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While these two forces were engaged, a third force of 825 suicide planes was to hit the American transports in the open seas. As the convoys approached their anchorages, another 2,000 suicide planes were to be detailed in waves of 200 to 300, to be used in hour by hour attacks that would make Okinawa seem tame in comparison. American troops would be arriving in approximately 180 lightly armed transports and 70 cargo vessels. Given the number of Japanese planes and the short distance to target, certainly a number of the troop carrying transports would have hit. By mid-morning of the first day of the invasion, most of the American land based aircraft would be forced to return to their bases, leaving the defense against the suicide planes to the carrier pilots and the shipboard gunners. Initially, these pilots and gunners would have met with considerable success, but after the third, fourth and fifth waves of Japanese aircraft, a significant number of kamikaze most certainly would have broken through. Carrier pilots crippled by fatigue would have to land time and time again to rearm and refuel. Navy fighters would break down from lack of needed maintenance. Guns would malfunction on both aircraft and combat vessels from the heat of continuous firing, and ammunition expended is such abundance would become scarce. Gun crews would be exhausted by nightfall, but still the waves of kamikaze would continue. With our fleet hovering off the beaches, all remaining Japanese aircraft would be committed to nonstop mass suicide attacks, which the Japanese hoped could be sustained for ten days. The Japanese planned to coordinate their kamikaze and conventional air strikes with attacks from the 40 remaining submarines from the Japanese Imperial Navy, beginning when the invasion fleet was 180 miles off Kyushu. As our invasion armada grew nearer, the rate of submarine attacks would increase. In addition to attacks by the remaining fleet submarines, some of which were to be armed with "Long Lance" torpedoes with a range of 20 miles, the Japanese had more frightening plans for death from the sea. By the end of the war, the Imperial Japanese Navy still had 23 destroyers and two cruisers which were operational. These ships were to be used to counterattack the American invasion and a number of the destroyers were to be beached along the -8- [[end page]] [[start page]] invasion beaches at the last minute to be used as anti-invasion gun platforms. As early as 1944, Japan had established a special naval attack unit, which was the counterpart of the special attack units of the air, to be used in the defense of the homeland. these units were to be saved for the invasion and would make widespread use of midget submarines, human torpedoes and exploding motorboats against the Americans. Once offshore, the invasion fleet would be force to defend not only against the suicide attacks from the air, but would also be confronted with suicide attacks from the sea. Attempting to sink our troop-carring transports would be almost 300 Kairyu suicide submarines. these two-man subs carried a 1,320 pound bomb in their nose and were to be used in close-in rammining attacks, By the end of the war, the Japanese had 215 Kairyu available with 207 more under construction. With a crew of five, the Japanese Koryu suicide submarine, carrying an even larger explosive charge, was also to be used against the American vessels. By August, the Japanese had 115 Koryu completed, with 496 under construction. Especially feared by our Navy were the Kaitens, which were difficult to detect, and which were to be used against our invasion fleet just off the beaches. These Kaitens were human torpedoes over 60 feet long, each carried a warhead of over 3,500 pounds and each was capable of sinking the largest of American naval vessels. The Japanese had 120 shore-based Kaitens, 78 of which were in the Kyushu area as early as August. Finally, the Japanese had almost 4,000 Navy Shinyo and Army Liaison motor boats, which were also armed with high explosive warheads, and which were to be use in nighttime attacks against our troop carrying ships. The principle goal of the special attack units of the air and of the sea was to shatter the invasion before the landing. By killing the combat troops aboard ships and sinking the attack transports and cargo vessels, the Japanese were convinced the Americans would back off or become so demoralized that they would then accept a less than unconditional surrender and a more honorable and face-saving end for the Japanese. In addition to destroying as many of the larger American ships as possible, "Ketsu-Go" also called for the annihilation of the smaller offshore landing craft carring our G.I.'s to the invasion beaches. The Japanese had devised a network of beach defenses, consisting of electronically detonated mines farthest offshore, -9-
