World War II Japanese Suicide Weapons - Kamikaze, Kaiten, Yokosuka Mxy7 Ohka, Aichi M6a (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 29. Chapters: Kamikaze, Kaiten, Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka, Aichi M6A, List of weapons of the Japanese Empire during World War II, Giretsu Kuteitai, Nakajima Ki-115, Kairyu class submarine, Banzai charge, Kawanishi Baika, Mizuno Shinryu, Shinyo, Fukuryu. Excerpt: The Kamikaze, common translation: "divine wind") Tokubetsu K gekitai ) Tokk Tai ) Tokk ) were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible. Kamikaze pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships-planes often laden with explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks. The aircraft's normal functions (to deliver torpedoes or bombs or shoot down other aircraft) were put aside, and the planes were converted to what were essentially manned missiles in an attempt to reap the benefits of greatly increased accuracy and payload over that of normal bombs. The goal of crippling as many Allied ships as possible, particularly aircraft carriers, was considered critical enough to warrant the combined sacrifice of pilots and aircraft. These attacks, which began in October 1944, followed several critical military defeats for the Japanese. They had long lost aerial dominance due to outdated aircraft and the loss of experienced pilots. On a macroeconomic scale, Japan experienced a decreasing capacity to wage war, and a rapidly declining industrial capacity relative to the United States. 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 Japanese home islands. USS Bunker Hill was hit by kamikazes piloted by Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa (photo above) and another airman on 11 May 1945. 389 personnel were killed or missin...