| In the closing months of World War II, the term | | | | of April-June 1945, at the Battle of Okinawa. On April 6, |
| "kamikaze" was anything but funny. Broadly defined, it | | | | 1945, waves of planes made hundreds of attacks in |
| represented the will of the samurai warrior to give up | | | | Operation Kikusui ("floating chrysanthemums"). At |
| his life for his country and Emperor in waging an attack | | | | Okinawa, kamikaze attacks focused at first on Allied |
| against the enemy of his country. | | | | destroyers on picket duty, and then on the carriers in |
| The term "kamikaze" is of Japanese origin and literally | | | | the middle of the fleet. Suicide attacks by planes or |
| means "divine wind." It came into being as the name of | | | | boats at Okinawa sank or put out of action at least 30 |
| legendary typhoons said to have saved Japan from | | | | US warships and at least three US merchant ships, |
| Mongol invasion fleets in 1274 and 1281. In Japanese, | | | | along with some from other Allied forces. |
| the formal term used for units carrying out these | | | | The attacks expended 1,465 planes. Many warships of |
| suicide attacks during World War II is tokubetsu kogeki | | | | all classes were damaged, some severely, but no |
| tai which literally means "special attack unit." | | | | aircraft carriers, battleships or cruisers were sunk by |
| Beginning in 1944, kamikaze attacks began after | | | | kamikaze at Okinawa. Most of the ships destroyed |
| several very significant and critical military and strategic | | | | were destroyers or smaller vessels, especially those |
| defeats for Japan. It became very clear that Japan | | | | on picket duty. |
| was finished off as a power in war on the sea and | | | | The Japanese resistance at Okinawa included a |
| especially naval air warfare. Japan's only option was to | | | | one-way mission by the battleship Yamato, This failed |
| "save face." The only way Japan could do this was to | | | | to get anywhere near the action, after being set upon |
| make the war so costly for the Americans that there | | | | by Allied planes, several hundred miles away. |
| might be a negotiated peace in which the Emperor | | | | As the end of the war approached, the Allies did not |
| would remain as the spiritual leader of Japan. After | | | | suffer significantly more damage, despite having far |
| Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March, the term | | | | more ships than was previously the case and being |
| General MacArthur and the USA used was | | | | attacked in far greater density. |
| "unconditional surrender." There was no turning back. | | | | By the end of World War II, the Japanese naval air |
| In line with these kamikaze attacks, Japanese pilots | | | | service had sacrificed 2,525 kamikaze pilots and the |
| would deliberately attempt to crash their aircraft into | | | | army air force had given 1,387. According to an official |
| naval vessels and other ships. Kamikazes were the | | | | Japanese announcement, the missions sank 81 ships |
| most common and best-known form of Japanese | | | | and damaged 195, and according to a Japanese tally, |
| suicide attack during World War II. However, the | | | | suicide attacks accounted for up to 80 percent of US |
| Imperial Japanese Navy also used or made plans for | | | | losses in the final phase of the war in the Pacific. |
| other suicide attacks, including midget submarines, | | | | Aftermath |
| human torpedoes, speedboats and divers. | | | | And so, World War II indeed came to an end. It started |
| The kamikaze thus began its deadly tour of duty when | | | | with the Germans invading Poland in 1939. It ended on |
| American forces invaded the Philipines. Captain | | | | the deck of the USS Missouri in 1945. The Japanese |
| Masafumi Arima personally led an attack on October | | | | were the sole combatants left of the Axis Powers |
| 15, 1944 by about 100 dive bombers against the USS | | | | after Germany surrendered in May 1945. There was |
| Franklin near Leyte Gulf. The Japanese high command | | | | no more need for Japan to "save face." The entry of |
| seized on Arima's example. He was promoted | | | | nuclear weapons into the war took care of that. All |
| posthumously to Admiral, and was given official credit | | | | Japan wanted now was that the Emperor Hirohito |
| for making the first kamikaze attack. Official accounts | | | | would remain as the spiritual leader of Japan. There |
| of his attack bore little resemblance to the events | | | | would be no more nuclear bombs, no more surprise |
| concerned. | | | | attacks, and no more kamikaze attacks. |
| According to eyewitness accounts, the first kamikaze | | | | In the sixty-five years after the Japanese signed the |
| attack to hit an Allied ship was carried out by an | | | | documents of world peace, we've come a long way. |
| unknown pilot against the flagship of the Royal | | | | Japan and Germany are not only our most trusted |
| Australian Navy, HMAS Australia. The attack took | | | | friends, but are two of the wealthiest nations on our |
| place on October 21, 1944, near Leyte Island. | | | | planet. Emperor Hirohito who once boasted he would |
| On October 25, 1944 the Australia was hit again and | | | | ride into Washington on a white horse visited |
| was forced to retire to the New Hebrides for repairs. | | | | Washington in the 1970s as a friend and ally. The |
| That same day, the Kamikaze Special Attack Force | | | | Japanese imperial dynasty remains to this day. |
| attacked several US Navy escort carriers. One Zero | | | | The Last Kamikaze |
| under heavy fire and trailing smoke, aborted the | | | | The philosopher George Santayana published this now |
| attempt on the White Plains and instead banked | | | | famous quote: |
| toward the USS St. Lo, plowing into the flight deck. Its | | | | "Those who cannot remember the past are |
| bomb caused fires that resulted in the bomb magazine | | | | condemned to repeat it." |
| exploding, sinking the carrier. | | | | An entire generation of Americans and Japanese had |
| By day's end on October 26, 55 kamikaze from the | | | | been born and was now approaching the age of |
| special attack force had also damaged six more large | | | | retirement since the Japanese surrender documents |
| escort carriers. Early successes, such as the sinking of | | | | were signed aboard the Missouri in September 1945, |
| the St. Lo were followed by an immediate expansion | | | | ending World War II. The kamikaze had come to an |
| of the program, and over the next few months over | | | | end. Or so we thought. |
| 2,000 planes made such attacks. | | | | It took 56 years for a terrorist group to reprise the |
| The Japanese built special purpose kamikaze planes | | | | kamikaze. This group known as Al Queida did not |
| that had no landing gear at all. They were intended to | | | | belong to any peace loving country. Their targets were |
| use up existing stocks of engines in a wooden | | | | not ships. They were office buildings. Their planes |
| airframe. The undercarriage was non-retractable. It | | | | were not Mitsubishi Zeroes or class "Judy" dive |
| was jettisoned shortly after take-off for a suicide | | | | bombers. They were commercial jetliners. Their victims |
| mission, and then recovered and re-used on other | | | | were not sailors. They were office workers, just like |
| planes. | | | | you and me |
| Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka rocket-bombs were | | | | The "day of infamy" was for real this time. In 1941, the |
| essentially anti-ship missiles guided by pilots. They were | | | | Japanese Navy did not realize they were flying across |
| first used in March 1945, also against B-29 formations | | | | the international date line in launching the Pearl Harbor |
| over Japanese cities. They were derisively known as | | | | attack one day earlier than planned. On September 11, |
| the Baka Bomb ("baka" is Japanese for "fool"). Small | | | | 2001, there was no such mistake. |
| boats packed with explosives, and manned torpedoes, | | | | The kamikaze was reborn after sleeping for 56 years. |
| called Kaiten were also manufactured. | | | | The former adversaries of World War II wept openly |
| To counter the kamikaze threat, the Navy hurriedly | | | | over this tragedy. |
| began to cross-train their carrier pilots on the F6F | | | | Lest we forget. We can only hope and pray that the |
| Hellcat and brought Marine F4U Corsair squadrons | | | | suicide weapons the Japanese developed and never |
| aboard aircraft carriers. Naval air units made intensive | | | | used are forever buried. This is now 2007, and we |
| fighter sweeps over Japanese airfields. | | | | must now pay careful attention to what is in Mr. |
| The peak in kamikaze attacks came during the period | | | | Santayana's quote. |