Kamikaze

A Kamikaze (神風), which means 'divine wind', were suicide attacks from military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campagin of World War II, designated to destroy as many warships as possible.

Kamikaze pilots would attempt to intentionally crash their aircraft, often laiden with explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks, into Allied ships.

The attacks began on October 1944 following critical military defeats for Japan, decreasing capabilities to wage war, loss of experience pilots and declining industrial capacity relative to the United States.

Although kamikaze was the most common and best-known form of Japanese suicide attacks during World War II, they were similar with "banzai charge" used by Japanese soldiers, in addition, the Japanese military used or made planes for various suicide attacks, including those involving Kairyu submarines, Kaiten human torpedoes, Shinyo speedboats and Fukuryu divers.

History
Prior to the formation of kamikaze units, deliberate crashes were a last effort to both Japanese and Allied air forces when a plane was severely damaged to avoid enemy capture. One example is on December 7, 1941, when First Lt. Fusata Iida's plane was hit and was leaking fuel. He made a suicide attack on Kaneohe Naval Air Base.

During 1943-1944, the Allies were steadily pushing towards Japan. Japanese aircraft were being outnumbered and outclassed by US-made planes, specially the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair. The Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service was getting worn down by the air battles during the Solomon and New Guinea campaigns and finally during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where they lost about 600 aircraft. Tropical diseases, less skilled pilots and shotages of spare parts and fuel made IJNAS operations more difficult.

On July 15, 1944, Saipan fell, enabling the Allies to launch B-29 Superfortresses to strike Japan. The Japanese predicted that the Allies would try to attack the Philippines, which is strategically important due to the location of the oil fields in Southeast Asia and Japan.

On October 21, 1944, the first official kamikaze attack was led by Yoshiyasu Kuno, but was unsuccessful. They attacked the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia. The attack took place near Leyte Island.

October 24, 1944, an ocean tug, USS Sonoma was attacked by a kamikaze near Leyte. It was the first Allied ship to be sunked by a kamikaze.

October 25, Australia was hit again and was forced to retire to New Hebrides for repairs. Also, Lt. Yukio Seki, attacked the USS St. Lo, sinking it.

October 26, 55 kamikazes had also damaged large escort carriers, USS Sangamon, Suwannee, Santee and smaller escort carriers USS White Plains, Kalinin Bay and Kitkun Bay. In total 7 carriers, were hit as well as 40 other ships.

January 1945, Australia returned to combat participating in the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, however, from January 5-9, Australia was hit five times, losing 70 crew members. It was forced to retire again.

January 6, 1945, USS Colombia was hit off Lingayen Gulf, killing 14 and wounding 44.

Other Allied ships to survive multiple kamikaze attacks included USS Franklin and Intrepid.

When Japan was attacked by B-29s, the IJAFF formed the 47th Air Regiment during Winter 1944-1945. Their tasked with ramming B-29s with Nakajima Ki-44s, but was proved to be less sucessful.

Kamikaze attacks were planned from far-flung locations.

On January 29. 1945, 7 Kawasaki Ki-48s from Palembang, Sumatra took off to strike the British Pacific Fleet.

February 16, 1945, the 601st Air Group organized the Mitate special unit as a US invasion fleet fast approached towards Iwo Jima.

March 11, the carrier USS Rudolf was hit by a kamikaze which has flown 4,000 kms. from Japan, in a mission called Operation Tan No. 2.

March 20, the submarine USS Devilfish was hit by a aircraft off Japan.

Purpose built kamikaze aircraft was such as the Yokosuka MXY7 Okha rocket planes were being built. The Okha is a manned-flying bomb that was usually carrierd under a Mitsubishi G4M Betty, Yokusuka PY1 Ginga or the planned Nakajima G8N Renzan bombers to within range of its target. On release, the pilot would glide towards the target and when it is close enough, he would fire the rocket engine and guide the missile to his target. 7 US ships were sunk or damaged by the Okha. They were first deployed in May 1945. US personnel called the Okha as Baka bombs (Baka is Japanese for stupid or idiot). A specially-designed propeller plane. the Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi, was a simple, easy-built aircraft intended to use up existing stocks of engine on a wooden airframe. It's landing gear was non-retractable, being jettisoned shortly after take-off. During 1945, Japan began stockpiling Tsurugis, propeller aircrafts, Okhas and suicide boats for the anticipated invasion of Japan. Few were ever used.

In early 1945, John Thach, US Navy air operations officer, inventor of the Thach Weave, developed an anti-kamikaze tactic known as, the big blue blanket, which called for round the clock patrol over Allied fleets. In late 1944, the British used Spitfires to counter the kamikaze threats. The Allied naval crews also developed anti-kamikaze techniques. In 1945, anti aircraft shells with radio frequency proximity fuses were used against kamikaze planes.

The peak of the kamikaze attacks came during March-April 1945 at the Battle of Okinawa.

April 6, 1945, waves of planes made hundreds of attacks during Operation Kikusui. At Okinawa, kamikazes first focused on destroyers on picket duty, then on the carriers in the middle of the fleet. Suicide attacks on Okinawa by plane or by boat sunk or put out of action at least 30 US warships and at least 3 US merchant ships along with some Allied forces. Many warships of any class were damaged but no battleship or carriers sunk.

April 11, USS Enterprise was hit and the explosion caused its forward elevator to blow up to 400 feet in the air.

The resilence of well armoured vessels were shown on May 4, 1945.

The HMS Formidable was hit just after 11:30. The plane have made a crater 3m long, 0.6 m wide and 0.6 m deep. A major fire started as a result. 8 were killed 47 wounded. 1 Corsair and 10 Avengers destroyed. The fires were brought under control and the crater was fixed. By 17:00, Corsairs were able to land.

May 9, Formidable was hit again, as well as Victorious and Howe.

May 11, USS Bunker Hill was hit by kamikazes piloted by Kiyoshi Ogawa and another airman killing 372.

Twin-engine bombers sometimes participated in kamikaze attacks, such as Mitsubish Ki-67 Kiryus based on Formosa, attacked US ships at Okinawa.

Rear Admiral Matome Ugaki, directed the last kamikaze attack, sending some Judys against the Allied fleet at Okinawa on August 15, 1945.

According to the US Air Force webpage:

Approximately 2,800 Kamikaze attackers sunk 34 Navy ships, damaged 368 others, killed 4,900 sailors and wounded over 4,800. Despite radar detection and cuing, airborned interception and attrition, and massive anti-aircraft barrages, a distressing 14 percent of Kamikazes survived to score a hit on a ship; nearly 8.5 percent of all ships hit by a Kamikaze sunk.

Call of Duty: World At War
In the Call of Duty: World at War level Black Cats, Japanese Zero fighters are seen to 'Kamikaze' into the US Navy ships in an attempt to stall American arrival at Okinawa.

There is a acheivement/trophy called "Kamikaze" that you can obtain by completing a level by using only melee or explosives, best to do on "Little Resistance".

Tactic
In other Call of Duty games, the kamikaze strategy can be used by taking out your frag grenade, and cooking it, then rushing into an enemy camping spot, killing you and your enemy in one fatal blow.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, if you perform the challenge "Misery Loves Company", which consists of killing yourself and an enemy with a frag grenade without throwing it, you will recieve callsign number 234, &lt;3.