were of a much higher level than before. Taking off and landing on aircraft carriers required pinpoint accuracy. A long line of white linen was laid out on the runway in the shape of a carrier platform. Precise landing demanded careful consideration to the velocity and direction of the wind. If a landing came up short, the instructors would be furious. “You moron! You just smashed into the stern of the carrier!” Conditions on grass and tarmac runways were also different, so we had to learn to cope with various environments.
For shooting practice, a Zero dragging 200 meters of rope from its tail with a 5-meter streamer attached to the end would serve as the target plane. It took off first with the rope and streamer trailing behind. Four attack Zeros followed suit and fired their 7.7mm machine guns in turn at the streamer. They were each loaded with different colored bullets—red, blue, yellow, or purple—so that hits could be identified.
There were two ways to strike. One method was called the “upper-rear attack” and entailed chasing the target Zero from 1,000 meters above and then descending rapidly from behind on a 45-degree angle to shoot at the streamer at the closest point before pitching away in a “hit and split” maneuver. The other method was called the “upper-front attack.” This was also initiated from above at 1,000 meters, but we came in from the front in a rapid dive firing a burst at the streamer just as we crossed paths and suddenly rolling out of the way.
The trainers checked the colors marking the target streamer to identify who was successful. If your color was not there, the insults would fly. Some trainees found the task very difficult and met with little to no success. I wasn’t bad but tended to fire a little too deeply.
We also practiced chasing tactics. The lead Zero was piloted by an instructor and we had to keep on his tail being careful to not to get too close. We tried to keep around 200 meters to the rear, but a slight miscalculation meant that the lead Zero would vanish before us.
“Team fighting” and “advantage vs. disadvantage” training was designed to be as realistic as possible. The former comprised of mock dog-fights with four vs. four, or eight vs. eight planes. The latter involved four Zeros soaring at 5,000 meters above sea level and the other four flying from the opposite direction at the lower altitude of 4,000 meters. One group flew in formation from the direction of Mount Kaimon, the other from Shibushi Bay. The point of engagement was just above Kasanohara base from where senior instructors watched the dogfights through binoculars. The four fighters at higher altitude were expected to capitalize and take their lower flying prey to task. The disadvantaged fighters, on the other hand, were supposed to somehow escape and maneuver to turn the tables.
Mock dogfights required mastery of rapid ascents, descents, and circling at maximum speed. A Zero that exceeded its speed threshold in rapid descents was in danger of breaking up through stress on the frame. It was crucial to keep speed within the limits and carefully time the climb. The joystick had to be pulled fully back which took immense strength in the arms. The transition into rapid ascent would generate incredible Gs, pushing my body and head back into the seat and distorting my face. I would start to see yellow, purple, and finally black as I all but lost consciousness. It was dangerous but the only way to learn.
Combat tactics also depended on the weather. If we flew under clouds, we risked easy identification by the enemy because of the Zero’s distinctive silhouette. On overcast days we flew in the clouds meaning that visibility was non-existent. We flew out from the clouds momentarily to confirm each other’s position, and then back in again.
The time frame for each simulated dogfight was only five to six minutes but it was exhausting. Some cadets failed to pull the control up sufficiently and ended up crashing into the hills. There were four such accidents during my time at Kasanohara. Senior officers made us go and recover the bodies. Debris would be strewn everywhere as we clambered up to the crash site, so it usually took some time to locate the pilot’s remains. In one case we were unable to find any sign of a body at all. When a body (or its parts) were recovered, everything was taken back for immediate cremation. A funeral was never held. Relatives would come about a week later to collect the ashes.
Flying in formation was another important skill that we were drilled in thoroughly. We practiced keeping 16 airplanes flying neatly in formation, which was not easy especially if visibility was poor. Night flying was the worst. Lights were not allowed so it was virtually impossible to see other planes flying in proximity.
The daily routine varied. We sometimes had formation training right after breakfast, followed by lunch, an hour-long afternoon nap, then battle training, and night flying after dinner. Sometimes we flew before breakfast in dawn exercises. Each day’s agenda was posted on a board in advance with our initials placed underneath to indicate which activity we were assigned to.
The food was good. Fighter pilots didn’t cook as meals were organized by the mess crew. We usually got milk and eggs for lunch. After flight drills we were given a special bag containing a small bottle of rice wine, tobacco, chocolate, adzuki-bean jelly, caramel and other treats. Every so often we were given time off to boost morale.
It was wise to be considerate to the maintenance staff. They never got treat bags like us, so we shared our provisions with them. This was how we ensured our Zeros got the care they needed. Particularly in the Army, rank-based hierarchy was very strict. Even one rank up was carte blanch to torment juniors. This was not the case among airmen where rank was not as important as how many flight hours you had under your belt. Anyone with 1,000 hours or more was first-class. Although I had only been in training for one-and-a-half years, I managed to accumulate 6 to 700 hours. This wasn’t bad going considering the hurry the Navy was in to get us to the front.
CHAPTER THREE
Blooded in Taiwan
Lead-up to the Second World War
The Kamakura period marked the onset of the first samurai government of Japan in 1185. Samurai hegemony lasted throughout the Muromachi and Tokugawa (Edo) periods, finally coming to an end in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. Following the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s new imperial government embarked on a path of rapid modernization to catch up with the West.
At that time, most Asian and Pacific countries were controlled by Western colonial powers. As Japan started to flex its political muscle on the international stage, it came into conflict with the gigantic Qing dynasty of China, and Russia, which was seeking hegemony over China and the Korean peninsula.
Japan won the Sino-Japanese war of 1894, and then managed to subdue Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 with a lauded naval victory in which the Russian Baltic feet was decimated. This result signified Japan’s entry as a force to be reckoned in international politics and inspired Asian countries who had long suffered under colonial oppression.
Japanese leaders at the time had experienced the turbulent days leading up to the Meiji Restoration. They were aware that Japan was out of its depth against Russia in terms of its military power and resources. In order to stop the war as quickly as possible, they engaged early on in diplomatic discussions with Russia with American President Theodore Roosevelt serving as mediator. The Japanese leaders were men who embodied the ancient proverb by Sun Tzu, “Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles.”
Nevertheless, Japan’s victories made future military leaders arrogant. A couple of decades later, this culminated in Japan’s aggressive military, economic and political machinations in China resulting in Chinese antipathy toward Japan and growing distrust among former allies such as Great Britain and the United States, who also had stakes in China.
In the Great Depression from 1929, powerful nations aimed for the formation of a bloc economy. Japan was undergoing significant population growth but lacked resources. Faced with serious economic and social challenges, Japan opted to advance its interests in Manchuria and other parts of China. Although losing 100,000 men and using a massive proportion of the national budget in the Russo-Japanese War, victory enabled Japan to legitimately secure a foothold in South Manchuria. At the time both the Japanese government and her people considered Manchuria to be a “lifeline.”