The Chichijima Incident: George H.W. Bush’s Escape and the Tragic Fate of His Comrades at the Hands of Cannibals
World War II is remembered for its staggering scale, its horrors, and its acts of heroism. Some events, however, remain buried in the pages of history, known only to those who seek them out. One such tragic episode occurred in September 1944 on a small Japanese-held island in the Pacific: the Chichijima Incident. This event involved a group of nine American pilots, including a young George H.W. Bush, who was then a 20-year-old Navy pilot. Their mission was a perilous one: to destroy a Japanese radio tower on the heavily fortified island of Chichijima. What transpired next is a story of incredible courage, brutal consequences, and dark secrets that remained hidden for decades.
The Mission to Chichijima
On 2 September 1944, the nine U.S. Navy airmen took off from the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto in their Avenger torpedo bombers. Among them was a youthful Lieutenant (junior grade) George H.W. Bush, who had already proven his skill and dedication as a pilot. Their target was a radio tower located on the strategically significant island of Chichijima, part of the Bonin Islands, situated approximately 700 miles south of mainland Japan. The island played a critical role in Japanese communications and air defence in the Pacific theatre.
The mission was far from routine. The Japanese, aware of the strategic importance of Chichijima, had fortified the island heavily, anticipating American attacks. Anti-aircraft guns and experienced gunners defended the skies around the island, making any approach extremely hazardous. The nine young pilots knew the risks but also understood the vital importance of their mission. If they could take out the radio tower, they would disrupt Japanese communications, aiding the broader Allied push across the Pacific.
Bush’s Fateful Flight
As the American aircraft neared Chichijima, they encountered fierce anti-aircraft fire from the ground. The planes darted and weaved through the sky, attempting to avoid the barrage of flak exploding around them. Despite their efforts, several of the planes were hit. Bush's Avenger was struck, and the cockpit began to fill with smoke as the engine sputtered. In that moment, Bush's fate seemed uncertain. He would later recount the intense fear and confusion he felt as his plane began its inevitable descent.
With flames spreading across his aircraft, Bush made a quick decision. He released his payload, dropping bombs on the radio tower before his plane nosedived into the ocean. Climbing out of the burning wreckage, Bush managed to bail out, parachuting into the sea just off the coast of Chichijima. It was a miraculous escape, but his ordeal was far from over. Alone and vulnerable in the water, Bush had no guarantee of survival. He could see the island, and with it, the prospect of capture, or worse.
For hours, Bush floated in the rough waters, dodging Japanese patrol boats that scoured the area for survivors. In a stroke of fortune, a U.S. submarine, the USS Finback, surfaced and rescued him, ensuring his survival. Bush would later reflect on the profound emotional weight of this moment, recognising how close he had come to death. He was the only one of the nine airmen to escape.
The Fate of Bush's Comrades
While Bush was saved, the fate of the other eight pilots was far darker. Four of the other aircraft were also shot down during the raid, and the surviving airmen were captured by the Japanese on Chichijima. These eight men would experience unimaginable brutality at the hands of their captors.
At that time, the island was under the command of Major Matoba Yoshio and Lieutenant General Tachibana Shizuo, both officers in the Imperial Japanese Army. With Japan facing increasing pressure from the advancing Allies, resources were scarce, and morale among the soldiers stationed on the island was low. Chichijima's isolation from the mainland had fostered a brutal environment, with discipline enforced through fear, violence, and obedience to orders without question.
The captured Americans were subjected to severe torture. Accounts suggest that the torture was both physical and psychological. The Japanese soldiers used beatings, starvation, and other cruel methods to extract information from the airmen, though they had little to offer beyond what the Japanese already knew. What transpired next is almost beyond belief, a horror that remained a dark secret for decades: four of the eight captured airmen were executed, and in an act of grotesque barbarism, cannibalized by Japanese officers.
In a war that saw countless atrocities, this one stands out for its cruelty and senselessness. According to post-war testimonies, several of the captured airmen were decapitated following their execution. Their livers and other body parts were then removed and consumed by high-ranking Japanese officers in what they believed to be an honourable act that would endow them with the strength and bravery of their fallen enemies.
Following the execution of a prisoner, Japanese General Yoshio Tachibana drunkenly proposed the idea of exhuming the body to utilise it as meat.
Tachibana demanded that all present demonstrate their willingness to consume human flesh as a display of their fighting spirit.
Subsequently, surgeons extracted the liver and thigh muscles from the soldiers, which were then prepared by cooks and served to the Japanese officers with soy sauce, vegetables, and hot sake.
Admiral Kinizo Mori later testified that a chef “had [the liver] pierced with bamboo sticks and cooked with soy sauce and vegetables.”
The dish was apparently a delicacy, and according to Mori was believed to be “good for the stomach.”
Major Sueo Matoba, who was among the senior officers who cannibalized the American soldiers, later defended his actions.
“These incidents occurred when Japan was meeting defeat after defeat,” he insisted. “The personnel became excited, agitated, and seething with uncontrollable rage … We were hungry. I hardly know what happened after that. We really were not cannibals.”
This act of cannibalism was driven by a twisted code of wartime behaviour. Some of the Japanese officers involved in the act reportedly believed that by consuming the organs of their adversaries, they could absorb their fighting spirit. Such beliefs, while not widespread, had been recorded in other desperate contexts during the war. The Chichijima Incident, however, became one of the most infamous examples of this horrific practice.
The Aftermath and Cover-Up
For decades, the details of what had happened to Bush’s comrades on Chichijima remained hidden. After the war, the actions of the Japanese officers on the island came to light during the Tokyo War Crimes Trials. In 1947, several of the officers, including Lieutenant General Tachibana and Major Matoba, were tried for war crimes. The charges against them were severe, including torture, execution, and cannibalism of prisoners of war.
The trial was shocking in its revelations. Witnesses came forward to describe the grisly details of what had occurred. Tachibana and Matoba, among others, were convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence reflected the gravity of their crimes, though for the families of the airmen who had perished, no form of justice could undo the horror of what had transpired.
Despite the severity of the Chichijima Incident, the U.S. government, in the years that followed, chose not to publicise the incident widely. The reasons for this are complex. Some historians suggest that the barbaric nature of the crimes committed against the American airmen was so shocking that the U.S. military preferred to keep the details under wraps. Others believe that protecting the image of George H.W. Bush, who went on to have a distinguished political career, was also a factor. Bush himself rarely spoke about the incident publicly.
George H.W. Bush’s Legacy
For George H.W. Bush, the Chichijima Incident would remain a deeply personal and haunting chapter of his life. The rescue by the USS Finback saved him from a fate that had befallen his comrades, but the memory of those lost never left him. Bush would later reflect on how his near-death experience shaped his outlook on life, imbuing him with "a sense of duty, resilience, and gratitude".
Bush’s survival of the Chichijima raid would prove to be a turning point in his life. He returned to the United States and continued his military service before entering politics. His career took him from the House of Representatives to becoming the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of the CIA, and eventually, the 41st President of the United States. But through it all, Bush carried the weight of his wartime experiences, never forgetting those who had not been as fortunate.
Though his political career would make him a prominent figure on the world stage, the Chichijima Incident would remain one of the lesser-known chapters in the story of George H.W. Bush. It wasn’t until the 2003 publication of Flyboys by historian James Bradley that the full extent of the tragedy became widely known. Bradley’s work brought to light the horrors faced by Bush's fellow airmen, ensuring that their story would no longer be confined to the shadows of history.
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