Talk:GT-1 (missile)

Latest comment: 7 years ago by Death Bredon in topic Japanese carriers torpedoed in late 1945?

Hanle Letter edit

One of the references provided is the letter written by Hanle to Air Force Magazine. While I have no doubt Hanle believes what he is saying, this letter is written sixty-five years after the incident. I would really like to see another source for the attacks, even if there are conflicts. Urbanterrorist (talk) 13:41, 12 June 2013 (UTC)Reply

Japanese carriers torpedoed in late 1945? edit

The article states "three missions are known to have been flown using the weapon from Okinawa in late 1945. On one mission, against Kagoshima, eleven of thirteen GT-1s launched successfully entered the water; three hits were recorded, against a fleet carrier, a light carrier, and a freighter."

In the beginning of 1945, there were only three Japanese fleet carriers still afloat: Junyo, Amagi, and Katsuragi. Likewise, there were only two light carriers, Hosho and Ryuho. Of the fleet carriers, Junyo was torpedoed in December 1944 and was under repairs until hulked in March 1945, Amagi was at Kure from February 1945 and was bombed to the bottom there in late July, and Katsuragi was also moored at Kure from February onwards until the end of the war and was bombed there several times though not sunk. Light carrier Hosho served mainly in the Inland Sea from 1944 until 19 March 1945, when she was bombed (possibly at Kure) and was in reserve at Kure from mid April to the end of the war, while Katsuragi arrived at Kure on February 15, 1945 and stayed there until the end of the war, also sustaining bomb damage. It would thus seem that THERE WERE NO JAPANESE CARRIERS, FLEET OR LIGHT, ANYWHERE NEAR KAGOSHIMA (ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF JAPAN) IN LATE 1945, assuming that "late 1945" is any time later than April. None of the service records of any of these vessels mention being torpedoed in 1945 and all of them were permanently at Kure at least from April onwards. Considering that Japan capitulated on August 15th, there wouldn't have been much of a war going on in late 1945, and since the battle of Okinawa only ended on June 22, 1945, there is no chance an American plane from there could have met with a Japanese fleet or light carrier anywhere else than Kure, where the attacks were carried out with bombs rather than torpedoes.--Death Bredon (talk) 22:53, 6 December 2016 (UTC)Reply