Japan's surrender was not a simple on/off switch

[Onkel Neal]

I found this very interesting. Of course, the ceasefire was not a universal and guaranteed result of Hirohito's capitulation. I can imagine many US servicemen expecting a "trick". I bet those were tense times.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-t-happen.html

Seventy years ago today the recorded voice of Emperor Hirohito announced the acceptance of the Allied terms for Japan’s surrender. While that capitulation wasn’t official until the well-known ceremony held aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, people around the world assumed that World War II was over. Then, three days after Hirohito’s tremulous announcement and Japan’s acceptance of a ceasefire, Sergeant Anthony J. Marchione—a 20-year-old aerial gunner in the U.S. Army Air Forces—bled to death in a bullet-riddled B-32 Dominator bomber in the clear, bright skies above Tokyo. The young man from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, has the dubious distinction of being the last U.S. service member to die in combat in World War II. Though tragic, his passing would be little more than an historical footnote were it not for the fact that his death came perilously close to prolonging a conflict most Americans believed was already over.

[Torplexed]

A Japanese surrender delegation was scheduled to fly to his Manila headquarters on August 19 via the U.S. airfield on the island of Ie Shima; if the two aircraft bearing the delegation failed to appear, it would be a clear sign that Tokyo was reneging on the surrender decision. If the aircraft did arrive, it would be an equally obvious indication that the attacks on the B-32s had been the work of a few diehards acting independently.

This almost didn't come off either. The planes chosen to fly the Japanese delegation to Ie Shima on Okinawa were two rickety bullet-ridden Betty bombers painted white with green crosses. One of them pancaked while landing at Ie Shima. The other bearing the instrument of surrender sprung a fuel leak on the way back to Japan and had to ditch in the water. Luckily the surrender papers remained dry and found their way to Tokyo.

[Aktungbby]

I t actually was a little worse than that: "
On 18 August 1945, four Dominators were given the task of photographing many of the targets covered on the previous day; however, mechanical problems caused two to be pulled from the flight. Over Japan, a formation of 14 A6M Zeros and three N1K2-J Shiden-Kai fighters (George) but apparently mis-identified as Ki-44 Tojos, by the American crews) attacked the remaining two U.S. aircraft. Saburo Sakai, a Japanese ace, said later that there was concern that the Dominators were attacking. Another Japanese ace, Sadamu Komachi, stated in a 1978 Japanese magazine article that the fighter pilots could not bear to see American bombers flying serenely over a devastated Tokyo.The B-32 Dominator Hobo Queen II (s/n 42-108532) was flying at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) when the Japanese fighters took off and received no significant damage. Hobo Queen II claimed two Zeros destroyed in the action as well as a probable Shiden-Kai. Japanese records show that no aircraft were lost. The other Dominator was flying 10,000 ft (3,000 m) below Hobo Queen II when the fighters took off. The fighters heavily damaged that Dominator, initially wounding the dorsal gunner and then seriously wounding two other members. Photographer Staff Sergeant Joseph Lacharite was wounded in the legs (his recovery required several years). Sergeant Anthony Marchione, a photographer's assistant, helped Lacharite and then was fatally wounded himself. Marchione was the last American to die in air combat in World War II. Despite the damage, the Dominator returned to Okinawa, however, the incident precipitated the removal of propellers from all Japanese fighters as per the terms of the ceasefire agreement, beginning 19 August 1945. The last B-32 combat photo reconnaissance mission was completed on 28 August, during which two B-32s were destroyed in separate accidents, with 15 of the 26 crewmen killed. On 30 August, the 386th Bomb Squadron stood down from operations.[wiki] 2nd from right front row: Anthony Marchione Hobo Queen II. The B 32 was the back-up parallel program incase B-29's didn't work out. 1500 were ordered only 118 were ever built, due to the B-29's success. The B-32's pressurization system problems were never solved, and consequently the aircraft was re-purposed as a bomber to be operated at low and medium altitude; Problems with the remote-controlled gun turrets were never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to 10 .50 caliber machine guns in manually operated turrets. http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/the-last-to-die-10099776/?no-ist

[Wolferz]

Then there were all the hold outs scattered across numerous Pacific islands who never got the word to quit.
Last ones discovered in 2005.

http://www.wanpela.com/holdouts/list.html

[Commander Wallace]

I had no idea this ever happened but shouldn't be surprised. I had read the accounts of Japanese sailors who revealed 2 American Dauntless dive bomber pilots were shot down in the battle of Midway and were subsequently interrogated and were bound and chained with weights and tossed over board alive.

Makes one mad and sad all over again.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Many Japanese soldiers and sailors where in a quandary when the end of war was announced. A majority would commit suicide rather then surrender, others decided to ignore the surrender order and would continue to fight the enemy until they where killed or captured, some did surrender believing that if they killed themselves they would be dying for nothing.

I just finished reading Operation Storm which is about the massive I-400 submarines, their crews, training, possible missions and of course the end of the war. In it, it describes the various possibilities that the subs crew would take. Not surprisingly suicide was mentioned, along with sailing to an isolated part of the eastern coast of Japan and dispersing the crew allowing them to return home as "ghosts", one even made the suggestion that they turn pirate stealing supplies from captured ships as they went (sounds like the plot of a Cussler novel). The biggest argument with deciding what to do happened between Commander Tatsunsuke Ariizumi, the commander of Submarine Squadron 1 (or Daiichi Sensuitai also known as Sen-toku) and the Lt. Commander Nobukiyo Nambu, commander of the I-401. Ariizumi would of preferred that the crew commit mass suicide or go rouge and go out in a final blaze of glory for the emperor. Nambu on the other hand thought that now the war had ended was the get his crew home alive but without being captured or surrendering. In the end Ariizumi killed himself and Nambu almost got his wish, but the I-401 was captured by the USS Segundo (SS 398) about 100 miles off the coast of Honshu some fifteen days after the ceasefire agreement had been signed.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

I had no idea this ever happened but shouldn't be surprised. I had read the accounts of Japanese sailors who revealed 2 American Dauntless dive bomber pilots were shot down in the battle of Midway and were subsequently interrogated and were bound and chained with weights and tossed over board alive.

Makes one mad and sad all over again.

Our side did some pretty nasty things as well such deeds may have been more common on the Japanese side but they where not uncommon on the American side either. War brings out the best and worst in humans.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Our side did some pretty nasty things as well such deeds may have been more common on the Japanese side but they where not uncommon on the American side either. War brings out the best and worst in humans.

I'm sure you're probably right. No one wants to think they are the bad guy . I'm guessing there are many stories that have never seen the light of day. Every side wants to think they are wearing the " white hat "

War bringing out the worst in people makes it a thing to be avoided. Hopefully we all have learned that.