Seizō Yasunori
Yasunori during World War II
Born(1924-03-28)March 28, 1924
Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture
DiedMay 11, 1945(1945-05-11) (aged 21)
USS Bunker Hill, near Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Navy
RankLieutenant Junior Grade
Battles/warsWorld War II

Sub Lieutenant Seizō Yasunori (安則 盛三, Yasunori Seizō, March 28, 1924 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese student who joined the Imperial Japanese Navy. On May 11, 1945, he flew a kamikaze suicide mission against USS Bunker Hill during the Battle of Okinawa near the end of World War II.

Early life

Yasunori was born on a farm outside of Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture.[1]

Military career and death

Kamikaze pilots were generally 18–20 years old, poorly trained, and flew poorly maintained aircraft.[2] As leader of the Navy's Kamikaze Corps 7th Showa Special Attack Squadron, he led a group of four young men to attack US Navy ships. Yasunori led a group of six planes which departed Kanoya Air Base between 0640 and 0653 on May 11, 1945. Yasunori dropped a 550-lb bomb and then crashed his A6M Zero into the aft portion of the flight deck of the USS Bunker Hill. The bomb tore a hole in the port side of the ship and his plane crashed onto the flight deck. The ensuing explosion destroyed many of the planes on the deck. His plane dragged another plane overboard. His wingman, Kiyoshi Ogawa, crashed into the ship a few seconds later. A third plane crashed into the sea before reaching the ship. The fate of the remaining three planes is unknown. He and his wingman killed 393 Americans and wounded an additional 264. It was the most devastating suicide attack in the Pacific War. Three hundred fifty-two of the dead were buried at sea the next day.

References

  1. ↑ Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (November 3, 2009). Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her. Simon and Schuster. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-7432-6081-7.
  2. ↑ Asahina, Robert (January 4, 2009). "The Other Suicide Bombers". Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2011.


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