Ensign, who flew his aircraft into on 11 May 1945Kamikaze (,; 'divine wind' or ' wind'), officially Tokubetsu Kōgekitai ( 特別攻撃隊, 'Special Attack Unit'), were a part of the of who initiated for the against naval vessels in the closing stages of the of, designed to destroy more effectively than possible with conventional air attacks. About 3,800 kamikaze pilots died during the war, and more than 7,000 naval personnel were killed by kamikaze attacks.Kamikaze aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft. Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a 'body attack' ( tai-atari) in planes laden with some combination of explosives, bombs,. Accuracy was much higher than that of conventional attacks, and the payload and explosion larger; about 19% of kamikaze attacks were successful. A kamikaze could sustain damage that would disable a conventional attacker and still achieve its objective. The goal of crippling or destroying large numbers of Allied ships, particularly aircraft carriers, was considered by the Empire of Japan to be a just reason for sacrificing pilots and aircraft.These attacks, which began in October 1944, followed several critical military defeats for the Japanese. They had long since lost aerial dominance as a result of having outdated aircraft and enduring the loss of experienced pilots.

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Japan suffered from a diminishing capacity for war and a rapidly declining relative to that of the Allies. Japan was also losing pilots faster than it could train their replacements. These combined factors, along with Japan's unwillingness to surrender, led to the use of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the.While the term kamikaze usually refers to the aerial strikes, it has also been applied to various other suicide attacks.

The Japanese military also used or made plans for non-aerial, including those involving, and.The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture and shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture. One of the primary traditions in the life and the code was and until death. The in a typhoon, by, 1847The Japanese word is usually translated as 'divine wind' ( is the word for 'god', 'spirit', or 'divinity', and kaze for 'wind'). The word originated from of poetry modifying ' and has been used since August 1281 to refer to the that dispersed fleets who under in 1274.A Japanese monoplane that made a record-breaking flight from Tokyo to London in 1937 for the newspaper group was named.

She was a prototype for the ('Babs').In Japanese, the formal term used for units carrying out suicide attacks during 1944–1945 is tokushu kōgekitai (特別攻撃隊), which literally means 'special attack unit'. This is usually abbreviated to tokkōtai (特攻隊). More specifically, air suicide attack units from the were officially called shinpū tokubetsu kōgeki tai (神風特別攻撃隊, 'divine wind special attack units'). Shinpū is the ( on'yomi or Chinese-derived pronunciation) of the same that form the word kamikaze in Japanese. During World War II, the pronunciation kamikaze was used only informally in the Japanese press in relation to suicide attacks, but after the war this usage gained acceptance worldwide and was re-imported into Japan. As a result, the special attack units are sometimes known in Japan as kamikaze tokubetsu kōgeki tai. History Background.

Yoshinori Yamaguchi's 3 (Type 33 Suisei) 'Judy' in a suicide dive against on 25 November 1944. The attack left 15 killed and 44 wounded. The are extended and the non- port wing tank trails fuel vapor and/or smoke.Before the formation of kamikaze units, pilots had made deliberate crashes as a last resort when their planes had suffered severe damage and they did not want to risk being captured, or wanted to do as much damage to the enemy as possible, since they were crashing anyway. Such situations occurred in both the Axis and Allied air forces.

Axell and Kase see these suicides as 'individual, impromptu decisions by men who were mentally prepared to die'. In most cases, little evidence exists that such hits represented more than accidental collisions of the kind that sometimes happen in intense sea or air battles. One example of this occurred on 7 December 1941 during the. Fusata Iida's plane had taken a hit and had started leaking fuel when he apparently used it to make a suicide attack on. Before taking off, he had told his men that if his plane were to become badly damaged he would crash it into a 'worthy enemy target'.The carrier battles in 1942, particularly, inflicted irreparable damage on the (IJNAS), such that they could no longer put together a large number of fleet carriers with well-trained aircrews. Japanese planners had assumed a quick war and lacked comprehensive programmes to replace the losses of ships, pilots and sailors; at Midway in June 1942, the Japanese lost as many air crew in a single day as their pre-war training program had lost in a year.The following (1942–1945) and the (1942–1945), notably the Battles of (August 1942) and (October 1942), further decimated the IJNAS veteran aircrews, and replacing their combat experience proved impossible. Model 52c Zeros ready to take part in a kamikaze attack (early 1945)During 1943–1944, U.S.

Forces steadily advanced toward Japan. Newer U.S.-made planes, especially the and, outclassed and soon outnumbered Japan's fighter planes. Tropical diseases, as well as shortages of spare parts and, made operations more and more difficult for the IJNAS.

By the (June 1944), the Japanese had to make do with obsolete aircraft and inexperienced aviators in the fight against better-trained and more experienced US Navy airmen who flew -directed. The Japanese lost over 400 carrier-based planes and pilots in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, effectively putting an end to their carriers' potency. Allied aviators called the action the '.On 19 June 1944, planes from the carrier approached a US task group. According to some accounts, two made suicide attacks, one of which hit.The important Japanese base of fell to the Allied forces on 15 July 1944. Its capture provided adequate forward bases that enabled U.S. Air forces using the to strike at the Japanese home islands. After the fall of Saipan, the Japanese High Command predicted that the Allies would try to capture the, strategically important to Tokyo because of the islands' location between the of Southeast Asia and Japan.Beginnings.

A Japanese kamikaze aircraft explodes after crashing into Essex 's flight deck amidships 25 November 1944.Captain, in charge of the Base in, as well as the 341st Air Group Home, was, according to some sources, the first officer to officially propose kamikaze attack tactics. With his superiors, he arranged the first investigations into the plausibility and mechanisms of intentional suicide attacks on 15 June 1944.In August 1944, it was announced by the news agency that a flight instructor named Takeo Tagata was training pilots in for suicide missions.One source claims that the first kamikaze mission occurred on 13 September 1944. A group of pilots from the army's on decided to launch a suicide attack the following morning. Takeshi Kosai and a were selected. Two 100 kg (220 lb) bombs were attached to two fighters, and the pilots took off before dawn, planning to crash into carriers.

They never returned, but there is no record of an enemy plane hitting an Allied ship that day. According to some sources, on 14 October 1944, was hit by a deliberately crashed Japanese plane. Masafumi Arima, the commander of the 26th Air Flotilla (part of the ), is sometimes credited with inventing the kamikaze tactic. Arima personally led an attack by about 100 Suisei ('Judy') against a large, near Leyte Gulf, on or about 15 October 1944.

Arima was killed and part of a plane hit Franklin. The Japanese high command and seized on Arima's example. He was promoted to and was given official credit for making the first kamikaze attack. It is not clear that this was a planned suicide attack, and official Japanese accounts of Arima's attack bore little resemblance to the actual events.On 17 October 1944, Allied forces assaulted Island, beginning the.

The Imperial Japanese Navy's 1st Air Fleet, based at, was assigned the task of assisting the Japanese ships that would attempt to destroy Allied forces in Leyte Gulf. That unit had only 40 aircraft: 34 carrier-based fighters, three Tenzan ('Jill'), one ('Betty') and two Ginga ('Frances') land-based bombers, and one additional reconnaissance aircraft. The task facing the Japanese air forces seemed impossible.

The 1st Air Fleet commandant, decided to form a suicide offensive force, the Special Attack Unit. In a meeting on 19 October at (known to the U.S. Military as Clark Air Base) near Manila, Onishi told officers of the 201st Flying Group headquarters: 'I don't think there would be any other certain way to carry out the operation to hold the Philippines than to put a 250 kg bomb on a Zero and let it crash into a U.S.

Carrier, in order to disable her for a week.' First unit. Corporal, holding a puppy, with four other pilots of the 72nd Shinbu Squadron at,. Araki died the following day, at the age of 17, in a suicide attack on ships near Okinawa.asked a group of 23 talented student pilots, all of whom he had trained, to volunteer for the special attack force.

All of the pilots raised both of their hands, volunteering to join the operation. Later, Tamai asked Lieutenant to command the special attack force.

Seki is said to have closed his eyes, lowered his head and thought for ten seconds before saying: 'Please do appoint me to the post.' Seki became the 24th kamikaze pilot to be chosen.

He later said: 'Japan's future is bleak if it is forced to kill one of its best pilots' and 'I am not going on this mission for the Emperor or for the Empire. I am going because I was ordered to.' The names of the four sub-units within the Kamikaze Special Attack Force were Unit Shikishima, Unit Yamato, Unit Asahi and Unit Yamazakura. These names were taken from a patriotic, Shikishima no Yamato-gokoro wo hito towaba, asahi ni niou yamazakura bana by the Japanese classical scholar,. The poem reads:If someone asks about the Spirit of Old/True Japan of Shikishima a poetic name for Japan—it is the flowers of yamazakura mountain that are fragrant in the Asahi rising sun.A less literal translation is. Horizontal from the tail of a 'Judy' on the deck of.

The 'Judy' made a run on the ship approaching from dead astern; it was met by effective fire and the plane passed over the island and exploded. Parts of the plane and the pilot were scattered over the flight deck and the forecastle.Several suicide attacks, carried out during the by Japanese pilots from units other than the Special Attack Force, have been described as the first kamikaze attacks. Early on 21 October, a Japanese aircraft deliberately crashed into the foremast of the heavy cruiser. This aircraft was possibly either a dive bomber, from an unidentified unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, or a of the 6th Flying Brigade,. The attack killed 30 personnel, including the cruiser's captain, and wounded 64, including the Australian force commander, Commodore.

The claimed that this was the first kamikaze attack on an Allied ship, although other sources disagree because it was not a planned attack by a member of the Special Attack Force, but was most likely to have been undertaken on the pilot's own initiative.The sinking of the ocean tug on 24 October is listed in some sources as the first ship lost to a kamikaze strike, but the attack occurred before 25 October, and the aircraft used, a, was not flown by the original four Special Attack Squadrons.On 25 October 1944, during the, the Kamikaze Special Attack Force carried out its first mission. Five A6M Zeros, led by Seki, were escorted to the target by leading Japanese ace, and attacked several. One Zero attempted to hit the bridge of but instead exploded on the port catwalk and cartwheeled into the sea. Two others dove at but were destroyed by fire. The last two ran at. One, under heavy fire and trailing smoke, aborted the attempt on White Plains and instead banked toward, plowing into the flight deck.

Its bomb caused fires that resulted in the bomb magazine exploding, sinking the carrier. By day's end on 26 October, 55 kamikazes from the Special Attack Force had also damaged the large escort carriers, (which had also been struckby a kamikaze forward of its aft elevator on 25 October), and the smaller escorts USS White Plains, and Kitkun Bay.

In total, seven carriers were hit, as well as 40 other ships (five sunk, 23 heavily damaged and 12 moderately damaged).Main wave of attacks. The kamikaze hits Columbia at 17:29.

The plane and its bomb penetrated two decks before exploding, killing 13 and wounding 44.Early successes – such as the sinking of St. Lo – were followed by an immediate expansion of the program, and over the next few months over 2,000 planes made such attacks.When Japan began to suffer intense by, the Japanese military attempted to use suicide attacks against this threat. During the northern hemisphere winter of 1944–45, the IJAAF formed the 47th Air Regiment, also known as the Shinten Special Unit ( Shinten Seiku Tai) at Narimasu Airfield, to defend the. The unit was equipped with Shoki ('Tojo') fighters, whose pilots were instructed to collide with (USAAF) B-29s approaching Japan. Targeting the aircraft proved to be much less successful and practical than attacks against warships, as the bombers made for much faster, more maneuverable and smaller targets. The B-29 also had formidable defensive weaponry, so suicide attacks against the plane demanded considerable piloting skill to be successful, which worked against the very purpose of using expendable pilots. Even encouraging capable pilots to bail out before impact was ineffective because vital personnel were often lost when they mistimed their exits and were killed as a result.On 11 March, the U.S.

Carrier was hit and moderately damaged at, in the Caroline Islands, by a kamikaze that had flown almost 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from Japan, in a mission called. On 20 March, the submarine survived a hit from an aircraft just off Japan.Purpose-built kamikaze planes, as opposed to converted fighters and dive-bombers, were also being constructed. Mitsuo Ohta had suggested that piloted, carried within range of targets by a mother plane, should be developed. The First Naval Air Technical Bureau ( Kugisho) in refined Ohta's idea., launched from bombers, were first deployed in kamikaze attacks from March 1945.

Personnel gave them the derisive nickname ' Baka Bombs' ( baka is Japanese for 'idiot' or 'stupid'). The Tsurugi was a simple, easily built propeller aircraft with a wooden airframe that used engines from existing stocks.

Its non-retractable was jettisoned shortly after takeoff for a suicide mission, recovered and reused. During 1945, the Japanese military began stockpiling hundreds of Tsurugi, Ohkas, other aircraft and suicide boats for use against Allied forces expected to invade Japan.

The invasion never happened, and few were ever used. Allied defensive tactics.

An (A6M2 Model 21) towards the end of its run at the on 25 October 1944. The aircraft exploded in mid-air moments after the picture was taken, scattering debris across the deck.In early 1945, U.S. Navy aviator Commander, already famous for developing effective aerial tactics against the Japanese such as the, developed a defensive strategy against kamikazes called the ' to establish Allied well away from the carrier force. This recommended (CAP) that were larger and operated further from the carriers than before, a line of picket and at least 80 km (50 mi) from the main body of the fleet to provide earlier interception and improved coordination between fighter direction officers on carriers.

This plan also called for around-the-clock fighter patrols over Allied fleets, though the U.S. Navy had cut back training of fighter pilots so there were not enough Navy pilots available to counter the kamikaze threat. A final element included intensive fighter sweeps over Japanese airfields, and bombing of Japanese runways, using to make repairs more difficult.Late in 1944, the (BPF) used the good high-altitude performance of its (the naval version of the Spitfire) on combat air patrol duties.

Seafires were heavily involved in countering the kamikaze attacks during the and beyond. The Seafires' best day was 15 August 1945, shooting down eight attacking aircraft with a single loss.

A A6M5 'Zero' diving towards American ships in the Philippines in early 1945Allied pilots were more experienced, better trained and in command of superior aircraft, making the poorly trained kamikaze pilots easy targets. Alone could bring over 1,000 fighter aircraft into play. Allied pilots became adept at destroying enemy aircraft before they struck ships.Allied gunners had begun to develop techniques to negate kamikaze attacks. Light rapid fire anti-aircraft weapons such as the and autocannons were highly effective, but heavy anti-aircraft guns such as the (127 mm) had the punch to blow kamikazes out of the air, which was preferable since even a heavily damaged kamikaze could complete its mission. The speedy Ohkas presented a very difficult problem for fire, since their velocity made extremely difficult. By 1945, large numbers of anti-aircraft shells with radio frequency, on average seven times more effective than regular shells, became available, and the U.S. Navy recommended their use against kamikaze attacks.Final phase.

Shortly before being hit by a (visible top left), 11 April 1945The peak period of kamikaze attack frequency came during April–June 1945 at the. On 6 April 1945, waves of aircraft made hundreds of attacks in Operation Kikusui ('floating chrysanthemums').

At Okinawa, kamikaze attacks focused at first on Allied on duty, and then on the carriers in the middle of the fleet. Suicide attacks by planes or boats at Okinawa sank or put out of action at least 30 U.S. Warships and at least three U.S., along with some from other Allied forces. The attacks expended 1,465 planes. Many warships of all classes were damaged, some severely, but no aircraft carriers, or were sunk by kamikaze at Okinawa.

Most of the ships lost were destroyers or smaller vessels, especially those on picket duty. The destroyer earned the nickname 'The Ship That Would Not Die' after surviving six kamikaze attacks and four bomb hits during this battle.U.S. Carriers, with their wooden flight decks, from kamikaze hits than the armored-decked carriers from the. Carriers also suffered considerably heavier casualties from kamikaze strikes; for instance, 389 men were killed in one attack on, greater than the combined number of fatalities suffered on all six Royal Navy armoured carriers from all forms of attack during the entire war. Bunker Hill and Franklin were both hit while conducting operations with fully fueled and armed aircraft spotted on deck for takeoff, an extremely vulnerable state for any carrier. Eight kamikaze hits on five British carriers resulted in only 20 deaths while a combined total of 15 bomb hits, most of 500 kg (1,100 lb) weight or greater, and one torpedo hit on four carriers caused 193 fatal casualties earlier in the war – striking proof of the protective value of the armoured flight deck. Aircraft carrier after being struck by a kamikaze off the.

The kamikaze made a dent 3 metres (9.8 ft) long and 0.6 metres (2 ft 0 in) wide and deep in the armored flight deck. Eight crew members were killed, forty-seven were wounded, and 11 aircraft were destroyed.The resilience of well-armoured vessels was shown on 4 May, just after 11:30, when there was a wave of suicide attacks against the British Pacific Fleet. One Japanese plane made a steep dive from 'a great height' at the carrier and was engaged by anti-aircraft guns. Although the kamikaze was hit by gunfire, it managed to drop a bomb that detonated on the flight deck, making a crater 3 m (9.8 ft) long, 0.6 m (2 ft) wide and 0.6 m (2 ft) deep. A long steel splinter speared down through the hangar deck and the main boiler room (where it ruptured a steam line) before coming to rest in a fuel tank near the aircraft park, where it started a major fire. Eight personnel were killed and 47 were wounded. One Corsair and 10 were destroyed.

The fires were gradually brought under control, and the crater in the deck was repaired with concrete and steel plate. By 17:00, Corsairs were able to land. On 9 May, Formidable was again damaged by a kamikaze, as were the carrier and the battleship. The British were able to clear the flight deck and resume flight operations in just hours, while their American counterparts took a few days or even months, as observed by a U.S. Navy liaison officer on who commented: 'When a kamikaze hits a U.S.

Carrier it means six months of repair at. When a kamikaze hits a Limey carrier it’s just a case of 'Sweepers, man your brooms'.' Twin-engine aircraft were occasionally used in planned kamikaze attacks. For example, Hiryū ('Peggy') medium bombers, based on Formosa, undertook kamikaze attacks on Allied forces off Okinawa, while a pair of Toryu ('Nick') heavy fighters caused enough damage for to be scuttled.Vice Admiral, the commander of the IJN 5th Air Fleet based in Kyushu, participated in one of the final kamikaze attacks on American ships on 15 August 1945, hours after Japan's announced surrender. Ugaki, shortly before taking off from a D4Y3 to participate in one of the final kamikaze strikes, 15 August 1945As the end of the war approached, the Allies did not suffer more serious significant losses, despite having far more ships and facing a greater intensity of kamikaze attacks.

Although causing some of the heaviest casualties on U.S. Carriers in 1945, the IJN had sacrificed 2,525 kamikaze pilots and the IJAAF 1,387—far more than it had lost in 1942 when it sank or crippled three carriers (albeit without inflicting significant casualties). In 1942, when U.S. Navy vessels were scarce, the temporary absence of key warships from the combat zone would tie up operational initiatives. By 1945, however, the U.S.

Navy was large enough that damaged ships could be detached back home for repair without significantly hampering the fleet's operational capability. The only surface losses were destroyers and smaller ships that lacked the capability to sustain heavy damage. Overall, the kamikazes were unable to turn the tide of the war and stop the Allied invasion.In the immediate aftermath of kamikaze strikes, British carriers with their armoured flight decks recovered more quickly. Post-war analysis showed that some British carriers such as HMS Formidable suffered structural damage that led to them being scrapped, as being beyond economic repair.

Played a role in the decision to not repair damaged carriers, while even seriously damaged American carriers such as USS Bunker Hill were repaired, although they were then mothballed or sold off as surplus after World War II without re-entering service. A crewman in an gun aboard the battleship watches a kamikaze plane descend upon 25 November 1944. Over 75 men were killed or missing and 100 wounded.The exact number of ships sunk is a matter of debate. According to a wartime Japanese propaganda announcement, the missions sank 81 ships and damaged 195, and according to a Japanese tally, kamikaze attacks accounted for up to 80% of the U.S. Losses in the final phase of the war in the Pacific. In a 2004 book, World War II, the historians Wilmott, Cross and Messenger stated that more than 70 U.S. Vessels were 'sunk or damaged beyond repair' by kamikazes.According to a webpage:Approximately 2,800 Kamikaze attackers sank 34 Navy ships, damaged 368 others, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded over 4,800.

Despite detection and cuing, airborne interception, attrition, and massive anti-aircraft barrages, 14 percent of Kamikazes survived to score a hit on a ship; nearly 8.5 percent of all ships hit by Kamikazes sank.Australian journalists Denis and Peggy Warner, in a 1982 book with Japanese naval historian Sadao Seno ( The Sacred Warriors: Japan’s Suicide Legions), arrived at a total of 57 ships sunk by kamikazes. Bill Gordon, an American who specialises in kamikazes, lists in a 2007 article 47 ships known to have been sunk by kamikaze aircraft. Gordon says that the Warners and Seno included ten ships that did not sink.

He lists:. three escort carriers:, and.

14 destroyers, including the last ship to be sunk, on 29 July 1945, off Okinawa. three ships. five. four. three. one auxiliary.

three Canadian. three. two. one. one.

two. twoRecruitment. Japanese ('cherry blossom'), a specially built rocket-powered kamikaze aircraft used towards the end of the war.

Called them Baka Bombs ('idiot bombs').It was claimed by the Japanese forces at the time that there were many volunteers for the suicidal forces. Captain commented that 'there were so many volunteers for suicide missions that he referred to them as a swarm of bees', explaining: 'Bees die after they have stung.' Okamura is credited with being the first to propose the kamikaze attacks. He had expressed his desire to lead a volunteer group of suicide attacks some four months before Admiral, commander of the Japanese naval air forces in the Philippines, presented the idea to his staff. While Vice Admiral, commander of the second air fleet, was inspecting the 341st Air Group, Captain Okamura took the chance to express his ideas on crash-dive tactics. 'In our present situation I firmly believe that the only way to swing the war in our favor is to resort to crash-dive attacks with our planes.

There is no other way. There will be more than enough volunteers for this chance to save our country, and I would like to command such an operation. Provide me with 300 planes and I will turn the tide of war.' When the volunteers arrived for duty in the corps, there were twice as many persons as aircraft available.

'After the war, some commanders would express regret for allowing superfluous crews to accompany sorties, sometimes squeezing themselves aboard bombers and fighters so as to encourage the suicide pilots and, it seems, join in the exultation of sinking a large enemy vessel.' Many of the kamikaze pilots believed their death would pay the debt they owed and show the love they had for their families, friends and emperor. 'So eager were many minimally trained pilots to take part in suicide missions that when their sorties were delayed or aborted, the pilots became deeply despondent. Many of those who were selected for a bodycrashing mission were described as being extraordinarily blissful immediately before their final sortie.' As time wore on, modern critics questioned the nationalist portrayal of kamikaze pilots as noble soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.

In 2006, editor-in-chief of the, criticized Japanese nationalists' glorification of kamikaze attacks:It's all a lie that they left filled with braveness and joy, crying, 'Long live the emperor!' They were sheep at a slaughterhouse. Everybody was looking down and tottering. Some were unable to stand up and were carried and pushed into the plane by maintenance soldiers. Training When you eliminate all thoughts about life and death, you will be able to totally disregard your earthly life. This will also enable you to concentrate your attention on eradicating the enemy with unwavering determination, meanwhile reinforcing your excellence in flight skills. — Excerpt from a kamikaze pilots' manualTokkōtai pilot training, as described by Takeo Kasuga, generally 'consisted of incredibly strenuous training, coupled with cruel and torturous corporal punishment as a daily routine'.

Daikichi Irokawa, who trained at Tsuchiura Naval Air Base, recalled that he 'was struck on the face so hard and frequently that his face was no longer recognizable'. He also wrote: 'I was hit so hard that I could no longer see and fell on the floor. The minute I got up, I was hit again by a club so that I would confess.'

This brutal 'training' was justified by the idea that it would instill a 'soldier's fighting spirit', but daily beatings and corporal punishment eliminated patriotism among many pilots. We tried to live with 120 percent intensity, rather than waiting for death. We read and read, trying to understand why we had to die in our early twenties. We felt the clock ticking away towards our death, every sound of the clock shortening our lives.Irokawa Daikichi, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student SoldiersPilots were given a manual that detailed how they were supposed to think, prepare and attack. From this manual, pilots were told to 'attain a high level of spiritual training', and to 'keep their health in the very best condition'. These instructions, among others, were meant to make pilots mentally ready to die.The tokkōtai pilot's manual also explained how a pilot may turn back if the pilot could not locate a target and that 'a pilot should not waste his life lightly'.

One pilot who continually came back to base was shot after his ninth return.The manual was very detailed in how a pilot should attack. A pilot would dive towards his target and 'aim for a point between the bridge tower and the smoke stacks'. Entering a smoke stack was also said to be 'effective'. Pilots were told not to aim at a ship's bridge tower or gun turret but instead to look for elevators or the flight deck to hit. For horizontal attacks, the pilot was to 'aim at the middle of the vessel, slightly higher than the waterline' or to 'aim at the entrance to the aircraft hangar, or the bottom of the stack' if the former was too difficult.The tokkōtai pilot's manual told pilots to never close their eyes, as this would lower the chances of hitting their targets. In the final moments before the crash, the pilot was to yell ' hissatsu' (必殺) at the top of his lungs, which translates to 'certain kill'. Cultural background.

This section may require to meet Wikipedia's. The specific problem is: Poor syntax and grammar Please help if you can. ( June 2014) In 1944–45, American propagandists invented the term ' to differentiate the Japanese state's ideology from traditional Shinto practices. As time went on, Americans claimed, Shinto was used increasingly in the promotion of nationalist sentiment. In 1890, the was passed, under which students were required to ritually recite its oath to offer themselves 'courageously to the State' as well as protect the Imperial family.

The ultimate offering was to give up one’s life. It was an honour to die for Japan and the Emperor. Axell and Kase pointed out: 'The fact is that innumerable soldiers, sailors and pilots were determined to die, to become eirei, that is 'guardian spirits' of the country. Many Japanese felt that to be enshrined at was a special honour because the Emperor visited the shrine to pay homage twice a year. Yasukuni is the only shrine deifying common men which the Emperor would visit to pay his respects.'

Young Japanese people were indoctrinated from an early age with these ideals. First recruits for Japanese Kamikaze suicide pilots in 1944Following the commencement of the kamikaze tactic, newspapers and books ran advertisements, articles and stories regarding the suicide bombers to aid in recruiting and support. In October 1944, the Nippon Times quoted Lieutenant Sekio Nishina: 'The spirit of the Special Attack Corps is the great spirit that runs in the blood of every Japanese. The crashing action which simultaneously kills the enemy and oneself without fail is called the Special Attack. Every Japanese is capable of becoming a member of the Special Attack Corps.' Publishers also played up the idea that the kamikaze were enshrined at Yasukuni and ran exaggerated stories of kamikaze bravery – there were even fairy tales for little children that promoted the kamikaze. A Foreign Office official named Toshikazu Kase said: 'It was customary for GHQ in Tokyo to make false announcements of victory in utter disregard of facts, and for the elated and complacent public to believe them.'

While many stories were falsified, some were true, such as that of Kiyu Ishikawa, who saved a Japanese ship when he crashed his plane into a that an American had launched. The sergeant major was posthumously promoted to second lieutenant by the emperor and was enshrined at Yasukuni. Stories like these, which showed the kind of praise and honour death produced, encouraged young Japanese to volunteer for the Special Attack Corps and instilled a desire in the youth to die as a kamikaze.Ceremonies were carried out before kamikaze pilots departed on their final mission. The kamikaze shared ceremonial cups of sake or water known as 'mizu no sakazuki'.

Many Army officer kamikaze took their swords along, while the Navy pilots (as a general rule) did not. The kamikaze, along with all Japanese aviators flying over unfriendly territory, were issued (or purchased, if they were officers) a with which to end their lives if they risked being captured. Like all Army and Navy servicemen, the kamikaze would wear their, a 'belt of a thousand stitches' given to them by their mothers. They also composed and read a, a tradition stemming from the, who did so before committing. Pilots carried from their families and were given. The kamikaze were escorted by other pilots whose function was to protect them en route to their destination and report on the results. Some of these escort pilots, such as Zero pilot Toshimitsu Imaizumi, were later sent out on their own kamikaze missions.

Chiran high school girls wave farewell with cherry blossom branches to departing kamikaze pilot in a -IIIa Hayabusa.While it is commonly perceived that volunteers signed up in droves for kamikaze missions, it has also been contended that there was extensive coercion and peer pressure involved in recruiting soldiers for the sacrifice. Their motivations in 'volunteering' were complex and not simply about patriotism or bringing honour to their families. Firsthand interviews with surviving kamikaze and escort pilots has revealed that they were motivated by a desire to protect their families from perceived atrocities and possible extinction at the hands of the Allies. They viewed themselves as the last defense.At least one of these pilots was a conscripted Korean with a Japanese name, adopted under the pre-war ordinance that compelled to take Japanese personal names. Eleven of the 1,036 IJA kamikaze pilots who died in sorties from and other Japanese air bases during the Battle of Okinawa were Koreans.It is said that young pilots on kamikaze missions often flew southwest from Japan over the 922 m (3,025 ft). The mountain is also called 'Satsuma Fuji' (meaning a mountain like but located in the region).

Suicide-mission pilots looked over their shoulders to see the mountain, the southernmost on the Japanese mainland, said farewell to their country and saluted the mountain. Residents on, east of, say that pilots from suicide-mission units dropped flowers from the air as they departed on their final missions.Kamikaze pilots who were unable to complete their missions (because of mechanical failure, interception, etc.) were stigmatized in the years following the war. This stigma began to diminish some 50 years after the war as scholars and publishers began to distribute the survivors' stories.Some Japanese military personnel were critical of the policy.

Some officers, such as, Tadashi Minobe and Yoshio Shiga, refused to obey the policy. They said that the commander of a kamikaze attack should engage in the task first. Some persons who obeyed the policy, such as Kiyokuma Okajima, Saburo Shindo and Iyozo Fujita, were also critical of the policy. Said: 'We never dared to question orders, to doubt authority, to do anything but immediately carry out all the commands of our superiors. We were automatons who obeyed without thinking.' Refused to engage in a kamikaze attack because he thought the task of fighter pilots was to shoot down aircraft. Quotations I cannot predict the outcome of the air battles, but you will be making a mistake if you should regard Special Attack operations as normal methods.

The right way is to attack the enemy with skill and return to the base with good results. A plane should be utilized over and over again. That’s the way to fight a war.

The current thinking is skewed. Otherwise, you cannot expect to improve air power. There will be no progress if flyers continue to die. — Lieutenant Commander Iwatani, Taiyo (Ocean) magazine, March 1945.Zwei Seelen wohnen auch in meinem Herzen!!

(Ah, two souls tamashi’i reside in my heart kokoro!!) After all I am just a human being. Sometimes, my chest pounds with excitement when I think of the day I will fly into the sky. I trained my mind and body as hard as I could and am anxious for the day I can use them to their full capacity in fighting. I think my life and death belong to the mission. Yet, at other times, I envy those science majors who remain at home exempt from the draft. One of my souls looks to heaven, while the other is attracted to the earth. I wish to enter the Navy as soon as possible so that I can devote myself to the task.

I hope that the days when I am tormented by stupid thoughts will pass quickly. — Hachiro SasakiIt is easy to talk about death in the abstract, as the ancient philosophers discussed. But it is real death I fear, and I don’t know if I can overcome the fear. Even for a short life, there are many memories. For someone who had a good life, it is very difficult to part with it. But I reached a point of no return. I must plunge into an enemy vessel.To be honest, I cannot say that the wish to die for the emperor is genuine, coming from my heart.

However, it is decided for me that I die for the emperor., Fotographic History of the U.S. Navy. ^ Zaloga, Steve. P. 12. David Powers, '., War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War p1., War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War p216. Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F.

Cook, Japan At War: An Oral History p264. Meirion and Susie Harries, Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army p 413. Used as 'Kamikaze no' in, Tome I, poem 163, Tome IV poem 500 etc.

Axell, Albert (2002). London: Pearson Education. 11 December 2015. Jenkins, David (1992). Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44. Milsons Point NSW Australia: Random House Australia.

P. 122. Axell, pp. 34, 40–41.Axell, p. A monument at the site of Iida’s crash reads: 'JAPANESE AIRCRAFT IMPACT SITE.

PILOT-LIEUTENANT IIDA, COMMANDER, THIRD AIR CONTROL GROUP, 7 Dec 1941.’.U.S. Naval War College Analysis, p.1; Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp. 416–430.Peattie, Sunburst, pp. 131–134, 181–184, 191–192.

Peattie, Sunburst, pp. 176–186; Eric Bergerud, Fire in the Sky, p.668. Fighting Elites: Kamikaze: 9, 12. Animeigo.com. Axell, pp.40–41. Toland, p. Accessed 1 August 2007.

Axell, p.16., The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p. 289 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. Ivan Morris, The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, pp. 289–90 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975., Vol.

XXVI No, 1. Ivan Morris, The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p284 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. ^ Nichols, Robert (2004). Australian War Memorial (28).

Retrieved 15 August 2010. Access date: 20 June 2007. If the pilot was from the 6th Flying Brigade, it was probably either Lieutenant Morita or Sergeant Itano, flying out of. Toland, p.567.

28 September 2006 at the. DiGiulian, Tony (September 2006). Retrieved 25 February 2007. Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor: Danger's Hour, The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot who Crippled Her, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2008. ^ Naval Historical Center, 2004, (U.S. Navy) Access date: 1 December 2007.

Access date: 1 December 2007. Naval & Maritime Museum. Archived from on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.

Polmar, Aircraft Carriers. Access date: 1 December 2007. Hoyt, The Last Kamikaze. (USAF Historical Studies Office). Accessed from 2009 archive of webpage on 21 December 2015. ^ Axell, p.35. Inoguchi, Rikihei, The Divine Wind, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1958, page 139.

Axell, p.40. New York Times, Published: 11 February 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2007. International Herald Tribune, Published: 10 February 2006.

Retrieved 11 March 2007. Latimes. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko (2006).

Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers. Watch 300 movie online free no download. University of Chicago Press. Extract at.

^ Ohnuki-Tierney. Axell, p.36. Axell, pp.

38, 41, 43. ^ Axell, p.41. ^ King, Dan (July 2012). '4 Imaizumi'. The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots.

King, Dan (July 2012). '4 Imaizumi'. The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots. Hindu.com. Los Angeles Times, (25 September 2004).

Retrieved 21 August 2011. Henry Sakaida, Genda's Blade (Japanese), Nekopublishing, p. 376. Watanabe Yoji, Tokko Kyohi No Ishoku Shudan Suiseyashutai (Japanese), Kojinsha, pp.104–108.

Ikari Yoshiro, Shidenkai No Rokuki (Japanese), Kojinsha, pp. 197–199. Maru Saikyo Sentoki Shidenkai (Japanese), Kojinsha, pp. 162. Allan R. Millett, Williamson Murray, Military Effectiveness Volume3, Cambridge University Press, pp. 34.

Iwamoto Tetsuzo, Zero-sen Gekitsui-Oh Kyo-no-wadai-sha. Ohnuki-Tierney, pp.65–66. Ohnuki-Tierney, p.163.

David Powers BBC History., Random House, 1970, p. 20 April 2009. 1 June 2007. whatdoes1know (12 May 2007). IMDb.Bibliography. Axell, Albert; Hideaki, Kase (2002). Kamikaze: Japan's Suicide Gods.

New York: Longman. Brown, David (1990). Fighting Elites: Kamikaze. New York: Gallery Books. Brown, David (1990).

Warship Losses of World War Two. London: Arms and Armour. King, Dan (2012). The Last Zero Fighter Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots. California: Pacific Press. Hoyt, Edwin P. The Last Kamikaze.

Praeger. Inoguchi, Rikihei; Nakajima, Tadashi; Pineau, Roger (1959). The Divine Wind. London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. Mahon, John K. The Pacific Historical Review.

2. Millot, Bernard (1971). Divine Thunder: The Life and Death of the Kamikazes. Macdonald.

Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. Sheftall, Mordecai G. Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze.

NAL Caliber. (1970). New York: Random House. Willmott, H. P.; Cross, Robin; Messenger, Charles (2004). World War II.

London: Dorling Kindersley. Zaloga, Steven (2011). Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45.

Osprey.Further reading. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko (2002). Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History. University of Chicago Press. Rielly, Robin L.

Kamikaze Attacks of World War II: A Complete History of Japanese Suicide Strikes on American Ships, by Aircraft and Other Means. McFarland. Stern, Robert (2010). Fire from the Sky: Surviving the Kamikaze Threat. Naval Institute Press.

Wragg, David. The Pacific Naval Wars 1941-1945. Chapter 10External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to.Wikiquote has quotations related to:. on WW2History.com.

Who flew his aircraft into the during a kamikaze mission on 11 May 1945The Kamikaze (, ( ); 'divine wind' or ' wind'), officially Tokubetsu Kōgekitai ( 特別攻撃隊, 'Special Attack Unit' ), abbreviated as Tokkō Tai ( 特攻隊 ), and used as a verb as Tokkō ( 特攻, 'special attack' ), were by from the against naval vessels in the closing stages of the of, designed to destroy more effectively than was possible with conventional attacks. During World War II, about 3,860 kamikaze pilots died, and about 19% of kamikaze attacks managed to hit a ship.Kamikaze aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft. Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a 'body attack' (体当たり; 体当り, taiatari) in planes laden with some combination of, and full; accuracy was much better than a conventional attack, the payload and explosion larger. A kamikaze could sustain damage which would disable a conventional attacker and still achieve its objective. The goal of crippling or destroying large numbers of Allied ships, particularly aircraft carriers, was considered by the Empire of Japan to be a just reason for sacrificing pilots and aircraft.These attacks, which began in October 1944, followed several critical military defeats for the Japanese. They had long since lost aerial dominance due to outdated aircraft and the loss of experienced pilots. On a macroeconomic scale, Japan suffered from a diminishing capacity for war, and a rapidly declining relative to the Allies.

Despite these problems, the Japanese government expressed its reluctance to surrender. In combination, these factors led to the use of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the. Was hit by kamikazes piloted by Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa (photo above) and Lieutenant Junior Grade Seizō Yasunori on 11 May 1945. 389 personnel were killed or missing and 264 wounded from a crew of 2,600.While the term ' kamikaze' usually refers to the aerial strikes, it has also been applied to various other suicide attacks. The Japanese military also used or made plans for non-aerial, including those involving, and.The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture, and perceived shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture. It was one of the primary traditions in the life and the code: and until death, as the Japanese perceived it. The in a typhoon, ink and water on paper, by, 1847The Japanese word kamikaze is usually translated as 'divine wind' ( is the word for 'god', 'spirit', or 'divinity', and kaze for 'wind').

The word originated in August 1281 as the name of which dispersed fleets under in 1274 and that time.In Japanese, the formal term used for units carrying out suicide attacks during 1944–1945 is tokubetsu kōgeki tai (特別攻撃隊), which literally means 'special attack unit'. This is usually abbreviated to tokkōtai (特攻隊). More specifically, air suicide attack units from the were officially called shinpū tokubetsu kōgeki tai (神風特別攻撃隊, 'divine wind special attack units'). Shinpū is the ( on'yomi or Chinese-derived pronunciation) of the same that form the word kamikaze in Japanese. During World War II, the pronunciation kamikaze was used in Japan only informally in relation to suicide attacks, but after the war this usage gained acceptance worldwide and was re-imported into Japan. As a result, the special attack units are sometimes known in Japan as kamikaze tokubetsu kōgeki tai. History Background.

Model 52c Zeros ready to take part in a kamikaze attack (early 1945)Before the formation of kamikaze units, pilots had made deliberate crashes as a last resort when their planes had suffered severe damage and they did not want to risk being captured, or wanted to do as much damage to the enemy as possible, since they were crashing anyway; such situations occurred in both the Japanese and Allied air forces. Axell and Kase see these suicides as 'individual, impromptu decisions by men who were mentally prepared to die'. The case of 's on 26 June 1941 passed into Soviet air-warfare lore. In most cases, little evidence exists that such hits represented more than accidental collisions of the kind that sometimes happen in intense sea or air battles. One example of this occurred on 7 December 1941 during the. Fusata Iida's plane had taken a hit and had started leaking fuel when he apparently used it to make a suicide attack on. Before taking off, he had told his men that if his plane were to become badly damaged he would crash it into a 'worthy enemy target'.The carrier battles in 1942, particularly, inflicted irreparable damage on the (IJNAS), such that they could no longer put together a large number of fleet carriers with well-trained aircrews.

Japanese planners had assumed a quick war and lacked comprehensive programmes to replace the losses of ships, pilots, and sailors; at Midway in June 1942 the Japanese lost as many aircrewmen in a single day as their pre-war training program had produced in a year. The following (1942-1945) and the (1942-1945), notably the Battles of (August 1942) and (October 1942), further decimated the IJNAS veteran aircrews, and replacing their combat experience proved impossible.During 1943–1944, U.S.

Forces steadily advanced toward Japan. Newer U.S.-made planes, especially the and, began to outnumber and outclass Japan's fighter planes. Tropical diseases, as well as shortages of spare parts and, made operations more and more difficult for the IJNAS.

By the (June 1944) the Japanese had to make do with obsolete aircraft and inexperienced aviators in the fight against better-trained and more experienced US Navy airmen who flew -directed. The Japanese lost over 400 carrier-based planes and pilots in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, effectively putting an end to their carriers' potency. Allied aviators called the action the '.On June 19, 1944 planes from the carrier approached a US task group. According to some accounts, two made suicide attacks, one of which hit.The important Japanese base of fell to the Allied forces on 15 July 1944. Its capture provided adequate forward bases which enabled U.S. Air forces using the to strike at the Japanese home islands. After the fall of Saipan, the Japanese High Command predicted that the Allies would try to capture the, strategically important to Tokyo because of their location between the of Southeast Asia and Japan.

BeginningsCaptain, in charge of the Tateyama Base in, as well as the 341st Air Group Home, was, according to some sources, the first officer to officially propose kamikaze attack tactics. He arranged, with his superiors, the first investigations on the plausibility and mechanisms of intentional suicide attacks on 15 June 1944.In August 1944, it was announced by the news agency that a flight instructor named Takeo Tagata was training pilots in for suicide missions.One source claims that the first kamikaze mission occurred on 13 September 1944. A group of pilots from the army's 31st Fighter Squadron on decided to launch a suicide attack the following morning. Takeshi Kosai and a sergeant were selected. Two 100 kg (220 lb) bombs were attached to two fighters, and the pilots took off before dawn, planning to crash into carriers. They never returned, but there is no record of an enemy plane hitting an Allied ship that day.According to some sources, on 14 October 1944, was hit by a deliberately crashed Japanese plane.

Masafumi Arima, the commander of the 26th Air Flotilla (part of the 11th Air Fleet), is sometimes credited with inventing the kamikaze tactic. Arima personally led an attack by about 100 Suisei ('Judy') against a large, near Leyte Gulf, on (or about, accounts vary) 15 October 1944. Arima was killed and part of a plane hit Franklin.

The Japanese high command and seized on Arima's example: He was promoted to and was given official credit for making the first kamikaze attack. However, it is not clear that this was a planned suicide attack, and official Japanese accounts of Arima's attack bore little resemblance to the actual events.On 17 October 1944, Allied forces assaulted Island, beginning the. The Imperial Japanese Navy's 1st Air Fleet, based at, was assigned the task of assisting the Japanese ships which would attempt to destroy Allied forces in Leyte Gulf. However, the 1st Air Fleet at that time only had 40 aircraft: 34 carrier-based fighters, three Tenzan ('Jill'), one ('Betty') and two Ginga ('Frances') land-based bombers, and one additional reconnaissance plane.

The task facing the Japanese air forces seemed impossible. The 1st Air Fleet commandant, decided to form a suicide offensive force, the Special Attack Unit. In a meeting at (known to the U.S. Military as Clark Air Base) near Manila, on 19 October, Onishi told officers of the 201st Flying Group headquarters: 'I don't think there would be any other certain way to carry out the operation to hold the Philippines, than to put a 250 kg bomb on a Zero and let it crash into a U.S. Carrier, in order to disable her for a week.' First unitasked a group of 23 talented student pilots, all of whom he had trained, to volunteer for the special attack force.

All of the pilots raised both of their hands, volunteering to join the operation. Later, Tamai asked Lieutenant to command the special attack force.

Seki is said to have closed his eyes, lowered his head and thought for 10 seconds, before saying: 'Please do appoint me to the post.' Seki became the 24th kamikaze pilot to be chosen. However, Seki later said: 'Japan's future is bleak if it is forced to kill one of its best pilots.' And 'I am not going on this mission for the Emperor or for the Empire. I am going because I was ordered to.' The names of four sub-units within the Kamikaze Special Attack Force were Unit Shikishima, Unit Yamato, Unit Asahi, and Unit Yamazakura. These names were taken from a patriotic (called jisei no ku in poetry), Shikishima no Yamato-gokoro wo hito towaba, asahi ni niou yamazakura bana by the Japanese classical scholar,.

The poem reads:If someone asks about the Spirit of Old/True Japan of Shikishima a poetic name for Japan—it is the flowers of yamazakura mountain that are fragrant in the Asahi rising sun.A less literal translation is: Asked about the soul of Japan, I would say That it is Like wild cherry blossoms Glowing in the morning sun.Ōnishi, addressing this unit, told them that their nobility of spirit would keep the homeland from ruin even in defeat. Leyte Gulf: the first attacks.

Horizontal from the tail of a 'Judy' on the deck of. The 'Judy' made a run on the ship approaching from dead astern; it was met by effective fire and the plane passed over the island and exploded. Parts of the plane and the pilot were scattered over the flight deck and the forecastle.Several suicide attacks, carried out during the, by Japanese pilots from units other than the Special Attack Force, have been described as the first kamikaze attack. Early on 21 October, a Japanese aircraft, possibly an dive-bomber or a (of the 6th Flying Brigade, ) deliberately crashed into the foremast of the heavy cruiser. The attack killed 30 personnel, including the cruiser's captain, and wounded 64, including the Australian force commander, Commodore. The claimed that this was the first kamikaze attack on an Allied ship, although other sources disagree because it was not a planned attack by a member of the Special Attack Force, but was most likely to have been undertaken on the pilot's own initiative.The sinking of the ocean tug on 24 October is listed in some sources as the first ship lost to a kamikaze strike, but the attack occurred before 25 October, and the aircraft used, a, was not flown by the original four Special Attack Squadrons.On 25 October 1944, during the, the Kamikaze Special Attack Force carried out its first mission.

Five Zeros, led by Seki, and escorted to the target by leading Japanese ace, attacked several. One Zero attempted to hit the bridge of but instead exploded on the port catwalk and cartwheeled into the sea. Two others dived at but were destroyed by fire. The last two ran at. One, under heavy fire and trailing smoke, aborted the attempt on White Plains and instead banked toward, plowing into the flight deck.

Its bomb caused fires that resulted in the bomb magazine exploding, sinking the carrier. By day's end on 26 October, 55 kamikazes from the Special Attack Force had also damaged the large escort carriers, which had also been struck by a kamikaze at 08:04 forward of its aft elevator on 25 October, and the smaller escorts USS White Plains, and Kitkun Bay.

In total, seven carriers were hit, as well as 40 other ships (five sunk, 23 heavily damaged, and 12 moderately damaged). Main wave of attacksEarly successes – such as the sinking of St. Lo – were followed by an immediate expansion of the program, and over the next few months over 2,000 planes made such attacks.When Japan began to be subject to intense by B-29s, the Japanese military attempted to use suicide attacks against this threat.

During the northern hemisphere winter of 1944–45, the IJAAF formed the 47th Air Regiment, also known as the Shinten Special Unit ( Shinten Seiku Tai) at Narimasu Airfield, to defend the. The unit was equipped with Shoki ('Tojo') fighters, with which they were to ram (USAAF) B-29s in their attacks on Japan. However, this proved much less successful and practical since an airplane is a much faster, more maneuverable, and smaller target than a warship. The B-29 also had formidable defensive weaponry, so suicide attacks against the plane demanded considerable piloting skill to be successful. That worked against the very purpose of using expendable pilots and even encouraging capable pilots to bail out before impact was ineffective because vital personnel were often lost when they mistimed their exits and were killed as a result. The kamikaze hits Columbia at 17:29.

The plane and its bomb penetrated two decks before exploding, killing 13 and wounding 44.On 11 March, the U.S. Carrier was hit and moderately damaged at, in the Caroline Islands, by a kamikaze that had flown almost 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from Japan, in a mission called.

On 20 March, the submarine survived a hit from an aircraft, just off Japan.Purpose-built kamikaze planes, as opposed to converted fighters and dive-bombers, were also being constructed. Mitsuo Ohta had suggested that piloted, carried within range of targets by a mother plane, should be developed.

The First Naval Air Technical Bureau ( Kugisho), in, refined Ohta's idea., launched from bombers, were first deployed in kamikaze attacks from March 1945. Personnel gave them the derisive nickname ' Baka Bombs' ( baka is Japanese for 'idiot' or 'stupid'). The Tsurugi was a simple, easily built propeller aircraft with a wooden airframe which used engines from existing stocks. Its non-retractable was jettisoned shortly after take-off for a suicide mission, and re-used. During 1945, the Japanese military began stockpiling hundreds of Tsurugi, other aircraft, Ohkas, and suicide boats, for use against Allied forces expected to invade Japan. The invasion never happened, and few were ever used.

Allied defensive tacticsIn early 1945 U.S. Navy aviator Commander, already famous for developing effective aerial tactics against the Japanese such as the, developed a defensive strategy against kamikazes called the ' to establish Allied well away from the carrier force. This recommended (CAP) which were larger and operated further from the carriers than before, a line of picket and at least 80 km (50 mi) from the main body of the fleet to provide earlier interception, and improved coordination between fighter direction officers on carriers. This plan also called for round-the-clock fighter patrols over Allied fleets, though the U.S. Navy had cut back training of fighter pilots so there were not enough Navy pilots available to counter the kamikaze threat. A final element included intensive fighter sweeps over Japanese airfields, and bombing of Japanese runways, using to make repairs more difficult.

An (A6M2 Model 21) towards the end of its run at the on 25 October 1944. The aircraft exploded in mid-air, moments after the picture was taken, scattering debris across the deck.Late in 1944 the (BPF) used the good high-altitude performance of their (naval version of the Spitfire) on combat air patrol duties. Seafires were heavily involved in countering the kamikaze attacks during the and beyond. The Seafires' best day was 15 August 1945, shooting down eight attacking aircraft for a single loss.Allied pilots were experienced and better-trained, and flew superior aircraft, making the poorly trained kamikaze pilots easy targets. Alone could bring over 1,000 fighter aircraft into play. Allied pilots became adept at destroying enemy aircraft before they struck ships.Allied gunners had begun to develop techniques to negate kamikaze attacks.

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Light rapid fire anti-aircraft weapons such as the and autocannons were highly effective, but heavy anti-aircraft guns such as the (127 mm) had the punch to blow kamikazes out of the air, which was preferable since even a heavily damaged kamikaze could complete its mission. The Ohkas with their high speed presented a very difficult problem for fire, since their velocity made extremely difficult. By 1945, large numbers of anti-aircraft shells with radio frequency, on average seven times more effective than regular shells, became available, and the USN recommended their use against kamikaze attacks. Shortly before being hit by a (visible top left), April 11, 1945The peak in kamikaze attacks came during the period of April–June 1945, at the. On 6 April 1945, waves of planes made hundreds of attacks in Operation Kikusui ('floating chrysanthemums'). At Okinawa, kamikaze attacks focused at first on Allied on duty, and then on the carriers in the middle of the fleet. Suicide attacks by planes or boats at Okinawa sank or put out of action at least 30 U.S.

Warships, and at least three U.S., along with some from other Allied forces. The attacks expended 1,465 planes. Many warships of all classes were damaged, some severely, but no aircraft carriers, or were sunk by kamikaze at Okinawa. Most of the ships lost were destroyers or smaller vessels, especially those on picket duty.

The destroyer earned the nickname 'The Ship That Would Not Die' after surviving six kamikaze attacks and four bomb hits during this battle. So many destroyers were attacked that one ship's crew, considering the aircraft carriers to be more important targets, erected a large sign with an arrow which read 'That way to the carriers'.U.S. Carriers, with their wooden flight decks, from kamikaze hits than the reinforced steel-decked carriers from the. US carriers also suffered considerably heavier casualties from kamikaze strikes; for instance, 389 men were killed in one attack on, greater than the combined number of fatalities suffered on all six Royal Navy armoured carriers from all forms of attack during the entire war ( Bunker Hill and Franklin were both hit while conducting operations with fully fueled and armed aircraft spotted on deck for takeoff, an extremely vulnerable state for any carrier). Eight kamikaze hits on five British carriers resulted in only 20 deaths while a combined total of 15 bomb hits, most of 500 kg weight or greater, and one torpedo hit on four carriers caused 193 fatal casualties earlier in the war – striking proof of the protective value of the armoured flight deck. Aircraft carrier after being struck by a kamikaze off. The kamikaze made a dent 3m long, 0.6m wide and deep in the armored flight deck.

Eight crew members were killed, 47 were wounded, and 11 aircraft were destroyed.The resilience of well-armoured vessels was shown on 4 May, just after 11:30, when there was a wave of suicide attacks against the BPF. One Japanese plane made a steep dive from 'a great height' at the carrier and was engaged by AA guns. Although it was hit by gunfire, a bomb from the kamikaze detonated on the flight deck, making a crater 3 m (9.8 ft) long, 0.6 m (2 ft) wide and 0.6 m (2 ft) deep. A long steel splinter speared down, through the hangar deck and the main boiler room (where it ruptured a steam line), before coming to rest in a fuel tank near the aircraft park, where it started a major fire.

Eight personnel were killed and 47 were wounded. One Corsair and 10 were destroyed. However, the fires were gradually brought under control, and the crater in the deck was repaired with concrete and steel plate. By 17:00, Corsairs were able to land. On 9 May, Formidable was again damaged by a kamikaze, as were the carrier and the battleship. The British were able to clear the flight deck and resume flight operations in just hours, while their American counterparts took a few days or even months, as observed by a USN liaison officer on who commented: 'When a kamikaze hits a U.S.

Carrier it means 6 months of repair at. When a kamikaze hits a Limey carrier it’s just a case of 'Sweepers, man your brooms.'

”Sometimes twin-engined aircraft were used in planned kamikaze attacks. For example, Hiryū ('Peggy') medium bombers, based on Formosa, undertook kamikaze attacks on Allied forces off Okinawa., the second in command of the Combined Pacific Fleet, directed the last official kamikaze attack, sending 'Judys' from the 701st Air Group against the Allied fleet at Okinawa on 15 August 1945. A crewman in an gun aboard the battleship watches a kamikaze plane descend upon 25 November 1944. Over 75 men were killed & missing and 100 wounded.As the end of the war approached, the Allies did not suffer more serious significant losses, despite having far more ships and facing a greater intensity of kamikaze attacks. Although causing some of the heaviest casualties on US carriers in 1945, the IJN had sacrificed 2,525 kamikaze pilots and the IJAAF 1,387—far more than they had lost in 1942 when they sank or crippled three carriers (albeit without inflicting significant casualties). In 1942 when US Navy vessels were scarce, the temporary absence of key warships from the combat zone would tie up operational initiatives. However, by 1945, the US Navy was large enough that damaged ships could be detached back home for repair without significantly hampering the fleet's operational capability.

The only surface losses were destroyers and smaller ships that lacked the capability to sustain heavy damage. Overall, the kamikazes were unable to turn the tide of the war and stop the Allied invasion. The destructive potential of the kamikaze sustained postwar funding of until the guided missile became operational in 1959.In the immediate aftermath of kamikaze strikes, British carriers with their armoured flight decks appeared to recover more quickly.

However, post-war analysis showed that some British carriers such as HMS Formidable did suffer structural damage that led them to be written off and scrapped, as beyond economic repair, but and the constantly declining size of the Royal Navy undoubtedly played a role in deciding not to repair damaged carriers. By contrast, even the most seriously damaged American carriers such as USS Bunker Hill were successfully repaired to operational condition, although they saw no service after World War II as they were considered surplus.The number of ships sunk is a matter of debate. According to a wartime Japanese propaganda announcement, the missions sank 81 ships and damaged 195, and according to a Japanese tally, kamikaze attacks accounted for up to 80% of the U.S. Losses in the final phase of the war in the Pacific. In a 2004 book, World War II, the historians Wilmott, Cross and Messenger stated that more than 70 U.S. Vessels were 'sunk or damaged beyond repair' by kamikazes.According to a webpage: Approximately 2,800 Kamikaze attackers sank 34 Navy ships, damaged 368 others, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded over 4,800.

Despite detection and cuing, airborne interception, attrition, and massive anti-aircraft barrages, 14 percent of Kamikazes survived to score a hit on a ship; nearly 8.5 percent of all ships hit by Kamikazes sank.Australian journalists Denis and Peggy Warner, in a 1982 book with Japanese naval historian Sadao Seno ( The Sacred Warriors: Japan’s Suicide Legions), arrived at a total of 57 ships sunk by kamikazes. However, Bill Gordon, an American who specialises in kamikazes, lists in a 2007 article 47 ships known to have been sunk by kamikaze aircraft. Gordon says that the Warners and Seno included ten ships that did not sink. He lists:. three escort carriers:, and. 14 destroyers, including the last ship to be sunk, on 29 July 1945, off Okinawa.

three ships. five. four. three.

one auxiliary. three Canadian. three. two.

one. one. two.

twoRecruitment. Japanese ('cherry blossom'), a specially built rocket-powered kamikaze aircraft used towards the end of the war. Called them Baka Bombs ('idiot bombs').It was claimed by the Japanese forces at the time that there were many volunteers for the suicidal forces.

Captain commented that 'there were so many volunteers for suicide missions that he referred to them as a swarm of bees,' explaining: 'Bees die after they have stung.' Okamura is credited with being the first to propose the kamikaze attacks. He had expressed his desire to lead a volunteer group of suicide attacks some four months before Admiral, commander of the Japanese naval air forces in the Philippines, presented the idea to his staff. While Vice Admiral, commander of the second air fleet, was inspecting the 341st Air Group, Captain Okamura took the chance to express his ideas on crash-dive tactics. “In our present situation I firmly believe that the only way to swing the war in our favor is to resort to crash-dive attacks with our planes.

There is no other way. There will be more than enough volunteers for this chance to save our country, and I would like to command such an operation. Provide me with 300 planes and I will turn the tide of war.”When the volunteers arrived for duty in the corps, there were twice as many persons as aircraft available. 'After the war, some commanders would express regret for allowing superfluous crews to accompany sorties, sometimes squeezing themselves aboard bombers and fighters so as to encourage the suicide pilots and, it seems, join in the exultation of sinking a large enemy vessel.'

Many of the kamikaze pilots believed their death would pay the debt they owed and show the love they had for their families, friends, and emperor. 'So eager were many minimally trained pilots to take part in suicide missions that when their sorties were delayed or aborted, the pilots became deeply despondent. Many of those who were selected for a bodycrashing mission were described as being extraordinarily blissful immediately before their final sortie.' As time wore on, however, modern critics questioning the nationalist portrayal of kamikaze pilots as noble soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives for the country have emerged. In 2006, Editor-in-Chief of the, criticized Japanese nationalists' glorification of kamikaze attacks:It's all a lie that they left filled with braveness and joy, crying, 'Long live the emperor!'

They were sheep at a slaughterhouse. Everybody was looking down and tottering.

Some were unable to stand up and were carried and pushed into the plane by maintenance soldiers. TrainingWhen you eliminate all thoughts about life and death, you will be able to totally disregard your earthly life. This will also enable you to concentrate your attention on eradicating the enemy with unwavering determination, meanwhile reinforcing your excellence in flight skills. — excerpt from a kamikaze pilots' manualTokkōtai pilot training, as described by Takeo Kasuga, generally 'consisted of incredibly strenuous training, coupled with cruel and torturous corporal punishment as a daily routine.' Daikichi Irokawa, who trained at Tsuchiura Naval Air Base, recalled that he 'was struck on the face so hard and frequently that his face was no longer recognizable.' He also wrote: 'I was hit so hard that I could no longer see and fell on the floor. The minute I got up, I was hit again by a club so that I would confess.'

This brutal 'training' was justified by the idea that it would instill a 'soldier's fighting spirit.' However, daily beatings and corporal punishment eliminated patriotism among many pilots.Pilots were given a manual which detailed how they were supposed to think, prepare and attack. From this manual, pilots were told to 'attain a high level of spiritual training,' and to 'keep their health in the very best condition.' These things, among others, were meant to put the pilot into the mindset in which he would be mentally ready to die.The tokkōtai pilot's manual also explained how a pilot may turn back if the pilot could not locate a target and that 'a pilot should not waste his life lightly.'

However, one pilot who continually came back to base was shot after his ninth return. Irokawa Daikichi, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student SoldiersThe manual was very detailed in how a pilot should attack. A pilot would dive towards his target and 'aim for a point between the bridge tower and the smoke stacks'. Entering a smoke stack was also said to be 'effective'. Pilots were told not to aim at a ship's bridge tower or gun turret but instead to look for elevators or the flight deck to crash into. For horizontal attacks, the pilot was to 'aim at the middle of the vessel, slightly higher than the waterline' or to 'aim at the entrance to the aircraft hangar, or the bottom of the stack' if the former was too difficult.The tokkōtai pilot's manual told pilots never to close their eyes.

This was because if a pilot closed his eyes he would lower the chances of hitting his target. In the final moments before the crash, the pilot was to yell ' Hissatsu' (必殺) at the top of his lungs which translates to 'Certain Kill'. Cultural background. Corporal Yukio Araki, holding a puppy, with four other pilots of the 72nd Shinbu Squadron at,. Araki died the following day, at the age of 17, in a suicide attack on ships near Okinawa.In 1944–45, American propagandists invented the term ' to characterize Japanese beliefs. As time went on, Americans claimed, Shinto was used increasingly in the promotion of nationalist sentiment. In 1890, the was passed, under which students were required to ritually recite its oath to offer themselves 'courageously to the State' as well as protect the Imperial family.

The ultimate offering was to give up one’s life. It was an honour to die for Japan and the Emperor. Axell and Kase pointed out: 'The fact is that innumerable soldiers, sailors and pilots were determined to die, to become eirei, that is ‘guardian spirits’ of the country. Many Japanese felt that to be enshrined at was a special honour because the Emperor visited the shrine to pay homage twice a year. Yasukuni is the only shrine deifying common men which the Emperor would visit to pay his respects'. Young Japanese people were indoctrinated from an earliest age with these ideals.Following the commencement of the kamikaze tactic, newspapers and books ran advertisements, articles, and stories regarding the suicide bombers, to aid in recruiting and support. In October 1944, the Nippon Times quoted Lieutenant Sekio Nishina: 'The spirit of the Special Attack Corps is the great spirit that runs in the blood of every Japanese.

The crashing action which simultaneously kills the enemy and oneself without fail is called the Special Attack. Every Japanese is capable of becoming a member of the Special Attack Corps'. Publishers also played up the idea that the kamikaze were enshrined at Yasukuni and ran exaggerated stories of kamikaze bravery – there were even fairy tales for little children that promoted the kamikaze.

A Foreign Office official named Toshikazu Kase said: 'It was customary for GHQ in Tokyo to make false announcements of victory in utter disregard of facts, and for the elated and complacent public to believe them'.While many stories were falsified, some were true, such as the story of Kiyu Ishikawa who saved a Japanese ship when he crashed his plane into a that an American had launched. The sergeant major was posthumously promoted to second lieutenant by the emperor and was enshrined at Yasukuni. Stories like these, which showed the kind of praise and honour death produced, encouraged young Japanese to volunteer for the Special Attack Corps and instilled a desire in the youth to die as a kamikaze.Ceremonies were carried out before kamikaze pilots departed on their final mission. The Kamikaze shared ceremonial cups of sake or water known as 'mizu no sakazuki'. Many Army officer Kamikaze took their swords with them, while the Navy pilots (as a general rule) did not carry swords in their planes. The kamikaze, like all Japanese aviators flying over unfriendly territory, were issued (or purchased, if they were officers) a with which to end their lives if they risked being captured. Like all Army and Navy servicemen, the Kamikaze would wear their, a 'belt of a thousand stitches' given to them by their mothers.

They also composed and read a, a tradition stemming from the, who did it before committing. Pilots carried from their families and were given.

The Kamikaze were escorted by other pilots whose function was to protect the Kamikaze to their destination and report on the results. Some of these escort pilots, such as Zero pilot Toshimitsu Imaizumi, were themselves later sent out on their own Kamikaze missions. Chiran high school girls wave farewell with cherry blossom branches to departing kamikaze pilot in a HayabusaWhile it is commonly perceived that volunteers signed up in droves for kamikaze missions, it has also been contended that there was extensive coercion and peer pressure involved in recruiting soldiers for the sacrifice.

Their motivations in 'volunteering' were complex and not simply about patriotism or bringing honour to their families. Firsthand interviews with surviving Kamikaze pilots and escort pilots has revealed that they were motivated by a desire to protect their families from perceived atrocities and possible extinction at the hands of the Allies. They viewed themselves as the last defense.At least one of these pilots was a conscripted Korean with a Japanese name, adopted under the pre-war ordinance that compelled to take Japanese personal names.

Eleven of the 1,036 IJA kamikaze pilots who died in sorties from and other Japanese air bases during the Battle of Okinawa were Koreans.It is said that young pilots on kamikaze missions often flew southwest from Japan over the 922 m (3,025 ft). The mountain is also called ' Satsuma Fuji' (meaning a mountain like but located in the region). Suicide mission pilots looked over their shoulders to see this, the most southern mountain on the Japanese mainland, while they were in the air, said farewell to their country, and saluted the mountain. Residents on, east of, say that pilots from suicide mission units dropped flowers from the air as they departed on their final missions.Kamikaze pilots who were unable to complete their mission (due to mechanical failure, interception, etc.) were stigmatized in the years following the war. This stigma began to diminish some 50 years after the war as scholars and publishers have distributed the survivors' stories.Some Japanese military personnel were critical of the policy. Some officers, Tadashi Minobe and Yoshio Shiga, refused to obey the policy.

They said that the commander of a kamikaze attack should engage in the task first. Some persons who obeyed the policy, Kiyokuma Okajima, Saburo Shindo, and Iyozo Fujita, were also critical of the policy. Said 'We never dared to question orders, to doubt authority, to do anything but immediately carry out all the commands of our superiors. We were automatons who obeyed without thinking'. Refused to engage in a kamikaze attack because he thought the task of fighter pilots was to shoot down aircraft. QuotationsI cannot predict the outcome of the air battles, but you will be making a mistake if you should regard Special Attack operations as normal methods.

The right way is to attack the enemy with skill and return to the base with good results. A plane should be utilized over and over again.

That’s the way to fight a war. The current thinking is skewed. Otherwise, you cannot expect to improve air power.

There will be no progress if flyers continue to die. — Lieutenant Commander Iwatani, Taiyo (Ocean) magazine, March 1945.Zwei Seelen wohnen auch in meinem Herzen!!

(Ah, two souls tamashi’i reside in my heart kokoro!!) After all I am just a human being. Sometimes, my chest pounds with excitement when I think of the day I will fly into the sky. I trained my mind and body as hard as I could and am anxious for the day I can use them to their full capacity in fighting.

I think my life and death belong to the mission. Yet, at other times, I envy those science majors who remain at home exempt from the draft.

One of my souls looks to heaven, while the other is attracted to the earth. I wish to enter the Navy as soon as possible so that I can devote myself to the task. I hope that the days when I am tormented by stupid thoughts will pass quickly. — Hachiro SasakiIt is easy to talk about death in the abstract, as the ancient philosophers discussed. But it is real death I fear, and I don’t know if I can overcome the fear.

Even for a short life, there are many memories. For someone who had a good life, it is very difficult to part with it. But I reached a point of no return.

I must plunge into an enemy vessel.To be honest, I cannot say that the wish to die for the emperor is genuine, coming from my heart. However, it is decided for me that I die for the emperor. — Ichizo Hayashi, last letter home a few days before his final flight. April 1945 Film.

Saigo no Tokkōtai (最後の特攻隊, The Last Kamikaze in English), released in 1970, produced by, directed by and starring, and. also produced a biographical film about in 1974 called Ā Kessen Kōkūtai (あゝ決戦航空隊, Father of the Kamikaze in English), directed by Kōsaku Yamashita. Masami Takahashi, Last Kamikaze Testimonials from WWII Suicide Pilots (Watertown, MA:, 2008). Risa Morimoto, Wings of Defeat (Harriman, NY:, 2007). Ore wa, kimi no tameni koso (2007, For Those We Love in English ). Assault On the Pacific - Kamikaze (2007), directed by Taku Shinjo. Original title: '俺は、君のためにこそ死ににいく' 'Ore wa, Kimi no Tame ni Koso Shini ni Iku'.

(永遠の0 Eien no Zero) - 2013 film directed by.See also. ' '.References Notes. Zaloga, Steve.

P. 12., Fotographic History of the U.S Navy. David Powers, '., War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War p1., War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War p216. Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook, Japan At War: An Oral History p264. Meirion and Susie Harries, Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army p 413.

11 December 2015. Axell, pp. 34, 40–41. Axell, p.44. A monument at the site of Iida’s crash reads: 'JAPANESE AIRCRAFT IMPACT SITE.

PILOT-LIEUTENANT IIDA, COMMANDER, THIRD AIR CONTROL GROUP, 7 Dec 1941.’. U.S. Naval War College Analysis, p.1; Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp.416–430. Peattie, Sunburst, pp.131–134, 181–184, 191–192.

Peattie, Sunburst, pp.176–186; Eric Bergerud, Fire in the Sky, p.668. Fighting Elites: Kamikaze: 9, 12. Animeigo.com.

Axell, pp.40–41. Toland, p.568. Access date: 1 August 2007. Axell, p.16., The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p289 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. Ivan Morris, The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p289–90 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975., Vol.

Watch The Pacific Online Free

XXVI No, 1. Ivan Morris, The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p284 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. ↑ Nichols, Robert (2004).

Australian War Memorial (28). Retrieved 15 August 2010. Access date: 20 June 2007.

If the pilot was from the 6th Flying Brigade, it was probably either Lieutenant Morita or Sergeant Itano, flying out of. Toland, p.567. DiGiulian, Tony (September 2006). Retrieved 25 February 2007. Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor: Danger's Hour, The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot who Crippled Her, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2008. ↑ Naval Historical Center, 2004, (U.S.

Navy) Access date: 1 December 2007. Access date: 1 December 2007. Naval & Maritime Museum. Retrieved 22 June 2011. Polmar, Aircraft Carriers.

Access date: 1 December 2007. (PDF). New Mexico State University. Retrieved 19 August 2010.

(USAF Historical Studies Office). Accessed from 2009 archive of webpage on 21 December 2015. ↑ Axell, p.35. Inoguchi, Rikihei, The Divine Wind, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1958, page 139.

Axell, p.40. New York Times, Published: 11 February 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2007. International Herald Tribune, Published: 10 February 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2007. Latimes. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko (2006).

Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers. University of Chicago Press. Extract at. ↑ Ohnuki-Tierney. Axell, p.36. Axell, pp.38, 41, 43.

↑ Axell, p.41. ↑ King. King.

Hindu.com. Los Angeles Times, Published: 25 September 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2011. Henry Sakaida, Genda's Blade(Japanese),Nekopublishing,pp.376. Watanabe Yoji, Tokko Kyohi No Ishoku Shudan Suiseyashutai(Japanese),Kojinsha,pp.104-108. Ikari Yoshiro, Shidenkai No Rokuki(Japanese), Kojinsha,pp.197-199. Maru Saikyo Sentoki Shidenkai(Japanese), Kojinsha,pp.162.

Allan R. Millett, Williamson Murray, Military Effectiveness Volume3, Cambridge University Press, pp.34.

Iwamoto Tetsuzo, Zero-sen Gekitsui-Oh Kyo-no-wadai-sha. Ohnuki-Tierney, pp.65–66. Ohnuki-Tierney, p.163. David Powers BBC History.

20 April 2009. 1 June 2007. whatdoes1know (12 May 2007). Axell, Albert; Hideaki, Kase (2002). Kamikaze: Japan's suicide gods. New York: Longman.

Brown, David (1990). Fighting Elites: Kamikaze. New York: Gallery Books. Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two.

London: Arms and Armour. Hobbes, Nicholas (2003). Essential militaria. London: Atlantic Books. KING, Dan (2012). The Last Zero Fighter Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots.

California: Pacific Press. Hoyt, Edwin P. The Last Kamikaze. Praeger. Inoguchi, Rikihei; Nakajima, Tadashi; Pineau, Roger (1959). The Divine Wind.

London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. Mahon, John K. The Pacific Historical Review. 2.

Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.

Sheftall, Mordecai G. Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze. NAL Caliber. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Willmott, H. P.; Cross, Robin; Messenger, Charles (2004). World War II.

London: Dorling Kindersley. Zaloga, Steven (2011). Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45. Osprey.Further reading. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko (2006). Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers.

University of Chicago Press. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko (2002). Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History.

University of Chicago Press. Rielly, Robin L. Kamikaze Attacks of World War II: A Complete History of Japanese Suicide Strikes on American Ships, by Aircraft and Other Means. McFarland.

Stern, Robert (2010). Fire from the Sky: Surviving the Kamikaze Threat.

Naval Institute Press.External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to. (Japanese). on WW2History.com.

Torpedo Bomber pilot recalls the experience of a Kamikaze striking the USS Essex, 25 November 1944.