HISTORY

led a squadron of horizontal bombers of

the aircraft carrier Kaga. From July 1937

his unit participated in the undeclared war

against China. At that time it was armed

with sixteen Yokosuka B3Y1s and twenty-two Mitsubishi B2M2 bombers. Kusumi

commanded one of these squadrons or

part of it. Kaga also had sixteen Aichi D1A1

„Susie“ dive bombers and sixteen Nakajima A2N1 fighters, which were replaced a month later by modern Mitsubishi

A5M „Claude“ monoplanes. In September

1937, Kusumi‘s squadron rearmed to thirty-two Yokosuka B4Y1 „Jean“ biplanes. It

was with these machines that the Kaga

airmen sank the American river gunboat

USS „Panay“ on the Yangtze River on December 12.

After a year and a half of virtually continuous combat deployment in China, Tadashi Kusumi was transferred to Ōita

Kōkūtai in December 1938. His task was

to pass on experience from the Chinese

battlefield, but in mid-January 1939 he

was additionally appointed inspector for

aircraft division at Hiroshima Arsenal. In

November 1939 he was again assigned to

Kasumigaura Kōkūtai, but only a month

later he was appointed to the post of

Hikōtaichō at Yatabe Kōkūtai. This was a

training unit that provided flight training

under the Sōren program for Navy enlisted men and NCOs.

In November 1940, Kusumi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and then served briefly with Iwakuni and Yokosuka Kōkūtai. He returned

aboard an aircraft carrier on September

1, 1941. He was appointed to the position of Hikōtaichō of the B5N „Kate“ bomber squadron within the HIJMS Hiryū Air

Group. After the attack on Hawaii, the Japanese Navy officially credited Kusumi‘s

crew with the destruction of the battleship Arizona. En route to Japan, Tadashi

Kusumi led Hiryū bombers during raids

on Wake Atoll on December 22 and 23. In

the spring of 1942, he commanded bombers during raids on Colombo on April 4,

and Trincomalee during April 9.

His last assignment was the position

of Hikōtaichō of the B5N “Kate” bomber

squadron of the aircraft carrier Kaga,

which he assumed on April 20, 1942. He

participated in the Battle of Midway, but no

records of his involvement in air operations survived. He perished in the cockpit

of his aircraft in the ship‘s hangar, which

was hit by Dauntless bombers during the

fateful rush to rearm Japanese aircraft.

Tadashi Kusumi was posthumously promoted to Commander.

Kusumi‘s photograph and key information for this biography was kindly provided

by Mike Wegner with the support of Ron

Werneth. Many thanks to both gentlemen.

24

INFO Eduard

View looking down Battleship Row from Ford Island Naval Air Station, shortly after the

Japanese attack. USS California (BB-44) is at left, listing to port after receiving two torpedo

hits. In the center are USS Maryland (BB-46) with the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37)

alongside. USS Neosho (AO-23) is at right, backing clear of the area. Most smoke is from

USS Arizona (BB-39) (photo: National Archives).

The explosion virtually destroyed the entire structure forward of the front extension to the anchor guides level with the

armored deck. Number 1 and 2 turrets fell

through to the same level, and the heavily damaged superstructure and front

three-legged mast collapsed forward to

a 45 degree angle. Fires and resulting explosions destroyed the center section of

the ship all the way to the dinghy crane

deck. The stern of the ship up to this crane deck took only minor damage. The area

surrounding the ship was ablaze due to

leaking fuel and it took two days to put the

fire out. The loss of life was the heaviest

among the ships in Pearl Harbor that day

and totaled 1,177crew killed, including the

Captain Van Valkenburg and Rear Admiral

Isaac C. Kidd. After an assessment of the

damage to the Arizona, she was deemed

unrepairable. Work began on December

22nd to remove useable weapons, munitions and other salvageable items, and to

dismantle the wreck above the waterline. The USS Arizona was officially struck

from the US Navy registry on December

1, 1942.

the divers. Of the items that were salvaged, the main caliber weapons are noteworthy. Number 3 and 4 rear turrets

were removed, with the intent of placing

them as coastal batteries ‘Pennsylvania’

and ‘Arizona’ on the Mokapu Peninsula

near Kahu Point on Oahu. Only the ‘Pennsylvania’ was completed in August, 1945,

which celebrated the Japanese surrender

by way of test firings. Both her and the

nearly completed ‘Arizona’ battery were

decommissioned and scrapped shortly

after the war. The roof and front of Turret

No.2 were removed and the cannon refurbished to be installed in the USS Nevada

as replacements for her worn out units.

The remaining parts of Turret No.2 and all

of Turret No.1 remained in place.

Demolition of the remains of the wreckage were considered through the use of

explosives and outright removal from the

water, either completely or in part. In 1947,

it was decided to leave the wreck in place as the final resting place of the crew.

A flag mast was placed over the wreckage in 1950, and the daily tradition of

raising and lowering Old Glory at the site

was initiated. On March 15, 1958, CongreEpilogue

ss approved and President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the establishing of

Salvage and demolition work on the USS a memorial over the wreck. The conArizona continued to the end of 1943 when struction of the memorial structure

they were definitely completed. The re- across the deck of the wreckage was

mains of less than 200 of her crew were completed on May 30, 1962, and currently

lifted from the surface of the wreck and stands in honor of the Arizona’s crew, and

surrounding areas immediately after the to all the victims of the attack of Decemattack. During 1942, divers would retrieve ber 7, 1941.

a further 105 bodies, but, despite pressure

from the victims’ relatives, this recovery

effort was halted due to the decomposition of the bodies and dangers faced by

April 2022