ABSTRACT
These incessant kamikaze attacks only heightened American resolve to flatten Japan, with Oita a prime target. From mid-March until the war ended in mid-August, American planes flew along the coast, attacking Oita City, Usa, the Saiki Naval Air Base, and smaller targets along the way. On April 26, the B-29s returned and pounded these targets once again. Twenty-eight died as they ran for their poorly constructed shelters. On May 8 the local newspaper reported inaccurately that eight B-29s had been shot down over Oita. “Oita prefecture citizens watched our shells explode on the enemy planes and they highly praised our defense forces. Airplane-producing workers were encouraged by these interceptions and gained new energy to produce airplanes as quickly as possible.” This was yet another example of attempts to raise morale with fictional stories, many of which were not acknowledged until after the war. 1
