okinawa Island, damaged one battleship, one aircraft carrier, one frigate, one minelayer and eight destroyers, and caused hundreds of casualties to the American army.
Although the U.S. army had anticipated that the Japanese army would launch suicide attacks before the Battle of Okinawa began, what they did not expect was that these suicide attacks were so crazy, which caused considerable losses to the U.S. army.
Of course, the price the Japanese army paid for these results was that a total of 335 Japanese aircraft were shot down by the American army, accounting for 48% of the total number of Japanese "Kikusui No. 1" combat aircraft.
On April 12 and April 13, 1945, the Japanese Imperial Headquarters launched Operation Kikusui II again. However, because the Japanese army had not had time to replenish the aircraft lost in Operation Kikusui I, the number of aircraft that the Japanese army could send out to carry out Operation Kikusui II was much smaller than the first time.
Among them, the Japanese Navy dispatched 200 aircraft and the Japanese Army dispatched 192 aircraft, totaling 392 aircraft, of which 202 were responsible for the kamikaze suicide missions.
Due to the shortage of air force, the Japanese headquarters made some improvements to the attack tactics of Operation Kikusui II.
In the "Kikusui No. 2" operation plan, the Japanese headquarters first dispatched fighter jets to lure the fighter jets of the American army into combat. Then, when the American fighter jets ran out of fuel and returned to the aircraft carrier for replenishment, the Japanese attack aircraft flew over the target to attack.
At the same time, the Japanese army also began to use a new weapon, the "Sakura Bomb". This "Sakura Bomb" is actually a manned aerial bomb propelled by a rocket. After the "Sakura Bomb" is carried by the Japanese attack aircraft to the war zone, it will be separated from the carrier aircraft. The kamikaze pilot will fly the "Sakura Bomb" towards the target and die together with the target.
The Japanese army's "Sakura bomb" is equipped with a one-ton high explosive and is propelled by three solid-fuel rocket engines. It can fly at a speed of up to 800 kilometers per hour and has a very powerful explosion. The US army calls this suicide bomb a "ba-ge bomb."
The weapon "Sakura Bomb" caused considerable losses to the American army attacking Okinawa Island. In the "Kikusui No. 2" operation, the Japanese army sank a US destroyer and a landing ship, damaged a battleship, six destroyers, three frigates, a minesweeper, a minelayer and a landing ship, and lost 205 aircraft.
Starting from mid-April 1945, in order to reduce losses, the U.S. military dispatched radar warning ships in the direction where Japanese aircraft were most likely to fly. When the radar warning ships spotted Japanese aircraft flying over, they issued early warnings and guided U.S. fighter jets in the air to intercept them.