Wreath to the victims
Behind the scene - The Naval Battle of Malaya on December 10, 1941
This testimony was introduced by a Japanese journalist Naoki Kodachi on December 10, 2018.
The Pacific War began with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Two days later, on December 10, 1941, the state of the art battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the overwhelmingly powerful battleship-cruiser HMS Repulse were sunk. This was the incident which was never expected in the history of war and had changed the common sense of naval warfare. What words can we expect from the man who participated in this battle as a Betty pilot who survived and dedicated his rest of life to consoling the souls of victims ?
"Because we had a result at study prior to the war that more than 60 percent of our aircraft would be shot down by British AA guns during our attacking their battleships, I didn't think I could come back alive but didn't tell it to my Betty crew. What I could do in flight was to sing a song "Today's enemy is tough" switching off the voice tube." said former Capt. Haruki Iki (1912-2011) who led 9 Type 1 land attacker (aka Betty) as the commander of the 3rd squadron of Kanoya Naval Air Corps (aka Kanoya-ku) on that day. Born in Kagoshima of Kyusyu, Iki graduated from Kagoshima Icchu high school which was the best prestigious school for various military schools in the country.
After a blank of one year as Ronin (a student who failed school entrance exam), he entered Naval Academy as a 62nd year student. He inherited his uncle's name "Haruki". His uncle Haruki followed Gen. Takamori Saigo in the civil war of 1877 and died in the Battle of Tabaruzaka at the age of 17. After commissioned the 2nd lieutenant for the battleship "Hyuga", he entered the naval flight school and graduated in September 1937. In the mainland China just at the time , Japan and the nationalist China was crashing as the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. Iki joined the battle as a reconnaissance sea plane pilot and then turned to the land attacker. After more than 200 sorties, he became one of the best seasoned pilots of the Naval Air Corps.
"For three days from October 3, 1941, inviting the army staff too, the map exercise to prepare for the coming war with the Allies was held at the Kanoya Base in Kagoshima Prefecture. 6 squadrons of Kanoya Air Corps which were formed by 9 Bettys each were given the mission to attack the US air base in Philippines from Taiwan in the dawn of December 8. According to the judgment by probability, we were to lose half of our planes by the enemy interceptors in attempting attack only twice. When the day of November 22 to advance to the Taichung Base in Taiwan had come, we 6 squadron commanders murmured each other Hey, 3 of us here will be KIAs on December 8."
However, on November 30 when all air corps had already been deployed at each base in Taiwan, an information that two capital ships of the British Eastern Fleet were coming to Singapore to reinforce was brought in. Iki and others were informed that these two ships were HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. The former was newly built in January and equipped with ten 35.6cm guns while the latter was an old type cruiser commissioned in 1916 but still proud of high speed and six powerful large caliber guns.
Beside the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US base in Philippines, Japanese army planned to land on Kota Bharu in the Malay Peninsula to attack Singapore. For support of this operation, two Japanese battleships Kongo and Haruna which were equipped with eight 35.6cm caliber guns each were prepared. The Kongo was originally built in UK as a battleship-cruiser in 1913 while the Haruna was a licensed version of the Kongo built in Japan in 1915. Both ships were later reconstructed as the fast battleships with modern equipments. Generally speaking, the battleship's combat power is proportional to the caliber of the main gun.
Ichiro Matsunaga (1919-2005) who was a crew of the Haruna as a lieutenant at that time recalls "When we received the information about the two British battleships heading for Singapore, atmosphere in our ship was pessimistic. Our battle with the Prince of Wales might be good match as her main gun caliber was same as ours but her armor was thicker than ours. The Repulse was able to shoot from out of our range as her main gun was bigger than ours. This is no match for us at all. Deployment of the two British capital ships in Singapore was such a big threat and we had been obliged to review our operation in the area from the beginning immediately."
For the landing operation in the Malay Peninsula, 36 Type 96 land attackers (Nell) of Bihoro Air Corps of the 22nd Air Flotilla, 36 Type 96 land attackers (Nell), 12 Type 96 carrier-based fighters (A5M) and 27 Type 0 carrier-based fighters (A6M) of Genzan Air Corps (Genzan-ku) were already deployed in Saigon and its suburb Thu Dau Mot of French Indochina. However, as the situation changed, 27 Type 1 land attackers (Betty) of 3 squadrons of Kanoya Air Corps which were originally prepared for the attack on Philippines had been sent to Thu Dau Mot to reinforce immediately and Iki was among them. The commander of the 22nd Air Flotilla was Rear-Admiral Sadaichi Matsunaga who was the father of Ichiro Matsunaga who happened to be on the battleship Haruna.
On December 10, received information that the British fleet departed Singapore and was heading to the north, 26 Bettys as torpedo bombers of Kanoya Air Corps led by Lt. Commander Shichizo Miyauchi took off the Thu Dau Mot base at 08:14. Also, 25 (16 Nells as torpedo bombers, 9 Nells as ordinary bombers, 9 reconnaissance planes) of Genzan Air Corps and 33 Nells (8 with torpedoes, 25 with ordinary bombs) of Bihoro Air Corps followed from Saigon and Thu Dau Mot bases. Aiming for the British fleet, Iki and Kanoya Air Corps flew 600 nautical miles (about 1,110 km) to the south from the base but failed to find the fleet. When they gave up to return to the north, a reconnaissance plane from Genzan Air Corps flown by Sub-Lt. Masato Hoashi happened to find the British fleet and reported its position in ciphered message but, as Iki and his wingmen were unable to read it on board, they had to wait for the official instruction from the base for a while. At 13:00, they received it in plain text message and rushed there in a hurry. Iki recalls -
"At the altitude of 3,000 meters, I found an enemy reconnaissance seaplane flying among the clouds below us. I soon understood that its mothership was under the clouds. I signaled our formation leader Lt. Commander Miyauchi from the cockpit. He understood my gesture and our formation began to dive immediately."
At 13:48, Kanoya Air Corps commenced attack.
"To prevent collision in the clouds, the 1st squadron dived straight while the 2nd squadron opened 10 degrees to the left and the 3rd squadron did 10 degrees to the right. Diving through the clouds, we found out the target fleet at about 10 nautical miles (18.52km). In order of 1st, 2nd and 3rd squadron, we took the bombing run in line to attack."
The British fleet was cruising at the speed of about 20 knots (about 37 km/h). The Prince of Wales was about 2,000 meters behind three escort destroyers. The Repulse was further 2,500 meters behind her.
"You may think strange but I was not excited in particular when I found them. It was exactly same as usual exercise for me, just thinking about sending a torpedo well." The 1st squadron of Kanoya Air Corps targeted the Prince of Wales, the 2nd squadron did the Repulse and the 3rd squadron led by Iki did either of them seeing the results.
Fierce shelling by the opponent's AA-guns produced the water smoke on the water surface. Countless tracer rounds flew toward the attacker as a bunch of orange fire. Passing through them at the low altitude, the 1st squadron began topedo-bombing. Hit the stern of the Prince of Wales, a big water column went up.
"I felt as if I was watching a picture of the Battle of Tsushima. When I was gazing at the water column going up so high with surprise as I had never seen it in my life, another torpedo hit just behind the bridge. Thought this would be enough for the Prince of Wales, I headed to the Repulse which looked still intact."
Turning clockwise not slowing her speed, the Repulse began to shoot Iki's bomber fiercely. All shells looked rushing toward him. Aiming at her portside, Iki lowered the altitude rapidly.
"No sooner I dropped a torpedo at the altitude 30 meters and distance at 700 meters as close as possible than I turned to the left sharply to evacuate with full throttle and shooting our guns. Gaining the altitude, I saw the Repulse's crews in raincoats lying down on the deck. After a while Sgt. Tamotsu Maekawa as an observer on board shouted 'Hit!' with exciting voice that echoed the plane. After a few minutes, he shouted again 'Hit again!'. But at the same time, I had witnessed our 2nd plane was hit to crash toward 300 meters to the left from the Repulse and also the 3rd plane followed toward farther 50 meters to the left one after another being wrapped in flames into the water."
When Iki's squadron finished the attack and reached the altitude enough out of the opponent's shooting range to form a formation, the Repulse began to sink from the portside stern and disappeared into the water leaving a large ripple.
"Voice of banzai by all 7 crews arose in the cabin at that moment. I also made the banzai salute releasing my hands from the control stick. We poured wine which was equipped for the emergency use into the enamel tin cups to make a toast."
It was 14:00, only twelve minutes after the Kanoya Air Corps started attack. The Prince of Wales was still cruising dropping speed but sank at 14:50 together with Commander Admiral Sir Tom Phillips who refused to abandon the ship. Main force of the British Eastern Fleet had been destroyed here. 840 British sailors shared the fate with their ships. Japanese side lost 3 bombers and 21 airmen. Many airframes were damaged by shelling. Iki's Betty K-331 also received 17 shells. According to Iki's flight log, he flew 10 hours 45 minutes on this day. Even after flying for such a long time, he says, there was still enough fuel in the tank to fly more.
"Damage of Japanese side was not so serious as expected. I think this was mainly because British side did not necessarily research how to react against the torpedo attack well. In fact, they were shooting upwards even after we took the bombing run at the lower altitude. Lack of training and no enemy fighters in the sky were lucky."
On December 18, the 8th day after the Naval Battle of Malaya, Kanoya Air Corps was ordered to bomb the Siantan Telegraph Station of Anambas Islands. "As we were to pass over the sunk 2 British battleships on the way, I let Sgt. Maekawa purchase 2 bundles of bouquets (* this seems to be translated 'wreath' in the western countries) at a flower shop near the base. Finished the mission, we flew to the ships at the altitude 300 meters. The waves were so calm and the water was so clear that we could see both ships' dark silhouettes well. I dropped one bundle of bouquet near the Repulse and then the other near the Prince of Wales, praying for the souls of warriors of both sides with salute."
This episode was widely introduced in the paper and textbook for ethics at school as a heroic story "Chivalry in the battlefield" during the wartime.
But this embarrassed Iki. In the postwar, everytime he was asked about the episode, he answered with a few words "I didn't do it to be praised."
This was a very natural behavior as a worrier to show his sorrow for the lost warriors who did their duty. There must be something beyond the hostility.
The fact that the Prince of Wales and the Repulse had been sunk by the air attack only was received with surprise throughout the world. The crew members of the battleships Kongo and Haruna who determined to die in the battle received the news with great relief above all. Matsuda of the Haruna recalls "My father as the commander of air unit saved my life as a result." By the way, Matsuda's daughter Mari is known as an inventor of the i-mode for NTT cell phones which is indispensable for our life today. Had the battle gone wrong to sink his battleship Haruna, our modern IT situation with the cell phones might have been somewhat different.
However, as the Allies greatly reinforced their fleet defense against the air attack afterwards, there were no more chances for the Japanese side to sink the battleships in this way. To the contrary, Japanese battleships Musashi and Yamato had been sunk in the Sibuyan Sea of Philippines on October 24, 1944 and at the offshore of Kyusyu on April 7, 1945 by the US air attack respectively.
677 airmen including observers in total from Kanoya Air Corps, Genzan Air Corps and Bihoro Air Corps participated in the Naval Battle of Malaya. As a bomber held a pilot, a co-pilot, a radio man, observers and engineers in toal of 7 to 8 crews, its casualty exceeded a fighter when crashed. By the end of war, most of them had passed away.
( Excerpt source:
英国の最新鋭戦艦を撃沈した攻撃機指揮官が遺した「意外な言葉」（神立 尚紀） @gendai_biz )
Haruki Iki in 1943 and 2003
His flight log on the day