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Sorties Into Hell: The Hidden War On Chichi Jima
“. . . The tragic and heartbreaking story of how a dozen captured American pilots were tortured, mutilated, murdered, and—in some cases—eaten by officers in the Imperial Japanese Army in Chichi Jima . . . A remarkable read with important information.”
-- Marine Corps Gazette
“Throughout the Pacific War, the Japanese frequently killed captured American flyers, and cannibalism was also not uncommon. But the Chichi Jima atrocities and their subsequent investigation were properly unique and have not previously been so fully described in published works.” -- Military History
In October 1946, Colonel Presley Rixey arrived by destroyer at the island of Chichi Jima to return 22,000 Japanese, who had been bypassed during the war in the Pacific, to Japan. While waiting for a Marine battalion to arrive, the colonel met daily with a Japanese commission assigned to assist him. When asked what had happened to American prisoners on the island, the Japanese hatched a story to hide the atrocities that they had committed.
In truth, the downed flyers had been captured, executed, and eaten by certain senior Japanese officers. This is the story of the investigation, the cover-up, and the last hours of those Americans whose remains were distributed to the cooking galleys of Chichi Jima.
Rixey's suspicion of a cover-up was later substantiated by a group of Americans
returning from Japan who had lived on Chichi Jima for generations. It would take five months of gathering testimony to uncover all the details. Thirty war criminals were eventually tried at Guam in 1947, five of whom were hanged.
Drawing on research into long-classified files, author Chester Hearn has added an important and largely overlooked chapter to the history of the Second World War, and his contribution will be welcomed by the general reader and serious enthusiast alike.
-- Marine Corps Gazette
“Throughout the Pacific War, the Japanese frequently killed captured American flyers, and cannibalism was also not uncommon. But the Chichi Jima atrocities and their subsequent investigation were properly unique and have not previously been so fully described in published works.” -- Military History
In October 1946, Colonel Presley Rixey arrived by destroyer at the island of Chichi Jima to return 22,000 Japanese, who had been bypassed during the war in the Pacific, to Japan. While waiting for a Marine battalion to arrive, the colonel met daily with a Japanese commission assigned to assist him. When asked what had happened to American prisoners on the island, the Japanese hatched a story to hide the atrocities that they had committed.
In truth, the downed flyers had been captured, executed, and eaten by certain senior Japanese officers. This is the story of the investigation, the cover-up, and the last hours of those Americans whose remains were distributed to the cooking galleys of Chichi Jima.
Rixey's suspicion of a cover-up was later substantiated by a group of Americans
returning from Japan who had lived on Chichi Jima for generations. It would take five months of gathering testimony to uncover all the details. Thirty war criminals were eventually tried at Guam in 1947, five of whom were hanged.
Drawing on research into long-classified files, author Chester Hearn has added an important and largely overlooked chapter to the history of the Second World War, and his contribution will be welcomed by the general reader and serious enthusiast alike.
- GenresMilitary Fiction
226 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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29 people want to read
About the author
Chester G. Hearn
40 books6 followersA 1954 graduate of Allegheny College, Chester Hearn served in the U.S. Army and worked in industrial management before becoming an author of books on the American Civil War in his retirement.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 15, 2013
The name Iwo Jima is familiar to most people with moderate knowledge of WWII in the Pacific as the site of a very fierce battle with many America Marine causalities. Much less know is an island in the same chain, Chichi Jima. This island was also heavily fortified by the Japanese and as a communications hub they expected American forces to try to storm this island as well. America decided to skip over the island as Iwo Jima had the space for Airfields they wanted and Chichi did not have the room.
This story is about how after the Japanese Emperor surrendered the island also surrendered. The Marine Colonel who accepted the surrender was suspicious of the response he got about what happened to American fliers the Japanese recovered who had been shot down in the area. He started an investigative board. What they found was shocking, the Japanese officers decided to mentally and morally toughen their men by executing American prisoners. And, then following Japanese superstition that believed you gained courage from eating the liver of your enemies they also engaged in cannibalism by eating parts of many of the aviators they killed.
The book is based on the notes of members of the investigative team on the island, the testimony given to the investigators, and records of the war crimes trials in Guam.
Of note, I was amused when the Japanese testified they could not tell the difference between two aviators they had captured because they were about the same build and had the same color of hair. White people all look alike don't you know? I suppose anyone who spends their life surrounded by a particular race might struggle at first to identify distinguishing characteristics of other races.
Japanese officers refer to the Bushido warrior code as what motivated them to murder unarmed prisoners and eat them. As has been recorded in other places (on actions in China) Japanese officers would sometimes select people to carry out the execution they felt were a little squeamish in an effort to toughen them up. So some of the testimony captured the horror felt by some of the people involved in killing the fliers. Also many Japanese did not approve of eating the fliers and some were given meat to eat and after they had swallowed a bite were told what it was and then they would try to make themselves throw it up much to the amusement of some of the higher ranking officers.
Several younger Japanese officers rather than face trial or examination on the role they played in killing American prisoners commited sucide.
In an effort to hide what they had done before they surrendered the island the Japanese dug up the bodies of all the Americans they killed and burned the bodies and tried to destroy all evidence they had been there. This resulted in remains being recovered by the Marines and buried as unknown with their familes never knowing their sons final resting place.
George H. W. Bush was shot down off the island of Chichi Jima. Two of his buddies covered him from the air and chased away Japanese efforts to pick him out of the water until a sub could pick him up. If not for this rescue he would have died on the island like the other American fliers did.
This story is about how after the Japanese Emperor surrendered the island also surrendered. The Marine Colonel who accepted the surrender was suspicious of the response he got about what happened to American fliers the Japanese recovered who had been shot down in the area. He started an investigative board. What they found was shocking, the Japanese officers decided to mentally and morally toughen their men by executing American prisoners. And, then following Japanese superstition that believed you gained courage from eating the liver of your enemies they also engaged in cannibalism by eating parts of many of the aviators they killed.
The book is based on the notes of members of the investigative team on the island, the testimony given to the investigators, and records of the war crimes trials in Guam.
Of note, I was amused when the Japanese testified they could not tell the difference between two aviators they had captured because they were about the same build and had the same color of hair. White people all look alike don't you know? I suppose anyone who spends their life surrounded by a particular race might struggle at first to identify distinguishing characteristics of other races.
Japanese officers refer to the Bushido warrior code as what motivated them to murder unarmed prisoners and eat them. As has been recorded in other places (on actions in China) Japanese officers would sometimes select people to carry out the execution they felt were a little squeamish in an effort to toughen them up. So some of the testimony captured the horror felt by some of the people involved in killing the fliers. Also many Japanese did not approve of eating the fliers and some were given meat to eat and after they had swallowed a bite were told what it was and then they would try to make themselves throw it up much to the amusement of some of the higher ranking officers.
Several younger Japanese officers rather than face trial or examination on the role they played in killing American prisoners commited sucide.
In an effort to hide what they had done before they surrendered the island the Japanese dug up the bodies of all the Americans they killed and burned the bodies and tried to destroy all evidence they had been there. This resulted in remains being recovered by the Marines and buried as unknown with their familes never knowing their sons final resting place.
George H. W. Bush was shot down off the island of Chichi Jima. Two of his buddies covered him from the air and chased away Japanese efforts to pick him out of the water until a sub could pick him up. If not for this rescue he would have died on the island like the other American fliers did.
February 1, 2016
This is absolutely NOT the type of book you want to read if you are squeamish about things. The book is about how some Japanese soldiers actually killed and ate American flyers on the island of Chichi Jima during World War II.
This isn't a tabloid-type of story. It's based on cold, hard, undisputed fact. This ranks right up there with some of the worst atrocities that Japanese soldiers committed during the war.
Chichi Jima is an island not far from Iwo Jima, and for a while was considered for invasion, but Iwo was settled upon since the island was flatter and airstrips could be built. Chichi was a lot more hilly. Both islands were heavily fortified, both done in the same manner.
The events in question took place mainly between June 1944 and March, 1945. Those who participated tried to cover up what happened, but a very sharp U.S. military man after the war, when the island was being surrendered, realized something wasn't ringing true and began an investigation.
Two of the main people involved were Major General Yoshio Tachibana and Rear Admiral Kunizo Mori.
First of all, various U.S. flyers were shot down over or near the island and were captured. Most of them were tortured, and they met their ends usually by being killed by a bayonet, and/or being beheaded. After that happened, there were instances of where the liver was cut out and sometimes flesh from the thigh area. These were then cooked and served to the Japanese island leaders.
When the island was surrendered, the Japanese tried to cover up what was done, but an American worked hard and found out the full story. Unfortunately, by this time some of the Japanese responsible had already been sent back to Japan where at least a couple of them ended up killing themselves.
When the trial was held, there were 21 men defendants, 8 of them charged specifically with cooking and/or eating human flesh. Six of the men ended up being hung. The others got sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years in prison.
It's a very upsetting book, to say the least.
This isn't a tabloid-type of story. It's based on cold, hard, undisputed fact. This ranks right up there with some of the worst atrocities that Japanese soldiers committed during the war.
Chichi Jima is an island not far from Iwo Jima, and for a while was considered for invasion, but Iwo was settled upon since the island was flatter and airstrips could be built. Chichi was a lot more hilly. Both islands were heavily fortified, both done in the same manner.
The events in question took place mainly between June 1944 and March, 1945. Those who participated tried to cover up what happened, but a very sharp U.S. military man after the war, when the island was being surrendered, realized something wasn't ringing true and began an investigation.
Two of the main people involved were Major General Yoshio Tachibana and Rear Admiral Kunizo Mori.
First of all, various U.S. flyers were shot down over or near the island and were captured. Most of them were tortured, and they met their ends usually by being killed by a bayonet, and/or being beheaded. After that happened, there were instances of where the liver was cut out and sometimes flesh from the thigh area. These were then cooked and served to the Japanese island leaders.
When the island was surrendered, the Japanese tried to cover up what was done, but an American worked hard and found out the full story. Unfortunately, by this time some of the Japanese responsible had already been sent back to Japan where at least a couple of them ended up killing themselves.
When the trial was held, there were 21 men defendants, 8 of them charged specifically with cooking and/or eating human flesh. Six of the men ended up being hung. The others got sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years in prison.
It's a very upsetting book, to say the least.
July 19, 2012
This book appears to be a condensed version of the investigations undertaken by the US for the war crimes committed on Chichi Jima.
I usually give 4 stars to history books, but this one deserves a 3 because of several faults.
First of all, there's no original content. Like I said, it's just a condensed version of the trial documents. The author could've attempted to track down and contact some of the surviving characters in the investigation.
Second, Mr. Hearn repeatedly refers to the Bushido code as the explanation for the officer's criminal behaviour. I am no expert on japanese society, but it appears to be widely accepted by modern historians that war time Japan relied on a militarily corrupted version of Bushido. It is just brutality covered under the name of Bushido.
Third, and related to the second point, many of the authors words left me a little shocked. Mr. Hearn uses expressions such as "the fat little man" to refer to General Tachibana, or "little brown bastards" to refer to the Japanese. Whether he is giving voice to his own feelings or just being "in-character" when describing the american flyers' experience is unclear. Which leads us to...
Fourth, Mr. Hearn presumes to know or explain the flyers' last moments in too much detail. It is not uncommon for historians to make a remark or two on a character's possible feelings, but Mr. Hearn may give up to half a page to each flyer's dying thoughts. He does claim it is impossible to know what they must've felt like, just after explaining exactly what they must've felt for an uncomfortably long time. Also related to this point, Mr. Hearn's rabid insistence on how much of a hell happened on Chichi Jima is also slightly unwarranted, especially on early chapters. There's too much of that, and the facts speak for themselves. No need to be overly dramatic.
Still, the information is interesting, and the book is very readable. It's just not up to par with what I am used to reading.
I usually give 4 stars to history books, but this one deserves a 3 because of several faults.
First of all, there's no original content. Like I said, it's just a condensed version of the trial documents. The author could've attempted to track down and contact some of the surviving characters in the investigation.
Second, Mr. Hearn repeatedly refers to the Bushido code as the explanation for the officer's criminal behaviour. I am no expert on japanese society, but it appears to be widely accepted by modern historians that war time Japan relied on a militarily corrupted version of Bushido. It is just brutality covered under the name of Bushido.
Third, and related to the second point, many of the authors words left me a little shocked. Mr. Hearn uses expressions such as "the fat little man" to refer to General Tachibana, or "little brown bastards" to refer to the Japanese. Whether he is giving voice to his own feelings or just being "in-character" when describing the american flyers' experience is unclear. Which leads us to...
Fourth, Mr. Hearn presumes to know or explain the flyers' last moments in too much detail. It is not uncommon for historians to make a remark or two on a character's possible feelings, but Mr. Hearn may give up to half a page to each flyer's dying thoughts. He does claim it is impossible to know what they must've felt like, just after explaining exactly what they must've felt for an uncomfortably long time. Also related to this point, Mr. Hearn's rabid insistence on how much of a hell happened on Chichi Jima is also slightly unwarranted, especially on early chapters. There's too much of that, and the facts speak for themselves. No need to be overly dramatic.
Still, the information is interesting, and the book is very readable. It's just not up to par with what I am used to reading.
February 18, 2015
Like many others, I knew nothing about ChiChi Jima before reading Flyboys by James Bradley. ChiChi Jima is near Iwo Jima and one of many small islands which played a role in WWII. The Japanese had built a honeycomb of tunnels and caves inside this island for defense and for communications equipment. The US decided not to invade this island but focus on Guam, Iwo Jima and others instead. However, US planes dropped hundreds of bombs on the island and numerous planes were shot down in the process. One of them was piloted by George H. W. Bush who parachuted into the water nearby. Both of his copilots were killed. Luckily a submarine was able to pick him up before the Japanese could capture him. Those who were captured were brutally tortured, executed and some were eaten. It wasn't until months after the war ended that the Japanese told their horrific story.
The inhumane treatment of captured prisoners in Japan is well known. Much better to have been captured by the Germans. So the treatment of these dozen or so prisoners is not surprising. The cannibalism, of course, is what made this story different from the others. This information was covered up at the time and has only come to light recently.
I got tired of the endless details and was tempted to stop reading several times. This book is not for the feint of heart as each soldier's treatment is exhaustively told. There were so many unthinkable acts committed during that war, so unfortunately this is just one of many.
The inhumane treatment of captured prisoners in Japan is well known. Much better to have been captured by the Germans. So the treatment of these dozen or so prisoners is not surprising. The cannibalism, of course, is what made this story different from the others. This information was covered up at the time and has only come to light recently.
I got tired of the endless details and was tempted to stop reading several times. This book is not for the feint of heart as each soldier's treatment is exhaustively told. There were so many unthinkable acts committed during that war, so unfortunately this is just one of many.
February 20, 2013
You could say this was FLYBOYS 2, with more in depth detail and investigation. The author brings to light what happened to many of the flyers who were unlucky enough to have bailed out of their damaged aircraft during operations against Chichi Jima during WWII. Incidents concerning these flyers on the Island of Chichi Jima were covered up for the most part almost 50 years, with only rumors of the atrocities perpetrated by those in the Island's Japanese higher command floating around. People just did not want to know, they did not want to believe. You will go away from this book knowing that "war" can be very ugly, and may bring out the worst in man.
September 23, 2014
To me, it was an extension of James Bradley's Flyboys book. It was a pretty good read.
"The unfortunate American flyers shot down over Chichi Jima never expected to die as they did. Their last flights, by every account, were sorties into hell." (Sorties into Hell, Pg. 198, Chester G. Hearn)
"The unfortunate American flyers shot down over Chichi Jima never expected to die as they did. Their last flights, by every account, were sorties into hell." (Sorties into Hell, Pg. 198, Chester G. Hearn)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews