
Stories

Stories

A-K

A-K
Amakusa Air Group Association
Amakusa Air Group Association
Amakusa Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane Squadron
Amakusa Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane Squadron
Among the Remnants of the Suicide Subs
Among the Remnants of the Suicide Subs
Assorted Thoughts During War
Assorted Thoughts During War
Continued Commitment: Main Force for Mainland Decisive Battle
Continued Commitment: Main Force for Mainland Decisive Battle
Crash Attack With New Wife On Board
Crash Attack With New Wife On Board
Drop Training: Hard-to-use Spear, Observed Reality
Drop Training: Hard-to-use Spear, Observed Reality
Final Settlement of Accounts of Life
Final Settlement of Accounts of Life
First Battle Results: Change in Tactics, Only Sinking
First Battle Results: Change in Tactics, Only Sinking
For Five Seconds, A Gunner
For Five Seconds, A Gunner
Human Bomb Corps: 160 Men Annihilated in First Battle
Human Bomb Corps: 160 Men Annihilated in First Battle
Kamikaze Pilots Visit Ritsu Tsurumaru’s Home
Kamikaze Pilots Visit Ritsu Tsurumaru’s Home
Kamikaze, the Ultimate Sacrifice
Kamikaze, the Ultimate Sacrifice

L-N

L-N
Lack of Experience: Hard 600-km Flight over the Sea
Lack of Experience: Hard 600-km Flight over the Sea
Last Letters: Collection of Final Writings Published, Testimony Preserved
Last Letters: Collection of Final Writings Published, Testimony Preserved
Last Writings: Hero, Dying in Vain, Reality That Cannot Be Expressed by Dualism
Last Writings: Hero, Dying in Vain, Reality That Cannot Be Expressed by Dualism
LCS 118: A Radar Picket Patrol
LCS 118: A Radar Picket Patrol
Magnificent Comrades of Tsukuba Unit
Magnificent Comrades of Tsukuba Unit
Man Killed In Action Who Returned
Man Killed In Action Who Returned
May 28, 1945—Another Day of Infamy
May 28, 1945—Another Day of Infamy
Mighty Midgets 2007 Reunion
Mighty Midgets 2007 Reunion
My Personal History: Two Lives
My Personal History: Two Lives

O-R

O-R
Observer Training Aircraft: Mobilization of Plane Not Fit for Battle
Observer Training Aircraft: Mobilization of Plane Not Fit for Battle
Perilous Full Moon: I Survived Due to Old Airframe
Perilous Full Moon: I Survived Due to Old Airframe
Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 1): Squadron Members With No Wish to Volunteer
Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 1): Squadron Members With No Wish to Volunteer
Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 2): Sudden Cancellation, Not Even Any Record
Phantom Daytime Attack (Part 2): Sudden Cancellation, Not Even Any Record
Phantom Kenmu Squadron: Cancelled Just Before Takeoff
Phantom Kenmu Squadron: Cancelled Just Before Takeoff
Preparing to Sortie and Waiting for Orders Every Day for Two Weeks
Preparing to Sortie and Waiting for Orders Every Day for Two Weeks
Puzzle Left for Couple: Journey of Seven Years to Search for Date of Death
Puzzle Left for Couple: Journey of Seven Years to Search for Date of Death
Remembering Times Past from 34 Years Ago
Remembering Times Past from 34 Years Ago
Rescued Kamikaze Pilot Also Callaghan Survivor
Rescued Kamikaze Pilot Also Callaghan Survivor
Resentment: Tradition of Commanding Officer’s Taking Lead Disappeared
Resentment: Tradition of Commanding Officer’s Taking Lead Disappeared

S-Z

S-Z
Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron
Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron
Sinking of USS Drexler DD-741
Sinking of USS Drexler DD-741
Sorties Cancelled Twice: Enjoyment of Long Life Due To Small Difference
Sorties Cancelled Twice: Enjoyment of Long Life Due To Small Difference
Special Attack Corps Waiting Room at Tomitaka Base
Special Attack Corps Waiting Room at Tomitaka Base
Special Mission: Symbolic of "Irresponsibility" in Upper Ranks
Special Mission: Symbolic of "Irresponsibility" in Upper Ranks
Spiritual Foundation of Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Members
Spiritual Foundation of Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Members
Survival of Drexler Survivors Reunion Association
Survival of Drexler Survivors Reunion Association
Two Days Before War’s End, Jinrai Butai’s Last Sortie
Two Days Before War’s End, Jinrai Butai’s Last Sortie
2007 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion
2007 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion
2007 USS Morrison (DD-560) Reunion
2007 USS Morrison (DD-560) Reunion
2010 USS Drexler (DD-741) Reunion
2010 USS Drexler (DD-741) Reunion
2012 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion
2012 USS Callaghan (DD-792) Reunion
Who Sank the Destroyer Drexler?
Who Sank the Destroyer Drexler?
Without Telegraph: No Way to Communicate Battle Results
Without Telegraph: No Way to Communicate Battle Results
Young Ski Jumper Who Was Olympic Contender
Young Ski Jumper Who Was Olympic Contender

Books

Books

Personal Narratives

Personal Narratives
Imamura, Shig: The True Story of an American Kamikaze
Imamura, Shig: The True Story of an American Kamikaze
Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind
Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind
Nagatsuka, I Was a Kamikaze
Nagatsuka, I Was a Kamikaze
Sakamaki, I Attacked Pearl Harbor
Sakamaki, I Attacked Pearl Harbor
Yokota and Harrington, Kamikaze Submarine
Yokota and Harrington, Kamikaze Submarine
Yoshida, Requiem for Battleship Yamato
Yoshida, Requiem for Battleship Yamato

General (A-H)

General (A-H)
Aeronautical Staff of Aero Publishers, Kamikaze
Aeronautical Staff of Aero Publishers, Kamikaze
Axell and Kase, Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Gods
Axell and Kase, Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Gods
Burlingame, Advance Force Pearl Harbor
Burlingame, Advance Force Pearl Harbor
Carruthers, Australia Under Siege
Carruthers, Australia Under Siege
Cea, Tokubetsu Kogeki Tai. Special Attack Units
Cea, Tokubetsu Kogeki Tai. Special Attack Units
Charles River Editors, The Kamikazes
Charles River Editors, The Kamikazes
Cortesi, Valor at Okinawa
Cortesi, Valor at Okinawa
Delgado et al., The Lost Submarines of Pearl Harbor
Delgado et al., The Lost Submarines of Pearl Harbor
Grose, A Very Rude Awakening
Grose, A Very Rude Awakening
Hagoromo Society, The Cherry Blossom Squadrons
Hagoromo Society, The Cherry Blossom Squadrons

General (I-R)

General (I-R)
Ishiguro and Januszewski, Japanese Special Attack Aircraft
Ishiguro and Januszewski, Japanese Special Attack Aircraft
Jenkins, Hitting Home: The Japanese Attack on Sydney 1942
Jenkins, Hitting Home: The Japanese Attack on Sydney 1942
Lambert, Bombs, Torpedoes and Kamikazes
Lambert, Bombs, Torpedoes and Kamikazes
Lamont-Brown, Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Samurai
Lamont-Brown, Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Samurai
Lardas, The Kamikaze Campaign 1944-45
Lardas, The Kamikaze Campaign 1944-45
Lind, Toku-tai: Japanese Submarine Operations in Australian Waters
Lind, Toku-tai: Japanese Submarine Operations in Australian Waters
Morris, Battleship Yamato
Morris, Battleship Yamato
Mortensen, Divine Wind: Kamikaze Attacks Against the US Navy
Mortensen, Divine Wind: Kamikaze Attacks Against the US Navy
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms
Rielly, Kamikazes, Corsairs, and Picket Ships
Rielly, Kamikazes, Corsairs, and Picket Ships

General (S-Z)

General (S-Z)
Sears, At War with the Wind
Sears, At War with the Wind
Sholin, The Kamikaze Nightmare
Sholin, The Kamikaze Nightmare
Sholin, The Sacrificial Lambs
Sholin, The Sacrificial Lambs
Sholin, Truman’s Decision
Sholin, Truman’s Decision
Smith, Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor
Smith, Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor
Spurr, A Glorious Way to Die
Spurr, A Glorious Way to Die
Stewart, Kamikaze: Japan’s Last Bid for Victory
Stewart, Kamikaze: Japan’s Last Bid for Victory
Stille, US Navy Ships vs Kamikazes 1944-45
Stille, US Navy Ships vs Kamikazes 1944-45
Takaki and Sakaida, B-29 Hunters of the JAAF
Takaki and Sakaida, B-29 Hunters of the JAAF
Thurman, Picket Ships at Okinawa
Thurman, Picket Ships at Okinawa
Veesenmeyer, Kamikaze Terror
Veesenmeyer, Kamikaze Terror
Warner and Seno, The Coffin Boats
Warner and Seno, The Coffin Boats
Warner and Warner, The Sacred Warriors
Warner and Warner, The Sacred Warriors
Zaloga, Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45
Zaloga, Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45
Zimmerman, Battleship Yamato: Why She Matters Today
Zimmerman, Battleship Yamato: Why She Matters Today

Ship Histories (A-C)

Ship Histories (A-C)
Acord and Holbrook, Hell and High Water in the Pacific
Acord and Holbrook, Hell and High Water in the Pacific
Andersen, Three Minutes Off Okinawa
Andersen, Three Minutes Off Okinawa
Ball, Fighting Amphibs: The LCS(L) in World War II
Ball, Fighting Amphibs: The LCS(L) in World War II
Becton, The Ship That Would Not Die
Becton, The Ship That Would Not Die
Billingsley, The Emmons Saga
Billingsley, The Emmons Saga
Blanton, Boston——to Jacksonville (41,000 Miles by Sea)
Blanton, Boston——to Jacksonville (41,000 Miles by Sea)
Bonner and Bonner, USS Missouri at War
Bonner and Bonner, USS Missouri at War
Brown and Anteau, Historical Review: U.S.S. Drexler DD-741
Brown and Anteau, Historical Review: U.S.S. Drexler DD-741
Bustin, Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII
Bustin, Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII
Calhoun, Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945
Calhoun, Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945
Charney, USS Ingraham DD694: 1944-1945
Charney, USS Ingraham DD694: 1944-1945
Cline, Escort Carrier WWII
Cline, Escort Carrier WWII
Craig, USS Cassin Young: Fletcher Class Destroyer DD793
Craig, USS Cassin Young: Fletcher Class Destroyer DD793
Craighead, All Ahead Full
Craighead, All Ahead Full
Crew, Combat Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate
Crew, Combat Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate

Ship Histories (D-J)

Ship Histories (D-J)
Dennis, The Destroyer U.S.S. Flusser DD368: Her Life of Service
Dennis, The Destroyer U.S.S. Flusser DD368: Her Life of Service
Dennis, U.S.S. Frustrate: "The Luckiest Ship in the Navy"
Dennis, U.S.S. Frustrate: "The Luckiest Ship in the Navy"
Duffy, The Wonderful World of John Duffy: An Autobiography)
Duffy, The Wonderful World of John Duffy: An Autobiography)
Fillmore, War History of USS Leutze (DD-481)
Fillmore, War History of USS Leutze (DD-481)
Foster, The Last Destroyer: The Story of the USS Callaghan
Foster, The Last Destroyer: The Story of the USS Callaghan
Graves, Men of Poseidon: Life at Sea Aboard the USS Rall
Graves, Men of Poseidon: Life at Sea Aboard the USS Rall
Griggs, Preludes to Victory: The Battle of Ormoc Bay in WWII
Griggs, Preludes to Victory: The Battle of Ormoc Bay in WWII
Harmon, U.S.S. Cassin Young (DD-793)
Harmon, U.S.S. Cassin Young (DD-793)
Harper, Too Close for Comfort
Harper, Too Close for Comfort
Irons, Phalanx Against the Divine Wind
Irons, Phalanx Against the Divine Wind
Jones, Days of Steel Rain
Jones, Days of Steel Rain

Ship Histories (K-N)

Ship Histories (K-N)
Kalosky, Harm’s Way—Every Day
Kalosky, Harm’s Way—Every Day
LCS(L) Landing Craft Support (Large)
LCS(L) Landing Craft Support (Large)
Lott, Brave Ship Brave Men
Lott, Brave Ship Brave Men
Lott and Sumrall, USS Ward—The First Shot
Lott and Sumrall, USS Ward—The First Shot
MacKay, The U.S. Navy’s "Interim" LSR(R)s in World War II
MacKay, The U.S. Navy’s "Interim" LSR(R)s in World War II
Mair, Oil, Fire, and Fate
Mair, Oil, Fire, and Fate
Malott, "If We Save But One"
Malott, "If We Save But One"
McBride, ed., Good Night Officially
McBride, ed., Good Night Officially
Monsarrat, Angel on the Yardarm
Monsarrat, Angel on the Yardarm
Novotny, In the Wake of Jellybean
Novotny, In the Wake of Jellybean

Ship Histories (O-Sk)

Ship Histories (O-Sk)
Olson, Tales from a Tin Can
Olson, Tales from a Tin Can
Payne, H.M.A.S. Australia 1928-1955
Payne, H.M.A.S. Australia 1928-1955
Rielly, Mighty Midgets At War
Rielly, Mighty Midgets At War
Ronck, Battleship Missouri
Ronck, Battleship Missouri
Rooney, Mighty Midget U.S.S. LCS 82
Rooney, Mighty Midget U.S.S. LCS 82
Samuels, War Patrol of the PCE(R)852
Samuels, War Patrol of the PCE(R)852
Simmons, USS Tennessee in World War II
Simmons, USS Tennessee in World War II
Skeldon, USS Kadashan Bay VC-20
Skeldon, USS Kadashan Bay VC-20

Ship Histories (Sl-Z)

Ship Histories (Sl-Z)
Stafford, Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE343
Stafford, Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE343
Stafford, The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise
Stafford, The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise
Stillwell, Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History
Stillwell, Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History
Stone, "My Ship!" The U.S.S. Intrepid
Stone, "My Ship!" The U.S.S. Intrepid
Streb, Life and Death Aboard the U.S.S. Essex
Streb, Life and Death Aboard the U.S.S. Essex
Sumrall, USS Kidd (DD-661)
Sumrall, USS Kidd (DD-661)
Surels, DD 522: Diary of a Destroyer
Surels, DD 522: Diary of a Destroyer
Veesenmeyer, Kamikaze Destroyer
Veesenmeyer, Kamikaze Destroyer
White and Gandt, Intrepid
White and Gandt, Intrepid
Wolfe, Wole, and O’Hara, History of the USS Kidd (DD661)
Wolfe, Wole, and O’Hara, History of the USS Kidd (DD661)
Wukovits, Hell from the Heavens
Wukovits, Hell from the Heavens
Y’Blood, The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan
Y’Blood, The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan

Fiction (A-L)

Fiction (A-L)
Deutermann, Sentinels of Fire
Deutermann, Sentinels of Fire
Fowler, The Astrological Diary of God
Fowler, The Astrological Diary of God
Freedman, The Seventh Stone
Freedman, The Seventh Stone
Grant, Attack from the sun
Grant, Attack from the sun
Grant, Night Flying Avenger
Grant, Night Flying Avenger
Kaga, Riding the East Wind
Kaga, Riding the East Wind
Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze
Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze

Fiction (M-Z)

Fiction (M-Z)
Mannock, The Sen-Toku Raid
Mannock, The Sen-Toku Raid
Meade, The Dignity of Danger
Meade, The Dignity of Danger
Morris, The Last Kamikaze
Morris, The Last Kamikaze
Nicole, The Ship with No Name
Nicole, The Ship with No Name
O’Keefe, A Thousand Stitches
O’Keefe, A Thousand Stitches
Park, When My Name Was Keoko
Park, When My Name Was Keoko
Sakamoto, One Hundred Million Hearts
Sakamoto, One Hundred Million Hearts
Somma, Midori and the 1000 Stitch Belt
Somma, Midori and the 1000 Stitch Belt
Wheatcroft, Answering Fire
Wheatcroft, Answering Fire

Writings

Writings
Gordon, Facing Death: Last Writings of Japanese Special Attack Corps Members
Gordon, Facing Death: Last Writings of Japanese Special Attack Corps Members
Kawatoko, The Mind of the Kamikaze
Kawatoko, The Mind of the Kamikaze
Lartéguy, The Sun Goes Down
Lartéguy, The Sun Goes Down
Nihon Senbotsu Gakusei Kinen-Kai, Listen to the Voices from the Sea
Nihon Senbotsu Gakusei Kinen-Kai, Listen to the Voices from the Sea
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
Todai Gakusei Jichi-kai, In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers
Todai Gakusei Jichi-kai, In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers
Yamashita, Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies
Yamashita, Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies

Related Topics (A-M)

Related Topics (A-M)
Bawal, Jr., Titans of the Rising Sun
Bawal, Jr., Titans of the Rising Sun
Delgado, Kamikaze: History’s Greatest Naval Disaster
Delgado, Kamikaze: History’s Greatest Naval Disaster
Eadon, Kamikaze: The Story of the British Pacific Fleet
Eadon, Kamikaze: The Story of the British Pacific Fleet
Evans, The Japanese Navy in World War II
Evans, The Japanese Navy in World War II
Gandt, The Twilight Warriors
Gandt, The Twilight Warriors
Grossberg, Last Letter Home
Grossberg, Last Letter Home
Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain
Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain
Kemp, Underwater Warriors
Kemp, Underwater Warriors
King, The Last Zero Fighter
King, The Last Zero Fighter
Klinkowitz, Pacific Skies
Klinkowitz, Pacific Skies
Lubeski, Linebackers of the Sea
Lubeski, Linebackers of the Sea

Related Topics (N-Z)

Related Topics (N-Z)
Sakaida and Takaki, Genda’s Blade
Sakaida and Takaki, Genda’s Blade
Samples, Wings over Sakishima
Samples, Wings over Sakishima
Shibusawa, America’s Geisha Ally
Shibusawa, America’s Geisha Ally
Thompson, Why Do Kamikaze Pilots Wear Helmets?
Thompson, Why Do Kamikaze Pilots Wear Helmets?
Tsouras, Rising Sun Victorious
Tsouras, Rising Sun Victorious
Vernon, The Hostile Sky: A Hellcat Flier in World War II
Vernon, The Hostile Sky: A Hellcat Flier in World War II
Werstein, Okinawa: The Last Ordeal
Werstein, Okinawa: The Last Ordeal
Westheimer, Death is Lighter than a Feather
Westheimer, Death is Lighter than a Feather
Young, American Aces Against the Kamikaze
Young, American Aces Against the Kamikaze

Comics (A-J)

Comics (A-J)
Air War Stories - Kamikaze!
Air War Stories - Kamikaze!
Authentic War Stories - The Kamikaze
Authentic War Stories - The Kamikaze
Battle - Kamikaze! (July 1954)
Battle - Kamikaze! (July 1954)
Battle - Kamikaze! (April 1959)
Battle - Kamikaze! (April 1959)
Blackhawk - The Red Kamikaze Terror
Blackhawk - The Red Kamikaze Terror
Fightin’ Air Force - Kamikaze Pilot
Fightin’ Air Force - Kamikaze Pilot
Fightin’ Marines - Kamikaze
Fightin’ Marines - Kamikaze
Fightin’ Navy - Kamikaze Killer
Fightin’ Navy - Kamikaze Killer
Fubar 2: Empire of the Rising Dead
Fubar 2: Empire of the Rising Dead
Ghostly Tales - The Last Kamikaze!
Ghostly Tales - The Last Kamikaze!

Comics (K-Z)

Comics (K-Z)
Navy Task Force - Kamikaze!
Navy Task Force - Kamikaze!
Our Fighting Forces - Battle Album: Kamikaze
Our Fighting Forces - Battle Album: Kamikaze
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! - The Last Kamikaze
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! - The Last Kamikaze
A Sailor’s Story and A Sailor’s Story, Book Two
A Sailor’s Story and A Sailor’s Story, Book Two
Star Spangled War Stories - I Was a Kamikaze Pilot!
Star Spangled War Stories - I Was a Kamikaze Pilot!
True Comics - Name to Remember
True Comics - Name to Remember
USS Stevens: Ride the Baka
USS Stevens: Ride the Baka
Wings Comics (August 1946)
Wings Comics (August 1946)
Wings Comics - Kamikaze (Fall 1952)
Wings Comics - Kamikaze (Fall 1952)

Films

Films

Documentaries (A-G)

Documentaries (A-G)
Day of the Kamikaze: November 25, 1944
Day of the Kamikaze: November 25, 1944
The Fleet That Came to Stay
The Fleet That Came to Stay
Gladiators of World War II: The Kamikazes
Gladiators of World War II: The Kamikazes
Great Blunders of World War II
Great Blunders of World War II

Documentaries (H-K)

Documentaries (H-K)
Kamikaze: Death From the Sky
Kamikaze: Death From the Sky
Kamikaze: Mission of Death
Kamikaze: Mission of Death
Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor
Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor
Kamikaze / War in the Pacific
Kamikaze / War in the Pacific

Documentaries (L-Z)

Documentaries (L-Z)
No Surrender: Japanese and German Kamikazes
No Surrender: Japanese and German Kamikazes
S.O.S. Catastrophe: Typhoons and Kamikaze
S.O.S. Catastrophe: Typhoons and Kamikaze
War Stories wtih Oliver North: Attack of the Japanese Midget Subs!
War Stories wtih Oliver North: Attack of the Japanese Midget Subs!
The Cockpit: Kamikaze Stories
The Cockpit: Kamikaze Stories
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

Japanese

Japanese
Aa tokubetsu kougekitai (Ah, Special Attack Corps)
Aa tokubetsu kougekitai (Ah, Special Attack Corps)
Deguchi no nai umi (Sea without exit)
Deguchi no nai umi (Sea without exit)
Gekkou no Natsu (Summer of the Moonlight Sonata)
Gekkou no Natsu (Summer of the Moonlight Sonata)
Hokui 15° no Dyuo (15 Degrees North Latitude Duo)
Hokui 15° no Dyuo (15 Degrees North Latitude Duo)
Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean
Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean
Matsuo Keiu to sono haha (Keiu Matsuo and his mother)
Matsuo Keiu to sono haha (Keiu Matsuo and his mother)
Nijūroku ya mairi (A Moon Twenty-six Days Old)
Nijūroku ya mairi (A Moon Twenty-six Days Old)
Ningen no Tsubasa (Wings of a Man)
Ningen no Tsubasa (Wings of a Man)
Taiheiyou no Tsubasa (Wings of the Pacific)
Taiheiyou no Tsubasa (Wings of the Pacific)

Museums

Museums
Bansei Tokkō Peace Museum
Bansei Tokkō Peace Museum
Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots
Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots
Etajima Museum of Naval History
Etajima Museum of Naval History

Hotaru Museum

Hotaru Museum
Cherry Blossoms of Same Class
Cherry Blossoms of Same Class
Kamikaze Special Attack Museum
Kamikaze Special Attack Museum
Kanoya Naval Air Base Museum
Kanoya Naval Air Base Museum
Tokushima Air Base Museum
Tokushima Air Base Museum
Tsukuba Naval Air Base Museum
Tsukuba Naval Air Base Museum
Yokaren Museum - Tsuchiura
Yokaren Museum - Tsuchiura

US Museums

US Museums
Battleship Missouri Memorial
Battleship Missouri Memorial
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
National Museum of the Pacific War
National Museum of the Pacific War
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
USS Cassin Young (DD-793)
USS Cassin Young (DD-793)

Monuments

Monuments

A-B

A-B
Aichi Gokoku Jinja Battleship Yamato Monument
Aichi Gokoku Jinja Battleship Yamato Monument
Akita Special Attack Corps Monument
Akita Special Attack Corps Monument
Amakusa Naval Air Group Monument
Amakusa Naval Air Group Monument
Arari Never Forget Monument
Arari Never Forget Monument
Army Command Reconnaissance Units Monument
Army Command Reconnaissance Units Monument
Army Special Cadet Pilots Monument
Army Special Cadet Pilots Monument
Bansei Special Attack Monument
Bansei Special Attack Monument
Battleship Yamato Memorial Tower
Battleship Yamato Memorial Tower
Battleship Yamato Monument (Kure)
Battleship Yamato Monument (Kure)
Battleship Yamato War Dead Monument
Battleship Yamato War Dead Monument
Bōnotsu Shin’yō Corps Monument
Bōnotsu Shin’yō Corps Monument

C-F

C-F
Chiba Special Attack Corps Monument
Chiba Special Attack Corps Monument
Chikugo Pilot Training School Monument
Chikugo Pilot Training School Monument
Chiran Special Attack Peace Kannon Shrine
Chiran Special Attack Peace Kannon Shrine
Chiran Triangular Barracks Site Monument
Chiran Triangular Barracks Site Monument
Donryu Jizo Great Bodhisattva
Donryu Jizo Great Bodhisattva
Ehime Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ehime Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ehime Pilot Training School War Monument
Ehime Pilot Training School War Monument
Ehime Special Attack Corps Monument
Ehime Special Attack Corps Monument
56th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Iwadate Unit Monument
56th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Iwadate Unit Monument
Flight Reserve Students 13th Class Monument
Flight Reserve Students 13th Class Monument
41st Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
41st Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
44th Shin’yō Squadron Accident Victims Monument
44th Shin’yō Squadron Accident Victims Monument
Fukui Special Attack Corps Monument
Fukui Special Attack Corps Monument
Fukuoka Special Attack Corps Monument
Fukuoka Special Attack Corps Monument

G-Ha

G-Ha
Genkai 118th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Genkai 118th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Giretsu Airborne Unit Monument
Giretsu Airborne Unit Monument
Gunma Special Attack Corps Monument
Gunma Special Attack Corps Monument
Hachijojima Shin’yō Monument
Hachijojima Shin’yō Monument
Hachimanyama Jinja Special Submarine Monument
Hachimanyama Jinja Special Submarine Monument
Hakata Naval Air Group Monument
Hakata Naval Air Group Monument
Hakkō Sekichō Squadron Monument
Hakkō Sekichō Squadron Monument
Haramachi Airfield Monument
Haramachi Airfield Monument

Hi-J

Hi-J
Hijirigaura Shin’yō Monument
Hijirigaura Shin’yō Monument
Himeji Naval Air Group Monument
Himeji Naval Air Group Monument
Hokota Army Flight School Monument
Hokota Army Flight School Monument
Hososhima Shin’yō Monument
Hososhima Shin’yō Monument
Hyakurihara Naval Air Corps Monument (Hyakuri Air Base)
Hyakurihara Naval Air Corps Monument (Hyakuri Air Base)
Hyakurihara Naval Air Corps Monument (Kushira)
Hyakurihara Naval Air Corps Monument (Kushira)
Ibusuki Naval Air Base Remembrance Monument
Ibusuki Naval Air Base Remembrance Monument
Isahaya Naval Air Base Monument
Isahaya Naval Air Base Monument
Iwakuni Yokaren 2nd Toku Otsu Class Monument
Iwakuni Yokaren 2nd Toku Otsu Class Monument
Iwate Army Airfield Monument
Iwate Army Airfield Monument
Iwo Jima 1st and 2nd Mitate Special Attack Squadrons Monument
Iwo Jima 1st and 2nd Mitate Special Attack Squadrons Monument
Izumi Special Attack Monument
Izumi Special Attack Monument

Kab-Kam

Kab-Kam
Kabira Bay Shin’yō Peace Monument
Kabira Bay Shin’yō Peace Monument
Kagawa Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kagawa Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kagoshima Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kagoshima Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kagoshima Naval Air Group Monument
Kagoshima Naval Air Group Monument
Kagoshima Naval Air Group Sekishin Monument
Kagoshima Naval Air Group Sekishin Monument
Kakogawa Airfield Site Monument
Kakogawa Airfield Site Monument
Kakogawa Special Attack Corps Monument
Kakogawa Special Attack Corps Monument
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Chiran)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Chiran)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Izumi Tokkō Jinja)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Izumi Tokkō Jinja)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Mabalacat)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Mabalacat)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Yasukuni Jinja Yūshūkan)
Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Yasukuni Jinja Yūshūkan)
Kamikaze Special Attack Corps 3rd Ryūko Squadron Monument
Kamikaze Special Attack Corps 3rd Ryūko Squadron Monument

Kan-Ki

Kan-Ki
Kanoya Special Attack Corps War Dead Memorial Tower
Kanoya Special Attack Corps War Dead Memorial Tower
Kashihara Shrine 13th Kō Class Navy Yokaren Monument
Kashihara Shrine 13th Kō Class Navy Yokaren Monument
Kashima Naval Air Group Monument
Kashima Naval Air Group Monument
Kashiwajima Special Attack Shin’yō Base Monument
Kashiwajima Special Attack Shin’yō Base Monument
Kataura Shin’yō Base Monument
Kataura Shin’yō Base Monument
Kawatana Special Attack War Monument
Kawatana Special Attack War Monument
Kikaijima Naval Air Group Monument
Kikaijima Naval Air Group Monument
Kikaijima Shin’yō Storage Tunnel
Kikaijima Shin’yō Storage Tunnel
Kitaura Naval Air Group Monument
Kitaura Naval Air Group Monument

Ko-Ky

Ko-Ky
Kōchi Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kōchi Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Kōchi Naval Air Group Monument
Kōchi Naval Air Group Monument
Kofuji Naval Air Group Monument
Kofuji Naval Air Group Monument
Kohama Island Shin’yō Boat Tunnels
Kohama Island Shin’yō Boat Tunnels
Kokubu No. 2 Air Base Special Attack Corps Monument (Barrel Valley)
Kokubu No. 2 Air Base Special Attack Corps Monument (Barrel Valley)
Kokubu No. 2 Air Base Special Attack Corps Monument (Uwatoko Park)
Kokubu No. 2 Air Base Special Attack Corps Monument (Uwatoko Park)
Kokubu Special Attack Base Monument
Kokubu Special Attack Base Monument
Koniya Naval Air Group Monument
Koniya Naval Air Group Monument
Kōyasan Naval Air Group Monument
Kōyasan Naval Air Group Monument
Kuroshima Battleship Yamato Monument
Kuroshima Battleship Yamato Monument
Kuroshima Special Attack Peace Kannon
Kuroshima Special Attack Peace Kannon
Kushira Naval Air Base War Dead Memorial Tower
Kushira Naval Air Base War Dead Memorial Tower
Kyōdomari Shin’yō Special Attack Base Monument
Kyōdomari Shin’yō Special Attack Base Monument

L-Me

L-Me
Mabalacat West Airfield Monument
Mabalacat West Airfield Monument
Makurazaki Battleship Yamato Monument
Makurazaki Battleship Yamato Monument
Matsuo Monument (Kikuchi Jinja)
Matsuo Monument (Kikuchi Jinja)
Matsuo Monument (Yamaga City)
Matsuo Monument (Yamaga City)
Matsuyama Naval Air Group Monument
Matsuyama Naval Air Group Monument
Matsuyama Naval Air Group Site Monument
Matsuyama Naval Air Group Site Monument
Metabaru Airfield Monument
Metabaru Airfield Monument

Mi-Mu

Mi-Mu
Mie Special Attack Corps Monument
Mie Special Attack Corps Monument
Miyagi Special Attack Corps Monument
Miyagi Special Attack Corps Monument
Miyakonojō East Airfield Monument
Miyakonojō East Airfield Monument
Miyakonojō Hayate Shinbu Special Attack Corps Monument
Miyakonojō Hayate Shinbu Special Attack Corps Monument
Miyakonojō Pilot Training School Monument
Miyakonojō Pilot Training School Monument
Miyakonojō West Airfield Monument
Miyakonojō West Airfield Monument
Miyara Bay Shin’yō Boat Tunnels
Miyara Bay Shin’yō Boat Tunnels
Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument
Miyazaki Special Attack Base Monument

N

N
Nagamine Farewell Poem Monuments
Nagamine Farewell Poem Monuments
Nagano Special Attack Corps Monument
Nagano Special Attack Corps Monument
Nagasaki Pilot Training School Monument
Nagasaki Pilot Training School Monument
Nagasaki Prefecture Yokaren Monument
Nagasaki Prefecture Yokaren Monument
Nagoya Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Kusanagi Unit Monument
Nagoya Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Kusanagi Unit Monument
Nangō Human Torpedo Kaiten Training Site Monument
Nangō Human Torpedo Kaiten Training Site Monument
Naramoto Jinja Battleship Yamato Monument
Naramoto Jinja Battleship Yamato Monument
Navy Flight Reserve Students Monument
Navy Flight Reserve Students Monument
Niigata Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Niigata Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
19th Hikō Sentai Special Attack Monument
19th Hikō Sentai Special Attack Monument
Noshiro Hachiman Jinja Special Attack Corps Monument
Noshiro Hachiman Jinja Special Attack Corps Monument

O-R

O-R
Ōdōtsu 117th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Ōdōtsu 117th Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Ōi Naval Air Group Monument
Ōi Naval Air Group Monument
Ōita Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ōita Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ōita Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Takeoff Site Monument
Ōita Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Takeoff Site Monument
Ōita Special Attack Corps Monument
Ōita Special Attack Corps Monument
Okazaki Naval Air Group Monument
Okazaki Naval Air Group Monument
Ōsaka Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ōsaka Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Ōtsushima Kaiten Monument
Ōtsushima Kaiten Monument
Ōurasaki Special Attack Base (P Base) Monument
Ōurasaki Special Attack Base (P Base) Monument
Ozuki Air Base Foundation of Peace Monument
Ozuki Air Base Foundation of Peace Monument

S

S
Saitama Special Attack Corps Monument
Saitama Special Attack Corps Monument
Sakudari Kannon Temple Wakazakura Kanzeon Bosatsu
Sakudari Kannon Temple Wakazakura Kanzeon Bosatsu
Sekiguchi Tokko Brothers Monument
Sekiguchi Tokko Brothers Monument
Sendai Pilot Training School Monument
Sendai Pilot Training School Monument
Seseraginoyu Ōka Monument
Seseraginoyu Ōka Monument
Setagaya Special Attack Peace Kannon
Setagaya Special Attack Peace Kannon
Shiga Naval Air Group Monument
Shiga Naval Air Group Monument
Shimizu Naval Air Group Monument
Shimizu Naval Air Group Monument
Shimoda Shin’yō and Kairyu Monument
Shimoda Shin’yō and Kairyu Monument
Shōdoshima Special Submarine Monument
Shōdoshima Special Submarine Monument
Shinshū Fumetsu Special Attack Squadron Monument
Shinshū Fumetsu Special Attack Squadron Monument
Special Attack Fleet Ryukon Monument
Special Attack Fleet Ryukon Monument
Special Submarine Base (Q Base) Monument
Special Submarine Base (Q Base) Monument
Submarine Crewmen Who Gave Lives for Country Monument
Submarine Crewmen Who Gave Lives for Country Monument

T

T
Takuma Naval Air Group Monument
Takuma Naval Air Group Monument
Tochigi Special Attack Corps Monument
Tochigi Special Attack Corps Monument
Tokunoshima Special Attack Peace Monument
Tokunoshima Special Attack Peace Monument
Tomitaka Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Sortie Site Monument
Tomitaka Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Sortie Site Monument
Tosashimizu 132nd Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Tosashimizu 132nd Shin’yō Special Attack Squadron Monument
Toshio Shimao Literature Monument
Toshio Shimao Literature Monument
Tsuiki Kamikaze Ginga Squadron Sortie Site Monument
Tsuiki Kamikaze Ginga Squadron Sortie Site Monument
Tsukuba Naval Air Group Monument
Tsukuba Naval Air Group Monument
Tsukuba Naval Air Group Peace Monument
Tsukuba Naval Air Group Peace Monument

U-Z

U-Z
Urato Naval Air Group Monument
Urato Naval Air Group Monument
Usa Naval Air Group Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Monument
Usa Naval Air Group Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Monument
Usa Special Attack Monument
Usa Special Attack Monument
Wakayama Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Wakayama Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Yamaguchi Special Attack Corps Monument
Yamaguchi Special Attack Corps Monument
Yamanashi Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Yamanashi Gokoku Jinja Yokaren Monument
Yatabe Naval Air Group Monument
Yatabe Naval Air Group Monument
Yatabe Naval Air Group Pilot Statue and Guard Gate
Yatabe Naval Air Group Pilot Statue and Guard Gate
Yonago Pilot Training School Monument
Yonago Pilot Training School Monument
Youth Pilots’ Memorial Column
Youth Pilots’ Memorial Column
Yudonosan Kaiten Patriotism Monument
Yudonosan Kaiten Patriotism Monument
Zenkōji Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Monument
Zenkōji Kamikaze Special Attack Corps Monument
Zen’yōji Special Cadet Pilots Monument
Zen’yōji Special Cadet Pilots Monument

Lists

Lists
Type of Special Attack Corps
Type of Special Attack Corps

Internet

Internet
Air Group 4 - "Casablanca to Tokyo"
Air Group 4 - "Casablanca to Tokyo"
Aozora no hateni (To the blue sky’s end)
Aozora no hateni (To the blue sky’s end)
Junkoku no ishibumi (War Memorials)
Junkoku no ishibumi (War Memorials)
Kaiten Tokkōtai (Kaiten Special Attack Corps)
Kaiten Tokkōtai (Kaiten Special Attack Corps)
Tokkō (Special Attack Forces)
Tokkō (Special Attack Forces)
Yokaren Shiryoukan (Yokaren Museum)
Yokaren Shiryoukan (Yokaren Museum)

Other Forms

Other Forms

Chiran Speech Contest

Chiran Speech Contest
Junior High School Division
Junior High School Division
Special Attack Picture Postcards
Special Attack Picture Postcards
Tokkōbana (Kamikaze Flower)
Tokkōbana (Kamikaze Flower)

Writings

Writings

A-J

A-J

Ab-Ar

Ab-Ar

As-Fuj

As-Fuj

Fuk-G

Fuk-G

Ha

Ha

Hi-Ho

Hi-Ho

Ic-In

Ic-In

Is

Is

It-J

It-J

K-N

K-N

Ka-Kas

Ka-Kas

Kat-Ki

Kat-Ki

Koa-Kon

Koa-Kon

Kos-Ku

Kos-Ku

Ma-Mas

Ma-Mas

Mat-Min

Mat-Min

Mio-Miz

Mio-Miz

Mo-Mu

Mo-Mu

Nag

Nag

Nak

Nak

Nam-No

Nam-No

O-Z

O-Z

Og-Oi

Og-Oi

Ok-On

Ok-On

Os-Ot

Os-Ot

Sa

Sa

Se-Shim

Se-Shim

Shin-Su

Shin-Su

Tab-Tak

Tab-Tak

Tan-Tsu

Tan-Tsu

U

U

W

W

Yab-Yamag

Yab-Yamag

Yamam-Yamaw

Yamam-Yamaw

Yan-Yu

Yan-Yu

Books

Books
Gordon, Facing Death: Last Writings of Japanese Special Attack Corps Members
Gordon, Facing Death: Last Writings of Japanese Special Attack Corps Members
Kawatoko, The Mind of the Kamikaze
Kawatoko, The Mind of the Kamikaze
Lartéguy, The Sun Goes Down
Lartéguy, The Sun Goes Down
Nihon Senbotsu Gakusei Kinen-Kai, Listen to the Voices from the Sea
Nihon Senbotsu Gakusei Kinen-Kai, Listen to the Voices from the Sea
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
Todai Gakusei Jichi-kai, In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers
Todai Gakusei Jichi-kai, In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers
Yamashita, Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies
Yamashita, Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies

Thesis

Thesis
Excel file that supports thesis
Excel file that supports thesis

Links

Links

About Project

About Project
Kamikaze Images and Friendship Dolls
Kamikaze Images and Friendship Dolls
Final Project Paper (PDF file)
Final Project Paper (PDF file)

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A Jap torpedo bomber breaks apart in flaming ruin while
attempting to crash-dive the carrier Yorktown in the battle of the Philippine
Sea.
(caption from original article)
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Japan's Last Hope
by Irving Wallace
Introductory Comments
This article first appeared in Liberty magazine on May 5, 1945.
Although Liberty stopped publication in 1950, at its peak it was ranked
alongside The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's as one of the
top three American feature magazines.
Irving Wallace, a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, worked in
the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. This article, an exclusive from the
U.S. military, was the first big national write-up about Japan's kamikaze
attacks. The following paragraph describes how Wallace got this exclusive for Liberty
magazine (Wallace 1978, 136):
Wallace was privy to the Kamikaze information because at the time he was a
writer for the U.S. Signal Corps under Frank Capra. The Kamikaze material had
been monitored by the Signal Corps from Tokyo radio, translated, and
circulated in the military as classified material. Wallace says that when it
came across his desk, "I saw that it was tremendous stuff. I asked my
superior officers if I could write an article at night—on my own time—on
it. They said yes, and that's how Liberty got the beat."
Casting about for a last desperate weapon to stem the tide of defeat, Tokyo's
war lords have come up with something that goes Hitler one better—human robot
bombs
Radio Tokyo is on the air.
"News flash! News flash from Tokyo! The Imperial
Headquarters announced at two thirty o'clock this afternoon that the Kamikaze
Special Attack Corps has sunk one American battleship, three large transports,
and damaged one battleship or cruiser in Leyte Gulf.
"Our six fliers successfully penetrated enemy
fighter-plane defenses and headed for enemy transports, which were escorted by
battleships and cruisers.
"One of our planes plunged into an American battleship,
and just as the big ship shook from the impact, a second plane crashed into it.
A huge fire soon enveloped the vessel. The four other planes raced toward the
enemy transports. In swift succession they plunged into them, sinking three and
setting ablaze another large ship, which last was seen emitting a pillar of
black smoke.
"Among the six Kamikaze fliers who died in this attack,
three men—Matsui, Terashima, and Kawashima—are not yet twenty years old. The
spirit of these young fliers crash-diving on their objectives is admirable."
This news report—typical of recent daily reports—discloses
Japan's last hope.
With Allied sea and air power slowly strangling Japan, the
Tokyo war lords cast about for some last-resort weapon. They observed that
Hitler had pulled one out of his ordnance hat; but that his V-1 and V-2 robot
bombs, though frightening and damaging, were not enough to stop the Allies.
They decided to go Hitler one better. They had human robot bombs.
Determined to capitalize on the willingness of their young
men to die, the Japanese leaders organized the Navy's Kamikaze Special Attack
Corps. Suicide assaults by Japanese infantrymen and fliers were already
familiar occurrences. But with the Kamikaze, Japan made the first modern effort
by any army or navy to send vast numbers of trained men to premeditated
suicide.
Kamikaze is Japan's god of the wind. The word itself means
"Divine Wind." and it stands for much in Japan. Six and a half
centuries before Nimitz, the mighty Mongol, Kublai Khan, threatened Japan with
300 warships and 200,000 men. At the eleventh hour it happened that a real
wind, a typhoon, bore down on his armada, smashing and sinking it. Ever since,
the Japanese have been taught that when in danger a Divine Wind would save
them.
But this time the Japanese leaders knew they could not
depend on a typhoon. They knew they must create their Divine Wind. And so they
created the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps, dedicated to death—for itself and
Americans.
"Today, each of our planes in this Special Attack
Corps," explains Radio Tokyo, "is piloted by one Kamikaze pilot whose
mission is to crash-dive into a warship or transport with the object of sinking
that ship at the cost of one plane and the life of one pilot. . . . Unlike a
mechanical bomb, the living torpedo that has eyes, ears, and brains behind it
is something that cannot be duplicated by any mechanism."
The Kamikaze Special Attack Corps was first thrown into
action two weeks after General MacArthur waded onto Philippine soil with his
infantry veterans.
General Tomoyuki Yamashita, German-educated conqueror of
Singapore and Bataan, opposed MacArthur, proclaiming that the Kamikaze would
turn the trick. Even as Leyte fell, he reassured the folks back home in Tokyo.
"That our forces," he said, "with (comparatively) small strength
and small amount of material supplies, were able to achieve such brilliant war
results is all due to the traditional spirit of offering one's life and
carrying out deliberate crash-dive attacks on the enemy. . . . If one of our
fighter planes should bring down one enemy B-29 by a deliberate crash-dive
attack, it would be proportionately one to ten. Then again, if one plane should
sink or damage one enemy aircraft carrier or one battleship, it would be one to
100, 1,000, or 10,000. No matter how the enemy would come against us with his
superiority in materials, if the enemy is met with this deliberate crash-dive
spirit, then it could be concluded that the enemy could be completely
defeated."
Desperately the Kamikaze pilots catapulted their bomb-laden
planes into our warships and supply ships off Leyte, Mindanao, and Luzon. The
American Navy soberly admitted to some losses. The Japanese ecstatically
claimed half of all our shipping. The truth? There is only one truth. Today,
again, we dominate the Philippines. Today we stand astride the Pacific. Quite
obviously Japan's Divine Wind has not been enough.
Yet there is every indication that Japan will, in the near
future, throw her organized Kamikaze suicide fliers against us in greater
numbers. Admitting shortages in everything else, she finds men ready to die her
cheapest effective weapon. What is more, the Kamikaze has caught on in Japan.
The very latest available Japanese newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, and
reports of neutrals show all Japan in a lather over the Corps' exploits.
Domei, the Japanese official news agency, insists that the
people wish to read of nothing else. Japanese dailies front-page a letter from
Colonel Tatsuhiko Kida in which he revels that "his iron-nerved self-sacrificial
pilots, before leaving base on their sure-hit mission, donated all their pocket
money toward the aircraft-construction fund." Reaction to this propaganda
is instantaneous. The Munitions Ministry shrewdly invests the money in towels.
Each towel, featuring the word "Kamikaze" inscribed over a Rising
Sun, is sent to an aircraft-factory laborer. Production goes up.
At the immense steel factories on Kyushu, heavily bombed by
American B-29s, the directors deliver pep talks on the Kamikaze, then order a
"Crash-Diving Spirit Production Month."
The Nippon Newsreel Company floods theaters with shots of
the Kamikaze heroes. Viewing these films, rich Japanese demand inspiring
pictures of the Kamikaze for their homes, and the government promptly
commissions Nippon's leading artists to immortalize the suicide corps in oils.
The air waves add to the intoxication. One radio program
features Captain Etsuzo Kurihara, chief of the Japanese Navy Press Section.
"War cannot be won by the employment of usual tactics," he says.
"Ramming and crashing are the only tactics which can be effectively
applied against enemy vessels. I feel that the great services of the Special
Attack Corps are too sacred to be put into cold figures, but were we to do so,
we could say that this type of tactics is worth ten to fifteen times the
ordinary tactics."
The greatest lift given the legend of the Kamikaze occurs
every two weeks when Emperor Hirohito receives top-priority heroes in the
Imperial Palace. Just before New Year's Day the emperor permitted Lieutenant
Colonel Tsuneyemon Shindo and Major Torashiro Aizawa to crouch before him.
"How do our airmen compare with the Americans?" he inquired. The
humble officers, eyes averted, whispered that Japanese morale was much the
higher; that "the spirit of the men of the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps
has yet to find its equal."
Then, while all Japan thrilled to its emperor's interest in
his lowly subjects, there came another tidbit, of humbler origin but even more
exciting. This one was reported in the daily newspaper Asahi, dated January 12,
1945:
"A small box containing ashes and a portrait,
accompanied by a letter addressed to a certain air unit commander, arrived by
parcel post at the front lines. The sender was one Motoko Kunimitsu of Shiode
village, mother of Sublieutenant Kunio Kunimitsu, who unfortunately was killed
in line of duty last fall at that particular air base.
"The mother's letter reads as follows: 'I have a great
deal of compassion for my son who had his heart set upon becoming a member of
the Special Attack Corps. If it is at all possible, will you kindly allow his
ashes to join the Special Attack units? It is my most sincere desire that his
ashes, at least, carry out a body-crash brilliantly, and as soon as possible.'
"What arduous spirit for the mother to offer her dear
child to decisive battles in the skies! The unit commander was deeply touched
by this letter. So now, hugged snugly in the arms of his comrades, the ashes of
the sublieutenant will take off from the homeland, never to return."
This daily dosage of outrageous hokum not only hypos the
home front, but baits thousands of young men into volunteering for certain
death.
Of course, the basis for the Kamikaze is Japanese
fanaticism. There are many explanations for that. The most satisfactory is
state Shinto, the so-called religion of Japan, the "way of the gods."
Shinto is thoroughly politics, the spearhead of Japanese Fascism. It preaches a
perverse morality that condones rape, murder, the stab in the back. It tells
the Japanese they are the holy people, superior to all others on earth, and
that one day they and their emperor must rule the rest of the civilized world.
Above all, Shinto makes human life cheap, cheering its young men with the
promise, "To die for the emperor is to live forever."
For almost a century the young men of Japan were prepared
for this task of sacrificing their lives to the divine mission of the state. On
the ground, the Japanese soldier dared not retreat. "We do not even have a
bugle call for retreat," a Japanese major told this author in Tokyo a year
before Pearl Harbor. In action, the Japanese soldier had to live the legend of
the three human bombs of Chapei, soldiers who carried dynamite into Chinese
barbed-wire entanglements and blew themselves up with it.
It was not until ten years ago that this suicidal
indoctrination was first channeled into flying. At that time Japanese
militarists toyed with the idea of developing special aviators to plunge
dynamite-packed planes into enemy warships. The plan was shelved, and suicide
crash-dives occurred only when Japanese pilots found their planes shot out of
control. Instead of dumping their bomb loads, they often dived into the nearest
available military objective. Reports on these irregular desperation dives
began to filter back to Tokyo. Japanese leaders learned that often they were
successful. This revived again the old idea of an organized and trained suicide
corps.
The Japanese Navy was the first to prepare such a force.
Drawing 100,000 volunteers from its naval aviation schools, it formed the
Kamikaze Special Attack Corps. A short time later the Japanese Army
carbon-copied the Kamikaze with suicide fliers of their own—the Banda Special
Attack Corps.
The average Kamikaze volunteer, a graduate of the Air
Military Academy, is five feet three inches tall and weighs 118 pounds. He is
between nineteen and twenty-five years of age. Before seeing action, he is put
through a short preparatory course. On the first day of it a movie shows him
how other Japanese heroes have sacrificed themselves for the emperor. He is
persistently lectured on the three qualities each Kamikaze flier must possess:
First, absolute obedience. Second, complete devotion to duty. "This means
intellectual conclusions must not be made." Third, thorough knowledge that
any given assignment must be carried out successfully. "Death counts as
nothing before the importance of the completion of one's duty."
There is an unwritten law that Kamikaze trainees must not
discuss or philosophize on the subject of life and death. They are kept busy:
classes, flying, sports. The favorite sport is kendo, a Japanese pastime
involving two men attired like baseball catchers who belabor each other with
bats. The instructors regard kendo as a good exercise for suicide flying.
"On the moment of clashing in kendo, students are not allowed to close
their eyes. They learn the spirit of killing with certainty."
Most Japanese believe a close relationship springs up
between Kamikaze instructors and their one-shot pupils. Japanese sob sisters
reinforce this belief in the daily press. Recently a Tokyo newspaper, the
Yomiuri Hochi, interviewed Colonel K. Tomomori just after he'd learned that
most of his students had plunged to their death. Said the account:
"Colonel Tomomori's emotion was deep. 'I am overcome by
tears of joy,' he related, as teardrops welled in his eyes."
The first trained Kamikaze fliers went into action off Leyte
in November, 1944, wearing special Rising Sun headbands. These were gifts from
General Gen Sugiyama, War Minister of Japan, who in prewar days forced English
men and women to strip naked in Tientsin. On each band was printed his
farewell: "Congratulations on Daring Enterprise and Sure Victory."
Along with their headbands, the Kamikaze carried into battle
a new song. They were supposed to sing it as they pointed their planes at
American ships. It went:
On land, the Fierce Tiger, General Yamashita;
On sea, Blood-and-Iron Okochi,
Behold the powerful line-up!
The thunder of righteousness makes the world tremble.
Where'er our Special Attack Corps go,
We, the hundred million, follow.
Come on, Nimitz! Come on, MacArthur!
If you do, we'll send you both
Headlong down to hell!
During the first forty-eight days of action off the
Philippines, the Kamikaze and Banda Special Attack Corps claimed the sinking of
113 American supply ships and warships. Since the American Navy did not confirm
it, this figure is not to be accepted as fact.
As the fight for the Philippines progressed, Tokyo's foreign
correspondents' daily reports were all variations on the same theme. In every
story one Japanese plane crashes and sinks an American warship. When the claims
of the Kamikaze are tabulated, it will be found they claim to have destroyed
every ship in the U.S. Navy and merchant marine—plus those scheduled to be
launched up until 1955!
But though the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps failed to save
the Philippines, its units will continue to be utilized to the very end. Its
young men will be thrown into the skies over the Chinese treaty ports, over
Formosa and the Bonins. Most of all, the Kamikaze will be employed against our
warships and bombers as they close in on the Japanese home islands.
In fact, because all else has failed, the Japanese are using
Kamikaze and Banda crash divers over Tokyo in an attempt to halt our B-29s. An
elite air unit called the Shinten, which means "shock troops of
heaven," was organized "for the express purpose of destroying the
B-29, the enemy's vaunted high-speed, high-altitude plane, by crashing into
them." This unit is under the command of General Prince Higashi-Kuni.
Our Army Air Forces have admitted a few losses through
rammings over the Japanese homeland. But the Japanese lavishly claim dozens.
One of their typical claims, dated December 5, 1944:
"Without firing a shot, Corporal Masao Itagaki dashed
against the last plane of a formation of eleven B-29s in the midst of the
enemy's fire net. His plane was hit with bullets and enveloped in flames.
Undaunted, he rammed his plane against the main wing of the B-29, clipping it
off. At that instant he was thrown from his plane. When he regained
consciousness, he found himself under a parachute which had opened up."
The Japanese insist the Kamikaze will save Japan. They say,
from Shanghai's radio station XGRS, "No mechanical device nor invention
exists today in the United States for opposing this Japanese method for
obtaining victory. Therefore the outcome of the war in the Pacific is already
determined in favor of Japan." In the Algemeine Zeitung the Germans echo
this Japanese confidence in the efforts of the Kamikaze.
The Kamikaze won't save Japan any more than it saved the
Philippines. It may cause some damage, some loss of life, but our planes and
carriers and battleships will continue to knock most of these suicide raiders
out of the sky before they complete their missions.
Source
This article comes from a reprint on pp. 137-49 of the following book:
Wallace, Irving. 1978. Some Interesting People and Times.
Edited by Nat LeMar. New York: Dale Books.
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