In his autobiography, Saburo Sakai did not say they felt that a third atomic bomb was immanent, but instead they literally just wanted to prove they could shoot down what they thought was a B-29 after being kept out of combat as an instructor. In face he said that after the bombing of Hiroshima "Then came the hammer blow of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria...was more personal and more real and far more devastating in its implications" As a result of attacks like this, in order to prevent others, General MacArthur ordered all Japanese aircraft to have their propellers removed.
The main incident that prompted the High Command to order all propellers ripped off was the drunken Kamikaze raid led and flown by Admiral Matome Ugaki. The leader and founder of the Kamikaze squadrons. Following the Emperors surrender orders he and his airmen got falling down drunk and decided to show the American’s their fury. Ugaki climbed into a Zero with 2 other young pilots stuffed in around him. And led a flight to nowhere that was probably trying to attack the US 7th Fleet off Japan’s Southern Coast. No US ships reported any attacks or contact with the pack of drunken misfits. Ugaki’s plane was finally located crashed in relatively shallow water, heading in the general direction of some US transport ships. Not that Ugaki’s mission should be taken lightly. Just 4 days prior a lone Japanese plane managed to penetrate the US defenses and put a Torpedo into the side of the Battleship USS Pennsylvania. Killing 20, injuring 10 including Admiral Jesse Ollendorf. And doing tremendous damage to the ship. She was the last Capital Ship to be struck in WW2. She was also one of the first to be struck on Dec 7, 1941. Needless to say after Admiral Ugaki went rogue Tokyo ordered the propellers ripped off most of the aircraft and chained up under lock and key. MacArthur didn’t actually order it. It occurred before he met the initial delegation from Japan on August 19. In fact when the initial contingent of the US Army advanced team landed at Atsugi a few days later they were astonished to see all the propellers plucked off the planes. Incidents such as Sakai’s while dangerous at that moment weren’t the main concern. Both sides knew some conflicts might occur in the air over Japan as the war wound down and orders trickled out. Nobody was going to restart the war over the loss of a B-29 reconnaissance plane. But putting a Kamikaze into a Carrier was another matter entirely. Let alone somebody taking a run at the Missouri, West Virginia or King George V in Tokyo Harbor.
@@dyer2cycle I believe the Japanese pilots misidentified the plane as a B-29. This was really the only time and mission profile the B-32's were used so they likely had no idea what they were.
My father was assigned to Japan, we lived there from 1974-77. One of the coolest things was actually meeting Mr. Sakai. I didn’t comprehend the magnanimity of the man I met as a 9 year old, until I was a soldier. I greatly wish I had met him again when I was older, but needless to say, he was the epitome of Bushido, but would also be considered chivalrous and gentlemanly.
As a soldier/airman, he showed true honor by choosing not to engage women and children, a concept the went straight over the head of Japanese leadership of the time.
I seriously doubt any of the millions of innocent civilians _(who were murdered, raped and tortured to death at the hands of these sadists and murderers)_ appreciated that 'Bushido code' that you're fawning over.
I wonder what he thought of his fellow countrymen in the Kyushu University medical staff eating the livers of American pilots that had been tortured to death. The Japanese military and government escaped justice by a mile.
@@adamlannerd1408 Can you say in another comment which American branch of the armed services did the ground fighting in the Philippines during World War II, and did most of the ground fighting there? I'm having trouble, finding this information.
@@kenw9681 My father flew combat air in Leyte in B-25s. I believe that the US Army did most of the fighting with support from the USMC during the liberation of the Philippines. The USMC enraged Gen. MacArthur by placing a sign near his H.Q.: The sign read - "With the help of God and a few marines MacArthur took the Philippines!"
A B-32 crew member died in the final attack. Considered the final US combat death. This happened after Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender but before the surrender on USS Missouri.
I read Saburo's book. He thought the planes were more SBD divebombers with 30 caliber rear guns- instead, they were TBFs with 50 cal guns and he was in their range before he knew it. THAT is why he was hit so hard
@@DoBraveryFPS I read Martin Caiden's book SAMURAI!, basically Sakai's autobiography with Caiden's help. Sakai said in the book he thought he was sneaking up on Wildcats. He marveled how close he was getting, and they even tightened their formation making it easier for him to get multiple kills. But when Sakai got closer, he thought they were Avengers, and they had probably tightened their formation to bring ALL their rear guns on him. He figured if he turned he would just get shot down, that his best chance was to bull through and shoot as many of them as he could in the process. (Turns out, from later sources, they had been Dauntlesses.) The remarkable part of that story is how he flew back to Rabaul with a head wound from a machine gun bullet that partially blinded and paralyzed him. In a damaged Zero. Sakai flew for hours, and somehow landed at his base.
While clearing out an old Rohr building in Chula Vista, California several years ago, I came upon the pilot/copilot instrument panel from a B-32 Dominator and saved it from being thrown in the trash. It’s now proudly displayed in my garage with other aviation memorabilia. Respect to all the brave airmen from all sides of that momentous conflict.
That's cool, I have an original US Army technical manual dated Sep 25th 1942 titled "The Motorcycle", in it it's got all the technical information about tearing down everything to the last nut and bolt and rebuilding every component with all the service wear limits and rebuilding size limits, it covers not only the common Harley 45 inch military flat head and the common Indian "Scout" 45 inch military flat head but also has the BMW style opposed cylinder shaft drive Harley that only 1,000 of were made and were supposed to go into production but was canceled on the verge of production starting but also has the shaft drive answer made by Indian which was an interesting variant of their already produced 45 inch military Scout that had the engine turned 90° sideways in the style of a post war Italian Moto Guzzi. About 25 years ago when the Harley fad was in full swing I ran into a collector of military motorcycle's that when I told him I had that manual offered me $500 for it sight unseen, I told him forget about it, for all the longer $500 lasts it isn't worth it to give up the "wow factor" of having it for the rest of my life. Since I don't have any real heirs in life I'm going to see to it that it'll wind up in an appropriate museum or some kind of collection to make sure it's preserved forever as opposed to it staying in private hands and God only knows what could become of it.
My father was on a new destroyer slated to support the invasion. He probably would have survived the war but Japan had many Kamikaze aircraft which had been quite destructive of destroyers. And even if he had survived he would have returned home probably years later so I wouldn’t have been born. So thank you Harry Truman.
S&S......BK ............my Father always laughed that he was the soldier in WW2 not to see action .........but in mid 45 he was destined to be on the 1st wave into Japan .......Pop was a big Truman man !!!!!
my father survived the air war in Europe on B-24s and was on his way to the Pacific to fly the P-61 Black Widow from Okinawa for the invasion. He said unequivocally the A-bombs saved his life. Also i wouldnt be here.
Actually, as Saburo Sakai writes in his book "Samurai", he did not intentionally fly upside down - instead, he lost his consciousness and then regained it, realizing that he was flying upside down, i.e., the flip happened while he was unconscious.
theres nothing special or admirable about people who believed in bushido or kamikaze, theres nothing moral about ending your own life by your own hands. japan was the last country would sympathy in ww2
I read Saburo Sakai's book, Samurai, fifty years ago. I am no fan of the Japanese in WWII, my father-in-law having been one of Carlson's Raiders on Guadalcanal, but Sakai's book is a very thoughtful insight into what the war looked like from the Japanese perspective.
My Father in Law, my wife's Uncle served in the Pacific campaigns. One strung radio wire plus communications support for the island campaings with the Navy, the other for the Army fought hand to hand against the Japanese defending a medical station. Neither had any moral respect for Japanese due to their tactics and both consdiered them cruel fighters. These were simple rural types of people from the Bible Belt; snipers shooting people to hang wounded while up on a pole, and structured attempts to kill the wounded/medical personnel seemed beyond the pale of war for Western ideals/country folks.
Yes the man is a legend. Id have died I'm sure, you would have choked on your own blood, and he lands the plane GIVES the debrief only to then be worked on. I mean good god man.
His fight against the Hellcats reminds me of what Gen. Chuck Yeager, wrote in his book, "The Right Stuff". "It's the better pilot, not the plane that's going to get you." And Sakai proved him right, of course, he fought for his life also.
you have to go back to what happened before the war started.... Japan got a raw deal from the USA that really angered them. They were basically used then disrespected
My grandfather and other important adults in my life were in the Pacific fighting this man and his comrades, so I find little cause to feel sympathy, much less admiration for this pilot. Japan earned every thing they received in WW2. A truly courageous warrior would have seen the terrible and needless cost of continuing a hopeless war was taking on the children of Japan and refused to prolong their suffering to satisfy his code of honor.
@@alaingion5220 I hear you and I agree at the time if I was alive I would have been on board. Time passes we look at things differently. Tbh you have to ask why they did all you said. We asked for their help in World War One and we fucked them. Kept them out of any meaningful meetings of Germany’s surrender. They felt shunned. They were tired of western imperialism and wanted an Asian power to control Asia. At the same time a law is passed (no bullshit look it up I couldn’t believe either) banning Asians from immigrating to American except they didn’t say that I believe they called them yellows. I think originally it was for the Chinese but turned into Asia I don’t exactly remember. Now I’m a combat vet and I’m not saying anything that was done justified the atrocities they committed but I think it’s important to see how it came to that in the first place. We cut them off for expanding and they needed oil and resources to be able to conquer what they wanted to conquer which they were no longer getting from us. They thought we couldn’t take a punch and they fucked around and found out but not only them but the rest of the world found out as well.
People forget that the fire bombing of Tokyo and Japans other major cities were way more deadly and devastating than the two smallish nukes were…. It was just that it only took one nuke to cause the unimaginable destruction that was wrought. They had no idea how many of those we had at our disposal and that’s what forced them to surrender rather quickly. Those nukes saved many more Japanese lives than they extinguished in the long run.
The nukes also kept the Russians out of a mainland attack and eventual occupation. If the war didn't end when it did, Japan would have been split like Germany. The reality is that the nukes helped Japan's long term survival.
I read his account of fending off all of those Hellcats. He was amazed to see these planes match his Zero's manueverability, but it was abvious they were mostly rookie pilots. He only escaped by flying into a water spout. He ssid his plane went totally out of contfol, even flying backward, but got out ok. I wish there was a report from an American who saw him do that !
Sakai's evasion of the 15 Hellcat's was detailed in his autobiography "Samarai!" - he headed for a nearby japanese held island - performing the same snap maneuver whenever an american was in position to shoot - he explained that only a small handful of pilots in all air forces developed the skill to shoot down more than a plane or two - and this was born out by his success in avoiding being shot down by the Hellcats - when he got within range of the japanese guns - the americans peeled off - and he landed - without - being - hit - once
Lmao in my head. Why would you do that? I remember doing so multiple times with others doing the same in this single bomber. Didn't go down to my knowledge. Yet still, I hardly ever do that much.
Sakai did not shoot down the B-29 after the armistice. He didn't embellish it, It never happened in the first place. Sakai's translator(Fred Saito) made it up to make the ending of Sakai's memoir seem more impactful than dying embers of a military it truly was. He admitted as much in several interviews and newer printings of "Samurai", which is his memoirs as a Imperial Navy Japanese Navy pilot. This video also has a lot of elements that are wrong. Half of the quotes are misrepresenting what Sakai actually wrote. Sakai didn't fight just as well with one eye, and he would tell you as such(in his book, that I'm guessing Dark Skies did not read. This channel is easily the most inaccurate History Channel I've found on UA-cam.
"They took to the skies in one last suicide mission that defied every international accord." Pretty much sums up all of Japans actions in WW2, defying every international accord.
He was quite a guy. An aces ace, and a gentleman. The fact he flew a plane for 4 hours with sight in one eye with a bleeding head wound only tells you a little about him. His stories of others, such as the Betty bomber pilot whose plane was on fire and who attempted to loop the doomed aircraft when it exploded in mid-loop, tells you something about those who didn't make it, but who wanted to leave their mark as pilots.
I read Saburo Sakai’s books, “Zero” and “Samurai”. “Zero” in the early ‘50s while in college and was the first book of that type I had read. I thought it great. Some decades later I came across “Samurai”. The cover information seemed to duplicate what I had read in “Zero” and I nearly failed to buy it as I couldn’t figure out how the man could write anything worthwhile that he didn’t include in the first book. Fortunately, I did. It was better as it went into more detail than the first. With all due respect I disagree with Frank Drevin. He mistook the TBFs for F4Fs, which one could easily do when viewing from behind and low. The silhouettes are similar. I remember the encounter better from “Zero”. On closing he thought it strange that the fighters were tightening their formation. He realized his error too late and a stinger got him. “Samurai” gave a better account on his return to base.
I'm not a fan of the japanese during WWII, I spent over 20 years working in SE Asia and have read about and seen many of the sights that the Japanese occupied during the war. The Germans have nothing on the atrocities the Japanese committed throughout Asia. In the Japanese's mind if you were not Japanese you were subhuman and that's how they treated everyone. Very few Japanese were tried for war crimes because Gen MacArthur decided it would drag out to long and he needed to get Japan back on its feet so it could start supporting itself so America didn't have to support it like we were doing in Europe.
I don't believe he actually thought it was another atomic bomb. He was a suicidal imperialist with a samurai mindset which go hand in hand. He wanted to die in "honor" it had absolutely nothing to do with atomic bombs
@@ProfessorMAG He didn't embellish it, It never happened in the first place. Sakai's translator mad it up to make the ending of Sakai's memoir seem more impactful than dying embers of a military it truly was. He admitted as much in several interviews and newer printings of "Samurai", which is his memoirs as a Imperial Navy Japanese Navy pilot.
@lostship4184 that's honestly better to know because if he did it it's a cowardly act to attack a plane days after the war was over and it was clear the allies weren't just taking free shots at a country that already surrendered
He never mentioned they thought there was a 3rd nuke. He was never a gloating pilot, did his duty until the war ended just like fighting men on both sides. He thought Kamakazi was bad policy and a waste, was not a Samari creed.
Will the Japanese people ever be told of the horrible atrocities their army committed across Asia or will they go on believing themselves to be victims of the cruel American atomic bombs?
@Scott Campbell I have often thought that seeing and feeling the evil within one's self, then dealing with it through confession, repentance, pennance and redemption is among the hardest things a human can do.
He may have been, the enemy of the US, and the allies, but HE WAS a warrior🪖🇯🇵. I doesn't matter what nation you're from, a warrior, is a warrior. Shot down 3 enemy planes, in 15 seconds??? Talk about, johnny on the spot😯⁉️ And, 60 'recorded' kills??? Him being shot in the head, with partial blindness, and STILL MAKES it home👍!!!! Amazing pilot.
After this the Japanese government ordered the propellers to be removed from all aircraft to prevent any such attack happening again to break the cease fire. The pilots did not like this, but armed troops were sent to the airbases to remove the props and carry them away.
Thank you for acknowledging this great man. In addition to vowing as a Buddhist to never hurt a living thing, he was a motivational speaker who counseled young people not to throw their lives away foolishly!
The problem with fighting to the death is you deplete your supply of soldiers with combat experience. the US would send their best pilots home to train other pilots. It was also a good incentive to fight well while in combat. the Japanese allowed their most experience pilots to die in combat.
My mother was an Army nurse, the triage officer with a field evacuation hospital that had been deployed to Europe in 1944-45. After VE Day she was in London, until her unit received orders to board the transport ship to head to the Pacific in August. The bombs stopped that. Otherwise her unit would have been part of the invasion, and as brutal and utterly ruthless as the Japanese had been her hospital would have been a target, mainly to cause fear and disgust among the Allies. I have no problem with the use of the atomic bombs!
The googles he was wearing when he was hit were on display at the Admiral Nimitz Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, Texas some years ago....very cool to see.
Sorry to hear you maybe a decendent of a soldier who could not accept his loss. Seppuku would have been more honarable if it meant that much to him....Ronin?
@@hctim96 Don't confuse Samurai with Kamikaze. One was a profession, the other... well... It was a state of mind. And my Mom's parents were peasant farmers. Somehow that almost royalty class of Samurai in Japan didn't trickle down... 😁 I'd actually believe it more if someone came up with a sword, but I don't think that's gonna happen, lol.
I have no malice for soldiers in war as we only do what we are ordered to do but to do what is right against orders is the bravest thing for a soldier to do.
Japan's culturalistic pride and dishonor in defeat is what brought the bombs..we wanted unconditional surrender however the pride of the Japanese government wouldnt allow it..knowing defeat was absolute they refused to surrender..important to know when you're beat and to keep your pride in check..there are diff levels of consequences for the leaders of nations..FOR ALL LEADERS OF ALL NATIONS
I just got shit on my fingers from where you pulled those numbers out of your history channel watchin ass... Your hypothesis is completely subjective and hypothetical...
My father was in the Navy when his best friend was killed practically for the Japan invasion. The A bomb came too late for him. The attack on Pearl Harbor did awake a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. Too bad!
The version I've heard was that a B32 was going to fly a mission to test Japanese fidelity to the Emperors surrender announcement. Some Navy pilots of the 343rd weren't along with the flight before any surrender was final and met at an Army airbase and took those aircraft, probably to hide their identity . . . Sakai in a Ki 44. Their might've been army pilots along as well. They attacked the last recon flight of the war and the rear gunner was the last casualty. I don't remember the account being in his book but in some magazine with an article about the Ki 44. If true this account said he had no oxygen and could only climb to a range to shoot unguided missiles up towards the target before peeling off so if the account were accurate someone else hit the gunner.. The B32's mission and purpose was pre-announced. . There are reported witnesses that claim he was seen . . . heresay . . . . The attack did happen and was probably one reason we destroyed all their aircraft. Talk of officers not wanting to stand trial for war crimes was another for insurgency was still a definite concern.
That cracked me up when he said the pilot claimed only having one eye didn’t affect him and he proved that when he flew up to a group of American planes thinking they were Japanese. Wow. Lol
Just prior to the narrator saying the loss of an eye did not affect Sakai's ability, he stated that an operation restored the sight in Sakai's damaged eye before returning to combat. Was the eye's vision only partially restored?
SBD Dauntless attacking Sakai??? Now that's a story I want to know more about! Clearly the SBD's pilot was assigned to the wrong aircraft. And it's not the first time I've read about SBD's mixing it up with Zero's.
Saburo Sakai was an absolute legend- imagine flying 1200 miles from Guadalcanal back to Rabaul(1200 miles) over open water with a bullet in your head , blinded and partly paralyzed, fighting to stay awake, and without any navigation aids, radio, etc. I believe he was the only Japanese NCO pilot to be promoted to Ensign by the end of the war as well. If you can find his autobiography "Samurai", read it. Great account of life in the Japanese Navy as an enlisted man, under brutal conditions. These early Japanese Naval pilots were extremely well trained.
3ach bomb took around 2---3 weeks to make and there were still 3 in the armoury figures vary Had the Japanese not surrendered a third was to be dropped on Tokyo Had a sea land invasion gone ahead the casualties were 3stimated to be 4 million Japanese 2 million Allied forces Th3 nukes were the only real option
Dear Japan: don't you find it strange that there are sites that are stirring up old painful memories to try to separate? I spent two wonderful years with my family in Japan...❤️🙏🇺🇸
It's currently fashionable to celebrate diversities and divisions while dismissing our common humanity. There's nothing correct nor enlightened about breeding alienation and animosity among races and ethnicities.
The Axis were working on nukes too. America just got lucky we did it first. Nukes are evil, but at least Germany or Japan didn't get them first. I'd rather have my country somewhat rightfully critized for using it, than the alternatives for sure.
When it comes to Imperial Japan's military, I do have a degree of respect towards their navy and airforce because of how well trained their sailors and pilots were. Unlike their army which were nothing more than a bunch of brutal sadistic butchers, their navy and airforce was at least more honorable.
In his autobiography, Saburo Sakai did not say they felt that a third atomic bomb was immanent, but instead they literally just wanted to prove they could shoot down what they thought was a B-29 after being kept out of combat as an instructor.
In face he said that after the bombing of Hiroshima "Then came the hammer blow of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria...was more personal and more real and far more devastating in its implications"
As a result of attacks like this, in order to prevent others, General MacArthur ordered all Japanese aircraft to have their propellers removed.
The main incident that prompted the High Command to order all propellers ripped off was the drunken Kamikaze raid led and flown by Admiral Matome Ugaki. The leader and founder of the Kamikaze squadrons. Following the Emperors surrender orders he and his airmen got falling down drunk and decided to show the American’s their fury. Ugaki climbed into a Zero with 2 other young pilots stuffed in around him. And led a flight to nowhere that was probably trying to attack the US 7th Fleet off Japan’s Southern Coast. No US ships reported any attacks or contact with the pack of drunken misfits. Ugaki’s plane was finally located crashed in relatively shallow water, heading in the general direction of some US transport ships.
Not that Ugaki’s mission should be taken lightly. Just 4 days prior a lone Japanese plane managed to penetrate the US defenses and put a Torpedo into the side of the Battleship USS Pennsylvania. Killing 20, injuring 10 including Admiral Jesse Ollendorf. And doing tremendous damage to the ship. She was the last Capital Ship to be struck in WW2. She was also one of the first to be struck on Dec 7, 1941.
Needless to say after Admiral Ugaki went rogue Tokyo ordered the propellers ripped off most of the aircraft and chained up under lock and key. MacArthur didn’t actually order it. It occurred before he met the initial delegation from Japan on August 19. In fact when the initial contingent of the US Army advanced team landed at Atsugi a few days later they were astonished to see all the propellers plucked off the planes. Incidents such as Sakai’s while dangerous at that moment weren’t the main concern. Both sides knew some conflicts might occur in the air over Japan as the war wound down and orders trickled out. Nobody was going to restart the war over the loss of a B-29 reconnaissance plane. But putting a Kamikaze into a Carrier was another matter entirely. Let alone somebody taking a run at the Missouri, West Virginia or King George V in Tokyo Harbor.
The attack was after the order for all but a G4m Betty designated to fly the Japanese delegates to iwo jima for surrender talks
I thought that was the B-32 Dominator "Hobo Queen", not a B-29?....
@@dyer2cycle I believe the Japanese pilots misidentified the plane as a B-29. This was really the only time and mission profile the B-32's were used so they likely had no idea what they were.
My father was assigned to Japan, we lived there from 1974-77. One of the coolest things was actually meeting Mr. Sakai. I didn’t comprehend the magnanimity of the man I met as a 9 year old, until I was a soldier. I greatly wish I had met him again when I was older, but needless to say, he was the epitome of Bushido, but would also be considered chivalrous and gentlemanly.
Wish I could have met him. Sadly I would be unable too due to the fact he died 7 years before I was born. 😢
Have a nice day.
As a soldier/airman, he showed true honor by choosing not to engage women and children, a concept the went straight over the head of Japanese leadership of the time.
I seriously doubt any of the millions of innocent civilians _(who were murdered, raped and tortured to death at the hands of these sadists and murderers)_ appreciated that 'Bushido code' that you're fawning over.
I wonder what he thought of his fellow countrymen in the Kyushu University medical staff eating the livers of American pilots that had been tortured to death. The Japanese military and government escaped justice by a mile.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy 13:05 like
"Everybody talks about fighting to the death. Only the Japanese actually do it." - Winston Churchill
Imagine the Marines fighting in the Philippines knowing the Japanese will fight to the last man on every island...
@@adamlannerd1408 Can you say in another comment which American branch of the armed services did the ground fighting in the Philippines during World War II, and did most of the ground fighting there? I'm having trouble, finding this information.
@@kenw9681 My father flew combat air in Leyte in B-25s. I believe that the US Army did most of the fighting with support from the USMC during the liberation of the Philippines. The USMC enraged Gen. MacArthur by placing a sign near his H.Q.: The sign read - "With the help of God and a few marines MacArthur took the Philippines!"
@@kenw9681 most US ground troops in the Philippine liberation were US Army troops
Tell that to the 405K+ US military who died in WWII.
A B-32 crew member died in the final attack. Considered the final US combat death. This happened after Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender but before the surrender on USS Missouri.
So he is another jap war criminal...
@@richardcline1337 Some would call you racist, but considering their horrible acts against the Chinese, POW's and never surrendering; you are correct.
. The war was over he should have faced the firing squad for the murder of that crew member
Racist😂😂😂
That is hilarious
@@basedpatriot4982 Many people under colonial rule found that the Japanese despised anyone who wasn’t Japanese
I read Saburo's book. He thought the planes were more SBD divebombers with 30 caliber rear guns- instead, they were TBFs with 50 cal guns and he was in their range before he knew it. THAT is why he was hit so hard
From what I understand, he was coming in from below and was hit by the .30 caliber ventral guns of the Avengers he was attacking.
In the book he states that he thought that they were grumman wildcats which look similar to the avenger.
@@timcvetic5054 he thought they were SBD's. They were Avengers.
imagine thinking your going up against dive bombers but then get hit dozen times by a .50
@@DoBraveryFPS I read Martin Caiden's book SAMURAI!, basically Sakai's autobiography with Caiden's help. Sakai said in the book he thought he was sneaking up on Wildcats. He marveled how close he was getting, and they even tightened their formation making it easier for him to get multiple kills. But when Sakai got closer, he thought they were Avengers, and they had probably tightened their formation to bring ALL their rear guns on him. He figured if he turned he would just get shot down, that his best chance was to bull through and shoot as many of them as he could in the process. (Turns out, from later sources, they had been Dauntlesses.)
The remarkable part of that story is how he flew back to Rabaul with a head wound from a machine gun bullet that partially blinded and paralyzed him. In a damaged Zero. Sakai flew for hours, and somehow landed at his base.
While clearing out an old Rohr building in Chula Vista, California several years ago, I came upon the pilot/copilot instrument panel from a B-32 Dominator and saved it from being thrown in the trash. It’s now proudly displayed in my garage with other aviation memorabilia. Respect to all the brave airmen from all sides of that momentous conflict.
That's cool, I have an original US Army technical manual dated Sep 25th 1942 titled "The Motorcycle", in it it's got all the technical information about tearing down everything to the last nut and bolt and rebuilding every component with all the service wear limits and rebuilding size limits, it covers not only the common Harley 45 inch military flat head and the common Indian "Scout" 45 inch military flat head but also has the BMW style opposed cylinder shaft drive Harley that only 1,000 of were made and were supposed to go into production but was canceled on the verge of production starting but also has the shaft drive answer made by Indian which was an interesting variant of their already produced 45 inch military Scout that had the engine turned 90° sideways in the style of a post war Italian Moto Guzzi.
About 25 years ago when the Harley fad was in full swing I ran into a collector of military motorcycle's that when I told him I had that manual offered me $500 for it sight unseen, I told him forget about it, for all the longer $500 lasts it isn't worth it to give up the "wow factor" of having it for the rest of my life.
Since I don't have any real heirs in life I'm going to see to it that it'll wind up in an appropriate museum or some kind of collection to make sure it's preserved forever as opposed to it staying in private hands and God only knows what could become of it.
My dad was training on the B-32 in TX. Always wish they saved one of those planes. Awesome find on your part.
My father was being trained for the invasion of Japan. Got no problem with using the nukes to end the war.
My father was on a new destroyer slated to support the invasion. He probably would have survived the war but Japan had many Kamikaze aircraft which had been quite destructive of destroyers. And even if he had survived he would have returned home probably years later so I wouldn’t have been born. So thank you Harry Truman.
S&S......BK ............my Father always laughed that he was the soldier in WW2 not to see action .........but in mid 45 he was destined to be on the 1st wave into Japan .......Pop was a big Truman man !!!!!
My father was a Corpsman in the Philippines, training with the Marines, to land some of the initial landing craft on the Japanese home islands.
my father survived the air war in Europe on B-24s and was on his way to the Pacific to fly the P-61 Black Widow from Okinawa for the invasion. He said unequivocally the A-bombs saved his life. Also i wouldnt be here.
@@bluskytoo You and me both. I doubt a lot of us would be here if the invasion had gone forward.
Actually, as Saburo Sakai writes in his book "Samurai", he did not intentionally fly upside down - instead, he lost his consciousness and then regained it, realizing that he was flying upside down, i.e., the flip happened while he was unconscious.
theres nothing special or admirable about people who believed in bushido or kamikaze, theres nothing moral about ending your own life by your own hands. japan was the last country would sympathy in ww2
I read Saburo Sakai's book, Samurai, fifty years ago. I am no fan of the Japanese in WWII, my father-in-law having been one of Carlson's Raiders on Guadalcanal, but Sakai's book is a very thoughtful insight into what the war looked like from the Japanese perspective.
My Father in Law, my wife's Uncle served in the Pacific campaigns. One strung radio wire plus communications support for the island campaings with the Navy, the other for the Army fought hand to hand against the Japanese defending a medical station. Neither had any moral respect for Japanese due to their tactics and both consdiered them cruel fighters. These were simple rural types of people from the Bible Belt; snipers shooting people to hang wounded while up on a pole, and structured attempts to kill the wounded/medical personnel seemed beyond the pale of war for Western ideals/country folks.
We just going to skip over the fact that this man somehow survived a headshot, only losing an eye, while being a pilot. Who landed the plane?
He was also flying for hours over the ocean, with a wounded plane, landing almost at night on a tiny landing strip.
He did
He was pre war trained and Japan trained very hard
Yes the man is a legend. Id have died I'm sure, you would have choked on your own blood, and he lands the plane GIVES the debrief only to then be worked on. I mean good god man.
He did Einstein.. 🤦🏼
He didn’t skip it, try listening.
His fight against the Hellcats reminds me of what Gen. Chuck Yeager, wrote in his book, "The Right Stuff". "It's the better pilot, not the plane that's going to get you." And Sakai proved him right, of course, he fought for his life also.
How am I supposed to feel bad about the nukes. They screwed around and they found out. End of sympathy.
Agree
you have to go back to what happened before the war started.... Japan got a raw deal from the USA that really angered them. They were basically used then disrespected
@@briangriffith3985 tbh we were subjugating Korea, invading China and acting like dicks to the soviets so we got sanctioned. We just wanted oil lol
My grandfather and other important adults in my life were in the Pacific fighting this man and his comrades, so I find little cause to feel sympathy, much less admiration for this pilot.
Japan earned every thing they received in WW2.
A truly courageous warrior would have seen the terrible and needless cost of continuing a hopeless war was taking on the children of Japan and refused to prolong their suffering to satisfy his code of honor.
@@alaingion5220 I hear you and I agree at the time if I was alive I would have been on board. Time passes we look at things differently. Tbh you have to ask why they did all you said. We asked for their help in World War One and we fucked them. Kept them out of any meaningful meetings of Germany’s surrender. They felt shunned. They were tired of western imperialism and wanted an Asian power to control Asia. At the same time a law is passed (no bullshit look it up I couldn’t believe either) banning Asians from immigrating to American except they didn’t say that I believe they called them yellows. I think originally it was for the Chinese but turned into Asia I don’t exactly remember. Now I’m a combat vet and I’m not saying anything that was done justified the atrocities they committed but I think it’s important to see how it came to that in the first place. We cut them off for expanding and they needed oil and resources to be able to conquer what they wanted to conquer which they were no longer getting from us. They thought we couldn’t take a punch and they fucked around and found out but not only them but the rest of the world found out as well.
People forget that the fire bombing of Tokyo and Japans other major cities were way more deadly and devastating than the two smallish nukes were…. It was just that it only took one nuke to cause the unimaginable destruction that was wrought. They had no idea how many of those we had at our disposal and that’s what forced them to surrender rather quickly. Those nukes saved many more Japanese lives than they extinguished in the long run.
The nukes also kept the Russians out of a mainland attack and eventual occupation. If the war didn't end when it did, Japan would have been split like Germany. The reality is that the nukes helped Japan's long term survival.
I read his account of fending off all of those Hellcats. He was amazed to see these planes match his Zero's manueverability, but it was abvious they were mostly rookie pilots. He only escaped by flying into a water spout. He ssid his plane went totally out of contfol, even flying backward, but got out ok. I wish there was a report from an American who saw him do that !
This narrator is one of the best in the business. His narration in this episode was particularly effective. Very well done, sir.
Saburo Sakai is a legend. Samurai of the sky!
Sakai's evasion of the 15 Hellcat's was detailed in his autobiography "Samarai!" - he headed for a nearby japanese held island - performing the same snap maneuver whenever an american was in position to shoot - he explained that only a small handful of pilots in all air forces developed the skill to shoot down more than a plane or two - and this was born out by his success in avoiding being shot down by the Hellcats - when he got within range of the japanese guns - the americans peeled off - and he landed - without - being - hit - once
Shooting all my ammo on a single target is me at Warthunder 😂. I always get one shot killed
Lmao in my head. Why would you do that? I remember doing so multiple times with others doing the same in this single bomber. Didn't go down to my knowledge. Yet still, I hardly ever do that much.
Sakai did not shoot down the B-29 after the armistice. He didn't embellish it, It never happened in the first place. Sakai's translator(Fred Saito) made it up to make the ending of Sakai's memoir seem more impactful than dying embers of a military it truly was. He admitted as much in several interviews and newer printings of "Samurai", which is his memoirs as a Imperial Navy Japanese Navy pilot.
This video also has a lot of elements that are wrong. Half of the quotes are misrepresenting what Sakai actually wrote. Sakai didn't fight just as well with one eye, and he would tell you as such(in his book, that I'm guessing Dark Skies did not read.
This channel is easily the most inaccurate History Channel I've found on UA-cam.
Then give me the link mr historian.
Thank you for the update, this channel continues to disappoint....😕
There are LOTS of them.
@@edwardfletcher7790 Lots of clickbait channels with gross errors.
Sub to Mark Felton for accurate and trustworthy info.
@@totoitekelcha7628 it's called doing research and not just believing the first thing, or most interesting thing put out there. Don't be Niave.
"They took to the skies in one last suicide mission that defied every international accord." Pretty much sums up all of Japans actions in WW2, defying every international accord.
He was quite a guy. An aces ace, and a gentleman. The fact he flew a plane for 4 hours with sight in one eye with a bleeding head wound only tells you a little about him. His stories of others, such as the Betty bomber pilot whose plane was on fire and who attempted to loop the doomed aircraft when it exploded in mid-loop, tells you something about those who didn't make it, but who wanted to leave their mark as pilots.
I read Saburo Sakai’s books, “Zero” and “Samurai”. “Zero” in the early ‘50s while in college and was the first book of that type I had read. I thought it great. Some decades later I came across “Samurai”. The cover information seemed to duplicate what I had read in “Zero” and I nearly failed to buy it as I couldn’t figure out how the man could write anything worthwhile that he didn’t include in the first book. Fortunately, I did. It was better as it went into more detail than the first.
With all due respect I disagree with Frank Drevin. He mistook the TBFs for F4Fs, which one could easily do when viewing from behind and low. The silhouettes are similar. I remember the encounter better from “Zero”. On closing he thought it strange that the fighters were tightening their formation. He realized his error too late and a stinger got him. “Samurai” gave a better account on his return to base.
I'm not a fan of the japanese during WWII, I spent over 20 years working in SE Asia and have read about and seen many of the sights that the Japanese occupied during the war. The Germans have nothing on the atrocities the Japanese committed throughout Asia. In the Japanese's mind if you were not Japanese you were subhuman and that's how they treated everyone. Very few Japanese were tried for war crimes because Gen MacArthur decided it would drag out to long and he needed to get Japan back on its feet so it could start supporting itself so America didn't have to support it like we were doing in Europe.
This insight into Japanese culture is outstanding. Thanks you.
Amazing film , many thanks for posting it.
He seemed to be fairly unlucky with unit identification but damn did he have spirit!
Excellent presentation, thank you so much !
Bill P.
Thank you, I have heard about this pilot, and I now know his story.
Do read the book, "Samurai."
I don't believe he actually thought it was another atomic bomb. He was a suicidal imperialist with a samurai mindset which go hand in hand. He wanted to die in "honor" it had absolutely nothing to do with atomic bombs
Sounds like he embellished his story a bit. Not uncommon when trying to sell an "Autobiography".
Ya, they feared the fire bombing far more than those nukes.
@@ProfessorMAG He didn't embellish it, It never happened in the first place. Sakai's translator mad it up to make the ending of Sakai's memoir seem more impactful than dying embers of a military it truly was. He admitted as much in several interviews and newer printings of "Samurai", which is his memoirs as a Imperial Navy Japanese Navy pilot.
@lostship4184 that's honestly better to know because if he did it it's a cowardly act to attack a plane days after the war was over and it was clear the allies weren't just taking free shots at a country that already surrendered
He never mentioned they thought there was a 3rd nuke.
He was never a gloating pilot, did his duty until the war ended just like fighting men on both sides. He thought Kamakazi was bad policy and a waste, was not a Samari creed.
Will the Japanese people ever be told of the horrible atrocities their army committed across Asia or will they go on believing themselves to be victims of the cruel American atomic bombs?
@Scott Campbell I have often thought that seeing and feeling the evil within one's self, then dealing with it through confession, repentance, pennance and redemption is among the hardest things a human can do.
Well done, very informative and entertaining
Aggressive acts after the ceasefire and surrender of Japan should have been a war crime.
a war crime? how many is that, their thousandth one?
Information slow getting around. Surrender not official till signing on USS Missouri.
He may have been, the enemy of the US, and the allies, but HE WAS a warrior🪖🇯🇵. I doesn't matter what nation you're from, a warrior, is a warrior. Shot down 3 enemy planes, in 15 seconds??? Talk about, johnny on the spot😯⁉️ And, 60 'recorded' kills??? Him being shot in the head, with partial blindness, and STILL MAKES it home👍!!!! Amazing pilot.
certified bruh moment
Awesome Story! Love Ya Man!!!!
After this the Japanese government ordered the propellers to be removed from all aircraft to prevent any such attack happening again to break the cease fire. The pilots did not like this, but armed troops were sent to the airbases to remove the props and carry them away.
Thank you for acknowledging this great man. In addition to vowing as a Buddhist to never hurt a living thing, he was a motivational speaker who counseled young people not to throw their lives away foolishly!
Do you mean like he tried to do?
You and I have a very different definition of “disaster”. Cool story and all, but let’s not pretend that the bombs weren’t 100% warranted
Shhhhh, you cant say something that is historically accurate and supported by the further investigation of primary sources, what are you crazy?
By the way, wholeheartedly agree with your statement.
I had the honor of meeting the gentleman at a air show many years ago. A nicer person you will never meet!
I'm sure all of the crew of the USS Arizona don't feel too bad bout this
The problem with fighting to the death is you deplete your supply of soldiers with combat experience. the US would send their best pilots home to train other pilots. It was also a good incentive to fight well while in combat. the Japanese allowed their most experience pilots to die in combat.
Remember that episode of black sheep squadron where the Japanese pilots would taunt the Marines? i’ll bet this guy would’ve done that.
a corsair pilot would have to be asleep to let a zero shoot him down
They did! @6:37
(In his autobiography)
Even defeated enemies have combatants who possess supreme skill and courage. Sakai stands at the pinnacle of such warriors.
Nice bit of research, thankyou.
It would be nice if you used videos that matched your description.
Brilliant and tenacious in the face of adversity. Respect for the island nation.
Read about this very same person. After the war, as it was said in the video, a fly was buzzing around his head, and the refused to kill the fly.
My mother was an Army nurse, the triage officer with a field evacuation hospital that had been deployed to Europe in 1944-45. After VE Day she was in London, until her unit received orders to board the transport ship to head to the Pacific in August. The bombs stopped that. Otherwise her unit would have been part of the invasion, and as brutal and utterly ruthless as the Japanese had been her hospital would have been a target, mainly to cause fear and disgust among the Allies. I have no problem with the use of the atomic bombs!
The googles he was wearing when he was hit were on display at the Admiral Nimitz Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, Texas some years ago....very cool to see.
One eye covered of course 😂
@@DaveSCameron He means the goggles from the Guadalcanal incident.(One lens shot out)
@@LostShipMate Ah gotcja
I’ve visited that museum. Nimitz had an interesting and inspiring life.
I am descended from Samurai. On my Mom's side. And my Mom's maiden name was Sakai.
That and $4, will buy me a cup of coffee... 😁
Sorry to hear you maybe a decendent of a soldier who could not accept his loss. Seppuku would have been more honarable if it meant that much to him....Ronin?
@@hctim96 Don't confuse Samurai with Kamikaze. One was a profession, the other... well... It was a state of mind.
And my Mom's parents were peasant farmers. Somehow that almost royalty class of Samurai in Japan didn't trickle down... 😁
I'd actually believe it more if someone came up with a sword, but I don't think that's gonna happen, lol.
Yes? My Dad was a Kamikaze pilot who flew 7 unsuccessful suicide missions against unidentified Japanese sushi boats. 😑
I'd buy you that coffee.
My grandpa downed more German planes than anyone else in the war, he was the worst mechanic in the whole Luftwaffe!
He flew upside-down to prevent losing consciousness? I'm speechless...
At least he had good morals not shooting the dutch transport. What a legend.
Truly a Samurai of the skies.
captivating insight, enjoyed during my milk and cereal breakfast.
He was a legend, a flying ace of Imperial Japanese Navy.
Sakai is one seriously lucky man. There's definitely skill there, luck trumped his legendary skills.
I would love to hear more Saburo Sakai stories, he is my favorite Japanese Pilot Ace.
If you haven’t read it already, his autobiography is called “Samuri!”
@@triszlers I’ve heard of it before and I wish to buy it.
The only reason I know this person is because one photo of him is used in War Thunder as a player icon, which I find quite fascinating.
How can you be merciless and compassionate, is that compassionately merciless or mercilessly compassionate? And from a totalitarian society?
I have no malice for soldiers in war as we only do what we are ordered to do but to do what is right against orders is the bravest thing for a soldier to do.
A noble foe. All due honour and respect to him and his line.
Great Video! Thx. ✨💯
Sukai killed a B-32 crew member AFTER the ceasefire was in place. He’s a murderer.
a true hero - even he was the enemy
Nice! Thanks.
Why not do a video on Sgt. Anthony Marchione, the Last Man To Die, probably thanks to Sakai
Japan's culturalistic pride and dishonor in defeat is what brought the bombs..we wanted unconditional surrender however the pride of the Japanese government wouldnt allow it..knowing defeat was absolute they refused to surrender..important to know when you're beat and to keep your pride in check..there are diff levels of consequences for the leaders of nations..FOR ALL LEADERS OF ALL NATIONS
@Addict2Addict I have often wondered how far Americans would haver resisted had the Allies lost World War 2.
Considering how horrific Imperial Japan treated the Chinese and American POW. Dropping nukes on them is tame by comparison.
The bombs were 1000% warranted and easily can be argue that those nuclear blasts saved 10-15 million and 1-5 million American lives.
I just got shit on my fingers from where you pulled those numbers out of your history channel watchin ass... Your hypothesis is completely subjective and hypothetical...
Thank you
My father was in the Navy when his best friend was killed practically for the Japan invasion. The A bomb came too late for him. The attack on Pearl Harbor did awake a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. Too bad!
For people who claim to be heroic so many were cowards, to fire at unarmed defenseless people is cowardice in the extreme!
The version I've heard was that a B32 was going to fly a mission to test Japanese fidelity to the Emperors surrender announcement. Some Navy pilots of the 343rd weren't along with the flight before any surrender was final and met at an Army airbase and took those aircraft, probably to hide their identity . . . Sakai in a Ki 44. Their might've been army pilots along as well. They attacked the last recon flight of the war and the rear gunner was the last casualty. I don't remember the account being in his book but in some magazine with an article about the Ki 44. If true this account said he had no oxygen and could only climb to a range to shoot unguided missiles up towards the target before peeling off so if the account were accurate someone else hit the gunner.. The B32's mission and purpose was pre-announced.
.
There are reported witnesses that claim he was seen . . . heresay . . . . The attack did happen and was probably one reason we destroyed all their aircraft. Talk of officers not wanting to stand trial for war crimes was another for insurgency was still a definite concern.
Watching from Greece.hi everybody.
Interesting video.
This would be crazy to recreate in a WW2 version of Ace Combat.
I'll have to read his account. I think its amazing he didn't commit suicide.
Kudos for thr video
First thing that came into my mind when i saw the thumbnail was one war thunder profile icon
same lmao
What a f-ing stud. He can drink from my canteen any day!
That cracked me up when he said the pilot claimed only having one eye didn’t affect him and he proved that when he flew up to a group of American planes thinking they were Japanese. Wow. Lol
Just prior to the narrator saying the loss of an eye did not affect Sakai's ability, he stated that an operation restored the sight in Sakai's damaged eye before returning to combat. Was the eye's vision only partially restored?
SBD Dauntless attacking Sakai??? Now that's a story I want to know more about! Clearly the SBD's pilot was assigned to the wrong aircraft. And it's not the first time I've read about SBD's mixing it up with Zero's.
Wow ! What an ace.
Saburo Sakai was an absolute legend- imagine flying 1200 miles from Guadalcanal back to Rabaul(1200 miles) over open water with a bullet in your head , blinded and partly paralyzed, fighting to stay awake, and without any navigation aids, radio, etc. I believe he was the only Japanese NCO pilot to be promoted to Ensign by the end of the war as well. If you can find his autobiography "Samurai", read it. Great account of life in the Japanese Navy as an enlisted man, under brutal conditions. These early Japanese Naval pilots were extremely well trained.
3ach bomb took around 2---3 weeks to make and there were still 3 in the armoury figures vary Had the Japanese not surrendered a third was to be dropped on Tokyo Had a sea land invasion gone ahead the casualties were 3stimated to be 4 million Japanese 2 million Allied forces Th3 nukes were the only real option
Well the US did plan on dropping 3 bombs but stopped after 2. They could not stomach more after the 2nd bomb, the devastation was just too great.
Great story!
In all my years of studies I never knew this...Musta been absent that day.
The samurai warrior attitude did not serve the Japanese favorably. It just emboldened their racism.
This Japanese pilot was definitely a WAR THUNDER PLAYER LOL
Dear Japan: don't you find it strange that there are sites that are stirring up old painful memories to try to separate?
I spent two wonderful years with my family in Japan...❤️🙏🇺🇸
It's currently fashionable to celebrate diversities and divisions while dismissing our common humanity. There's nothing correct nor enlightened about breeding alienation and animosity among races and ethnicities.
Considering the plane he attacked that day was a B-32 dominator recon bomber aircraft, not a B-29. Get your information correct
they thought it was a b-29
he said that it ended up being a b-32
He should have been court martialed for disobeying the ceasefire.
The Axis were working on nukes too. America just got lucky we did it first. Nukes are evil, but at least Germany or Japan didn't get them first. I'd rather have my country somewhat rightfully critized for using it, than the alternatives for sure.
The Japanese should have court marshaled Sakai for defying and dishonoring the Emperor's orders.
When it comes to Imperial Japan's military, I do have a degree of respect towards their navy and airforce because of how well trained their sailors and pilots were. Unlike their army which were nothing more than a bunch of brutal sadistic butchers, their navy and airforce was at least more honorable.
Great Story one courageous pilot
Wasnt the man that was killed on that b32 the last us combat fatality of ww2?
I would love to see dark skies cover the story of the Boeing X-32.
What a legend