Suicide Divers?

I'm not too educated on the Pacific Theater (yet), I mean I know the battles, the people, the machinery, but there is just one thing I would like some more information on. I read somewhere (I think Martin Gilbert's "World War II: A Complete History) about Japanese suicide divers. I'm working on a paper for class about Japanese defensive systems now, and in another book ("Soldiers of the Sun" by Meirion and Susie Harries) it mentions these divers in a few paragraphs here as well. From what I can understand, they remained submerged for a lengthy amount of time, and then swam towards ships with a mine attached to them. Is this true? Can anyone provide more information please?

 

They were called Fukuryu

Some sites that discuss it:

The Story of the Invasion of Japan

http://www.ww2pacific.com/suicide

Japanese Special Attack Units at AllExperts

 

Thanks for the links.

It boggles the mind to read about things like this. To take your own life for the love of your country, that's amazing dedication.

 

Perhaps it was misplaced dedication? Love of ones country is one thing, but suicide in the name of a nation is just silly in my opinion. The Italians had something very similar, and was I believe the first to employ such a technique. The difference was that it was hopped they would return alive. Some died, some were captured, but death was not required.

 

It seems silly to me too, but ideologies in Japan were different. I for one cannot imagine blowing myself up for my country, as much as I love it. From what I know these Japanese men were so dedicated to the Emperor and Japan that they were willing to fulfill their duty even if it meant death.

 

The Italians had no suicide boats the main Italian special attack systems were:
SLC (Siluro a lenta corsa) also known as maiale (pig). This as a modified heavy torpedo designed to driven by two divers against moored vessels, once they reach the vessel the warhead was detached from the torpedo and attached to the target and the divers drove the torpedo to safety. The most famous action was the sinking of battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant in Alexandria harbour. The Royal Navy copied the system calling it charriot and used it against an IJN heavy cruiser (Atago ?) and the decommissioned Italian cruiser Bolzano that had been captured by the Gemans.

Uomini Gamma: These were divers equipped with explosives packages (a lot smaller than the warhead of the maiale) used against moored ships in enemy harbours. The most famous actions were those against Gibraltar shipping from a base on the Spannish coast outside the base (some "maiali" were also used). For both systems the charges had pretty long delay fuses to allow the divers to swimm to safety

Barchini eplosivi: this is probably the riskiest weapon as it relied on speed and small size rather than stealth, it was basically a high speed motor boat packed with explosives that was to be aimed towards the enemy ship by the pilot, that was to then escape on a small raft tied to the back of the boat when it was about 100 meters from the target, not a suicide weapon, the only attack I remember was against the heavy cruiser HMS York at Suda Bay but the pilots had little chance of escaping capture

 

One must certainly remember that the ideologies were different, and don’t forget that they weren’t just "fighting for their nation", they were also fighting for the Emperor (Hirohito) who was the son of the goddess of the sun, and ruling over the people in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Goddess Amaterasu (I think that is the spelling) is the central figure in the Shinto pantheon and the Japanese Imperial family claims (claimed) direct descent from her.

It is much easier to fight and die for your god than your nation, look at all those who have done so in the past. With Hirohito the direct descendant of the Goddess of the Sun, i.e. a living god on earth, dying for your god is less confusing or irrational.

 

I certainly neglected to consider the excellent point you raised. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

Yes, that’s true.

The Japanese (Nobles especially) used to dwell upon the honor of the samurai.
In ancient Japan, the samurai was one of the most elite in their hierarchical system. They had the right to do almost anything they wanted.
But it was often observed that rarely was this power abused. The samurai had a specific thinking pattern.
They were supposed to think for the country and not for themselves.
The most glorious death for a samurai was death in a battle.
A Samurai, was educated in techniques & wisdom a thousand years old right from his childhood.
He was constantly told to sacrifice himself if his master (here the emperor) would benefit, and that tradition was in his very blood.

In the middle-closing stages of the war, the Kamikaze was used. I bring the ideology of the kamikaze as they are similar to these suicide divers.
A Samurai may die in battle and be honored for it, and may commit seppuku (the ritual suicide) to atone for a mistake.
It was believed that the Japanese empire banked on this, and promoted the idea of the "Ultimate sacrifice for honor" By "Destroying the enemy even though you die".
Many of the samurai believed their death would pay the debt they owed and show the love they had for their families, friends, and emperor, and after they "cast of their earthly forms" they would return as spirits to guard their homeland forever against their enemies, with God himself on their sides.


But when war knocked on Japans door, the code of the samurai was modified to include the above notion.(It is often said that it was corrupted)
Excessive publicity propaganda often told that upon committing an attack like the kamikaze, your soul would be enshrined in a special temple, where the emperor himself would visit every year.
Upon death of a suicide samurai, he was instantly promoted by 2 ranks, his family honored and given front row priority seats in any public event, and it was also said that they received aid from the local authorities more than a common man.


Seeing so many benifits, and majorly due to peer pressure, many youths joined the special corps to lay down their lives for the emperor.


I hope that this helped, and please correct me if i made a mistake somewhere here.


Regards
TBA

 

It is amazing that people were willing to offer their own life for the great course .
Nowadays it would seem too fanatic , but remember in those days that people were educated with the idea that the individual means nothing , and the country means everyting . German's schooled their kids the same way in the HJ and BDM wich led to ultra fanatic young adolescents who were prepared to go all the way .
I recently saw an interview with a 90yr old who is the oldest bungee jumper in the world . When the interviewer asked im if he didnt feel any fear you could literally see the old HJ spirit come back into his eyes and angrily he replied : Fear ? I have no fear ,and without saying anymore he threw himself gracefully off the platform .
(Angst? I habe doch gar keine angst !!..) Wished i could find a video of it , his face told it all : Be the first to knock on the devils door ...ultra fanatic even after all these years , absolutely chilling to see . Knowing the Japanese have an even deeper honour culture combined with ultra nationalistic propaganda its not surprising they had plenty of people who were eagerly willing to offer all .

 

I've been searching around in the old Time magazine archives for this article for some time. Since last Dec. when this was last added to actually.

Here is an excellent article on the Emperor God Hirohito which was published in Time magazine in May of 1945. Read all the pages, eventhough some of it may be in error in today's lights, it does open up an area which many fail to consider when they argue against the "atomics" and try to justify their point of veiw using a western mindset. Even now the driving force of a "god" can create unbelivable situations, what do you think the motivation is behind the extremists of Islam?

As the U.S. pivoted its great war effort from Europe to the Pacific, it came face to face with a startling fact—it was waging war against a god. Its sea armada had already crushed his island outworks. Its planes were pulverizing his cities. Now its armies were preparing to invade the sacred soil of his homeland.

To the god's worshipers this would be a sacrilege such as the desecration of a church would be to the invaders. Most Americans were unaware of the sacrilege.* To them this god looked like a somewhat toothy, somewhat bandy-legged, thin-chested, bespectacled little man. But to 70 million Japanese he was divine. He was the Emperor Hirohito.

(and don't miss this section on page six) Rumors of peace bids by Tokyo have been flooding Allied capitals. One, emanating last week from London, reported the Suzuki Government willing to disgorge all Japanese conquests except Korea; in return, there must be no Allied occupation of the main Japanese islands, and presumably no interference with the Shinto system.

The rumors found no public echo in Japan. Radio Tokyo, as defiant as ever, took full responsibility for starting the war in the East, pledged a battle alone "to smash the enemy, to avenge fallen Germany." An emergency Cabinet meeting drafted an emergency statement: the collapse of the Nazi Reich "will not bring the slightest change" in Japan's determination to fight to the finish. Emperor Hirohito gave the statement his divine approval. (emphasis mine)

Goto:

JAPAN: The God-Emperor - TIME

 

deleted off topic

 

Tricky thing about that is, Hirohito not only one of the few people who not only didn't believe this, hated the comparison!

 

It wasn't what the man himself believed, it was what his subjects believed that made the difference in "how and why" they fought the Allies as they did.

At least that is how I interpret the "God/Emperor" position in Japanese culture of the moment.

 

American servicemen could also be just as self-scrificial.

Wade McKluskey's dive bombers at Midway kept searching for the "Kudo Batai", with the complete knowledge that they were past the 'point of no return' in relation to their fuel tanks.

USS 'Enterprise" Torpedo 8 went into attack with no fighter escort. EVERY aircraft was shot down, with damaged aircraft attempting to 'ram' their targets. Ensign George Gay was the sole survivor, clinging to an aircraft seat, and with a view of the engagement second to none. Lucky to be picked up alive, he is the only reason we know of those last moments for his flight mates.

These are only two examples of self-sacrificial behaviour, no less suicidal for all that. Bonneyman at Tarawa springs to mind, as does Mike Hawkins.

You look at the generation of soldiers today, and judging by the number of them not coming home, it seems that Western servicemen are still being asked to perform 'above and beyond' their calling.

 

True,

But also consider the fact that the Kamikaze Corps were encouraged outrightly by their government.
Most standing point was the existence as the kamikaze corps as the Kamikaze corps and not individualistic behavior.

A Japanese might have been (most probably) Brainwashed into the glory of the Kamikazes.

An American was always encouraged to return home. WHen they did not, it was purely of their own choices, and not an explicit order from a superior authority.
Suicidal attacks came from the sheer presence of guts and not a baseless philosophy that doomed Japans youth.


Regards,
TBA

 

About ten years ago I spent some time in Japan. I found a place in Tokyo called The Yasukuni Shrine. It is a place approximately the size of a city block. I believe that the Shrine is a memorial to Japan's war dead. On the property of the Shrine there is a building which is basically a Kamikaze Museum. In the museum there are many artifacts, including pieces from a B29 bomber, and paintings of the many ways that the Japanese had to commit suicide during the war while fighting for their country. I found the Shrine and the Museum very interesting. The Museum contains a Japanese two-seat suicide bomber that is in very good condition. I believe that the plane is a "Judy" dive bomber. There is also one of the Kaitan suicide torpedos there. A man would actually get inside the torpedo and drive it to it destination. There was also a painting of a Japanese frogman carrying a mine on a pole and placing the mine against the bottom of an American landing craft. Most of the paintings depict American planes in flames with their wing ripped off as they crash to the ground. If any of you ever get to Tokyo, I recommend that you visit the Shrine.

 

Sorry, but I have no plans to visit any shrine that absolves war criminals of the atrocities they committed.

 

About the Yasukuni Shrine, according to the wikipedia article, it is not a gravesite like I once thought:

"Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of Imperial Japan, particularly to those killed in wartime. It also houses one of the few Japanese War Museums dedicated to World War II.

Yasukuni is a shrine to house the actual souls of the dead as kami, or "spirits/souls" as loosely defined in English. It is believed that all negative or evil acts committed are absolved when enshrinement occurs. This activity is strictly a religious matter since the separation of State Shinto and the Japanese Government in 1945. The priesthood at the shrine has complete religious autonomy to decide to whom and how enshrinement may occur


​

And as one can see immediately how people are going to get understandably upset over a shrine where evil acts comitted are said to be absolved. I read a little more and according to the wiki article, This also includes war criminals who were executed following the protocols of the San Fransico Peace Treaty. Now, I should be careful here - I am not trying to suggest that a country should not remember it's young men and women who have died. Far from that. What I have a problem with is the part that says: "the evil acts these people did are forgiven by their dedication to this shrine."

So I can't blame the Koreans or Chinese when they get upset over a politicians visiting the shrine. It seems like there are several South Korean families trying to get the names of their acestors deleted from the list, but they have been unsuccessful so far because according to the wiki:

Enshrinement is carried out unilaterally by the shrine. Some families from foreign countries have requested that their relatives be delisted on the grounds that enshrining someone against their beliefs in life constitutes an infringement of the Constitution.The Yasukuni priesthood, however, has stated that once a kami is enshrined, it has been 'merged' with the other kami occupying the same seat and therefore cannot be separated.
​

Just imagine the uproar that would happen in Europe if Germany had a shrine or church that supposedly absolved the evil acts that convicted war criminals had done. It would set a terrible precedent.

Now I am not familiar with the Shinto religion, though I do know that in medieval Japanese history, shrines are built for the kami of the dead for fear of those spirits comming back and haunting the living. So that may be the idea behind the shrine. Or it well likely could be simply that they have a nationalistic agenda that is completely unapologetic for the victims that suffered so much during WW2. Reading the wiki article does suggest to me that the latter is the case.

 

It's a very interesting place, especially the museum. I spent hours just looking at entire walls filled with photos of Japanese servicemen as well as women that were donated by families. I really do wish the authorities of the shrine would remove the war criminals despite their belief that all kami are "merged". It taints the names of almost 2 and a half million men and women who died on behalf of Japan in wartime, my relatives included. No matter what the shrine authorities say, I cannot tolerate the presence of those who have done terrible things to peoples not only of foreign nationality but to their own people as well by prolonging a terrible war in the Pacific and Asia that ended as well as affected millions of lives. Yasukuni was supposed to be a place of peace, but it saddens me and many others that it becomes a center of controversy today.