Getting back to Yamato, the captain of Yamato was Lieutenant General Kousaku Aruga, who was the uncle of the chief pilot of the air squadron which attacked and sunk the battleship the Prince of Wales. It's one of the key points of this series of entries. It's very likely that Aruga knew all about the fight between the vessels and the military aircraft. Yamato departed without the assistance of any aircraft and its fuel was enough for one way only. Eventually Yamato was sunk by the attack of 386 aircraft off Bounomisaki. Why did Yamato head for Okinawa? Was Aruga mad? Was Japan's Headquarters insane? The captain must have known the vulnerability of battleships without air defence, mustn't he?
Was this military action a kind of declaration of the intention that Japan would fight until the last moment even if the decisive battles would be fought in the country proper. In such cases, not only Japan but also the Allied forces would be additionally deprived of a huge number of lives. Even with the odds stacked against Japan, Japan had to defend and maintain the nation's political system. Was the last voyage of Yamato for that? These remarks don't seem enough to me. Isn't there anything more? Aruga and his crew surely knew what would become of Yamato. What made them set out for Okinawa even if it was for the rescue of Okinawan people? Link to Next
(Vocabulary)
get back into sth ＜…＞を再開する, ＜…＞に復帰する
air squadron 飛行隊
Kousaku Aruga 有賀幸作艦長
vulnerability [U] (精神的・肉体的に) 傷つきやすいこと;《[C]通例複数形で》(人の) 弱さ, 脆弱(ぜいじゃく)さ; [U] (物事の) もろさ, 脆弱(ぜいじゃく)性
proper 《[名]の後でのみ》本来［本当］の, 厳密な意味での
the downtown area proper 繁華街の中心部
odds 見込み, 可能性
the odds are stacked against sb ＜人＞に勝ちめはない, 成功の可能性は極めて低い
defend (and maintain) the nation's political system 国体を護持する
話を戻そう。戦艦大和の艦長は有賀幸作中将で、マレー沖海戦でウエールズを沈めた日本航空隊の隊長の叔父に当たる。つまり戦艦は航空兵力による爆撃攻撃に勝てない、ということを最もよく知る人物が、大和の艦長でもあったということになる。その有賀艦長は、航空機の援護なく沖縄までの片道の燃料しか積まない大和を出撃させている。そして大和は坊ノ岬沖で米軍航空隊３８６機による波状攻撃を受けて沈没した。制空権を持たない戦艦は敵航空機の前に歯がたたないという事実をよく知る人物が、なぜ大和の出撃を図ったのか。なぜ大本営は、その作戦を実施したのか。最後まで戦い抜くという意思表示だったのか。本土決戦となれば、日米双方に更に多大な死傷者が出ただろう。敗色の濃い日本にとって国体の護持は至上命令であったろう。それにしても、である。
Was this military action a kind of declaration of the intention that Japan would fight until the last moment even if the decisive battles would be fought in the country proper. In such cases, not only Japan but also the Allied forces would be additionally deprived of a huge number of lives. Even with the odds stacked against Japan, Japan had to defend and maintain the nation's political system. Was the last voyage of Yamato for that? These remarks don't seem enough to me. Isn't there anything more? Aruga and his crew surely knew what would become of Yamato. What made them set out for Okinawa even if it was for the rescue of Okinawan people? Link to Next
(Vocabulary)
get back into sth ＜…＞を再開する, ＜…＞に復帰する
air squadron 飛行隊
Kousaku Aruga 有賀幸作艦長
vulnerability [U] (精神的・肉体的に) 傷つきやすいこと;《[C]通例複数形で》(人の) 弱さ, 脆弱(ぜいじゃく)さ; [U] (物事の) もろさ, 脆弱(ぜいじゃく)性
proper 《[名]の後でのみ》本来［本当］の, 厳密な意味での
the downtown area proper 繁華街の中心部
odds 見込み, 可能性
the odds are stacked against sb ＜人＞に勝ちめはない, 成功の可能性は極めて低い
defend (and maintain) the nation's political system 国体を護持する
話を戻そう。戦艦大和の艦長は有賀幸作中将で、マレー沖海戦でウエールズを沈めた日本航空隊の隊長の叔父に当たる。つまり戦艦は航空兵力による爆撃攻撃に勝てない、ということを最もよく知る人物が、大和の艦長でもあったということになる。その有賀艦長は、航空機の援護なく沖縄までの片道の燃料しか積まない大和を出撃させている。そして大和は坊ノ岬沖で米軍航空隊３８６機による波状攻撃を受けて沈没した。制空権を持たない戦艦は敵航空機の前に歯がたたないという事実をよく知る人物が、なぜ大和の出撃を図ったのか。なぜ大本営は、その作戦を実施したのか。最後まで戦い抜くという意思表示だったのか。本土決戦となれば、日米双方に更に多大な死傷者が出ただろう。敗色の濃い日本にとって国体の護持は至上命令であったろう。それにしても、である。
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