Post by drjensen on Jun 18, 2017 8:52:46 GMT -5
Japanese Airman “Invaded” Island During Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 is indeed a day that has “lived in infamy.” The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese military sparked America’s involvement in World War II, and has certainly not been forgotten.
While dramatic incidents such as the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona are etched in people’s minds, many other intriguing pieces of history also center on that fateful day — and the “invasion” of a small Hawaiian island by a single Japanese pilot is one of them.
That island is called Ni’ihau, and it is essentially privately owned to this day. As the westernmost island in the Hawaiian chain, the sparsely populated landmass is a long distance from the port of Pearl Harbor. However, its location and lack of population made it ideal to the Japanese military for one reason: Pilots could use it as an emergency landing site if they couldn’t return to their ships during the infamous attack.
That scenario is exactly what happened to Japanese Airman First Class Shigenori Nishikaichi. The pilot of a “Zero” fighter aircraft was forced to crash-land in a field on the small island of Ni’ihau … but he had no intention of waiting idly to be rescued.
The first person to find Nishikaichi and his damaged airplane was Hawila Kaleohano, a Hawaiian native. He didn’t know that the Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor, but was suspicious of the airman and confiscated Nishikaichi’s papers and pistol while the pilot was still dazed from the crash.
Unsurprisingly, Hawila didn’t speak Japanese, and the Zero pilot didn’t know Hawaiian or much English. The natives summoned a Japanese-born island resident named Shintani, who spoke briefly to the pilot but said almost nothing to the other island residents. Another Japanese local named Yoshio Harada was brought in to solve the communication problem. He spoke to the pilot and learned about the true reason for the aircraft’s appearance: Pearl Harbor had been bombed.
However, Harada viewed himself as an ally of the Japanese, and kept the information about the deadly attack to himself. Using the language barrier as an advantage, Harada and Nishikaichi began plotting to help the Japanese pilot retrieve his secret military papers from the Hawaiians and escape. The truth about the attack on Pearl Harbor did not stay hidden for long. On the evening of December 7, islanders on Ni’ihau finally heard about the bombing over a battery-powered radio.
With no good way of removing the Zero pilot from their island, residents placed Nishikaichi under house arrest and posted guards to watch him. Unbeknownst to the Hawaiian residents, however, all of the Japanese-born occupants of Ni’ihau had sided with their imperial roots, and would do anything — including harm their island neighbors — to help Nishikaichi escape.
On the night of December 12, Harada and the pilot both attacked the local guard, while Harada’s wife provided a distraction. The two Japanese loyalists acquired a shotgun and a pistol, and began terrorizing the island residents, starting with the man who still held the secret military papers: Hawila Kaleohano.
Hawila managed to escape the approaching men and evaded gunfire to alert local villagers of the armed Japanese figures now terrorizing the island. As the best armed men on the island, Harada and Nishikaichi took several hostages. Two of them were Hawaiians Benehakaka “Ben” Kanahele and his wife, Kealoha “Ella” Kanahele. Ben and Ella may have seemed like humble natives, but taking the husband and wife duo hostage would prove to be a serious mistake.
Nishikaichi, the pilot, grew increasingly tired and frustrated at the inability to locate Hawila, who still held the vital Japanese papers and was eluding capture. When the Zero pilot moved to hand a shotgun to his co-conspirator Harada, the captives Ben and Ella leaped into action.
The determined Hawaiian couple fought with the well-armed Japanese men. Nishikaichi was able to pull a pistol from his boot, and although Ella struggled with him, the pilot managed to shoot Ben Kanahele three times. If there’s one lesson from the ensuing fight, it’s this: Don’t mess with an angry Hawaiian man who is protecting his island and his wife. Despite having taken three bullets, Ben picked up Nishikaichi and threw the enemy pilot against a wall.
There was no longer any doubt that the lives of the villagers were on the line. While Ella used a rock to pound Nishikaichi’s head, her husband Ben used a hunting knife to slit the Japanese pilot’s throat and end his reign of terror. As he realized that the villagers had won, Harada aimed his shotgun at himself and committed suicide rather than face the consequences of aiding the enemy.
In the aftermath of the Ni’ihau incident, many observers were shocked that the previously peaceful Japanese citizens on the island had turned so quickly and violently to assist the downed Zero pilot. Those deadly events were likely part of the reason that Japanese people living in Hawaii and throughout the United States were viewed with great suspicion and even interred during the war: Evidence had shown that in many cases, their loyalty was to the Emperor of Japan at all costs.
For his bravery in taking on two well-armed Japanese men and fighting even after being shot, Ben Kanahele was awarded the Purple Heart, and the highest civilian decoration in the United States — the Medal of Merit.
December 7, 1941 is indeed a day that has “lived in infamy.” The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese military sparked America’s involvement in World War II, and has certainly not been forgotten.
While dramatic incidents such as the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona are etched in people’s minds, many other intriguing pieces of history also center on that fateful day — and the “invasion” of a small Hawaiian island by a single Japanese pilot is one of them.
That island is called Ni’ihau, and it is essentially privately owned to this day. As the westernmost island in the Hawaiian chain, the sparsely populated landmass is a long distance from the port of Pearl Harbor. However, its location and lack of population made it ideal to the Japanese military for one reason: Pilots could use it as an emergency landing site if they couldn’t return to their ships during the infamous attack.
That scenario is exactly what happened to Japanese Airman First Class Shigenori Nishikaichi. The pilot of a “Zero” fighter aircraft was forced to crash-land in a field on the small island of Ni’ihau … but he had no intention of waiting idly to be rescued.
The first person to find Nishikaichi and his damaged airplane was Hawila Kaleohano, a Hawaiian native. He didn’t know that the Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor, but was suspicious of the airman and confiscated Nishikaichi’s papers and pistol while the pilot was still dazed from the crash.
Unsurprisingly, Hawila didn’t speak Japanese, and the Zero pilot didn’t know Hawaiian or much English. The natives summoned a Japanese-born island resident named Shintani, who spoke briefly to the pilot but said almost nothing to the other island residents. Another Japanese local named Yoshio Harada was brought in to solve the communication problem. He spoke to the pilot and learned about the true reason for the aircraft’s appearance: Pearl Harbor had been bombed.
However, Harada viewed himself as an ally of the Japanese, and kept the information about the deadly attack to himself. Using the language barrier as an advantage, Harada and Nishikaichi began plotting to help the Japanese pilot retrieve his secret military papers from the Hawaiians and escape. The truth about the attack on Pearl Harbor did not stay hidden for long. On the evening of December 7, islanders on Ni’ihau finally heard about the bombing over a battery-powered radio.
With no good way of removing the Zero pilot from their island, residents placed Nishikaichi under house arrest and posted guards to watch him. Unbeknownst to the Hawaiian residents, however, all of the Japanese-born occupants of Ni’ihau had sided with their imperial roots, and would do anything — including harm their island neighbors — to help Nishikaichi escape.
On the night of December 12, Harada and the pilot both attacked the local guard, while Harada’s wife provided a distraction. The two Japanese loyalists acquired a shotgun and a pistol, and began terrorizing the island residents, starting with the man who still held the secret military papers: Hawila Kaleohano.
Hawila managed to escape the approaching men and evaded gunfire to alert local villagers of the armed Japanese figures now terrorizing the island. As the best armed men on the island, Harada and Nishikaichi took several hostages. Two of them were Hawaiians Benehakaka “Ben” Kanahele and his wife, Kealoha “Ella” Kanahele. Ben and Ella may have seemed like humble natives, but taking the husband and wife duo hostage would prove to be a serious mistake.
Nishikaichi, the pilot, grew increasingly tired and frustrated at the inability to locate Hawila, who still held the vital Japanese papers and was eluding capture. When the Zero pilot moved to hand a shotgun to his co-conspirator Harada, the captives Ben and Ella leaped into action.
The determined Hawaiian couple fought with the well-armed Japanese men. Nishikaichi was able to pull a pistol from his boot, and although Ella struggled with him, the pilot managed to shoot Ben Kanahele three times. If there’s one lesson from the ensuing fight, it’s this: Don’t mess with an angry Hawaiian man who is protecting his island and his wife. Despite having taken three bullets, Ben picked up Nishikaichi and threw the enemy pilot against a wall.
There was no longer any doubt that the lives of the villagers were on the line. While Ella used a rock to pound Nishikaichi’s head, her husband Ben used a hunting knife to slit the Japanese pilot’s throat and end his reign of terror. As he realized that the villagers had won, Harada aimed his shotgun at himself and committed suicide rather than face the consequences of aiding the enemy.
In the aftermath of the Ni’ihau incident, many observers were shocked that the previously peaceful Japanese citizens on the island had turned so quickly and violently to assist the downed Zero pilot. Those deadly events were likely part of the reason that Japanese people living in Hawaii and throughout the United States were viewed with great suspicion and even interred during the war: Evidence had shown that in many cases, their loyalty was to the Emperor of Japan at all costs.
For his bravery in taking on two well-armed Japanese men and fighting even after being shot, Ben Kanahele was awarded the Purple Heart, and the highest civilian decoration in the United States — the Medal of Merit.
? Take a look at this small edited clip I found yesterday and edited for clarity. It's only 30 seconds long...Just friggin look !!!
