Mail Correspondence with Soldiers at War (“Feldpostbriefe”): Letters from Japanese “Kamikaze” pilot Ryōji Uehara to his family, May 1945 (Published on 09/10/2026)
I. Young peolpe in War
Faced with the looming defeat in World War II, Germany and Japan demanded a special willingness to serve and make sacrifices, especially from teenagers and young adults. They even established special units for them, promoting service in these units as particularly “important” and “honorable”. One example is the German Luftwaffenhelfer, who have already been discussed on this blog.
II. The Shimpū Tokkōtai (“Kamikaze”) in Japan
In Japan, as part of the Imperial Naval Air Force, a special unit called the Shimpū Tokkōtai (literally “Divine Wind”) – which became known as the “Kamikaze” – was formed. Its members, most of whom were volunteers, carried out suicide attacks during the Pacific War beginning in October 1944 against ships of the United States Navy, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Australian Navy by crashing their bomb-laden aircraft into ships. The pilots’ deaths were an integral part of both the unit’s tactics and its self-image.
The 1956 German book “Sturm der Götter” (“Storm of the Gods”) by Klaus-Robert Heinemann takes a closer look at the kamikaze and, in particular, contains numerous letters and diary entries from former members of the unit. The following explanations from this book (ibid., p. 55 f., translated from German language) provide valuable insight into the cultural background, the mindset of the members of this unit, and the nature of their missions:
“At the same time that Germany, an ally, was announcing ever more loudly the deployment of weapons that were still being kept secret, the Japanese Army high command established a special unit that was given the honorary name “Kamikaze” in memory of the typhoon of 1281. This Tokkōtai (“Special Attack Unit”), an aviation unit attached to the Navy, was under the command of Vice Admiral Ugaki. Its strength lay in the unique nature of its attacks, which were bound to send a chill down the spine of anyone who witnessed them or heard about them: To increase their accuracy, the pilots flew straight toward the enemy target and crashed their bomb-laden aircraft into it.
The Navy mostly recruited young soldiers from other units for these Tokkōtai, since older and more experienced ones could not be replaced. Although these ‘death pilots’ were officially considered volunteers, when the number of men reporting for duty was insufficient, intense moral pressure was exerted to reach the required troop strength. Often, only brief training courses prepared the kamikaze pilots for their attacks. When the eve of their death arrived, the pilots donned white mourning garments as a sign of their renunciation of earthly life and took part in a ritual ceremony, during which each received a small wooden box intended to hold their hair and fingernails in place of their ashes, to be enshrined on their parents’ household altar.
As a shortage of military equipment became apparent in the Japanese army, older-model aircraft – which carried no armament other than their bomb load – were usually used for the kamikaze attacks. Official decrees urged the pilots to risk their lives and their aircraft only against worthwhile targets and to turn back rather than waste themselves on targets that were too small. But how were they supposed to heed this warning when they had only enough fuel for the outbound flight? After being guided by fighter escorts to the vicinity of the target, the pilots had no choice but to plunge toward the enemy, crammed into their cockpits. The Japanese government glorified the sacrifice of these young heroes and bestowed public honors upon their families.”
III. The “Kamikaze” Pilot Ryōji Uehara
One of the kamikaze pilots was Ryōji Uehara, born on 27 September 1922, in Ikeda, Nagano Prefecture. He enrolled in the Department of Economics at Keio University in 1942 and joined the 50th Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army in Matsumoto that same year. He died as a kamikaze pilot on 11 May 1945, during a mission against a U.S. aircraft carrier task force near Kadena in Okinawa Prefecture.
After the war, he became known primarily for the letter he wrote to his parents on the eve of his deployment, which is reprinted in German translation in the book “Sturm der Götter”. Equally worth reading is his letter published there, titled “Testament”, which reads as follows (Heinemann, p. 67 ff., translated from German language):
“My Will
My dear parents,
Throughout the more than twenty years of my life, I was so happy, so free! Surrounded by your warm love and the care of my siblings, I’ve had such wonderful days. I’ve even become a little headstrong. Now I’m the one among us siblings who causes you the most worry. How sad it makes me that I can’t repay you for all you’ve done for me! My daily life as a pilot is marked by the shadow of death. Every sentence I say, every word I utter, is my legacy. When I’m up in the air, death no longer seems so terrifying. When I finally plunge down toward the enemy, I certainly don’t feel as though I’m about to die. I’ve even been tempted to plunge down like that. I am not afraid of death; rather, I’m filled with a sense of happiness, for I am convinced that I will then be reunited with my beloved brother Tatsu. It is my final wish that we may meet again in heaven.
To be frank: I have always been a proponent of liberalism; for if Japan is to endure for all eternity, it cannot do so without it. Perhaps this seems foolish, given that Japan today is under a totalitarian regime. But anyone who really opens their eyes will, in my view, recognize that the system that rationally corresponds to human nature must be liberal.
I believe that a country’s political system reveals whether it will win or lose the war. The victory of a country that has adopted a system in harmony with human nature is as clear to us as the glow of a fire.
My ideal has been shattered; Japan has not achieved it. For the individual, the prosperity or ruin of his or her country is very important, but from a global perspective, it is of little significance.
(…)
Greetings to Niisan, my sister Hiyoko, and everyone else!
Goodbye, stay healthy, goodbye – forever!
Ryōji.”
On the eve of his fatal mission, Ryōji Uehara addressed his parents with the following words (Heinemann, p. 69 ff., translated from German language):
“Thoughts
I consider it the highest honor to have been selected for the Army’s special unit, which can be called the flagship combat unit of our noble homeland.
If I follow the path of reason, as we were taught at the university – where reason was almost elevated to a religion – I believe that the victory of freedom is beyond doubt. Perhaps I will be called a liberalist for this. It is impossible to completely eradicate the freedom that is intrinsically linked to human nature. Even when it seems to be suppressed, it continues to fight beneath the surface, ultimately emerging victorious. This is a truth already articulated by the Italian Benedetto Croce. Even if totalitarian states triumph for a time, it is clear that they will ultimately be defeated.
In my opinion, we can see this truth confirmed in the Axis powers during this world war. What has become of Fascist Italy? The power of Nazi Germany has already been broken. The totalitarian states are now collapsing one after another, like a building whose foundations have been shaken. The universal validity of this fact can be demonstrated by the course of history; it will remain true for all time to come. If my conviction proves to be correct, it may spell disaster for our homeland, but it will be a great blessing for humanity. I believe that a modern war is always based on ideologies, and that the outcome of the war can be predetermined based on those ideologies.
My heartfelt wish that our beloved homeland, Japan, might one day become as powerful an empire as England once was has, unfortunately, remained unfulfilled. If people had listened to those who truly loved Japan, our country would not have been driven into the situation in which it finds itself today. I once dreamed of an ideal in which the Japanese people could hold their heads high wherever they went in the world.
What a comrade told me is true: As pilots in our special unit, we become nothing more than machines in the aircraft, nothing other than a molecule of magnetic iron drawn to the enemy aircraft carrier – without personality, without feeling, and of course without reason: merely a machine operating the control stick. Intellectually, this is hard to explain, but when I think about it, I have to say that it is not suicide, as the enemy calls it. I believe this mission is possible only with a worldview like the Japanese one. We, who have become machines, no longer have any rights; but if I may express one final wish, I ask my compatriots to make our beloved Japan a great and powerful empire.
In this spirit, I will die, even if my death should serve no purpose. As I said at the beginning, I consider it an honor to have been chosen for this special unit.
When we’re on a plane, we become machines, but on the ground we’re filled with emotions and passions. When my beloved died, I, too, entered a state of spiritual death. To me, my death is merely a journey to paradise, where a person – my beloved – is waiting for me.
Tomorrow I’ll start the attack. What I’ve written here are unrestrained words. May no one ever read them! They do, however, reflect my true state of mind. Please forgive me for saying everything in such a disorganized way, just as it came to mind.
Tomorrow, a friend of freedom will leave this world. It might seem as though he is leaving with a sad smile, but deep in his heart lies contentment.
I’ve said everything I wanted to say.
Please forgive my rudeness!
I’m signing off.
Written on the eve of the attack.”
IV. Results of the “Kamikaze” Missions
According to estimates, more than 3,000 Japanese pilots were killed as a result of the “kamikaze” attacks. In the process, 34 U.S. Navy ships were sunk and another 368 were damaged, with approximately 4,900 U.S. Navy sailors losing their lives.
The founder and commander of the Tokkōtai, Vice Admiral Ōnishi Takijirō, asked the pilots who had sacrificed their lives and their families for forgiveness on 15 August 1945; as an act of atonement toward the pilots and their families, he committed seppuku one day later.
(Head picture: Autumn scene in Düsseldorf’s city forest,
November 2018)
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