Traces of the Second World War in and around Iwakuni 岩国

There are monuments and memorials to the Second World War throughout Japan, and the Chugoku Region is no different. Hiroshima, as the largest city in this region and site of the first atomic bombing and with its large naval district at Kure tends to command the majority of attention, however its small neighbor right across the prefectural border is worthy of some discssion as well. This, of course, is Iwakuni, currently home to a U.S. Marine Corps Air Station and my home for nearly six years.

MCAS Iwakuni is situated on an island formed by the divergence of the Nishiki River into the Monzen and Imazu Rivers, emptying into Hiroshima Bay just south of Miyajima. Much of the area was purchased by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1938; the following year saw the establishment of the Iwakuni Naval Air Group 岩國海軍航空隊, a flight training command working in tandem with the Imperial Japanese Navy academy at Etajima. In1940, the IJN took control of the air station, and continued to train pilots and aircrews.

It wasn't until Japan's forward airfields across the Pacific had fallen in the late summer of 1944 that Iwakuni became an operational combat air base; in August of that year the 332nd Air Group was established, charged with defending the home islands. This group had a mix of older and obsolete planes, and pilots with little to no training; they were largely ineffective against American strikes and in some cases didn't even launch to attempt a defense. Here's a firsthand account from a pilot assigned to the 332nd. Although most of the Kamikaze missions originating in Japan were flown from airfields in Kyushu, Iwakuni played an important role in this as well.

Following the end of the Second World War, the base was handed over to Allied Occupation, and established as an RAAF base from 1948. In 1952, following the signing of the San Francisco Treaty, the occupation ended and under the terms of the treaty RAAF Iwakuni became a U.S. Air Force base. In 1962, it was handed to the U.S. Marines.

A United States Air Force sketch of Iwakuni Naval Air Station from 1945

Iwakuni City was the site of some of the last airstrikes of the Second World War. Although the Japanese government had notified the Allies that they would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration on 10 August, their lack of action (centered around their disagreement over the status of the Emperor) meant that air attacks continued. On 14 August 1945, some 825 B-29 bombers struck across Japan, including the railroad yard at Marifu as well as Iwakuni Air Base. They were not opposed by the 332nd Naval Aviation Corps. Destruction of Japan's railways was a key component of the U.S. strategic bombing campaign, alongside that of Japanese armament manufacturing hubs, and civilian populations. The Marifu railway yard, now Iwakuni Station, serviced not just the Air Base but also the arms manufacturing hubs thought to exist nearby, and across the Chugoku Region.

The Marifu railyard, 2 miles east of Iwakuni, and 2 miles south of Otaka [i.e. Otake], Japan, after the bombing raid of 14 August 1945 by B-29 Superforts of the 21st Bomber Command

Bomb craters near Iwakuni airfield, Honshu. US Navy Photo 125-14

Just inside the main gate of MCAS Iwakuni is one of two survivors of this raid on Iwakuni Air Base; a hangar housing a mockup of an A6M Zero fighter. The hangar itself is pock-marked with damage from bullets, shells, and other debris. Building 360, adjacent to the parade deck, is the other original building.

Original Zero hangar, near the chapel onboard MCAS Iwakuni

A half hour's drive from MCASI Iwakuni, in Yanai City is a small memorial to a crashed American aircraft, and a Japanese destroyer with an interesting history. I was pointed to this site by a good friend here at MCASI, Mr. Peter Rush.

A memorial dedicated to the crew of the Lonesome Lady, and destroyer Nashi

On 18 July 1945, a B-24 named 'Lonesome Lady' took part in a large (70 aircraft) U.S. Army Air Corps strike from Yonitan Airfield in Okinawa, to destroy Imperial Japanese Navy forces in and around Kure, in Hiroshima Prefecture. Lonesome Lady's target was battleship Haruna, anchored near Etajima. Haruna 榛名 has a proud history; the fourth of the Kongo-class battleships, she had fought the entire war and survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, only to be laid up for lack of fuel at Kure in December.

The IJN battleship Haruna under attack at Kure 28 July 1945

Although the American aircraft were able to drop their ordnance in the face of stiff Japanese resistance, Haruna was largely undamaged by the strike and Lonesome Lady herself was hit by an anti-aircraft shell. Out of the nine-man crew, 8 survived ditching the aircraft over water, which crashed in a field in Ikachi Village in Yanai. The survivors were subsequently captured, although the pilot, 2nd Lt Thomas Cartwright, was transported to Tokyo for interrogation, while the others were interred in Hiroshima. The Chugoku Military Police Headquarters was destroyed in the atomic bombing nine days later. Twelve American servicemembers, 7 from Lonesome Lady and 5 from the B-24 Taloa, were killed in the blast. The Hiroshima POW's website honors these men, and the man who helped discover their history, Mr. Shigeaki Mori. Mr. Mori was gracious enough to post his book on the website, free of charge. I hope you all check it out.

The other half of the memorial is dedicated to the destroyer Nashi 梨. This ship was laid down at Kawasaki Kobe in September 1944, and launched on 17 January 1945. Commissioned in March, she was sunk just four months later near Etajima on 28 July, the same day that Lonesome Lady crashed. Nashi's TROM on CombinedFleet.com has just 9 lines; I can't think of a shorter entry that I've seen. Nearly the entire crew of Nashi survived the sinking, and the ship itself was refloated and recommissioned as JS Wakaba わかば in 1956 . There's several firtsthand accounts listed here, although you'll need to use translation software to read it in English. She is the only Imperial Japanese Navy ship to serve in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Wakaba was decommissioned in 1971 and broken up for scrap. The memorial is marked on the Pacific History Guide Google Maps 'Chugoku' list here.

I look forward to the next time we visit Iwakuni on the blog; I intend to focus on the Kamikaze history of the city; a tough subject that deserves its own spotlight. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the events, places, and people discussed in this post, particularly if you know of some other nearby memorials or monuments.

Enjoy your weekend everybody, and happy exploring!

Tony