RIPPLE SALVO… #278… “PEARL HARBOR RITES VIEWED BY PILOT WHO LED RAID”… The following feature article by Robert Trumbull appeared on page 1 of the New York Times on 8 December 1966, the 25th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. …. I quote…
“A mild looking Japanese wearing glasses stood unnoticed under a tree at the Punchbowl Memorial Cemetery (Hawaii) today as thousands of war veterans and their families gathered for a service commemorating the 25th anniversay of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor.
“He was Mitsuo Fuchida, the brilliant young commander in the imperial Japnese air armada in the historic attack.
“He is now a Christian evangelist and an aspirant for United States citizenship.
“Mr. Fuchida’s presence at the cemetery was unknown to all but a few. He came here from Japan Friday to take part in a documentary film of Pearl Harbor being made by an American company.
“His visit was kept unpublicized at his request, until after the ceremonies, however the 64-year old aviator turned evangelist will present a Bible to the Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Association, an organization of Americans who lived through the attack he led.
“‘When I flew over Kahuku Point at the head of the first formation, I was confident that we would succeed in the mission,’ Mr. Fuchida said in a lengthy reminiscense at a private party last night. ‘The island was so calm it appeared that everyone was asleep,’ he continued in hesitant English. At that point, he related, he decided to give the signal–a single shot with his flare gun–that would bring the torpedo planes in first for a surprise attack on the big ships in Pearl Harbor.
“However, some elements of the armada now coming over Oahu failed to take the prearranged positions. Thinking that his signal had not been seen, Mr. Fuchida fired a second time. The commander of the dive bombers interpreting the second shot signalling that, as a signal, surprise had been lost, now moved his formation ahead of the torpedo planes. ‘So against orders, they all hit Pearl Harbor at the same time in a concentrated attack,’ Mr. Fuchida said. ‘It was a good mistake.”
“Mr. Fuchida, in charge of training for the Pearl Harbor operations was one of the few officers in the 350 plane armada who knew the objectives before it left Japan for the Kurile Islands to rendezvous for the quick voyage to Hawaii. ‘When it was announced that Pearl Harbor was the target, everybody clapped,’ Mr.Fuchida recalled.’ Many Japanese had no confidence that we would win a decisive victory against the United Sates in this engagement, but we felt that if we could keep the American forces from coming to Asia while we waited for Germany to win in Europe.’
“Preparing t leave for Hawaii Mr. Fuchida had opposed the plan to use midget submarines against Pearl Harbor. ‘I was afraid the would be detected and the plan would be revealed,’ he said. He was overruled. Mr. Fuchida said that he only participated in the first attack, missing the battleship Nevada with one bomb, but scoring a hit on the Maryland with the other. He was flying a three man plane combining observation with bombing functions. After expending his two bombs, Mr. Fuchida retired to an observation role. He observed the damage throughout the two hour attack. His plane was the last to retire to the flag ship carrier Akaagi, where he reported to vice admiral Chuichi Nagamo. ‘Admiral Nagamo was very anxious,’ Mr Fuchida recalled. ‘I reported that four battleship had been sunk and four greatly damaged. I guessed that the American force would be unable to move for six months and the admiral was grealy satisfied.’
“Adding a new sidelight to history, Mr.Fuchida declared that the Japoanese force had never intended to attack the USS Utah, a former battleship that had been converted into an unarmed mobile target for Navy bombing practice at sea. “Someone attacked the Utah in the confusion,’ he said. The vessel was hit by two torpedoes and capsized. She still lies on her side in the waters of Pearl Harbor with 54 officers and men entombed inside.
“Back on the carrier Akaga, Mr. Fuchida strongly recommended that the planes return to destroy the oil tanks at Pearl Harbor and numerous other ships still undamaged.
“He urged the Japanese task force, containing six big aircraft carriers about 200 miles north of Oahu, be brought to within 50 miles of the island. ‘You needn’t worry about any counterattack,’ Mr. Fuchida told the admiral Naguma. His recommendation was rejected and the fleet turned back toward Japan.
“When the Japanese armed forces were dissolved at the end of the war, Mr. Fuchida became a rice farmer near Osaka.”
I remember Pearl Harbor and I remember how Ameica came together as one, praised the Lord, passed the ammunition, put our country ahead of personal considerations, declared war on the Axis, including Japan, and then went out and fought a war to victory with the unconditional surrender of our truly evil enemies. I was almost 7 and hated Japs and Germans. Every American did, it was war. We remember Pearl Harbor not only to remember the 2,403 who died and 1,178 who were wounded in the attack, we remember Pearl Harbor as the event that brought us together in common cause. United we stand tall, divided we don’t at all…
5 DECEMBER 1966… HEADLINES FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES on a cloudy Monday in New York, New York…Page 1: “Ky Will Name Closest Aid as Ambassador to U.S” … “Premier Nyugen Cao Ky names Biu Diem to the post. He has been Ky’s personal and wpeial assistant for the past 18-months…move made to placate southern born contingent in government–removes a northerner from political contention in South Vietnam.” … Page 1: “Foe Again Attacks Saigon Airport. Enemy toll for two days of raiding put at 30 killed, including 3 U.S. troops. Guerrillas peirced the 13-mile perimeter and progressed to the runways where they fired at launching and recovering aircraft.”… Page 1: “Most City Doctors Bypass Medicaid and only 400 sign up. Remainder of 13,000 have 37 days to register in statewide program. Wide doctor dissatisfaction with programs that are poorly defined.” … Page 3: “China scores U.S. for Raids”…”Peking denounced the United States today for what it called “barbarous air raids in the metropolitan area of Hanoi on Friday (Dec 2) and accused the Russians of helping the United States. Jenmin JibPao the partisan newspaper denounced the United States said: “…the flagrant war crimes of the United States had caused deep indignation among the revolutionary people of the world. Hsinhua, the official North Vietnamses news agency: The Soviet leading clique are collaberating with the United states imperialism in this common effort to put out the revolutionary flames of the Vietnamese people.”…
5 DECEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… NYT (6 December reporting 5 Dec ops)…”MIG Downed in North For Challenging Attacking U.S. Planes” … “United States Air Force pilots shot down one and possibly two MIG-17s yesterday during an attack on a fuel dump near Hanoi…American pilots reported seeing several enemy planes–MIG-17s and more advanced MIG-21s–while carrying out strikes in the industrialized Red River Valley of North Vietnam. Air Force F-105 Thunderchiefs and enemy airplanes clashed in at least four separate dog fights. Twice, as F-105s pulled away from the Hagia petroleum, oil and lubricants depot 14 miles north of Hanoi, MIGs dived at them blazing away with cannon fire and firing air-to-air missiles. None of the F-105s was damaged…Hammering the Hagia fuel dump for the second time in three days the pilots reported that 750-pound bombs heavily damaged buildings and set off huge secondary explosions and several fires. Six miles northeast of Hanoi other pilots dropped 750-poun bombs on the Yenvien railroad yards where major rail lines intersect.Fifty-two miles west of the capital city pilots destroyed a surface-to-air missile site with a shower of 500-pound bombs. Meanwhile, Navy pilots reported having damaged 58 barges along the North Vietnamese coast and inland waterways. This morning U.S. destroyer Ingersoll was slightly damaged in a very short engagement with a North Vietnamese shore battery 11 miles northeast of Dont Hoi. No American casulties were reported.”…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) Two fixed wing aircraft were downed in Southeast Asia on 5 December 1966…
(1) CAPTAIN ARTHUR LEONARD WARREN was flying an RF-101 of the 30th TRS and 432nd TRW out of Udorn on a reconnaissance mission in the area of Yen Bai when hit by ground fire. He safely ejected and was in voice contact with other aircraft for two hours while on the ground but went silent before a rescue helicopter arrived on scene. CAPTAIN WARREN was never seen or heard from again… He is listed as Killed in Action… “No warrior left behind?”…CAPTAIN WARREN is remembered with sorrow fifty years after his inexpicable disappearance…
(2) MAJOR BURRIS NELSON BEGLEY was flying an F-105D of the 421st TFS and 388TH TFW out of Korat on an ironhand mission north of Thud Ridge when shot down by a MIG. In the ongoing melee of dog fights his flight lost sight of him but heard him say he was going to eject. No beeper or emergency radio transmissions were heard leading to a conclusion that MAJOR BEGLEY did not eject and was Killed in Action. North Vietnam returned what were said to be the remains of MAJOR BEGLEY in 1986 but as of 2001 those remains have not been positively identified…??
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR… and while you are commemorating the 75th anniverary of PEARL HARBOR… remember too, Rolling Thunder (50 years ago)
Lest we forget… Bear -30-