Many of the most effective kamikaze attacks on the US fleet off of Okinawa were coming from Japanese airfields on Formosa. Formosa was in the area of responsibility of General MacArthur and the US admirals believed MacArthur wasn't doing enough to deter them. So, the admirals turned to the British Pacific Fleet (BPF), which had been attacking the Japanese in the Sakishima Islands, to switch its efforts to Formosa.
On 9 April 1945, the US admirals, for whom the BPF worked, told the British carrier force to launch a two-day strike against two Japanese bases on Formosa.
They were scheduled to launch the first strikes on 11 April but the weather was so bad, they were postponed for 24 hours.
By 12 April the weather had improved only slightly but the BPF went ahead. When the British planes reached Matsuyama Airfield, the clouds were so thick and low the pilots were told to switch to Japanese ships anchored in nearby Kiirun Harbor.
