The fact that there was no provision for extraction of the strike force, along with the rejection of surrender in Japanese military doctrine at the time, meant that the Giretsu ground operations were effectively suicide attacks.

In the middle of April, the Sixth Air Army requested the deployment of the Giretsu Special Forces to neutralize these airfields, in what was designated "Operation Gi-gou".

On the night of 24 May 1945, twelve Ki-21-IIbs of the Daisan Dokuritsu Hikōtai ("3rd Independent Squadron": 32 crew members commanded by Captain Chuichi Suwabe) were dispatched for a strike, each with fourteen commandos.

Four aircraft aborted the mission with engine problems, and three more were shot down; however, five managed to crash-land at Yontan Airfield during the confusion caused by a diversionary attack by some fifty IJAAF and IJN bombers and fighters.

[1] A second large-scale attack on bases in the Marianas with the specific intent of destroying B-29 Superfortress bombers was again planned with 60 transports and 900 commandos for the nights of 19–23 August 1945 (Operation Ken-gou).