Quotes - Life
--PO2 Miyazawa and 1st Airman Terai went down off New Guniea and drifted on a life raft for 6 days wihtout food. They were saved when a school of fish chased by a predetor started juming into their raft. The situation is described by a surviving pilot of their unit.--They were big fat white scads. Maybe a shark was after them. The two men grabbed the fish that jumped onto the raft and ate. It was almost by reflex. The two were so hungry that they just took the fish and devoured the fish, head, bones and all. They vertually swallowed about five of these live twitching fish each.
"This is so good!" "Yeah delicious"
As their stomachs were filled, they regained a more human posture.
"Gee, my mouth is stuffed with scales!" "Damn, this is terrible. Have you got a knife in your pocket? Scales are not good for your stomach"
Kisekino Hikoutei Daita Kitaide ISBN4-7698-2150-6
For several months after the enemy placed a major combat force in the Solomons, we flew almost every day, flying up to 47 hours a week. Under such conditions, blood circulation problems occured and our buttocks turned purple and numb. The pain was such that we always had to lay face down when we went to bed.
Minoru Honda - Zero pilot 253 Kokutai
Watashi-wa Rabauru-no Gekitsuioo Datta ISBN4-7698-2090-9
Since sometime around then, I would mumble something like "Mother, your son Masaaki will now perform XX duty" in my mouth as I buckled up in the cockpit, like a prayer so I would be able to fulfill my duty. I think it was a natural human thing to do.
After we advanced to the Solomons, I kept a pair of small mascot dolls some girl back home included in the "souvenior bag" (these were small packages containing food and daily goods that civilians sent to the front line). Once in the cockpit, I hung them behind the two machine guns and said "Now you keep watch!" to the dolls, which was something I was really telling myself.
Masaaki Shimakawa, Zero pilot
Samurai Zero-sen Tai ISBN4-7698-2102-6
"Offerings of fruits and sake were placed on the shelves with candles and incense for the soul of the brave enemy pilot who fought gallantly for his country. I proceeded to the alter and offered another incense, bowed and prayed that he may rest in peace." "When I removed the cloth that covered his face, the lower half of his face was destoryed, but was intact from his nose up. He seemed to be about 28 years old, the same age as I was". "The MP showed me a photograph that was in the enemy pilot's possesion. There were four people in the picture, the pilot himself with an adorable child, maybe about 1 year old, in his arms, with a beautiful lady in the early 20's sitting by them. They were accompanied by a graceful looking woman in her 50's. That was probably his mother. I got on the car back to the base with a confused feeling I never imagined I would feel on the way to the place."
WO Takeo Tagata, Hien pilot, 1st Collective Defense Chutai, upon seeing the body of the Hellcat pilot he shot down over Taiwan on October 12th, 1944.
Hien Tai Guraman ISBN4-257-17291-6 Takeo Tagata
I telegramed my mother and she came over to the base from Osaka. We sat beneath the wing of my Ki-61 and had our last lunch together. I'll never forget the look on her face as she stroked the formidable looking Ki61 and said "Please take good care of my son" as if she were speaking to a person.
Susumu Koyama, 68th Sentai on September 6th, 1943, the day before he left for New Guinea.
Aa, Hien Sentotai ISBN4-7698-0790-2 Susumu Koyama
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