Strana 37
A6M5 Zero Type 52, Lt. Nao Sugisaki, Kōkūtai 352,
Ōmura Base, Japan, March 1945
A6M2-K, Ensign Kōzō Koizumi, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai,
Dai 7 Shōwa-tai, Kanoya Base, Japan, April 1945
On aircraft manufactured by Nakajima, such as
this one, propeller spinners were left in natural
metal finish during final assembly until the end
of the war. At the unit level, they were typically
repainted in dark green or brown, left unpainted,
or given specific identification markings.
Kōkūtai 352 was established in August 1944 to
provide aerial defense for the cities of Sasebo,
Nagasaki, and Ōmura. The unit was equipped
with Zero fighters, Raiden interceptors and
Gekkō night fighters and escorted the Kamikaze
airmen using their Zero fighters. An unusual
numbering system for tail markings was used.
Zero fighter squadron was led by Lieutenant Nao
Sugisaki, who was born in 1920 and graduated
from the Naval Academy (69th class) in March
1941. From August 1944, the unit engaged B-29
bomber formations, and during one such battle,
Sugisaki was killed on March 31, 1945, over
Misumi in Kumamoto Prefecture. The aircraft
352-177 was likely assigned to him but it is not
certain whether he flew it on his last mission.
In April 1945, part of Kōkūtai 352, led by
Lieutenant Manae Uematsu, relocated to Kokubu
Air Base. There, they participated in escort
missions to protect and observe the results
of Kamikaze attacks during Operation Kikusui,
the defense of Okinawa. However, Kōkūtai 352
was not assigned to provide its own aircraft or
pilots for Kamikaze attacks.
The aircraft bears the designation Ya, indicating
its affiliation with the Yatabe Kōkūtai. This
training unit was established in 1939 and, after
being reorganized under this name in December
1944, continued to specialize exclusively in
fighter training. It operated A6M Zero, N1K
Shiden, J2M Raiden, and the two-seat A6M2-K
aircraft. In total, the unit had 180 aircraft at
its disposal. In early 1945, the Yatabe Kōkūtai
participated in Japan’s defensive battles.
In April, it formed Kamikaze Shōwa Units Nos. 1
through 5 from a cadre of its instructors. One of
its pilots, Kōzō Koizumi, took part in a Kamikaze
attack on April 29, 1945, against Allied aircraft
carriers east of Okinawa. This attack marked
the final day of Operation Kikusui IV, which had
been ongoing since April 21. During Operation
Kikusui IV, Kamikaze attacks struck 18 vessels,
sinking the minesweeper USS Swallow, Landing
Craft Support (LCS-15), and the cargo ship
Canada Victory, which was carrying 7,000 tons
of explosives. On April 29 alone, the destroyers
USS Haggard and USS Hazelwood were
damaged, resulting in 57 deaths and 66 wounded.
By this point, after nearly a month of relentless
Japanese air offensive – combining conventional
air raids with Kamikaze attacks – Allied crews
were suffering from severe sleep deprivation
due to constant alerts and were even unable to
change their clothes.
KITS 04/2025
INFO Eduard
37
April 2025