Introducing the Japanese Fukuryu Divers

The Japanese Suicide Divers (a.k.a Fukuryu in Japanese or Kamikaze frogmen in western works) were a unit within the Japanese Special Attack Units charged with the defense of the Japanese homeland in the case of an Allied invasion. The term Fukuryu means crouching dragon, which will make more sense as we describe their mode of operation. The idea was to have these men defend the landing beaches, by hiding in waiting for up to 10 hours under water at a depth of about 20 feet. They were aided by 20 lb of lead which would keep them submerged, and they were also supplied with liquid food to keep their energy levels up. They were equipped with a 16-foot bamboo pole, which had a 33 lb mine attached to it. The men were expected to jam the mine against the bottom of passing landing craft, with the understanding that the resulting explosion would kill them. An interesting tactical doctrine was developed. The divers were supposed to be deployed in a stagged formation, 20 meters apart. Additionally, in order to have protection against countermeasures, special concrete bunkers were going to be sunk into the beaches so that 6 to 18 divers could enjoy some protection while waiting. The divers were actually the middle ring of  a 3-layer system of defenses. The outer-most ring was a set of mines release by trip wires as the landing craft passed through. The inner-most ring was a more conventional set of mines closer to the beach. The divers however provided a better aimed alternative. The plan was to outfit and deploy 6000 divers, however by the time of Japan surrendered, only 1200 were ready. It will never be known how effective they would have been. My feeling is after some initial successes, the marines on the landing craft would have simply sprayed the water ahead of them with MG fire or some other countermeasure and they would have neutralized the divers. I also wonder about the visibility under water, perhaps without full daylight to help outline the silhouette the ships above them, and with a potentially fogged up helmet. And then of course, the required courage to carry out the mission when nobody else is watching underwater. Anyhow, this is such a little-known topic that until Plastic Platoon did it, nobody had ever made such a Toy Soldier, and I wonder if it will happen again any time soon. Let's take a look.

Plastic Platoon Japanese Fukuryu Diver

This figure was released at the same time as the Japanese Naval Infantry set. I am not sure if it was meant to be part of the set or it it was just similar timing. I got him separately due to a shipping mix up. He is definitely a 'character' figure. Not the kind of which we will be trying to build a whole unit.  The challenge is also to find the right setting to pose him. The best scene would be to place him under water poking a passing landing craft, or approaching the hull of a ship in a harbor. But that's a tricky scene to setup. Anyhow, the amount of equipment and detail on this diver is really intricate. Lots of hoses and straps, which make him a figure worth studying and taking a look at every now and then just to enjoy the detail. 

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Click here to see a very cool post of Japanese troops in action against US Marines.