Kamikaze Pilot Took His Wife On Fatal Flight
Even though World War Two had come to an end, the story of a Japanese couple who met their death in a deliberate kamikaze suicide flight against Soviet troops has come to light and has been turned into a television program.
Tetsuo Tanifuji was a trained kamikaze pilot for the Japanese Imperial Navy, however, for his very last flight, he decided to take his wife, Asako with him.
Even though the bombs had been dropped and Japan was on the verge of surrender, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and was trying to take large areas of Japanese-controlled land in North China and the Northern Territory islands off Japan. Thousands of Japanese troops and civilians were making their way back to the Japanese mainland in defeat, so the invasion by Soviet troops was causing more chaos, attacking any military or civilians they came across.
Japanese Emperor Hirohito surrendered to Allied forces and four days later ten pilots from the Japanese Imperial Navy’s First Kyoiku Unit decided to launch an aerial attack on the incoming Soviet troops, to help other Japanese military and civilians in their retreat to the mainland.
Tetsuo was a Second Lieutenant and just 22 years old. He collected his wife, and together they climbed inside the Type 97 fighter plane. It is reported that another woman also joined another of the unit’s pilots in another aircraft.
They took off from their airbase and were never to be seen again. None of the aircraft that took part in the attack returned, and no records of the mission existed or survived. It wasn’t until 1957 that the Japanese military declared Tetsuo was killed in action and not until 1970 that Asako’s family received her death certificate.
The story has been turned into a television drama in Japan. However, the families of the couple are concerned about the story being dramatized. One family member said that no war stories are ‘heart-warming’ since they are shrouded in the misery of war. Another family member said that she would have done the same thing as Asako if she had made the decision to die with her husband.
Overall the family hopes that it will educate the younger generation about the devastation of war, and to oppose any attempts by politicians to get involved in armed conflict.
This author agrees.
From War History on line.
For a more personal look at this situation click HERE…..
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Gordon Banks – Elgin IL; USMC, WWII & Korea, Captain
Alexander Disanto – Mantua, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 507/11th Airborne Division
Phillip Goddard – Des Moines, IA; US Army, WWII, PTO, Corps of Engineers
John Horrall – Spokane, WA; US Army, WWII, ETO, 10th Mountain Division
Henning Knudson – Havre, MT; US Navy, WWII
Richard Luchsinger (102) – Moline, IL; US Army, WWII
Hugo Meyer – ID; US Army, WWII, PTO
Howard Nelson – Kathryn, ND; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO
Stanley Raynham – Eltham, ENG; Royal Navy, WWII
John Widelski – New Bedford, MA; US Navy, gunner’s mate, USS Wingfield & Bronstein
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Posted on February 21, 2019, in First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, aviation, History, Japan, Kamikaze, Military, Military History, Pacific War, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 204 Comments.
https://beautifuluniverseak.wordpress.com/2019/03/14/military-wife-poem/
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The families serve too – so thank you for your service.
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Thank you for posting these stories, GP! I am playing catch up here, and haven’t posted since the end of January myself. I will be catching up with you slowly over the next week.
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Take your time, Lavinia. I know how busy a farm can keep you, especially in Springtime. I hope you, Rick and the correspondents are all well!!
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War is so sad.
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I’m afraid it is.
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Wow. Just wow. I am speechless! This is a heartbreaking story. The story didn’t say whether or not they had children – I hope they didn’t!
Thanks for sharing, GP. ❤
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I don’t believe they did. But they did have relatives as shown in the link.
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Amazing story.
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Thank you. I thought it said a lot about love and devotion to duty.
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It certainly does.
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What a moving story, GP. 😢
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I think it says as much about love as it does about devotion to duty.
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I’ll never understand the training that makes young men and women decide to sacrifice their lives in this manner for any cause. I’m so thankful my family has never had to make these kinds of decisions. The horrors of war!
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People join up for many reasons. To some it’s a calling, like any other career. To others, it is for the benefits that veterans receive.
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I can understand wanting to serve in the military. But I can’t understand being willing to be a kamikaze pilot or something similar to that.
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Many of the Kamikaze were only 16, wanting to be accepted as dedicated men. Most were not married, when the program was still voluntary. The rest, must have been extremely dedicated!!
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Wow… just, wow.
Hugs!
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I appreciate your visit!
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Always my pleasure!
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I have read a bit of this story once before gp, but it never mentioned the wives being involved, being at the time of surrender it must have been a huge decision for both the Kamikaze pilot and his wife to carry out this flight, must have had a lot to do with dedication and Honor.
Cheers.
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They were barely existing at this point and Russia decides to walk across Manchuria. I suppose they felt it was their last ditch effort.
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What a tragic story. I understand the family’s hesitance toward the dramatization of this event, but hopefully something good comes out of it in the form of learning for the younger generations.
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Thank you, I agree.
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Wonderful article!! ❤️️
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Thank you. I’m glad you found it interesting.
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My son served 9 yrs in the AF until he was critically wounded. I love reading all your stories…so interesting!
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I thank you very much. Please let your son know that the people at Pacific Paratrooper thank him for his service. It is because of people like him that allow old codgers like me to sleep peacefully at night. I am terribly sorry he was wounded.
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Thank you so much. To be truthful, at first I was so upset, I don’t know why he went on that last mission when he had just came back from another. Once he was in country, they brought him to David Grant Memorial. They specialize in brain injuries. I was blessed. I made that 9 hr drive with 2 small kids, every weekend for almost a year. Very tough times. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
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I sincerely hope he has recovered. The men feel it’s their duty, if not them, then someone else has to go in their stead. My own son was killed while in the USMC back in 1992.
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War, what it does to people. The horrors of war indeed.
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It usually brings out the worst and best. Humans are the only animals that care for their weak and sacrifice their best and strongest – so anything is possible.
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Yep, I think that’s true, GP. Compassion tempered with might for right sensibility.
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This article pinched my heart. I can only imagine and speculate why Asako joined Tetsuo on thid mission. Perhaps, Asako thought that life would be equally devastating and chaotic if she lived, without Tetsuo?
Thank you so much for sharing the facts of this event.
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I’m certain that was on her mind. Thank you for reading this post, Tina.
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I would like to
thank you for everything.☺️🌸💕🇯🇵
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I thank you as well, Nasuko. I still return to many of the links you’ve sent me over time. You have been a very good friend. That’s one good thing that came out of the Pacific War – the US/Japan alliance.
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My dear friend,
I have been to your site but can not open up any of your posts, nor can I comment. This was the only way I could get to talk to you. I’m glad FB is cleaned up and your new site looks lovely – I wish you all the very best with it.
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I didn’t realize your this comment!!
Long time no see,when I searched your blog,I don’t know why but this page appeared.
I was Very surprised but I’m Very happy!!
How is you!! 😀
Now,Japanese have 10 straight holidays.
His Majesty the Emperor changed and new era 「令和(Reiwa)」come!!
We Japanese are Very Happy!!:D
POTUS TRUMP will come to Japan on May as a First state guest,
Very Welcome!! 😀
Facebook is a problem with safety,so I closed it.
Now, I enjoy my new Site,Secretly alone!! XD
I have taken many pics and posted them on my site.
If you have time permitting , drop in please !! 😀
Have a Good Day!! Dear my friend!! 😀
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Thank you so much for coming by and letting me know how you are doing. I agree with you closing the facebook account – I never did trust them and they proved me right.
I saw in the mews that the Emperor was stepping down, but I did not know how everyone felt about that. It is good that you are happy and that our President will be a guest of your beautiful country.
I will stop into your site very soon, if it is secret though, how will I find it?
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I paste my new site on my wordpress’s Gravator😆👍
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Thank you!
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Wow. The things I’m learning here. And here all along, I thought I knew a lot about WWII.
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We are mostly taught about the European theater or the major USMC battles of the Pacific, so it’s understandable.
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Heartbreaking. War can bring out the best in people yet each countries definition of what is best differs,
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Different cultures, different trains of thought.
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Wow!
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Thanks for coming by, June.
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Wow, this is very heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing.
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I appreciate you reading it.
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No one can understand the mental and moral anguish suffered by our young when we demand the ultimate sacrifice in wars not of their making.
I feel overwhelming anger and shame when I think of all wars, past and present. They are all an utter waste of life and resources.
I dare to hope that one day, world leaders may gain enough courage and wisdom to forsake the primitive and pointless posturing that leads to proclamations of war against a perceived enemy.
Time such leaders were put behind the bars of a playpen and made to face up to each other – naked and unadorned – with the possibility of diapers placed strategically to spare their blushes for any inadequacy – and then urged to settle their differences in whatever way they choose – but without any artificial weaponry or the involvement of others
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You and I think a like, Vera.
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Stunning.
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Good to see you. Thanks.
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Amazing bit of history highlighting the culture of Japan.
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Sort of a twist on the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ theme, eh?
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A different twist on love you to death. Or is that ’til death?
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I would say til death. To death sorta sounds like you’re going to kill him! 🙂
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Depends upon the day (snarky laugh.)
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Niet te begrijpen dat hij zijn vrouw meeneemt in de dood
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Ze hadden een oude cultuur die een dergelijke daad romantisch en eervol maakte. Ondanks het feit dat Japan zich had overgegeven, verklaarde de Sovjet-oorlog de oorlog en viel het gebied van de Japanse bezetting in Mantsjoerije binnen. Als kamakazipiloot deed hij een laatste kans om zijn land te helpen – zijn vrouw koos ervoor om met hem te sterven.
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Good to raise awareness about the “devastation of war”
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Thanks, but the problem today is that war doesn’t affect us here at home much any more. It stays hidden on back pages of the news, so we allow the politicians to do as they wish with it.
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Hm – good point –
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Didn’t know anything about this GP. Thanks for this.
Regards
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A story you read too often, especially not in history class, eh?
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Tragedy and Heroism intertwined?
Hard to fathom.
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Differences in cultures.
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Thanks again!!
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