70 years ago: First organized Kamikaze attacks on Navy (Japan, origin, country)
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You can get the 1950s TV series "Victory at Sea" on DVD for something like maybe $5. It covers the Naval side of World War II. The episode "Suicide for Glory" gives a pretty good coverage of the kamikazes. Every little black puff is an antiaircraft round and you begin to realize how truely awsome the amount of firepower being thrown at them was. The night scenes were even more vivid.
The American planes tried to get the kamikazes if they could before leaving the matter to the ship's guns alone. How could an American antiaircraft gunner tell the difference between an enemy plane and an American plane flying as close as he dared to protect the ships? Often he couldn't. As a result, several American planes were brought down by friendly fire.
Wow! I had no idea they were this effective compared to conventional attacks. As far as I know Kamikazes only managed to sink smaller ships like transports or destroyers so I really discounted their effectiveness. I still have the idea in my head that the Japanese pilots of 1941/42 were much more effective conventionally than any Kamikaze.
They did a lot of damage to carriers, particularly US carriers with their wooden decks. Not sure if they sank any.
Related to this - the Japanese also had a number of high speed Kamikaze boats/human torpedoes - again to be used for the anticipated invasion of Japan.
Japenese planes were lighter most of the time as they did not put armor on them to protect the pilot like the US but after 1943 the US planes were better and faster even with all the armor. The Hellcat and Corsair could do everything better then the Zero other then tight turn but the US pilots used their superior speed when they needed too. From what I have read I believe the Hellcat could even turn with the Zero and the Corsair was the fastest fighter in the Pacific. Even the P-38 tore into the Zero with a good pilot as the top US ace flew the P-38. And by late 44 the US pilots were way better trained then the Japenese pilots. I know the Hellcats kill ratio was like 19 to 1 and the Corsairs about 11 to 1.
But the Kamakaze's were very hard to shoot down because you had to actually blast them out of the air. Even if hit they could keep coming and stay aimed at a ship if the pilot was alive enough to keep flying the plane. You had to kill the pilot or blow the plane up to stop it. I believe the numbers off Okinawa were like 38 US ships sunk and about 328 damaged by them. The most damage ever to the US Navy but it shows how huge the US Navy was by 1945 as it was not enough to even come close to stopping the US Navy.
I believe as the war ended the Gruman F8F Bearcat planes were on carriers on the way to the pacific as they were faster and more powerful then the Hellcat and were going to help shoot the Kamakaze's down as they were built to be better at it then any other plane. But when you think about it the Kamakaze's were basically the first guided missle's and when you consider they loaded the planes with bombs inside the planes so they blew up alot more and did more damage then a plane dropping one bomb on it. Ron
I believe as the war ended the Gruman F8F Bearcat planes were on carriers on the way to the pacific as they were faster and more powerful then the Hellcat and were going to help shoot the Kamakaze's down as they were built to be better at it then any other plane.
Kamikazee planes operated from land. Hawker Tempest Mk.IIs were intended for combat against Japan, and would have formed a part of a British Commonwealth long range bomber force based on Okinawa, Tiger Force. They would have made mincemeat of Kamikazes. They shot down German jets. Like the Bearcat, the Pacific War ended before they could be deployed.
The US Navy lost nearly 5,000 men, KIA, during the battle for Okinawa. The amphib. landing was virtually unopposed, so i suspect many - if not most - of these deaths can be attributed to Kamikazes.
The US Navy lost nearly 5,000 men, KIA, during the battle for Okinawa. The amphib. landing was virtually unopposed, so i suspect many - if not most - of these deaths can be attributed to Kamikazes.
The land battle for Okinawa was one of the fiercest in World War II, but the Japanese decided to use strategey opposite to what they used everywhere else: Instead of fighting the Americans on the beach they would fight them inland. Like Hitler's plan for Normandy, they would destroy the American fleet and then the soldiers would be trapped on land. They would run out of food, fuel, and ammunition in a few days and be helpless after that. It didn't work on Normandy and it didn't work on Okinawa.
Side note: One of the American soldiers on Okinawa was Desmond Doss. Because he was a Consciencious Objector he served as a Medic. Assaulting an escarpment they came under such heavey Japanese mortar and machinegun fire the whole company fled--except for Doss. He remained up there tending to the wounded. Unlike other enemies we have faced, the Japanese believed--correctly--that if they shot a medic the remaining American soldiers would be hesitant to take risks knowing there would be no one to rescue them. Doss drug the wounded one by one to the edge of a cliff and tying two loops in a rope lowered them to their buddies below and then went back for the next man. Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day and other actions of incredible bravery in rescuing the wounded on Okinawa. Here's the story:
The land battle for Okinawa was one of the fiercest in World War II, but the Japanese decided to use strategey opposite to what they used everywhere else: Instead of fighting the Americans on the beach they would fight them inland. Like Hitler's plan for Normandy, they would destroy the American fleet and then the soldiers would be trapped on land. They would run out of food, fuel, and ammunition in a few days and be helpless after that. It didn't work on Normandy and it didn't work on Okinawa.
Side note: One of the American soldiers on Okinawa was Desmond Doss. Because he was a Consciencious Objector he served as a Medic. Assaulting an escarpment they came under such heavey Japanese mortar and machinegun fire the whole company fled--except for Doss. He remained up there tending to the wounded. Unlike other enemies we have faced, the Japanese believed--correctly--that if they shot a medic the remaining American soldiers would be hesitant to take risks knowing there would be no one to rescue them. Doss drug the wounded one by one to the edge of a cliff and tying two loops in a rope lowered them to their buddies below and then went back for the next man. Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day and other actions of incredible bravery in rescuing the wounded on Okinawa. Here's the story:
Another true unsung hero ! You know the ones who because they are not oficial combat soldiers they usually dont make the headlines but there were tons of non-combat hero's as Doss who did get in combat. Ron
The US Navy lost nearly 5,000 men, KIA, during the battle for Okinawa. The amphib. landing was virtually unopposed, so i suspect many - if not most - of these deaths can be attributed to Kamikazes.
Although it did not appear to be a kamikae attack in the classic sense, the damage inflicted on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin duringthe Okinawa campaign was probably the heaviest single blow (700+ fatalities) the japanese were able to land upon the Navy during world War II. The story ws later related in a feature film, the name of which escapes me.
Those familiar with the technolgy know that the flight deck of a carrier during launching or retrieving of aircraft is one of the most flammable envoironmwnts imaginable, and the lucky break which caught much of the Japanese carrier flleet in the middle of such an operation at Midway is what turned the tide of the entire war early on.
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