What happens if a kamikaze pilot refused?

For those pilots who couldn’t prove that their return was caused by factors outside of their control, their treatment would be a bit different. Even so, this had a limit as seen with one pilot who returned 9 times from his Kamikaze mission. He would be executed on his 9th return for cowardice.

Why did the Japanese resort to kamikaze attacks?

Japan was losing pilots faster than it could train their replacements, and the nation’s industrial capacity was diminishing relative to that of the Allies. These factors, along with Japan’s unwillingness to surrender, led to the use of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the Japanese home islands.

How did the Japanese choose kamikaze pilots?

As noted in Mako Sasaki’s paper, Who Became Kamikaze Pilots, and How Did They Feel Towards Their Suicide Mission, published in The Concord Review, some men were recruited to the program by way of a simple questionnaire.

Did kamikaze planes have guns?

It was found that heavy anti-aircraft guns such as the 5″/38 caliber gun (127 mm) were the most effective as they had sufficient firepower to destroy aircraft at a safe range from the ship, which was preferable since even a heavily damaged kamikaze could reach its target.

Were kamikaze pilots really willing to sacrifice their lives?

Thousands of poorly trained kamikaze pilots were asked to sacrifice their lives for Japan’s collapsing war effort, but the letters they left behind reveal they weren’t all eager volunteers. Like this gallery? Firefighters aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock hosing down damage caused by a Japanese kamikaze attack.

What was Japan’s kamikaze?

The Divine Wind: Japan’s Kamikaze… As American ground forces fought for control of Okinawa in the spring of 1945, Japanese Kamikaze pilots wreaked a grim toll on American naval forces. Flight Lieutenant Haruo Araki’s hand shook as he composed a last letter to his wife of just a month:

Who was the Japanese soldier killed in the Battle of Okinawa?

Haruo was one of more than 2,000 Japanese servicemen who perished in kamikaze attacks during the three month long battle for the island of Okinawa, located just 400 miles south of mainland Japan, that raged from April 1 to June 22, 1945.

How many American ships were sunk by kamikaze attacks in WWII?

It failed, though various forms of kamikaze attack—including planes, manned rockets and human torpedoes—did sink 36 American ships and damage a further 368, inflicting 10,000 casualties (half of them killed.)