Yasuyuki Kasai - Dragon of the Mangroves

“Let’s go soon, Lieutenant. If we’re strolling around in these latest fashions, we’ll get shot by our comrades,” said Yoshioka.

Indeed he was right. Now the honorable Imperial Army soldiers couldn’t take on a rescue action without a wacky disguise.

Sumi was astonished to learn from one of the steersmen that many British-Indian troops had gathered up near the Cape of Amou, the intended landing point, a few days before. Sumi knew an enemy of two-battalion strength had landed the cape on January 30, but he also heard it had advanced further inland without constructing any beachheads there. The steersman reported that the troops had been leveling off an open area near a neighboring village named Kyauknimaw, to which Sumi let out a groan. “They’re making an airfield.”

It was too dangerous to plunge into an airfield where the enemy must certainly be on the alert. Sumi’s initial plan to break through the east coast at a stretch from the Cape of Amou to Yanthitgyi, the shortest course to be taken, was now useless. He hadn’t prepared any other landing points. However, Manboy assured him that Uga had sound piers. Uga was a small village southwest, facing the Cheduba Strait. Sumi changed his plan and chose Uga. As a matter of course, the enemy might have already occupied there. He couldn’t deny that possibility but had no other option. He chose Uga partially out of despair.

Crew members piled into the boats, and the steersmen started the engines.

Clamorous sounds and irritating exhaust fumes encircled them. Sumi’s number one boat took in Pondgi, Manboy, and Lance Corporal Yoshitake, the stout, crack hand with a machine gun. Manboy asked Sumi whether they should turn on navigation lights after he had discussed something with the steersman.

“Light it as far as Tai Island. We’re fishermen going night fishing. Why do we have to be on the sly?” Sumi said bluntly, as if he had persuaded himself, and directed the steersman with gestures.

The other boats turned on their navigation lights one after another, following the first boat’s lead, throwing a blurry, orange light over the crew’s tense faces.

The fleet slowly disembarked from the floating bridge and began slithering on the pitch-dark surface.

The boats’ speed was as slow as a human could walk. Yoshitake worried. “Can we really get to Ramree with these snails?”

But the boats sang a different tune when they left the estuary. The steersmen might have increased the engines’ output, because all the boats started cutting through the waves. Spray fell on both sides. Sumi and Yoshitake, sitting on the taffrail, received a lot of it and took cover behind the cabin.

Yoshitake seemed to get excited at the high speed, and cracked a joke, his big body shaking with laughter. “Here’s some special news from front lines! Sumi task force is advancing on the Indian Ocean and sweeping everything before it!”

But Sumi was worried that enemies might hear the roar of engines permeating through the darkness and come on them at any moment. He couldn’t enjoy it like Yoshitake.

However, Sumi was surprised and pleased with the boat’s incredibly high speed. He realized that when Second Lieutenant Okada had said, “It can run away from even a destroyer,” it was at the very least not a barefaced lie. He wanted to ask the steersman how many knots the boat was making. But the boat kept shaking fiercely and throwing almost everything on board into the air, so Sumi was preoccupied with clinging onto the cabin’s frame.

As Pondgi said, the steersman knew the sea well. He steered confidently, and remained silent, except for some short briefings with Manboy. When they had navigated under the starry sky for almost five hours, the exhaust and the speed suddenly decreased.

“Hey! What’s the matter?” Sumi questioned the steersman, with Pondgi trans-lating. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, he says we’ve made it to Tai Island, Master,” said Pondgi.

Sumi strained his eyes. The black shadow of the uninhabited island loomed on the starboard bow. “Turn off the navigation light!” commanded Sumi. All the warm color around them stopped abruptly, leaving only the deepening darkness over the fleet.

Sumi asked, “How long does it take us to get to Uga from here?”

“In two hours or less. Manboy says we can take the good tide,” Pondgi replied.

Sumi was satisfied with this smooth progress and looked at his watch. Its luminous dial dimly indicated one o’clock in the morning.

The next moment, a distant burr reached his ears. No sooner had he realized it, than a big shadow brushed over the boat. He looked up and saw distinctive oval tail fins. It was a B-24 heavy bomber. And then came another and another.

Because of the darkness, he couldn’t count an accurate number, but it looked like a fair formation of no less than an air regiment. The bombers flew so low that he could discern the silhouette of machine guns. If it spat fire, it would be all over for them.

Everybody froze on the spot, surrounded by the whir of propellers. Feeling only cold sweat trickle down his sides from his armpits, Sumi said, “Go at full speed as soon as the bombers go. Can the others follow us without navigation lights?”

Pondgi answered, “This steersman says it’s OK. The others also know the sea.”

Sumi gave a slight nod. He got very thirsty and picked up his canteen. He felt as though a long time had passed. The flock of B-24s flew toward Rangoon. He could see nothing but stars in the sky. Everybody drew a deep breath.

It almost seemed a miracle they hadn’t gotten strafed. What if they had delayed turning off the lights? Thinking about that, Sumi was naturally forced to give thanks for their sheer luck and said, “Well, we can’t waste even a minute now. Uga at full throttle!”

The fleet turned sharply in the darkness, one after another, and went north toward the Cheduba Strait, emitting reassuring exhaust notes. The speed was faster than ever, half-swamping the deck with sea spray.

After a while, the vague silhouette of a considerable island appeared. It was Ramree Island. Sumi clenched his hands into fists. Beside him, Yoshitake and Pondgi were jostling about excitedly.

The west coast facing them had many shallow beaches, so they could get stranded if they came too close. The fleet fixed its course toward the northwest and navigated along the coast.

Several distant lights came into view, apparently from some settlements on the shore. As the boats drew nearer, they could see piers, floating bridges, and many boats moored there.

Sumi heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Is that Uga?”

“Yeah, Uga, Uga, Japan master,” the steersman replied. His smiling face looked relieved as he deftly manipulated the steering wheel and pulled the boat into a vacant floating bridge. Manboy agilely leaped to the bridge and moored the boat without delay. Soon the rest made port, one by one. At that moment, the Sumi rescue party had succeeded in landing on Ramree Island.

Sumi ordered the signalmen to telegraph their arrival. Then he went alone to the main street, running from south to north, and scrutinized the road with a flashlight. There was no trace of jeeps or tanks. Enemies hadn’t been here yet. Feeling at ease, he returned to the pier.

Judging from the map, they had to break through mountainous terrain to get to Yanthitgyi. It would take two days at least. A round trip would take four days.

Adding two more days to it for contingencies, he figured it would cost six days in all. At first glance, there was no sign that enemy planes had strafed the ten or so miscellaneous fishing boats moored at the pier. It seemed possible to slip the five rescue boats inconspicuously for a time. Sumi called Yoshioka and ordered him to keep watch on their precious boats until the party returned. There was no insurance against the steersmen leaving the boats unattended. So Sumi reminded him to keep tabs on the Burmese.