Japanese Forces

Mitio Okuyama

japanese commando captain Mitio Okuyama, he commanded the Giretsu Kuteitai an airborne special forces unit of the Imperial Japanese Army formed from Army paratroopers, in late 1944 as a last-ditch attempt to reduce and delay Allied bombing raids on the Japanese home islands. On the night of 24 May 1945, sixteen Ki-21 planes were dispatched for a strike, each with 14 commandos. Eight were assigned to Yontan and four to Kadena, with four more aircraft in reserve. Four aircraft aborted the mission with engine problems, and four more were shot down, however five managed to crash-land at Yontan airfield during the confusion caused by a diversionary attack by some 50 IJAAF and IJN bombers and fighters. The 69 surviving raiders, armed with type 100 submachine guns and phosphorus grenades then wreaked havoc on the supplies and nearby aircraft, destroyed 70,000 gallons of fuel killed 5 american soldiers and ten aircraft, and damaging 29 more before being annihilated by the defenders