John Lindsey
7th March 2002, 23:04
Here is an interesting interview with the famous Japanese fighter pilot:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs2/articles_sakai.asp
Here are some quotes:
Interviewer: Did the U.S. pilots use more teamwork in combat than the Japanese?
Saburo Sakai: I am confident that Japanese pilots were superior on a one-on-one basis. But the ability to work as a team both offensively and defensively that the Americans had was very impressive. Perhaps this comes from the team spirit and thinking they developed playing American football. This hit us particularly hard in the air engagements from the middle war onwards (teamwork and search patterns).
They all wanted to win. Combat makes the pilot's will to win stronger. With every fight they become much stronger. I got stronger with each victory. The first fight I didn't remember anything or understand anything. My first kill, there were many things that I should have done but I forgot everything. I didn't know what I should do. After coming back I was not rewarded: I was disciplined. I broke all the rules I should have respected and because the other pilots supported me, that's the reason why I was able to survive. I was heavily disciplined - they hit me with a wooden stick - a very heavy blow. But as I got more kills I began to have the confidence that I would never be defeated as long as I was in a Zero.
Interviewer: What was the reason that Japanese pilots didn't use parachutes?
Saburo Sakai: The non-usage of parachutes has nothing to do with the Samurai code. If that is true it's foolish version of that Samurai code. In a war you fight in order to win; not to die. I said to my men, "I will not permit you to commit suicide." We came here to fight with Americans. Stay alive and come back. That was what I trained and that was the reason why some of my superiors didn't like me. But because of this many of my men survived the war.
Of course I would use a parachute. What is the purpose but to come to the battle - not to commit suicide but to fight. A human being, an individual can live only once, so you should live as long as you could. When you die you can do nothing for your country. If you become captive, the other side that captured you must protect you. There is opportunity to escape and in the future you may be able to come back to your side. You should try to survive as long as you can.
Interviewer: About not shooting down a passenger plane full of women and children over Java-
Saburo Sakai: It was me. That was in the Dutch East Indies. This was during the bombing of Java. The order was to shoot down any aircraft over Java. I was over Java and had just shot down an enemy aircraft when I saw a big black aircraft coming towards me. I saw that it was a civilian aircraft - a DC-4. As I flew closer I saw that it was full of passengers. Some were even having to stand. I thought that these might be important people fleeing, so I signaled to the pilot to follow me. The pilot of the aircraft was courageous enough not to follow me so I came down and got much closer. Through one of the round windows I saw a blonde woman, a mother with a child about three years old. So I thought I shouldn't kill them. As a child I went to a middle school for two years, a school I was later expelled from. While I was there I was taught by an American, Mr. Martin. And his wife came to the class to teach us while her husband or the other teachers were away. She was good to me. And that woman in the airplane looked like Mrs. Martin. So I thought that I shouldn't kill them. So I flew to ahead of the pilot and signaled him to go ahead. Then the people in the plane saluted. The pilot saluted me, and the passengers. I don't know where it went: either to the United States or Australia. I couldn't find out. But a few years ago I came to find out where that plane went back to Holland. Newspapermen from Holland came to visit me to find out if it was true. Well, anyway, I didn't respect my orders that day but I still think I did the right thing. I was ordered to shoot down any aircraft, but I couldn't live with myself doing that. I believed that we should fight a war against soldiers; not civilians.
So I decreased my record by one.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs2/articles_sakai.asp
Here are some quotes:
Interviewer: Did the U.S. pilots use more teamwork in combat than the Japanese?
Saburo Sakai: I am confident that Japanese pilots were superior on a one-on-one basis. But the ability to work as a team both offensively and defensively that the Americans had was very impressive. Perhaps this comes from the team spirit and thinking they developed playing American football. This hit us particularly hard in the air engagements from the middle war onwards (teamwork and search patterns).
They all wanted to win. Combat makes the pilot's will to win stronger. With every fight they become much stronger. I got stronger with each victory. The first fight I didn't remember anything or understand anything. My first kill, there were many things that I should have done but I forgot everything. I didn't know what I should do. After coming back I was not rewarded: I was disciplined. I broke all the rules I should have respected and because the other pilots supported me, that's the reason why I was able to survive. I was heavily disciplined - they hit me with a wooden stick - a very heavy blow. But as I got more kills I began to have the confidence that I would never be defeated as long as I was in a Zero.
Interviewer: What was the reason that Japanese pilots didn't use parachutes?
Saburo Sakai: The non-usage of parachutes has nothing to do with the Samurai code. If that is true it's foolish version of that Samurai code. In a war you fight in order to win; not to die. I said to my men, "I will not permit you to commit suicide." We came here to fight with Americans. Stay alive and come back. That was what I trained and that was the reason why some of my superiors didn't like me. But because of this many of my men survived the war.
Of course I would use a parachute. What is the purpose but to come to the battle - not to commit suicide but to fight. A human being, an individual can live only once, so you should live as long as you could. When you die you can do nothing for your country. If you become captive, the other side that captured you must protect you. There is opportunity to escape and in the future you may be able to come back to your side. You should try to survive as long as you can.
Interviewer: About not shooting down a passenger plane full of women and children over Java-
Saburo Sakai: It was me. That was in the Dutch East Indies. This was during the bombing of Java. The order was to shoot down any aircraft over Java. I was over Java and had just shot down an enemy aircraft when I saw a big black aircraft coming towards me. I saw that it was a civilian aircraft - a DC-4. As I flew closer I saw that it was full of passengers. Some were even having to stand. I thought that these might be important people fleeing, so I signaled to the pilot to follow me. The pilot of the aircraft was courageous enough not to follow me so I came down and got much closer. Through one of the round windows I saw a blonde woman, a mother with a child about three years old. So I thought I shouldn't kill them. As a child I went to a middle school for two years, a school I was later expelled from. While I was there I was taught by an American, Mr. Martin. And his wife came to the class to teach us while her husband or the other teachers were away. She was good to me. And that woman in the airplane looked like Mrs. Martin. So I thought that I shouldn't kill them. So I flew to ahead of the pilot and signaled him to go ahead. Then the people in the plane saluted. The pilot saluted me, and the passengers. I don't know where it went: either to the United States or Australia. I couldn't find out. But a few years ago I came to find out where that plane went back to Holland. Newspapermen from Holland came to visit me to find out if it was true. Well, anyway, I didn't respect my orders that day but I still think I did the right thing. I was ordered to shoot down any aircraft, but I couldn't live with myself doing that. I believed that we should fight a war against soldiers; not civilians.
So I decreased my record by one.