Kamikazes, Corsairs, and Picket Ships: Okinawa, 1945

by Robin L. Rielly

The untold story of ferocious air and naval combat during the WWII Battle of Okinawa—drawn from primary sources and survivor interviews.   This is the story of an overlooked yet significant aerial and naval battle during the American assault on Okinawa in the spring of 1945. While losses to America’s main fleet are well recorded, less well known is the terrific battle waged on the radar picket line, the fleet’s outer defense against Japanese marauders. Weaving together the experiences of the ships and their crews—drawn from ship and aircraft action reports, ship logs, and personal interviews—historian Robin L. Reilly recounts one of the most ferocious air and naval battles in history.   The US fleet—and its accompanying airpower—was so massive that the Japanese could only rely on suicide attacks to inflict critical damage. Of the 206 ships that served on radar picket duty, twenty-nine percent were sunk or damaged by Japanese air attacks, making theirs the most hazardous naval surface duty in World War II. The great losses were largely due to relentless kamikaze attacks, but also resulted from the improper use of support gunboats, failure to establish land-based radar at the earliest possible time, the assignment of ships ill-equipped for picket duty, and, as time went on, crew fatigue. US air cover during the battle is also described in full, as squadrons dashed from their carriers and land bases to intercept the Japanese swarms, resulting in constant melees over the fleet.

Genres: World War II, Naval History

623 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2008

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. Providing a detailed narrative of the air battle over the maritime approaches to Okinawa during the 1945 campaign. The work stays focused on the Kamikaze raids and the efforts by the US military to stop them. Though only a single element in a much longer campaign to take Okinawa, the book remains centered on the fight against the Kamikazes. The focus of the story are the ships on the radar picket stations and the fliers, composed of Navy, Marine, and Army Air Force pilots, who supported them. The book begins with a useful description of the forces involved and ends with a short, but pointed, analysis. The majority of the work is a detailed blow-by-blow account of the ongoing air/sea combat from April to August of 1945. It covers all the radar picket stations and details nearly every major attack by Kamikazes against the ships assigned to these stations. Though the prose resembles a formal after-action report, the level of detail and all-encompassing nature of the story gives the reader the full understanding of this final major battle of WWII. Despite being difficult to distinguish in the overly detailed descriptions, the author does present arguments for the means by which the US Navy could have lessened their horrific ship loss rates, namely through various efficiencies of the on-hand resources. The end analysis attempts to reinforce these arguments in more detail, but falls short. The limited space lent to these counter propositions and the concentration on telling so much of the hour-by-hour story of the battle probably nullifies the books usefulness as an analytical history. Despite this lack of a clear hypothesis, the work as a whole still shines because of its detailed nature. It is less an analysis of what could have been and much more a detailed description of what was. Anyone wanting to gain better insight into the nature of modern naval combat would do well to read this book. The constant strain, confused nature, and consuming attrition of combating Kamikazes is likely not that far off from current naval operations against a plethora of anti-ship cruise missiles. I think this story from WWII is one of the most relevant to today’s Navies. Highly recommended for those wanting to better understand the deep story behind the US Navy’s fight against Kamikazes at Okinawa in 1945.

[Marilyn Haberman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kamikaze

A good book covering the picket ships and air action during the Okinawa operation. It covers all the actions on a daily basis. Describes the ships used and their shortcomings. A good book to read.

[Hud (Bob) Huddleston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, interesting as far as the combatants, but found it to be very tedious reading

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

The USS Shangri-La is repeatedly referred to as an Escort Carrier (CVE) when in fact it was an Essex-class full-sized Fleet Carrier (CV).

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rielly's book is a great study of the kamikaze attacks during the Okinawa campaign. While nothing is gleaned from the Japanese side for motivation other than that the Japenese pilots felt that they were a weapon not committing suicide. His recounting of attacks was good but often suffered with vernacular like "splashed". It was overdone. I was hoping that he might address the psychological affects on the US sailors and he neglects that factor in his book.

The best part of the book is a recounting of each attack and how the Okinawa campaign progressed. I volunteer on the USS Cassin Young which was a major part of the Kamikaze attacks and this book helped me understand the campaign better. I just wish Rielly used the Cassin Young after action reports and damage diagrams since she was the last destroyer damaged in the Okinawa campaign.

[Randy Kirkbride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched account of radar picket duty at Okinawa.

I was looking for information on a specific destroyer escort stationed at Okinawa, the USS Gendreau (DE-639); the ship on which my father-in-law served as a gunners mate. I didn't find any information on the Gendreau, but I did find a thorough account of the hell endured by the radar picket ships guarding the approaches to Okinawa. My father-in-law said he thought his ship had a target painted on it. Being protected by the radar pickets must have meant that the radar pickets had multiple targets painted on them.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed book about the extremely hazardous duty endured by the various picket ships during the battle for Okinawa. Virtually every attack made on the picket ships is covered and there are many excellent drawings and photographs of the effects of Japanese attacks. I wish there had been more personal stories and reports, but that didn't seem to be the author's intent. If you love reading about tin cans or know someone who was a tin can sailor, this is the book for you.