In April 1943, American intelligence officers intercepted the flight plans and travel itinerary of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The plans indicated that the admiral would be traveling through zone that could be reached by American fighter planes. Yamamoto was a high level target for a variety of reasons. He had been instrumental in the Pearl Harbor attack, at Wake Island, the Dutch East Indies, and in Burma. He was also regarded by U.S. intelligence as Japan’s greatest strategist and his popularity with the Japanese military and civilians neared that of Emperor Hirohito. After careful deliberation, a decision was made to launch Operation Vengeance – a mission to assassinate Yamamoto.

Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)

Follow us on:

Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClark
Facebook: @MacArthurMemorial


www.macarthurmemorial.org