IJA Secret Intelligence Team at Chofu

Thank You Aaron and everyone for 2008.
Merry Christmas A Happy New Year!!!

Yep, Merry Christmas Shinpachi...from the land of OZ..

Merry Christmas Shinpachi!

Is that an F-16?

Hi, Wayne! A Happy New Year!
I envy you are enjoying the summer in Australia.
I am almost freezing here...


Hi, Vassili! Yes, it's a F-16. I'm glad you have understood it soon. Thanks.
My skill seems no so bad
I was going to make F-2, a variant of F-16, but there were less information about the mechanism.
F-2 may follow in the future, though.

My next translation for this thread will be Article No.17 in which a Grumman carrys out emergency landing on an IJA airfield. Please look forward.

A Happy New Year for ALL.

Looking forward to it!

We Japanese traditionally say the seasonal greeting when the new year has come. A Happy New Year to All!

***********************************

Article No.17


A Second National Soldier
====================
Author: Mr. Teruo Miyoshi

It was early January of 1945. Chief of Communication Room came to visit our standby room with a new Private soldier.
"Today, First Class Private A(name) has been assigned to our communication team. Please take care of him well." Chief of Communication Room introduced him. The new comer stated his formal greeting and we encouraged him saying "Do your best." However, in my frank impression, I was surprised at his age of late 30s or early 40s which was not necessarily young for the rank of Private that was given soon after the draft. I wondered if the young soldiers were getting so few in Japan as to summon such an old man at last.


As our team was adopting Elitism and proud of our staff who were all experts of any specific field with each exceeding skills, I was very suspicious about what kind of role Chief of Communication Room was going to give him. Then I tried to ask
"What is the new comer to take charge, sir?"
"For his first draft medical checkup in the past, Private A had been disqualified because he was suffering from infiltration of the lungs, but for his second checkup this time, he has passed it to be summoned here as a Second National Soldier. There is no worry about his disease any longer. For some time, he takes charge of delivering communication texts between the communication room and the cipher room along with some relating jobs."


There was no explanation about what he was in Shaba.
(In the Army, outer free society was called 'Shaba' which is originally a Buddhistic term)
Therefore, I did not know at all then that I was to have a big shame later.


Several days later. A warning of alert was issued. When I was helping to move the aircrafts which were under maintenance into hangars and covering the runway approach lights to camouflage, Grummans suddenly appeared from the top of the cedar forest with the altitude of about 150 feet and started shooting us fiercely with big sounds.

(We camouflaged the runway approach lights because it took a few days to recover the electrical wirings once they were damaged.)

It was not unusual for me to be shot during flights but the sound of rushing bullets was not heard as the engine sound was bigger. It was very eerie to hear it on the ground sounding zing, zing.


Despite there was no official issue of the warning of air-raid alert, we were attacked by surprise. When I was murmuring "Catch it better, our radar boys", a ground crew beside me groaned "Wu" abruptly.
"What's the matter?" I ran up to him.
He was crouching down with his right chest and back tinted in red.
Encouraging him "The bullet has passed through. It's OK." I called a medical soldier.


Two Grummans were flying.
Our base should have been secret but had been found by the U.S. military. I was impressed with their reconnaissance ability.
Two Grummans were persist in shooting us.
Our gunner was also hard to shoot them with his anti-aircraft gun when one of the Grummans blew black smoke and tried to go up but the engine sound was strange.
The plane was struggling but unable to gain altitude as the engine rotation did not increase.
When I thought it impossible for the pilot to bail out at such a low altitude, he turned his plane and took a bold attitude of emergency landing.


Our gunner was harder to shoot as it was his chance.
Then, no sooner shouted "Don't shoot!", my Sergenat-major rushed the gunner to push him aside.
When I thought about what he had done well, if the plane had fallen from such a low altitude keeping its landing attitude, it would have crashed in the middle of the runway to explode. We would be obliged to recover the runway wasting two days at least, which would give us a serious influence on our own take-off/landing operations.
I admired Sergeant-major's cool judgment.


The other Grumman immediately turned its head to fly far away.
The damaged one hit big bounces three or four times on the runway and had stood on the nose with the tail wings raising high to stop. A pilot was coming out with his hands raised.
Just before landing, the engine was completely in the state of halt. We should praise his good skill to control such a plane of less buoyancy.
The pilot was handed over to the military police later.


Damage details of our equipments.
Aircrafts were safe as they were evacuated into concrete hangars but radio equipments - three transmitters, two spare transmitters, three receivers and three spare receivers had big holes on them and were totally out of service.
Regular contacts with other troops would be unavailable.
While we were worrying how it was going to be, Chief of Communication Room was ordering something to the second national soler. To collect usable parts from the shot junk and to repair the radios was his order.


"Is he all right, sir?" I asked Chief.
"You ask me so because you don't know this Private A's career. In Shaba(*outer free society), he is the chief of staff who is engaged in production development at a leading communication equipments maker B(name) in Tokyo. They are manufacturing these radio equipments."
I checked a plate on the radio. Yes, there was the company name he said along with model number.
I had lost my words. It was nothing but 'the right man in the right place'.
Another professional had been born in our team.


It was my shame that I made light of him thinking what on earth this old man could do when he came to our team for the first time.


The Private examined broken radios carefully and said
"Almost vacuum tubes are unusable. So are capacitors possibly. When the circuit is damaged, high-voltage current flows through the point where the insulation is bad to cause capacitor puncture. Resistance parts must be checked by tester. If the measured value fulfills the provided OHM, it is OK. Wirings are cut everywhere. All must be redone."
If we had asked alternative radio equipments to the far depot, except the hand-carry portable type, as we had no cranes like today, it would have taken two or three days for such hi-powered fixed type of radio to disassemble, transport and reassemble.



"I can manage to repair. However, are the spare vacuum tubes available?"
Private started listing up orally names of necessary vacuum tubes quickly and smoothly. Lance Corporal who was in charge of technology staggered.
Private began soldering to assemble a radio being based on a less damaged frame with no circuit diagrams quickly.
I had to take my hat off to his swift good skills.
Technology soldier did not know what to do and had no way but obeyed Private's instruction to find necessary parts busily.
It was evidently Private's win.



After a little over a half day, he completed one set of transmitter of a wardrobe size together with one set of receiver. It would be impossible for a soldier to master this kind of skills in the military. A reliable staff had come. "People should not be judged on appearance." I had fully understood this old proverb to be sorry for what I thought about him.


By the way, the ground crew who was shot in the right chest recovered faster than expected as the bullet passed through below the clavicle fortunately. He left the army hospital in two weeks or so.


/End of Article No.17

Cool, thanks for the post Shinpachi!

You are welcome, Vassili Zaitzev.
Thanks for reading!

Another great read, thanks Shinpachi..

Another great translation Shinpachi, Thank you.

You are welcome, Wayne and Aaron.
Thank you for your reading again!

Will you watch my CG work too?
A landing gear of F-16. A wooden image.

My next translation will be article no.28 in which four Grummans try attacks on Sergeant-major. Please look forward to it. Thank You

Bring it on!

Anxiously waiting, but also patiently waiting.

Thank you, Wayne and Aaron for your waiting.
More than one third completed (only 1/3! sorry). It's coming up soon!

Article No.28(1/2)

Simultaneous Translation
====================
Author: Mr. Teruo Miyoshi


Our team was neighboring Oume City of Tokyo and, as the city name means 'green plum', there were many plum trees. In late March of 1945, seeing the plum blossoms in all glory near the runway, I was being overcome by my own deep emotion that made me wonder if I would be fine and able to see these flowers tomorrow too.


"The mind for attack and the mind for protection are two sides of the same coin but never try to escape from the scene. The way to go is found." As Sergeant-major taught me so, I was singing loud a military song as if shaking off my cowardice. Then, a guess had come to my mind 'How do they young pilots who are training themselves as a special attacker feel?'
They were hard to train everyday to learn how to rush into enemy vessels, that is, they were hard to learn how to die in exchange for a war-result.


Upon finished the training, death was waiting for them.
That was just same as they were declared an end-stage cancer.
It was said that a young special attacker had left a poem before his sortie "Falling Cherry blossoms. So are the remaining blossoms (*meaning 'All are to die after all' )." I knew how he had felt as much as my own pain.


Then, a voice had brought me back to the reality "Chief of Communication Room is calling you".
I found a Lance Corporal who looked younger than twenty years old standing on attention in Chief's room.
"Corporal M(*Author) has come. May I help you, sir?"
"Today, Lance Corporal C(*name) has been assigned to our team. He is a special candidate for the army officer staying at Kakogawa education unit of the army aviation communication school in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture. It is not necessarily my intention to ask you instruction every time but this is Base Commander's order 'Take care of him'. Instruct him well."


I had been ordered instructor again.
"Please instruct me well, sir." The Lance Corporal said keeping his attention.
Mmmmm…..Chief would be knowing my unrefusable personality when asked.
"How is your communication experience in Shaba(*outer free society)?" I asked the new comer.
"I was interested in radio when I was the first grade of junior high school. As a senior of mine then was enjoying amateur radio, I also learned a little bit. "
"Unlike other communication units, skill-first is our team's motto. Be devoted to the pursuit of your skill. If you should give up, I'll never forgive you. Bear it in your mind well. "
I had said too much as if I were his elder brother.


By the way, the institution for the special cadreman candidates was founded as Royal Decree No.922 dated December 14, 1943 saying "to train noncommissioned tactical and technical officers who are to be engaged in aviation or maritime matters based on the temporary special exemption law for supplementation and service of army officers on active service."
The volunteers of 16 to 19 years old were the target.


Though this has nothing to do with the subject, the Kakogawa education unit became a training center of a leading telecommunications company for which I was working in the post war. I have ever been there for a while as a teletype instructor in early 1956 when the teletype was introduced and the Morse code was abandoned.

The buildings were renovated old wooden barracks - a heritage of the former army. I now recall that I was harassed with the wind which blew in through the panel gaps of the dormitory.


Now -
I was abruptly ordered "Prepare for sortie" by my Sergeant-major.
Told to Chief "Please let me consult with you about how to do in the future after homing" and arranged necessary information about the weather etc in a hurry, I went to the standby room.


Order was "A formation of B29s is heading north. Judging from a series of V-code dispatch, the total number is estimated more than fifty. However, which their destination is, the east(Tokyo-Yokohama region) or the west(Osaka direction) is unknown at this stage. Therefore, grasp and report the path of the enemy aircrafts as much as possible. Besides, their escort fighters do not seem taking off yet. Check their number too. For your security, the encounter point with the fighters is believed around the coordinate xxx(*value). Avoid air combats as much as possible. That is all."


"I have a couple of requests, sir" I raised my hand.
"What's that? Say it."
"It is about the relationship between what the enemy leader transmits instructions about their flight course along with the target to the accompanying planes by A3(*radio phone) and what we launch radio jamming. Our plane will also be affected by the jamming. So, I request you to make the noise-output weak shortly after they dispatch radio. One more thing is to please tell us their communication contents immediately they are turned out.

It is hard for me to hear their communication in our plane not only because of the engine roar but our own jamming influence as the antennas mounted on our aircraft would not be relevant to all wavelengths.
As the antennas of our base adapt to almost wavelength, I believe that the base can capture the enemy leader's instruction by radio well. After captured message contents, I request the base to raise the jamming output and contact with me by our own frequency immediately.
If you inform me of their message contents in the form of simultaneous translation for my reference as much as possible, I will be able to search their trends."


"OK, I understand. Chief of Communication Room, carry out your mission bearing what he said in your mind well. I believe it useful to know the correlation between our interception of the enemy communication and our jamming influence. Operate precisely based on these matters. "


Two planes, including ours, headed for the southern ocean straightly.


.....To be continued.

Article No.28(2/2)


.....Two planes, including ours, headed for the southern ocean straightly.
At our altitude 15,000 feet, an echelon of B29s heading north calmly at their altitude 30,000 feet was confirmed far beyond. They seemed aiming at Mt. Fuji.
Then, we received a radio contact from our base "The first formation seems for the west but we can't listen about the rest well."

Judging from the angle they took for the left, they would be airming at the Osaka-Kobe area crossing over the Kii Peninsula or at Nagoya direction. If they kept flying west to the offshore Cape Shiono-misaki, their target should be Osaka-Kobe area crossing over the Kii Channel. It was hard for us to tell which at that moment when they were still flying far south but I reported their direction to the base anyway.


From the base "The second formation seems for Sendai direction, not for around Tokyo."
Their right-turn was so considerable that they did not look aiming at the Boso Peninsula but if they should have failed to catch the coast line of the peninsula, passing over even Sendai, they would have reached the far northern Chishima Islands(*Russian name: Kuril Islands).
Our other plane tracked them.
I heard later that they were searching for Sendai but, because of the relationship with their flight range, could not help carrying out the incendiary bomb attack on a small city to withdraw. Sendai City had a big air raid in July of the year.


When we were tracking the other formation for the west, their carrier-based fighters were rushing us.
"OK. Come on, lads." Saying so, Sergeant-major re-sat on his sheet.
Four Grummans. "The plum blossoms I saw this morning was a last look as I guessed." When I was resigned so, radio from the base entered "Sortie order has been issued to both Hamamatsu and Suzuka air units. We hope you to endure till they arrive." However, the Grummans were approaching to us very quickly.
"Sergeant-major" I had happened to call him meaninglessly to be scolded "Don't be upset."
Turned and positioned our plane behind one of them, he gave it a volley of bullets. The right wing blew off and it crashed in the state of rolling.
"Sergeant-major. Our behind." I said to be scolded again "I know. Shut up your mouth to keep contacts with the base."
I asked the base each frequency of the Hamamatsu's and the Suzuka's to inform them of our latest coordinate.


Confirmed their arrival would be in ten minutes, I told it to Sergeant-major but no reply from him.
He was struggling to adjust the right-left throttles of twin engines to minimize the circling angle(*radius) so that he could position our plane behind the Grumman.


Incidentally, in a movie titled 'Top Gun' starring Tom Cruise, there was a scene that he turned down one throttle and turned up the other one of twin jet engines in order to gain the minimum circling angle. I had an impression that the film director studied such details well.
In case of Japanese movies, maybe they are thinking amateurs do not know such a thing, there are not a few tricks.


In October last year(*around 2003), a film location for "Last Samurai(American movie starring Tom Cruise) was taken place at a temple of Mt.Syosyayama in Himeji(*located between Hiroshima and Kobe)". I heard that the seasonal backgrounds had been changed from the full cherry blossoms springtime to the full snow winter world overnight.
Thinking the camera angles are limited, I don't think it necessary for them to redecorate all. I also heard that they had as many as 200 staff for it. American scale is totally different from ours. Tom is said commuted to the location in Himeji by a helicopter from a hotel in Kobe.
In the United States, Ninja was once popular. Recently, the Japanese Bushido is said being interested there. I'm looking forward to the road show "Last Samurai" in end of this year.


Now -
Just at the moment I thought we were successful to take a position behind the opponent, it blew out flame from the engine and climbed steeply. Our bullets probably hit the pilot's back to let him bend backward holding his control stick. That would have brought his pulling the stick hard to rise the plane sharply.
"OK, lads. Don't hesitate. Come!" My Sergeant-major was totally different from his usual character. He was a devil then.
Next one came.
It was coming from our front. Sergeant-major did nothing but flew straight to apply his acrobat tactics until the opponent showed us his belly. Bullets were sent there. It was his win. The belly is a weak point for an aircraft. The opponent burst into flames and was crashing into the sea of Ensyu-nada.


The last opponent tried to turn his plane to escape but Sergeant-major that day did not admit it.
He would be getting angry about as many as four advantageous fighters tried attacks on one fighter.
"Keep fighting to the end or don't attack from the beginning." he said and gave the enemy plane his final fierce shots. But no flame blew out from the opponent. Sergeant-major seemed having shot aiming at the top of canopy. That was enough. The enemy pilot raised his hands.
Through the binoculars, the pilot looked too young to experience a real combat. Training new pilots in the U.S. military would not be in time for the production of new aircrafts, either.


Aircrafts with the Sun-markings were seen. They looked interceptor from Hamamatsu air unit. A formation of a dozen of fighters were approaching to us.
"Thank you for your coming." I said. "Sorry for our late arrival." reply returned.
There should be more enemy escort fighters. Looking around, I found a dozen of them far above but they did not try to approach to us as they had been watching our combat earlier.
"Such young pilots who have no courage and skill to fight up one-on-one air combat are unable to serve escorting B29." When Sergeant-major was murmuring, another dozen of interceptors from Suzuka base appeared.
"Thank you for your coming. Combat is over here. Please chase the B29s immediately."
"I understand. Are you two and aircraft OK?"
"Yes, we are all right."


United team of Hamamatsu and Suzuka chased the B29s but it was out of our service. We were to home but the left engine was not so good. Sergeant-major noticed it immediately.
Nose bent toward the left. "As I have cut the fuel supply, there will be no fire. Single engine is enough for homing." I was relieved to hear his voice of full confidence.
"Sergeant-major. I want to drink a toast together with translation soldiers after homing."
"Don't be silly. Drinking is illegal for your age."
"Yes, it is. I was just forgetting that fact though I have self-confidence to be a man"
Sergeant-major and I were all laughter.


By the way, we were able to get a result about our interception and simultaneous translation of the enemy communication along with our jamming influence.
On the other hand, however, we learned a lesson that if the timing was wrong, we would lose everything too. I reported these details to the base commander after homing.


/ End of Article No.28

Thank you Shinpachi. Looks like you worked long and hard on this one. Well done. Much appreciated.

Excellent translation Shinpachi!

Thank you Aaron and Austin for your reading again

I have been hesitating translation this article for a long time because it's too bloody. I hope you had no wrong feeling about the contents.

To have read this article again, I think there should be one more sentence which refers to how the last Grumman was treated after his surrender.

"The last Grumman flew away."

No other possibilities8)