----------------------------------------------------------------- NAVY & MARINE CORPS WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE A service of Navy Chief of Information Office (703)695-3161/DSN 225-3161 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Death of Yamamoto due to 'Magic' By L.C. Kukral WWII Committee One of the most dramatic feats of American "Magic," the American intelligence effort to break the Japanese naval code, led to the death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yamamoto was commander in chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the planner of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the most formidable and charismatic Japanese naval leader of the war. On April 14, 1943, Fleet Radio Unit Pacific Fleet decoded a "hot" Japanese naval message. The message said that Yamamoto planned an inspection of three front-line bases in the area around Bougainville Island. Yamamotožs arrival and departure times at all three stops, and the number and type of planes that would accompany him, were spelled out. The inspection tour was scheduled for April 18. The decoded message went to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitzžs first question was whether any of Yamamotožs potential replacements would be even more capable. Nimitz had said more than once that Yamamoto was the biggest danger he faced. He and his staff agreed that no other Japanese officer came close to Yamamoto in brilliance as a naval strategist and tactician, or in popularity with Japanese navy officers and men and with the Japanese public. Shooting down Yamamoto would strike a major blow at the enemyžs war-fighting ability and morale. Nimitz turned over planning of the ambush to Admiral William F. Halsey, who had operational command of the Central Solomons area. The closest air strip to Yamamotožs route was Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Because they had the range to do the job, a squadron of 16 Army P-38 Lightning fighters got the assignment to shoot him down. As the intercepted message said, the squadron sighted two type-1 Betty bombers escorted by six Zero fighters flying on schedule over Bougainville. The P-38s closed to attack. The lead Betty dove steeply and turned to avoid the attackers. Strafed by machine-gun fire, smoking and burning, it crashed into the jungle. The other Betty crash-landed in the ocean. The following day, Japanese search parties found Yamamoto's body in the Bougainville jungle. Yamamoto, who was thrown clear of the wreckage, was still strapped into the pilotžs seat. He sat upright with his white-gloved hand grasping the hilt of his samurai sword, eyes closed and head bowed. A postmortem examination showed he had been killed by machine-gun fire. Yamamoto's death, which was not announced by the Japanese government until May 21, caused consternation among American leaders and their British allies. All feared the Japanese would realize that the Americans were reading their code. The Americans put out a cover story that the intelligence about Yamamotožs flight came from civilian coast watchers in the Solomons. Ultimately, the Japanese refused to believe their codes could be broken, attributing the American success to coincidence. Because of the devastation at Pearl Harbor, Americans long regarded Yamamoto as a treacherous fiend. The opportunity to study Japanese records after the war, however, caused a reassessment of his role. It became clear that he was not a militarist, but had consistently opposed war with the United States on the grounds that his country could not win. When more militaristic viewpoints won out over his, Yamamoto did his duty. He said among his friends that he expected to die in battle. In September 1942, Yamamoto, a lover and writer of poetry, finished a prophetic tribute to dead Japanese sailors. Its last line: "Wait but a while young men!--one last battle fought gallantly to the death, and I will be joining you." His death in battle was due to Magic. Sources Agawa, Hiroyuki. The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial Navy. Translated by John Bester. New York: Kodansha International Ltd., 1979. Hall, R. Cargill. Lightning Over Bougainville. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Hoyt, Edwin P. Yamamoto. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1990. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Navy & Marine Corps World War II Commemorative Committee Navy Office of Information (CHINFO) The Pentagon, Room 2E352 Washington, DC 20350-1200 -----------------------------------------------------------------