Although Navy General Yamamoto knew that his subordinates might be exaggerating, he still believed that the "I-GO" offensive was winning. He decided to personally inspect the airports to encourage his aircrew to make greater efforts. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. Pearl Harbor Radio Intelligence Station intercepted his telegram and deciphered the content.
“Our old friend Yamamoto,” Lieton Lieutenant Colonel Leyton said on the afternoon of April 14th that he had submitted a Japanese telegram that was intercepted, which was sent to him by the "Commander-in-Chief of Southeast Airlines Fleet" to the recipient of the Barelle garrison commander who is believed to be located in Bougainville. The telegram has been translated almost in full, starting with: “On April 16th, the commander-in-chief of the Joint Fleet will inspect RYZ, R- and RXP. The time schedule is as follows:
1. Leave RR at 6 o’clock, take a medium-sized attack hunger, escorted by six fighters, arrive at RXZ at 8 o’clock. Then take a minesweeper to R--, arrive at 8 o’clock. 2. At each of the above places, the Commander-in-Chief will conduct an inspection, and after - he will visit the wounded and sick, the current operation should continue. "Nimitz looked at the map and carefully tracked the route of Yamamoto's flight and ship to Balele, Schotland and Buindo, confirming that the first stop would put the Imperial Navy's number one sea will be within the voyage of the fighter taking off from Henderson Airport. This is an attractive opportunity to cut him off. Apart from the Emperor, only his death can deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Japanese.
"Did we bear him?" He asked loudly, feeling undecided, but Leiden was unambiguous.
"You know," he recalled telling his commander, "it's like they beat you down, no one can replace you."
Nimitz decided to tell Halsey of this crucial intelligence, warning him of the need to develop an action plan that can keep this secret of intelligence at the same time. "If the troops you command have the ability to defeat Yamamoto and his staff, then you will be specially authorized to make a preparation plan," said the command of the commander-in-chief of Pacific Fleet . Nimitz also managed to get approval from Washington . The president agreed; the minister of the Navy agreed, after soliciting opinions from the bishop of the army on whether it was moral to kill enemy leaders. On April 15, 1943, Nimitz sent a signal to carry out "retaliation" and wished "good luck and success."
At Henderson Airport, Major John Mitchell’s Flight Squadron’s P-38 “Lightning” fighter was installed on the belly fuel tank to increase the range. After taking a confidential oath, the pilot listened to the final instructions for the aerial ambush scheduled to be performed over the North Solomon Islands.
Short after sunrise the next day, Yamamoto, wearing a dark green military uniform, accompanied by his secretary to board a " Mitsubishi Type I" twin-engine bomber . Yamamoto asked for business to be on time to spread it to the Navy. When his plane took off at 6 o'clock, followed by another bomber carrying his chief of staff, Admiral Ziyuan noticed with satisfaction that they strictly followed the schedule, but were completely unaware that the American pilots on the seventeen P-38s that were flying towards Bougainville were also counting on Yamamoto to abide by the time. An hour and a half later, just as the bomber and the escort "Zero" aircraft were flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet above the jungle along the coast of Boon Island, the pilot of Yamamoto's plane handed a note. The navy general took the note with his white gloves, which read: "It is expected to fly to Baleil at 7:45."
Several seconds later, his entourage realized something was wrong, because one of the escort fighters changed their course to turn right to intercept the fleet of 1,600 feet below them. Just then, Mitchell shouted to his receiver: “The plane of unknown origin is above your heads."The American pilot pulled the switch, threw the secondary fuel tank, and chased the two bombers, who separated when they dived to the height of the treetops and tried to escape.
Eight P-38 The other aircraft of the squadron tracked the two bombers. The Jane Order they issued before departure said that there was only one bomber, so Mitchell didn't know which aircraft carried their main prey. The machine gunfire quickly hit one of the "Mitsubishi" and crashed into the jungle canopy. The wings of the other aircraft were destroyed and fell smoothly into the sea.
Rear Admiral Ugaki's plane sank into the sea bottom and he struggled to swim to the shore, but the commander-in-chief's life was over, and he was already dead in the wreckage of the crashed plane under the woods. A team of soldiers stationed in Aku Village cut a way out in the jungle to find the wreckage. The next day they found the crashed plane, and the general was still tied to his seat by a belt. On the chair, his body was bloodless, with only two small purple-colored holes left by a bullet that penetrated from his jaw and came out of his temple. Even if the soldiers did not find his diary and Emperor Meiji's poems, they could still recognize it at a glance that it was Yamamoto, because he was wearing gloves and holding the sword without index and middle fingers.
https://www. ml1
"Dad went to see the weasel," this was the original agreed signal, indicating that the "revenge operation" had been successful. When Mitchell's fighter jets returned safely that afternoon and celebrated this secret victory, the signal was immediately sent out from Guadacana. When this victory signal was sent to Halsey, he was holding a meeting with Rear General Richmond Kelly Turner, who immediately "cheered and cheered." "What is this kind of disposal? "Halsey asked, "I really hope to tie this hooligan villain up to Pennsylvania Street with iron chains and let you kick him hard at the deadliest place on him. "
The removal of the Navy General Yamamoto was another victory facilitated by the intelligence department and a heavy blow to Japan. This blow happened to be the same day that the bomber of Shelittle shocked Tokyo a year after it shook Tokyo. However, his death was kept secret from the Japanese until the end of May. It was not publicly announced that Yamamoto's ashes were transported back to China by the "Mushashi" battleship and were carried on the funeral day. The death of General Yamamoto was as heavy as a super battleship. The loss would be felt more severely as they lost their main naval strategist. Koga Matsushima will be appointed to take over Yamamoto's position. He was chosen by Yamamoto himself during his lifetime, but the successor lacked the strategic genius of his predecessor, and he implemented a very conservative policy.
