Saturday, February 28, 2015

Japan's Surviving Kamikaze Pilots Speak Out On Japan's Shift In Military Policy

Chiran high school girls wave farewell with cherry blossom branches to departing kamikaze pilot in a Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa. Wikipedia

Bloomberg: In the Cockpit With Japan's Kamikaze Pilots

(Bloomberg) -- Hisashi Tezuka knew his life had been spared when he heard the Emperor’s voice crackling through the wireless.

As Hirohito announced Japan’s wartime surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, the young kamikaze pilot was on a train to the island of Shikoku to carry out his sacrificial mission. He received his orders just two days earlier at a base about 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) to the north.

The crawling speed of the locomotive kept him alive.

WNU Editor: The survivors may be old now .... but what they have to say still resonates very strongly.

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