Divine Wind.

Hi Reader, welcome back to our weekly coverage of what happened in the skies and on the ground during World War II. This week, we cover one of the largest naval battles during the Liberation of the Philippines as well as the first Japanese pilot to successfully sink an American carrier in a kamikaze strike. Join us as we delve into the history of one of the most pivotal conflicts ever and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Liberation in Lingayen Gulf

This week in history, on January 6, 1945, the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines began, resulting in a massive naval battle between American and Japanese forces. The operation, a crucial part of the Liberation of the Philippines, aimed to establish a landing point for American troops to begin the recapture of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines that had been occupied by Japan for nearly three years. Led by US Navy Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf, the massive amphibious invasion fleet faced one of the largest kamikaze strikes in the war. Nevertheless, the Allied fleet reached the gulf and successfully established a beachhead for the invasion force to commence the recapture of Luzon, becoming a vital hub for troops and supplies for the Liberation of the Philippines.

The massive invasion fleet set out for the grueling operation a month prior, on December 2, 1945, from the previously captured Leyte Gulf. The task force consisted of 164 ships, including six battleships, six cruisers, and 19 destroyers, accompanied by an escort carrier group with 12 escort carriers, 14 destroyers, six destroyer escorts, and more. Within a month, the invasion fleet had reached Lingayen Gulf on January 3, and Japanese fighters began their relentless attacks aiming to destroy any ship in sight. The fleet encountered its first kamikaze that same day, only suffering minor damages. The following day, kamikaze pilots successfully struck and destroyed the carrier USS Ommaney Bay, killing 93 crewmen. The grueling battle in the sea continued, and the task force suffered various levels of damage and loss of life at the hands of kamikaze pilots.

Despite successful kamikaze strikes against US carriers, the invasion fleet held strong. By January 6, Vice Admiral Oldendorf’s bombardment ships were in position to begin their preliminary strikes against the gulf. The kamikaze strikes intensified as the invasion was imminent. Several ships suffered from direct kamikaze hits: the USS New Mexico was struck, killing her commanding officer; the USS Walke was struck, and the commanding officer was badly burned by flaming gasoline; the USS Long was struck and later sank into the sea; many more ships were struck, and lives perished. The treacherous journey to and within Luzon's Lingayen Gulf resulted in the deaths of around 738 and the wounding of 1,282 ship-based seamen, marines, and infantry.

As they secured the gulf, the invasion force reached their designated beaches successfully on January 9, 1945, on schedule. Taking lessons from previous Pacific island-hopping campaigns, Japanese commander General Tomoyuki Yamashita chose to fight inland instead of defending from the beaches, where they would be vulnerable to Navy barrages. This left the US 6th Army, led by General Walter Krueger, with virtually no opposition on the beach landings. A total of 203,608 soldiers were eventually landed over the next few days, an invasion force larger than that of the Invasion of Normandy. By March 1945, the Americans controlled all strategically and economically important locations in Luzon, but small groups of Japanese held out in the mountains until Japan’s surrender in August 1945.

A Deadly Final Mission

Lieutenant Yukio Seki was a Japanese aviator for the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Tasked with leading one of the early kamikaze strikes against American ships in the Pacific Theatre, he is credited as the first kamikaze pilot to successfully sink a naval ship, the USS St. Lo, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. Despite opposing the suicide tactic, Seki gave his life on October 25th, 1944.

Seki was born on September 29, 1921, in Iyo Saijō, a small town in Shikoku, Japan. His parents ran an antique store specializing in tea ceremony utensils. Like many schoolchildren at the time, Seki was exposed to naval training courses during his schooling and dreamed of a career in the Japanese Navy. In 1938, he set out to accomplish his dream, and at the age of 17, he enlisted in the War Academy of both the Imperial Navy and Army. He was accepted to both, choosing the Japanese Naval Academy. In 1941, one month before the Pearl Harbor attack, Seki graduated and was ordered to the battleship Fusō. In June of the same year, he was promoted to lieutenant. Soon he was transferred to the Navy carrier Chitose.

While not yet an aviator, Seki participated in various naval engagements in the Pacific Theatre. Notably, he took part in the Battle of Midway in June 1942, where his ship, Chitose, belonged to the second wave of Japanese ships in the battle. Following this engagement, Seki returned to Japan and formally began his aviation career by enrolling in the Naval Flying Academy. After completing basic training, he specialized as a dive bomber operating from carrier ships. By January 1944, Seki had excelled in his training and transferred to Kamakura, Japan, where he became an instructor for future pilots.

During his time as an instructor in Kamakura, Seki met and married his wife, Mariko. At the time, naval officers were assigned families to visit during the weekends, and Seki befriended the Watanabe family and eventually fell in love with their daughter, Mariko. By May 1944, the couple was married. Unfortunately, Seki was transferred to Tainan, Taiwan, in September 1944, and was forced to leave behind his now-wife. Not long after, he was transferred again, this time to the Philippines.

Upon reaching the Philippines, Seki was tasked with leading the 301st fighter unit, which directly faced American fighters in the Pacific. Around this time, Vice Admiral Onishi had decided on the policy of kamikaze attacks, and Lieutenant Seki was asked by his group commander to lead the first official suicidal special attack squadron. Seki reluctantly agreed, and his recorded statements and subsequent actions suggested that he resented this order, as he felt he was being ordered to surrender his life. Seki believed that conventional military tactics would better serve the nation. The first Kamikaze Unit, which included 23 Zero fighter pilots and Yukio Seki as the commander, was formed in the early morning of October 20, 1944. Just days later, the largest naval battle in the war began, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, placing Seki’s unit on the hunt for ships.

On October 25, 1944, as the Battle of Leyte Gulf raged on, Seki and his squadron of Zeroes, each carrying 550lb bombs, set out for their deadly kamikaze mission. The squadron targeted the American naval task force, Taffy 3, led by Vice Admiral Clifton Sprague, who was tasked with defending the amphibious landings. As the vicious battle ensued, Seki and his squadron preyed on the four US Carriers, the USS White Plains, the USS Kalinin Bay, the USS Kikun Bay, and the USS St. Lo, causing various amounts of damage to each. Seki’s A6M2 Model 21 Zero was last witnessed approaching the USS St. Lo at high speeds followed by a tremendous crash and explosion. Smoke soon engulfed the carrier, emanating from the hangar, followed by vicious fires. Moments later, a heavy explosion tore the deck of the carrier, and within half an hour, the USS St. Lo was destroyed. Lieutenant Yukio Seki was just 23 years old at the time of his death, and in his last moments, accomplished the feat of being the first kamikaze group to sink an American warship.

Before Seki's mission, Masashi Onoda, a war correspondent, interviewed Yukio Seki and quoted his displeasure of suicide attacks:

“Japan's future is bleak if it is forced to kill one of its best pilots. I am not going on this mission for the Emperor or for the Empire ... I am going because I was ordered to!”

Did You Know?

The term "kamikaze" literally translates to "divine wind," a reference to two historical typhoons that miraculously destroyed Mongol fleets attempting to invade Japan in the 13th century. The Japanese military adopted this historical term for their suicide pilots during World War II, emphasizing a spiritual and patriotic duty to protect their homeland.

Thank you for tuning in to this week's coverage of what happened on the ground and the skies during World War II. We hope to see you again next week for even more incredible true stories. And as always, see you in the skies.

-TJ

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