UBB.threads Forums General Interest Period History Forum April 18, 1943 Death of Yamamoto

April 18, 1943

Admiral Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet was killed on this day in an ambush by P-38 Lightning aircraft near Buin in southeast Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. He was headed to Balalae Island, an insignificant island to the northeast of Shortland Island, on a visit to pump up morale after the loss of Guadalcanal.

American cryptographers had broken some of the top level IJN codes and were able to see his itinerary. He left Rabaul, the Japanese air base on New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, on one of two Mitsubishi G4M bombers escorted by 6 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters. Sixteen P-38s from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal to intercepted the Japanese aircraft. Yamamoto?s aircraft was shot down and crashed near Buin on Bougainville in heavy jungle. It was found the next day and his remains were cremated. They were returned to Japan on the battleship Musashi for a state funeral.