In the meantime, several squadrons of Japanese pilots were engaged in aerial battle against a long expected US Reconnaissance Fleet over the Island of Palawan, Philippines.
For the first time in several months, the trigger happy Kamikaze pilots were having a field success over the US Pacific fleet which had little protection from the sky.
Captain Yamaguchi who led the second wave of drive bombers found most of their bombs neatly perched onto the enemy's fleet, leaving a trail of destruction of damaged or sinking ships.
Hundreds of enemy's crews slept in the shallow grave of water around the shark infested Palawan Island that day.
Satisfied with their success, the victorious kamikaze squadron flew southward.
As they were cruising at 10,000 ft above sea level, a faint SOS code was detected on their radar.
"That's our radar signature! " reported Lt. Higuchi, his wingman.
"Yes. And it comes from the southeast."
"It comes from our abandoned prison camp below! " said another.
"It could be a trap."
"Yes. But since the camp is located on our way home to the base, we may as well fly overhead and see how thing goes on. " replied Captain Yamaguchi, "Then we can go back home. "
Two zero fighters detached itself from the squadron formation and swooped down to 1,000 ft as they made a reconnaissance flight over the seemingly deserted prison camp.
From above, the camp was huge: it had three groups of long attap roof huts and several smaller huts, having a wide open space in the middle.
It looked abandoned, deserted and no sign of human activities.
Tall grasses and climbing twigs and ferns covered most of part of the camp area.
There was also a couple of towering platform packed with black rusty metal tanks.
"It looked deserted alright! " reported Lt. Akagi.
Then like a laser, he saw a flick of light passed in front of his cork pit from far away below beside the old rusty truck.
"May day! May Day! "
Turning toward his right, he saw Captain Yamaguchi's Zero fighter was sputtering thick smoke from its starboard engine.
Without hesitation, Lt. Akagi made a double spin and loop flight before he veered toward the old abandoned truck, spitting death to whoever fired the fatal shot.
As its 6mm cannons unleaded it's deadly loads, the whole abandoned truck seemed to be pulverised before it exploded and flew skyward, destroying the whole area.
Lt. Akagi and its squadron could now but watched their squadron leader fighter's engine coughed, spurting dark smoke and emitting sparks before it dived headlong toward a small clearing, sliding before it crashed onto the mangrove swamp.
Three minutes later, the doomed zero fighter exploded.
The sniper must have been damned lucky to claim a precious prize although he himself did not live to see his.
The whole squadron made a beehive around the burning Zero fighter as they showed their last respect.
With heavy heart and tears in their eyes, they flew southwest, leaving their squadron leader to meet his ancestors.
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THE OLD KAMIKAZE HEADBAND
Ficción históricaThis story had its beginning during the Pacific War in 1944, in the eastern part of the British North Borneo territory. It was about a young Japanese Kamikaze pilot who was shot down over the abandoned prisoners ' camp in Sandakan. He was to die wh...
