577:. Her action report states: "Approaching the ramp at very high speed, the 'Zeke 52' crossed over the aft end of the ship at less than fifty feet. He appeared to push over sufficiently to hit the deck at about the 'number 5 wire', fifteen feet to the port side of the center line. A tremendous crash followed quickly followed by an explosion as one or both of the enemy's bombs exploded. The aircraft continued up the deck leaving fragments strewed about and its remnants went over the bow." At first, the damage appeared minor. "There was a hole in the flight deck with smoldering edges which sprang into flame. Hoses were immediately run out from both sides of the flight deck and water started on the fire ... smoke soon appeared on both sides of the ship, evidently coming from the hangar. Within one to one and one-half minutes an explosion occurred on the hangar deck, which puffed smoke and flame through the hole in the deck and bulged the flight deck near and aft of the hole. This was followed in a matter of seconds by a much more violent explosion, which rolled back a part of the flight deck bursting through aft of the original hole. The next heavy explosion tore out more of the flight deck and also blew the forward elevator out of its shaft." The magazine had detonated, and
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358:, to be trained as a dive bomber operating from carriers. In January 1944, he became an instructor at Kasumigaura. Seki became friends with the Watanabe family living in Kamakura and fell in love with their daughter Mariko. Once when he was out drinking with his colleagues, one of them suggested that all of them should get married on the same day. They all agreed. The same weekend, Seki went to Kamakura and proposed to Mariko while her mother was present. Mariko accepted, and they were married May 31, 1944. Seki's mother Sekae was the only relative from his side to take part in the wedding. After the wedding, she lived with the young couple for a month and then left saying, "Young couples need some time alone". Soon after, they moved into a house close to the flying academy.
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In this interview, he gave insight into his thinking on how the carrier force should be attacked: "If they would let me, I could drop a 500 kilogram bomb on the flight deck of a carrier without going in for body-crashing and still make my way back." During his flight, his commanders heard him say "It
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survivor site showed a photo purported to be of the engine serial number plate of the plane which sank the ship found on the deck by a sailor about to abandon ship. It was stated that the serial number was later traced back through
Japanese authorities to the plane and the pilot who flew it that day,
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to lead a special attack squadron that would end in the loss of his own life. Seki is said to have closed his eyes, lowered his head and thought for ten seconds, before saying to Tamai, "Please do appoint me to the post." Seki thereby became the leader of the squadron "Shikishima", which conducted
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Press member (War correspondent, Onoda), Japan is over. Killing a good pilot like me. I am confident that I can hit the 50-ban (500kg bomb) on the flight deck of an enemy aircraft carrier without committing suicide attack. I'm not going for His
Majesty the Emperor or for the Japanese Empire. I'm
287:. At an early age, Seki was exposed to naval training courses at his middle school and planned a career in the Navy. Since naval personnel were fully prepared to die in battle, and since Yukio was an only child, the family adopted a daughter nearly Yukio's age to carry on the family affairs.
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did so by releasing his bomb onto the flight deck, just as Seki described to the reporter, instead of crashing his plane directly onto the deck. The reports of the attack are consistent with that of a pilot who intended to return to base after successfully sinking
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going for my beloved KA (Imperial
Japanese Navy jargon, wife). It is unavoidable if there is an order. If Japan loses, KA may be raped by Ame-ko（American soldier). I'm dying to protect her. Die for a loved one. How is it? Would be brilliant.
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to say goodbye to him. Three weeks after he had arrived in Tainan, he was transferred again, this time to the 201st
Flotilla in the Philippines as leader of the 301st fighter unit. Their base was originally in
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The men of the first kamikaze unit to make an attack on a US ship are offered a ceremonial toast of water as a farewell. Yukio Seki, the leader of the unit, is shown with a cup in his hands, and Vice
Admiral
609:. Nishizawa survived the attack and made his report stating that Seki's plane glanced off the deck of a carrier but that the bomb did not explode. His description on this point closely matches the attack on
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549:: Four diving planes attacked from astern. Two planes were shot down by AA fire. One crashed into the port side of the flight deck, damaging it badly. The other hit the aft port stack, destroying it.
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before Kurita ordered the Center Force to return home after expending much of their ammunition meant for the Leyte landings against Taffy 3, only succeeding in sinking the escort carrier
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On
October 25, 1944, Lt. Seki's squadron of five kamikaze A6M2 Model 21 Zeros, each carrying a 250 kg (550-pound) bomb, took off with an escort of 4 A6M5's flown by legendary ace
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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!
241:, Lieutenant Seki led one of the three fighter groups of the second official kamikaze attack in World War II (the first official attack was an unsuccessful attempt led by
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as reported by her captain. A second plane did score a hit on the same carrier that Seki attacked and that plane's bomb did explode. The only carrier with two hits was
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415:, who organized the first kamikaze unit, is in the middle of the photo facing the five men of the Shikishima Unit. The man offering the cup is likely Seki's officer,
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Prior to Seki's mission, Masashi Onoda, a Domei war correspondent, interviewed Yukio Seki and quotes him disparaging suicide attacks:
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the first official kamikaze attack, and the first to sink an enemy ship. Four times, his group returned to base in aborted sorties.
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According to US Navy reports, there were no other kamikaze hits on US ships that day, although there was a "suicide" near miss on
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559:: The port catwalk was clipped and the aircraft exploded off the port side, causing one death and no significant damage.
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had been making plans for the first kamikaze attack, and
Lieutenant Seki was given the opportunity by group commander
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before withdrawing. At 1050, Seki's squadron made their attack on four escort carriers of Taffy 3:
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October 21, 1944). Seki's final action took place on October 25, 1944, during the
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was not hit, but debris was scattered on the aft deck, causing 11 minor injuries.
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706:(Chapter 13: The Kamikaze), by Rikihei Inoguchi and Tadashi Nakajima, p 424,
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In 1942, Seki returned to Japan and enrolled in the Naval flying academy at
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Seki saw several naval actions, and participated in a minor role in the
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267:'s flight deck, being the first kamikazes to sink an enemy ship.
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and the ground forces. He was accepted to both; he chose the
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In 1938 he applied to enroll in the War
Academy of both the
779:, Page 16, written by Albert Axell, an American writer and
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dive bomber, it is unlikely it was part of Seki's group.
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Imperial Japanese Navy personnel killed in World War II
283:. His parents ran an antiques store specializing in
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Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze
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Seki's full quote from the interview is as follows:
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is better to die, rather than to live as a coward."
260:fighters, crash-diving his plane deliberately into
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694:, Early life details corroborated on pages 45–48.
386:, away from increasing attacks by the Americans.
343:, belonged to the second wave of Japanese ships.
1040:Japanese military personnel who died by suicide
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692:"The Sacred Warriors: Japan’s Suicide Legions"
350:. After basic training, he was transferred to
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800:The Sacred Warriors: Japan’s suicide Legions
361:In September 1944, Seki was transferred to
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863:"Hiroyoshi Nishizawa: Japan's Ace of Aces"
275:Yukio Seki was born on August 29, 1921 in
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446:'s magazine detonates after Seki's attack
605:It is debated whether Seki's plane sank
378:south of Manila, but was later moved to
306:, Seki graduated and was ordered to the
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812:"森本忠夫『特攻 外道の統率と人間の条件』p130. 文藝春秋、1992.
223:, August 29, 1921 – October 25, 1944)
7:
589:which was destroyed by AA fire from
256:. He led a unit of five bomb-armed
569:: The plane which veered off from
144:Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
14:
777:"Kamikaze – Japan's Suicide Gods"
704:The Japanese Navy in World War II
462:. Their target was Vice Admiral
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1030:Imperial Japanese Navy officers
887:"Who became Kamikaze Pilots..."
478:that included the IJN flagship
389:During this time, Vice Admiral
654:Whichever pilot actually sank
625:. A posting on an earlier USS
402:The kamikaze attack on Taffy 3
1:
723:Mitsubishi Zero A6M2 Model 21
1045:Japanese World War II pilots
865:. Aviation History Magazine.
474:Center Force led by Admiral
33:when mentioning individuals.
746:September 27, 2007, at the
728:September 27, 2007, at the
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861:Jon Guttman (July 1998).
581:was gone in half an hour.
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29:. This article uses
21:The native form of this
1020:Japanese naval aviators
842:. NAL Caliber. p.
834:Sheftall, M.G. (2005).
323:Service in World War II
16:Japanese kamikaze pilot
928:Imperial Japanese Navy
764:June 13, 2006, at the
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285:tea ceremony utensils
155:Years of service
939:Minister of the Navy
759:The Battle off Samar
468:Battle of Leyte Gulf
348:Kasumigaura, Ibaraki
254:Battle of Leyte Gulf
185:Battle of Leyte Gulf
783:, living in Tokyo.
458:, Shingo Honda and
452:Hiroyoshi Nishizawa
304:Pearl Harbor attack
892:www.tokkotai.or.jp
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331:Yukio Seki in 1939
279:, a small town in
68:September 29, 1921
31:Western name order
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90:(1944-10-25)
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1015:1944 deaths
1010:1921 births
619:Kalinin Bay
615:Kalinin Bay
573:approached
545:Kalinin Bay
492:Gambier Bay
380:Clark Field
308:battleship
246: [
175:Pacific War
107:Philippines
1004:Categories
882:"Gyokusai"
828:References
802:, page 89.
630:Lt. Seki.
591:Kitkun Bay
587:Kitkun Bay
555:Kitkun Bay
460:Ryoji Baba
271:Early life
220:Seki Yukio
208:Yukio Seki
113:Allegiance
103:Leyte Gulf
64:1921-09-29
27:Seki Yukio
969:Air Units
384:Mabalacat
277:Iyo Saijō
95:USS
71:Iyo Saijō
979:Aircraft
949:Admirals
762:Archived
744:Archived
726:Archived
673:Kamikaze
667:See also
567:(CVE-63)
557:(CVE-71)
547:(CVE-68)
525:(CVE-66)
499:Johnston
371:Yokohama
131:Service/
989:Battles
984:Weapons
484:in the
341:Chitose
316:Chitose
300:Etajima
281:Shikoku
237:. As a
233:during
229:of the
191:†
158:1938–44
959:Fleets
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816:
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661:St. Lo
656:St. Lo
627:St. Lo
623:St. Lo
611:St. Lo
607:St. Lo
579:St. Lo
575:St. Lo
565:St. Lo
529:St. Lo
481:Yamato
443:St. Lo
367:Taiwan
363:Tainan
264:St. Lo
187:
133:branch
122:
97:St. Lo
974:Ships
954:Ranks
844:480pp
679:Notes
250:]
79:Japan
75:Ehime
848:ISBN
814:ISBN
785:ISBN
708:ISBN
563:USS
553:USS
543:USS
521:USS
511:USS
506:Hoel
504:USS
502:and
497:USS
490:USS
428:USS
310:Fusō
262:USS
214:関 行男
85:Died
58:Born
382:in
354:in
352:Usa
298:at
148:IJN
25:is
1006::
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