Uzurano Air Station Ruin, which had long been under the Defense Ministry's control, was handed to Kasai city this year. I hadn't known even its name until recently. It used to be the property of the Himeji factory of Kawanishi Aircraft Company, the predecessor of the current ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd., but it was used as a navy air station during the Great East Asian War. While zero-fighters were showing their overwhelming power in every air-battle in the early stage of the war, its next generation of "Shidenkai" was being produced at this factory.
The role of this air station was to test the newly-built Shidenkais and to educate newly-recruited pilots. Shidenkais were transported to the front lines from here and the pilots who had finished their beginners' course were sent to Kyushu and brushed up their skills there and finally crashed into enemies. I dropped in at the station, from which the young pilots started.
As you see, it was located in an isolated place. If you didn't know its history, you'd not understand why this station was bulit there. While I was looking around vaguely, a specially decorated train came in. Shortly before, several people started to gather around the station. Their aim must have been this train. By the way, I decided to walk to the former airport for about two kilometers.
(Vocabulary)
ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd. 新明和工業株式会社
Kawanishi Aircraft Company 川西航空機
法華口駅
最近まで名前さえ知らなかった鶉野飛行場跡地。２０１６年まで防衛省が管理していたが、今は加西市に払い下げられている。元は川西航空機姫路工場の専用飛行場だったが大東亜戦争中は海軍航空隊が駐留していた。ゼロ戦の活躍する中、ここではその後継機、紫電改という戦闘機を開発していた。
この飛行場では出来上がったばかりの紫電改をテストし、また新兵の教育飛行も行われていた。ここで基礎を学んだ新米飛行士たちは近くの法華口駅から九州は宇佐飛行場へ向かい、ここよりあるいは別の基地より特攻攻撃に臨んだ。その兵士たちの出発地となった駅に立ち寄った。
見ての通り、開けた土地の中にぽつんとある駅で、歴史を知らねばここに駅が存在する理由がわからないだろう。ぼんやり駅を眺めていたらなにやら特別列車が入ってきた。先ほどから駅に集まってきている人の目的はこれだったらしい。さてここから、飛行場までは２キロメートルほど。散策してみることとしよう。
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