How did the Japanese use kamikazes?

Kamikaze attacks were a Japanese suicide bombing tactic designed to destroy enemy warships during World War II. Pilots would crash their specially made planes directly into Allied ships.

Did any Japanese kamikaze pilots defect?

Many kamikaze pilots launched but then returned home because of bad weather, mechanical problems, damage from enemy guns, or a failure to find targets. The kamikaze pilots who returned to base were severely shamed for many years, in part because it was not clear whether they had chickened out.

How many US ships were sunk by kamikazes?

Kamikaze attacks sank 34 ships and damaged hundreds of others during the war. At Okinawa they inflicted the greatest losses ever suffered by the U.S. Navy in a single battle, killing almost 5,000 men.

How is guilt shown in kamikaze?

Both explore guilt from war. Kamikaze: guilty for failing to carry out his suicide mission in order to honour his country. Remains: guilty for killing a possibly innocent man. Both emphasise the reality and horrors of war.

What is a kamikaze attack?

On Oct. 25 1944, the USS St. Louis, an escort carrier of the U.S. Navy during World War II, became the first major warship to sink as the result of a kamikaze attack. Still, when historians look upon kamikazes, it is the dive-bombing suicide planes, part of a Special Attack Corps ( Tokubetsu Kōgekitai ), that remain the focus.

Were twin-engine planes ever used in kamikaze attacks?

Twin-engine aircraft were occasionally used in planned kamikaze attacks. For example, Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryū (“Peggy”) medium bombers, based on Formosa, undertook kamikaze attacks on Allied forces off Okinawa, while a pair of Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (“Nick”) heavy fighters caused enough damage for USS Dickerson to be scuttled.

Who were the kamikaze pilots of World War II?

The first kamikaze force was in fact composed of 24 volunteer pilots from Japan’s 201st Navy Air Group. The targets were U.S. escort carriers; one, the St. Lo, was struck by a A6M Zero fighter and sunk in less than an hour, killing 100 Americans. More than 5,000 kamikaze pilots died in the gulf battle-taking down 34 ships.

Who was the first officer to discover kamikaze attacks?

Captain Motoharu Okamura, in charge of the Tateyama Base in Tokyo, 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.