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A kamikaze aircraft crashes into a US warship in May 1945. Kamikaze (神風, pronounced [kamiꜜkaze]; ' divine wind ' [1] or ' spirit wind '), officially Shinpū Tokubetsu Kōgekitai (神風特別攻撃隊, ' Divine Wind Special Attack Unit '), were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in ...
The name given to the storm, kamikaze, was later used during World War II as nationalist propaganda for suicide attacks by Japanese pilots. The metaphor meant that the pilots were to be the "Divine Wind" that would again sweep the enemy from the seas. This use of kamikaze has come to be the common meaning of the word in the English lexicon.
Suicide attacks have occurred in various contexts, ranging from military campaigns—such as the Japanese kamikaze pilots during World War II (1944–1945)—to more contemporary Islamic terrorist campaigns—including the September 11 attacks in 2001. Initially, these attacks primarily targeted military, police, and public officials.
The MXY-7 Navy Suicide Attacker Ohka was a manned flying bomb that was usually carried underneath a Mitsubishi G4M2e Model 24J "Betty" bomber to within range of its target. . On release, the pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough he would fire the Ohka ' s three solid-fuel rockets, one at a time or in unison, [4] and fly the missile towards the ship that he intended ...
Japan’s Kyushu island is home to two moving museums that detail the final thoughts of the young WWII pilots tasked with flying their bomb-laden planes into US warships.
As a kamikaze pilot and member of the 72nd Shinbu Squadron, Araki died on May 27, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa when he deliberately crashed his bomb-laden Mitsubishi Ki-51 into the USS Braine. It is speculated that Araki and one other pilot hit and damaged the ship, killing 66 of its crew. At 17, Araki was one of the youngest kamikaze pilots.
The losses of Kaiten crews and support staff were much higher. In total 106 Kaiten pilots lost their lives (including 15 killed in training accidents and two suicides after the war). In addition to the pilots, 846 men died when eight Japanese submarines carrying Kaiten were sunk, and 156 maintenance and support personnel were also killed. [26]
U.S. Air Force Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penney, an F-16 pilot at the time, was ordered into the air to intercept United Airlines Flight 93. Her father was a flight captain for United at the time.