The 7th Hikodan to Rangoon, Dec. 23

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The second formation was scheduled to contain two heavy bomber groups, unescorted. (Like the USAAF in Europe, the JAAF believed that the heavies were so well-defended that they needed no fighter escort.)

60th Sentai with 27 Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" heavy bombers
98th Sentai with 18 Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" heavy bombers

The 60th Sentai left Pnom Pehn in Cambodia at 9:35 a.m., as scheduled. But by the time it reached the rendezvous, the 98th Sentai had already set out for the target. So the two groups went their separate ways to Rangoon, crossing the Gulf of Martaban south of Moulmein.

The 98th Sentai commander, Col. Usui Shigeki, was on board the Sally flown by Major Atsumi Hikaru. The group reached Rangoon at 12:45 --five minutes early--and circled around the city at 6,000 meters (about 20,000 feet) before beginning its bombing run against the dock area of Rangoon. But a formation of 18 enemy aircraft with the altitude advantage attacked from behind; the Sallys fought back and flew a zigzag course which made them lose the target.

The bombers made a left circle for another run, at which time the Sally at the left side of the 2nd hintai was shot down. This was the plane flown by Capt Iteya Mitsui, which crashed in a city street near the Rangoon docks, killing the pilot and six crewmen.

The 98th Sentai took up its bombing run again, but couldn't manage to line up on its intended targets, the port buildings and the freighters at anchor in the river. Instead, it bombed the government headquarters, the post office, and the telephone company. Meanwhile a bomber in the middle of the formation was mortally hit and spun out of the formation. Unusual for a Japanese airman, pilot 1st Lt. Nogami Ryohei and two of his crew bailed out and parachuted to the ground, where they were taken prisoner; four other crewmen were killed in the crash. Postwar, the fate of the PWs was unknown, a consequence of the "hatred" shown toward Japanese military men who were taken prisoner.

Shortly after, Major Atsumi's plane was hit from behind. One one bullet struck Colonel Usui in the back, exiting on the left side of his chest, killing him--not the first Japanese group commander to be killed in action in the Pacific Major Atsumi was wounded by shrapnel in the arm in the same burst. As the story is told by a Japanese historian, the pilot also believed he was mortally wounded, and both men bowed and gave the banzai cheer: "May the Emperor live 10,000 years!" The co-pilot flew the plane thereafter. The Sallys were pursued by the enemy fighters for half an hour, with the 98th Sentai gunners claiming 12 of them certain plus 4 probable.

Meanwhile the 60th Sentai under Col. Ogawa Shojiro (Kojiro?) approached Rangoon from the ocean and flew over the east side of the city at 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) with 27 Sallys. This formation found it very quiet over the city. [23,000 feet was well above the service ceiling of the Buffaloes and near the service ceiling of the AVG Tomahawks.] The Sallys reported that they had hit the harbor facilities and destroyed a mid-sized cargo ship; afterward, they were attacked by a few enemy aircraft, with one crewman shot through the forehead and killed. All returned to Pnom Penh, but evidently one bomber was destroyed by a crash landing, its pilot unknown, as is the fate of the crew.

The 60th Sentai gunners evidently claimed 10 fighters certain, plus 2 probables.

Assessing the results

Altogether, the Japanese heavy-bomber formations had lost 7 planes over the target--a loss rate of 12 percent. (An eighth Sally evidently crashed on returning to base, probably from battle damage.) With the 98th Sentai commander, killed in a plane that managed to return, the personnel losses came to at least 50 men, of whom 47 were killed and 3 were prisoners of war. Altogether, in the words of one Japanese historian, it was "an unhappy experience" for the JAAF.

For their part, the Japanese pilots and gunners evidently were credited with shooting down 41 Allied fighters--more than were stationed in Burma on December 23. In fact, no Buffaloes went down that day, while two AVGs (Neale Martin and Hank Gilbert) were killed and another (Paul Greene) had his airplane shot from under him but parachuted to safety.

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