IJA Secret Intelligence Team at Chofu

[timshatz]

Good article. Good read.

[Shinpachi]

I'm relieved, timshatz.
Thank you.

[eddie_brunette]

Very good, thank you. I never knew this. I presume the Grummans is F6F's, and I never knew they escorted the B29's, always tought it was the 51's

edd

[Shinpachi]

Thank you eddie_brunette for your post.

After the fall of Iwo-jima in March 1945, P-51 joined escort but I've ever heard their flight range was limited between Tokyo and Iwo-jima though I do not know this was true or not.

I was born in Sendai city which was located in the northern district of Japan. about 300km(200miles) far from Tokyo.

My mother witnessed 'Grumman' not P-51 in 1945. She called it 'Kansaiki' meaning 'Carrier based aircraft'.

I believe P-51 was unable to cover this area.

[eddie_brunette]

Makes sense, the P51's was stationed at Iwo Jima (correct me if wrong).

[Shinpachi]

Hi edd.

Yes, P-51s stationed at Iwo-jima.
The first P-51 arrived at Iwo-jima on March 6, 1945.
Iwo-jima was returned to Japan on June 26, 1968.

Thank you for giving me a chance to check P-51 and Iwo-jima

[Shinpachi]

Article No.43 (1 of 2)

Encounters with Noth American P-51
==================================
Author: Mr. Teruo Miyoshi


On the day, low black clouds were hanging over the sky and I had an ominous presentiment.


We foresaw an air-raid by the small fighter-bombers, not by the large aircrafts like B29, to prepare necessary equipments for the scramble anytime. I didn't ask my radio device adjustment to a ground crew that day but to a private soldier who was a technical specialist in the communication room. This was because not a few improvements were added to the standard Army radio and it would be a burden for a ground crew to maintenance.

(*The private soldier had been working for an electronic maker as an radio engineer before he was drafted to the military. Age was around 40 then.)


"Sergeant-major T and Corporal M. Come to the communication room immediately" hasty voice of Chief of Communication Room sounded. My brief rest after the breakfast had been blown out.


Streaming out the allied forces' ongoing communications through the radio speaker, a translation soldier was attempting simultaneous translation. General weather informations such as wind-direction, speed, values of bias flow and clouds conditon seemed occupaying the contents. But the last sentence was "An enemy airplane is not found". Normally, this kind of broadcasting-style communication was launched from a certain station but the last sentence let us suspect if this was mere a weather broadcasting.


"It's 'Tsuyuharai(a guide)'. A guide for the formation!" Sergeant-major suddenly shouted.
"How long has this broadcast been on air?" he asked with a serious look.
"About ten minutes before. I've listened twice. Therefore broadcasting is being repeated every five minutes" Chief of Communication Room replied. It was only Sergeant-major who could understand what it meant.


In the field of communication technology, a man is said 'an information analyzer with prejudice'.
When a person reaches a conclusion, he or she judges matters being based on his or her own 'information', 'knowledge' and 'experience'. Even when an incident is beyond his or her scale of ability, a person always tends to force himself or herself even to create any conclusion though it is always limited by his or her scale of ability.

In this point of view, Sergeant-major behaved samely but he hit the right answer. He explained his own experience -

In the southern battle lines, Japanese bases were located on every small islands. Therefore, when the task force or the attack-fighter team of the allied forces came out, there was always a guide aircraft whose role was to observe the Japanese military situation flying sixty miles ahead of the main unit.

In old Japan of Edo(Tokugawa) era, there was also the same system. When a local Load and his soldiers marched between his territory and Japanese old capital Edo, there was always a guide(called 'Tsuyuharai') advancing fifty yards or so ahead.


Then, in the backward of the guide aircraft which was now broadcasting a weather information, there should be a large formation heading to the north, that is, to the mainland of Japan.
"Judging from the oscillograph pattern, this broadcast is being dispatched from a moving object with no doubt" a technical soldier had confirmed.


After the fall of Iwo-jima, the North American P51s of the U.S.army were concentrating on the island.
This aircraft was superior to the Grummans on not only flight-range but armaments. Japanese military was obliged to find it earlier in order to prepare themselves for the coming attack better.


Chief of Communication Room had inquired the headquarters to be advised there was no information about the broadcast yet.
Then, there might be our own choice.


Before Sergeant-major and I met Base Commander to report the broadcast contents which was estimated from a U.S.military reconnaissance aircraft, Sergeant-major instructed Chief of Communication Room, Chief of Ground Crews and a translation soldier the following works - "Chief of Ground Crews to prepare my aircraft for immediate scramble. Translation soldier, if received the broadcast again, to record not only its contents but reception time in GMT(Greenwich Mean Time)".
- in GMT because U.S aircrafts was using GMT.


Base Commander's order was -
"Take off immediately and reconnoiter their aircraft type, numbers and location.
Our team is not only the team which carrys out the sortie order which was given by the headquarters but we have our own reconnaissance standards that we have researched and developed by ourselves. As for the matter that has even 10percent possibility relating to the enemy's action, I shall take all responsibilities".

To be continued...

[Shinpachi]

Article No.43 (2 of 2)

Encounters with Noth American P-51
==================================
Author: Mr. Teruo Miyoshi


Told to Chief of Communication Room "The U.S. aircraft will be sure to clarify the coordinates value in broadcasting. Please pass it to me immediately if catched" , Sergeant-major and I headed straight down to the south. I didn't forget to bring the "Table of Coordinates Value of U.S. military aircrafts" which we had originally developed.


About twenty minutes had passed since the translation soldier caught the first broadcasting.
If the guide was a U.S. aircraft despatched Iwo-jima and also swift P51, presuming the cruise speed at 216knots/h, its present position was estimated at around 85miles north of Iwo-jima. The coordinates was also ---.

According to Sergeant-major's opinion, the guide would fly sixty miles ahead of the main unit. Then the main unit would be now making up formation and getting into the level flight. We were flying at altitude 15,000feet. A lot of clouds prevented us from seeing the ocean.


"The coordinates of the U.S. aircraft has been turned out to be..." the base announced and told us the value.
It was same as our flight route...their usual route of targetting Mt.Fuji.
"Sortie order issued by the headquarters now" the base announced.
We had already been on the far southern ocean then.


If we had relyed on the information which was brought by our radar sites only, we wouldn't have been able to take effective action in the emergency. I was afraid of it. It was true that our military had no enough skillfull staff for the intelligence missions anymore. Intercept system was also getting insufficient.


As time went by, I couldn't calm myself because I was looking forward to the appearance of the guide aircraft, wondering what kind of aircraft it would be.
"The guide aircraft has begun communication with the main unit" the base announced. It also told us that the replies from the main unit were extremely short saying "Yes sir" only.


On alert of being grasped their location by the Japanese military, the main unit seemed transmitting the minimum sentences.
Estimating from the passage of time and the coordinates of the U.S. aircraft as a guide, it was now 60miles ahead of us.
As our plane was also flying at 216knots/h, both aircrafts would encounter in a few minutes.
The guide aircraft had appeared at last.


Through the binoculars, I checked the nose shape. It was not of the air-cooled radial engines.
As we had guessed earlier, it should be "P51" which, mounted with the liquid-cooled engine, was thought deployed on Iwo-jima.
"The guide aircraft now reporting to the main unit he has been discovered" the base announced.
The guide aircraft was observing us maintaining a certain interval.


Sergeant-major advised me that the guide aircraft would never attack us first.
This was not only because the pilot who had to guide the main unit reconnoitering enemy's situation was a veteran but also he must have been ordered to bring the main unit to the destination with no mistake.
As Sergeant-major said, the guide aircraft did not seem attacking us but, frankly, I had a feeling of eeriness which was hard to explain.


"The guide aircraft now advising the main unit 'Fly under the clouds. Make the Japanese airplane difficult to find'" the base announced.


It wouldn't make sence as reconnaissance if we couldn't find the main unit location. Almost ignoring the guide aircraft, we headed further down to the south flying above the clouds but our main target was under them. On calculations, we were to be just overhead the main unit in ---minutes soon. It was our secret flight, flying above the black clouds and under the deep blue sky. We had to take care of enemy's abrupt appearance and attack from inside the clouds below us.


"We will be above the main unit in a few minutes. As we dive into their beneath, grasp the aircraft type and numbers instantly" Sergeant-major said. His tactics sounded pretty artistic. It was no sooner I heard his voice "OK, let's go" than he had made the dive literally. We were just in front of the main unit. Our plane had passed through the U.S. military formation for a second. Crossing Speed was as fast as 270knots/h but I was confident with my dynamic vision. Approximately fifty P51s. The formation's Commander would have so astonished.


Our plane was immediately out above the clouds, reduced the speed to almost STALL and headed north slowly.
This was also his tactics.
Two or three fighters of the formation would be heading to the north with full throttle to chase us now.
Maximum speed of P51 was about 380knots/h. On the other hand, our plane was flying as slow as 100knots/h.
The speed difference was as much as 280knots per hour.
Visual confirmation of our aircraft would be impossible for them in ten minutes at latest.


I reported the coordinates of the main unit along with aircraft type and numbers to the base. Our base now knew their attack target by plotting the coordinates the formation Commander instructed.

Though present day is said the era of electronic war, in the past, our team did it by using wireless radios. It was a handmade tactics.

(Note by translator: Author was working for the communication company NTT - Nippon Telephone & Telegram after the war. His knowledge and experiences have been refreshed era to era)


/End of Article No.43

[Haztoys]

Shinpachi--Great info hope you stay around we could real could use the Japanese point of view ..The Japanese point of view is dieing each day as time goes on with the men who were there passing on ...And the ones we have been on here just want to jump up and down about the atomic bomb and how they were wronged and not try to get the Japanese info on paper

Good to have you and hope you stay...

[Shinpachi]

Hi, Haztoys
Thank you for your warm comments which are really worth my hardships for translation. Yes, please let me stay around here for sometime. There are still a lot of articles to be translated. I don't know how long it will take for me to complete.

Wishing you a happy day,
Shinpachi

Note: Attached image is me with my CG Zero

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Shinpachi, great material. Do not worry about the time it takes to translate. This material is well worth the wait. Good picture also.

[Shinpachi]

Thank you Aaron Brooks Wolters for your warm courage.

I wondered how readers in overseas would feel this story which referred to the infamous IJA before posting my first translation.

However, I could enjoy it very much and tried to think some of the people might be interested too even in overseas.

I'm very glad now.
Thank you

[Haztoys]

I do not think you understand Shinpachi...This info is not real out to the westerners..You are one of the first to get it out ...Most Japanese do not want to even bring it up.. We here do not really want to judge the past on what happen on this forum ...We would real just like to get the info preserved before its to late..And there's big holes in the Japanese info ..The Japanese had so much shame after the war they just wanted it to go away..

Good pic of you there.. You need the white head band with the meat ball on it to be a real Japanese fighter pilot..

(Sorry on the "meat ball" statement do not no what the right name for the head band was ... ...)

[Shinpachi]

Thank you Haztoys for your very accurate and heavy comments on how we Japanese have been behaving after the WW2.

Yes, I could feel the same in my father's life style after the war.
Whenever he tried to be proud of how brave he was at the wartime, my mother said "But you lost". He shrugged, smiled and kept silence.

>.......there's big holes in the Japanese info ..
I never thought those holes are so big. Very precious advice.

Please don't ask me Hinomaru-hachimaki(the white head band with the meat ball on it). If I wear it, I must die

In my frank impression, I can feel the same atmosphere as the guide P-51 aircraft pilot in you. I'm saying this in a good meaning.

I'm glad to communicate with real Americans.
Please keep in touch and look forward to my translation in the future.

Thank you ALL again!

[Shinpachi]

Ah I remember such Hinomaru-Hachimaki was popular with Japanese "Easy Riders" thirty years ago

Image source: ttp://image.blog.livedoor.jp/snow_angel0122/imgs/6/a/6aba70a1.jpg