MattStone Posted May 25, 2016 Share #1 Posted May 25, 2016 Hi, I had recently posted the grouping i have acquired of a U.S. Navy Corpsman who was with the 4th Marine Division during WWII. I was able to contact the vets daughter, She is in her 50's and the vet is still alive...Age of 91, 3 brain surgeries. I have been talking to her and she was able to forward my letter to Mr. Wolery. I may be visiting him in Ohio.. This just keeps getting more crazy....I was contacted about MORE stuff from his service days, by a different family member. it's a Japanese navy flight uniform and inside it was a photo and a flag. Has anyone ever seen this photo before?! i know there is a similar one of a Japanese pilot laying on the USS Missouri, and a Japanese pilot at Pearl Harbor in 1941...But this is a kamikaze pilot, in full gear, laying on a ship. I have the actual uniform that he is wearing in the photo...from the vet. Does anyone know where this could of been (location, or name of ship)... Walter W Wolery was a phM3 Navy Corpsman, who was at Roi-Numar, Tinian, Saipan, and iwo Jima, and In service til 1946. Maybe someone has seen s different photo from the same sequence. Thank you for reading. This grouping i got has been very interesting researching... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheskett Posted May 25, 2016 Share #2 Posted May 25, 2016 You may luck out and find a news article with the ship name and story about the attack. I have a similar group with a photo and his personal effects and an article about the attack. Very nice find. Keep talking to the family, once you are known as the person to give stuff to you may get items from anther family members from different services and conflicts. Is something written on the back of the photo or a tag in the pocket of the flight suit. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave peifer Posted May 25, 2016 Share #3 Posted May 25, 2016 neat stuff.........i have a pocket watch w.lanyard that my uncle took from around the neck of a japanese pilot that crashed at pearl harbor,he was on the california dec 7th............dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted May 28, 2016 Share #4 Posted May 28, 2016 What makes you think it's a Kamikazi pilot? That he's intact would suggest he ditched, bailed out and either drowned or refused rescue and was killed as happened on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lritger Posted June 9, 2016 Share #5 Posted June 9, 2016 There is one reason I would think this is not an actual Kamikaze pilot... he is wearing a life vest and a parachute. Now, I am by no means an expert in Japanese naval air operations, but I cannot recall a photo of a Kamikaze pilot wearing any personal safety gear because their primary job was to die, not come back. I should qualify this by noting that it was apparently common practice for IJNAF pilots to attempt to crash their damaged aircraft into a US ship, so that may be what happened here; to the guys aboard the ship being targeted, there was obviously no difference.Are there any identification marks on any of the uniform items? I don't read Japanese but I know folks who do, and it would perhaps be very interesting to try and track down the identity of this airman. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Government Issue Posted June 10, 2016 Share #6 Posted June 10, 2016 There is one reason I would think this is not an actual Kamikaze pilot... he is wearing a life vest and a parachute. Now, I am by no means an expert in Japanese naval air operations, but I cannot recall a photo of a Kamikaze pilot wearing any personal safety gear because their primary job was to die, not come back. I should qualify this by noting that it was apparently common practice for IJNAF pilots to attempt to crash their damaged aircraft into a US ship, so that may be what happened here; to the guys aboard the ship being targeted, there was obviously no difference. Are there any identification marks on any of the uniform items? I don't read Japanese but I know folks who do, and it would perhaps be very interesting to try and track down the identity of this airman. Lynn They actually did wear life jackets and parachutes. There's an interview with a kamikaze vet who spoke about the misconception that they didn't need them. He related that they'd be sent out to look for ships to attack but most flights would prove unsuccessful in locating targets. The parachutes and life vests as he said where to be used in case of being jumped by US fighters or mechanical problems with the plane-that way the pilot could be recovered and be able to take another plane out and fulfill his purpose as a kamikaze. I'm going to see if I can find the interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelDM Posted June 13, 2016 Share #7 Posted June 13, 2016 They actually did wear life jackets and parachutes. There's an interview with a kamikaze vet who spoke about the misconception that they didn't need them. He related that they'd be sent out to look for ships to attack but most flights would prove unsuccessful in locating targets. The parachutes and life vests as he said where to be used in case of being jumped by US fighters or mechanical problems with the plane-that way the pilot could be recovered and be able to take another plane out and fulfill his purpose as a kamikaze. I'm going to see if I can find the interview. Another fact learnt today , Thankyou for the post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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