F4U Corsair ma luna o Okinawa Mahele 2
ʻO Corsair Navy-312 "Chess" me kahi papa chessboard hiʻohiʻona no kēia pūʻali ma ka uhi ʻenekini a me ka hoe; Kadena, ʻApelila 1945
Ua hoʻomaka ka pae ʻana o ʻAmelika ma Okinawa i ka lā 1 ʻApelila 1945, ma lalo o ka uhi o nā mea lawe mokulele ʻo Task Force 58. ʻOiai ua komo nā mokulele mokulele i nā kaua no ka mokupuni i nā mahina ʻelua e hiki mai ana, ʻo ka hana o ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā pūʻali koa honua a ʻO ka uhi ʻana i nā ʻauwaʻa hoʻouka kaua hele mālie i nā marine corsair i hoʻonoho ʻia ma nā mokulele i hopu ʻia.
Ua manaʻo ka papahana hana e hoʻokuʻu koke ʻia nā mea lawe mokulele o Task Force 58 e ka 10th tactical aviation. ʻO kēia hoʻokumu makeshift he 12 Corsair squadrons a me ʻekolu mau pūʻali koa F6F-5N Hellcat night fighter ma ke ʻano he ʻāpana o ʻehā Marine Air Groups (MAGs) no ka 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW, Marine Aircraft Wing) a me ka USAAF 301st Fighter Wing, ʻo ia hoʻi. ʻekolu pūʻali koa P-47N Thunderbolt.
ʻApelila hoʻomaka
Ua hōʻea nā Corsairs mua (94 mokulele i ka huina) i Okinawa i ka lā 7 ʻApelila. Aia lākou i ʻekolu mau pūʻali koa - Navy-224, -311 a me -411 - i hui pū ʻia i MAG-31, ka mea i komo mua i ka hoʻouka kaua ʻo Marshall Islands. Ua lako ʻia ka VMF-224 me ka mana F4U-1D, aʻo ka VMF-311 a me -441 i lawe pū me lākou i ka F4U-1C, he ʻano ʻē aʻe me nā pūkuniahi 20mm ʻehā ma kahi o ʻeono mau pū mīkini 12,7mm. Ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia nā pūʻali koa MAG-31 mai nā mea lawe mokulele escort USS Breton a me Sitkoh Bay i pae i ka mokulele ʻo Yontan ma ke kahakai komohana o ka mokupuni i hopu ʻia i ka lā mua o ka pae ʻana.
ʻO ka hōʻea ʻana mai o ka Corsair i hui pū ʻia me ka hoʻouka kaua kamikaze nui mua (Kikusui 1) i nā ʻauwaʻa kaua US. Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia kekahi mau pailaka VMF-311 i hoʻokahi pahu pahu Frances P1Y i kona hoʻāʻo ʻana e hāʻule i loko o ke kai kūʻono o Sitko. Ua pana ʻia i ka ʻaha mele a ke kāpena. ʻO Ralph McCormick lāua ʻo Lt. Ua hāʻule ʻo Kamikaze John Doherty i loko o ka wai ma kahi mau mika mai ka ʻaoʻao o ka mea lawe mokulele. I ke kakahiaka aʻe, ua hoʻomaka ʻo MAG-31 Corsairs i ka mākaʻikaʻi ʻana i ka pae hoʻokele o nā ʻauwaʻa a me nā mea luku kiaʻi radar.
Ma kahi kakahiaka ua ma ʻApelila 9, Corsairy MAG-33s—VMF-312, -322, a me -323—ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia mai nā mea lawe ukali ʻo USS Hollandia a me White Plains a hōʻea i ke kahua mokulele ʻo Cadena. No nā pūʻali koa MAG-33 ʻekolu, ua hōʻailona ke kaua ʻo Okinawa i kā lākou hoʻomaka kaua, ʻoiai ua hoʻokumu ʻia lākou ma kahi o ʻelua mau makahiki ma mua a ke kali nei lākou e hiki ke hana. Ua hōʻea mai ʻo VMF-322 mai ka F4U-1D a ua hoʻolako ʻia nā pūʻali koa ʻelua me ka FG-1D (kahi laikini i hana ʻia e Goodyear Aviation Works).
Ua loaʻa ʻo VMF-322 i kāna poho mua i ʻeono lā ma mua i ka wā i hoʻouka ʻia ai ka mokuahi LST-599, e lawe ana i nā limahana a me nā mea hana o ka squadron, e kekahi mau Ki-61 Tonys mai ka 105th Sentai e hana ana mai Formosa. Ua hāʻule kekahi o ka poʻe pahū i ka papa o ka moku, a ua pōʻino loa ia; ua nalowale nā lako a pau o VMF-322, ʻeiwa mau lālā o ka pūʻali koa i ʻeha.
Aia nā mokulele ʻo Yontan a me Kadena i kahi kokoke i nā kahakai pae, kahi i hoʻolako ʻia ai nā pūʻali kaua. Ua hana kēia i kahi pilikia koʻikoʻi, ʻoiai ʻo nā moku, e pale ana iā lākou iho mai ka hoʻouka ʻana i ka ea, hana pinepine i kahi pale uahi i puhi ʻia e ka makani ma luna o nā ala holo. No kēia kumu, ma ka lā 9 o ʻApelila ma Yeontan, ua hāʻule ʻekolu Corsei i ka wā e hoʻāʻo ai e pae (ua make kekahi pailaka), a ua pae kekahi ma kahakai. ʻO ka mea e ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi, i ka wā i wehe ʻia ai nā pū kaua kūʻē i ke ahi, ua hāʻule iho ka huahekili ma nā kahua mokulele ʻelua, a ʻo ka hopena i hōʻeha ʻia i waena o nā limahana o nā pūʻali koa Marine a make. Eia kekahi, ua puhi ʻia ke kahua mokulele ʻo Kadena mai nā pū 150-mm Iapana i hūnā ʻia ma nā mauna no ʻelua pule.
Ma ka lā 12 o ʻApelila, i ka wā i hoʻomaikaʻi ai ka lewa, ua hoʻomaka ka mokulele o ka Imperial Navy a me ka pūʻali koa i kahi hoʻouka kaua kamikaze nui ʻelua (Kikusui 2). I ka wanaʻao, ua hoʻopā ka poʻe Kepani i ke kahua mokulele ʻo Kaden, me ka hoʻāʻo ʻana e "pae" i ka ʻenemi. Ua hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Lieutenant Albert Wells i ka lanakila mua i kiʻi ʻia e ka VMF-323 Rattlesnakes, kahi i koho ʻia e lilo i poʻe koa moana lanakila loa i ke kaua ʻo Okinawa (ʻo ia wale nō ka lanakila ma mua o 100): Noho mākou ma nā kaʻa a kali i kahi e hoʻoholo ai i kā mākou hana. E kamaʻilio ana au me ke poʻo o nā lawelawe ʻāina, e kū ana ma ka ʻēheu o ka mokulele, i ka manawa i ʻike koke aku ai mākou i ke ʻano o nā tracers e kū ana i ke ala holo. Hoʻomaka mākou i nā ʻenekini, akā ma mua o ka ua nui loa a kokoke i nā mea a pau i paʻa koke i ka lepo. Ua paʻi kekahi o mākou i ka honua me kā mākou propellers e hoʻāʻo nei e pakele. Ua kū au ma kahi ala paʻakikī, no laila ua pana wau i mua o nā mea a pau, ʻoiai ma ka ʻāpana ʻelua ua hoʻomaka wau i ke ono wale nō. I kēia manawa ʻaʻohe oʻu manaʻo i ka mea e hana ai. ʻO wau wale nō ma ke alahele mai ka hikina a i ke komohana. Ua hina wale ka lani. Ua ʻike au i ka lele ʻana o ka mokulele mai ka ʻākau mai a pā i ka hale kiaʻi hoʻokele mokulele. Ua huhū au no ka mea ua ʻike wau ua pepehi ʻo ia i kekahi o mākou i loko.
