The bodies of Giretsu Kuteitai were scattered after a fierce battle by U.S. paratroopers who flew into the Yomitan Airfield on May 24, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific War.

     The counterattack by U.S. paratroopers who flew into Yomitan Airfield on May 24, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific War, was also extremely fierce. After a fierce battle at Yomitan Airfield, the bodies of the slain paratroopers were scattered. Japanese paratroopers were killed by the U.S. forces in a desperate dive attack.The bodies of 69 dead paratroopers were recovered after being autopsied by American soldiers. 4 American soldiers were killed in action and 27 were wounded in action.

    On the night of May 24, 1945, eight of the 12 Girei paratroopers were sent to Yomitan Airfield and four to Kadena Airfield for suicide attacks in the Battle of Okinawa. four of the 12 planes returned to base due to engine trouble. three were shot down by American forces. two of them were killed in action. Five, however, succeeded in making an emergency landing at Yomitan Airfield amidst the confusion of the American forces, thanks to a diversionary attack by bombers and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Air Force and Imperial Japanese Navy.

     Only one plane succeeded in landing, and after that landing, about 10 surviving Yichiye paratroopers, armed with machine guns and various explosives, disembarked. Wreaking havoc on American supplies and nearby fighters, they killed two American soldiers, destroyed about 260,000 liters of fuel and nine fighter planes, and damaged 29 more; at 12:55 p.m. on May 25, the last of the U.S. paratroopers was killed, and the Americans had almost wiped out the Japanese paratroopers. The U.S. forces almost annihilated the Japanese paratroopers. Only one member of the raiding party survived and crossed the battlefield, arriving at the Japanese 32nd Army headquarters in Okinawa around June 12.