Kamikaze

Kamikaze, Japanese for "divine wind", is a word which refers to suicide attacks made by Japanese aircraft against Allied targets, mostly ships, near the end of World War II. The attacks began in 1944 and continued to the end of the war. Although they were primarily targeted at ships, there were also kamikaze attacks against land and air targets.

Etymology

The word kamikaze (Japanese: 神風) was originally used to refer to major typhoons in the years 1274 and 1281. These typhoons dispersed Mongol armadas on their way to an invasion of Japan. As the typhoons were believed to be gifts from the gods, they were given the name kamikaze, from the words kami for "god", "spirit", and "divinity",; and kaze for "wind".

History

Before the formation of specialized kamikaze units, both Allied and Japanese pilots had deliberately crashed as a last resort when their planes were severely damaged. An example of this occurred during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when First Lieutenant Fusata Iida crashed his damaged plane into the Kaneohe Naval Air Station. In 1943 and 1944, Allied forces were advancing towards Japan. Japan's military aircraft, such as the A6M Zero, were beginning to be outclassed by Allied aircraft, including the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair. In addition, the Japanese military lost many of its best pilots in air battles against the Allies. Finally, in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Japan lost a huge number of carrier-based planes, as well as their pilots. These problems, as well as shortages of fuel and spare parts, led Japan to develop kamikaze tactics.

Kamikaze aircraft

Most aircraft used in kamikaze attacks were converted obsolete fighters and dive-bombers. However, purpose-built kamikaze aircraft were also constructed. These included the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka, nicknamed the "baka bomb" (baka is Japanese for "idiot"), and the Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi. The Ohka, effectively a manned cruise missile, was a rocket powered aircraft which was launched from a bomber aircraft. The Tsurugi was an extremely simple aircraft with a wooden fuselage and a resueable undercarriage, designed to use up obsolete engines. In 1945, Japan stockpiled hundreds of propellor planes, Tsurugi, suicide boats, and Ohka for use against an expected Allied invasion of Japan.