Strana 40
Kōkūtai 205, Taiwan, 1945
Ensign Daiji Matsufuji, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, 1st Shichisei-tai,
Kanoya airbase, Japan, April 1945
This aircraft was captured by Chinese forces in
Taiwan at the end of World War II. It is a trainer
aircraft that originally belonged to the armament
of Kōkūtai 205. This unit was formed in early
February 1945 from personnel of various units
who had been evacuated from the Philippines.
The unit's official strength was 144 Zero fighter
aircraft, divided among Hikōtai 302 (based in
Taichū/Taichung), Hikōtai 315 (Tainan/T’ai-nan),
and Hikōtai 317 (Shinchiku/Hsinchu). After the
American landing on Okinawa, the Japanese
command decided to use all air units in Taiwan
for special attack (Kamikaze) operations.
For this purpose, two forward command posts
were established for Kōkūtai 205 on the islands
of Ishigaki-jima and Miyako-jima. The Kamikaze
unit detached from Kōkūtai 205 was named
Taigi-tai (Noble Cause Unit). It was deployed
from April to June 1945, primarily targeting
Royal Navy vessels. Taigi-tai claimed hits on
the aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS
Indomitable.
From April 3, 1945, a total of eight special attack
units with the battle name Shichisei were
organized from the airmen serving in Genzan
Kōkūtai (II) and Hikōtai 306 (part of Kōkūtai 721).
Lt. Miyatake, who was 24 years old at the time,
led the 1st Shichisei-tai in an attack on a convoy
off Okinawa on April 6, 1945. During that day,
eleven other airmen from Genzan Kōkūtai (II)
sacrificed their lives along with him. They took
off successively in four formations. They were
among the 524 aircraft of special attack units
and escort fighters from IJN and IJA sent against
Allied vessels off Okinawa as part of Operation
Kikusui I. The U.S. Navy lost destroyers USS Bush
(DD-529) and Colhoun (DD-801) and other ships
were severely damaged. Shichisei units were
sent against ships off Okinawa, Yoronjima, Kikai,
and Tanegashima islands in several missions till
May 14. Only one of them returned to base due
to bad weather. The depicted Ke-427 aircraft
was apparently assembled from two airframes
with differently applied paint schemes. During
a special attack mission on April 6, it was likely
piloted by Ensign Daiji Matsufuji.
KITS 07/2025
INFO Eduard40
July 2025