How much damage did kamikazes do?

According to a U.S. Air Force webpage: Approximately 2,800 Kamikaze attackers sank 34 Navy ships, damaged 368 others, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded over 4,800.

How many destroyers were sunk at Okinawa?

This brought the total American casualties from approximately 1,500 kamikaze attacks to 3,048 dead or missing and 6,035 wounded. Of 149 Allied ships hit or sunk by kamikazes during the Battle of Okinawa, 88 were destroyers and destroyer types*, and another 30 were destroyer escorts**.

Did kamikaze pilots survive?

Unlikely as it may seem, a number of Japanese kamikaze pilots did survive the war. But the fact that he did survive meant that he was able to correct the central myth of the kamikaze—that these young pilots all went to their deaths willingly, enthused by the Samurai spirit.

What happened to kamikaze pilots when they failed their mission?

Failure and dishonour The Kamikaze pilots who returned fall into two distinct groups. Those who returned due to weather conditions or mechanical failures in their place and those who returned due to not being able to perform their task successfully due to psychological reasons.

How effective are kamikaze attacks on ships?

A kamikaze will do some damage just from the impact, shrapnel, and spewing aviation gas around, but it’s superficial. A kamikaze normally carried a small 250 or 500kg bomb. For the bomb to be effective, it has to penetrate the armor and explode inside the ship, else the explosion will reflect off the armor and go (mostly) harmlessly out to sea.

What happened to the kamikaze that hit the HMS Sussex?

The imprint of a Japanese kamikaze aircraft on the side of HMS Sussex. Incredibly, the aircraft hit the side of the HMS Sussex and fell into the ocean without damaging the ship. (The image is in the public domain, at least in Australia). HMS Sussex was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy.

How did the Mitsubishi Ki-51 hit the HMS Sussex?

On 26 July 1945 her Task Force was attacked by two attack bombers acting as “Kamikaze” suicide weapons. One made an imprint on the side of the HMS Sussex, from which it could be identified as a Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia”. They also linked to a gif that purports to illustrate how the plane hit.

What happened to the USS Wake Island CVE 65?

USS Wake Island CVE-65 3 April 1945: At 1744, a Japanese single-engine plane missed the port forward corner of the flight deck, exploding in the water abreast the forecastle. Thirty seconds later, a second single-engine plane narrowly missed the bridge structure and struck the water about 10 feet from the hull.