216 TURNING THE TIDE 1943 –194 4
Toward the end of 1944, Japan was
in a critical situation. The country had
suffered catastrophic military defeats,
both the navy and air force had lost their
offensive capability, and a diminished
economy meant resources were limited.
The civilian population of Japan was
mobilized for defense, but due to lack
of funds some were armed only with
bamboo spears.
Realizing that conventional bombing
methods would not halt the advancing
American forces, the Japanese high
command attempted to decimate the
US fleet by initiating mass suicide attacks.
Named after the “divine wind” that, according to Japanese legend,
had scattered an invading Mongol fleet in 1274, the kamikaze suicide
bombers were the brainchild of Vice-Admiral Onishi Takijuro.
Volunteer pilots were instructed to crash-dive planes laden with
explosives, torpedoes, and full fuel tanks into Allied warships. The
operation, code named Floating Chrysanthemum, drew upon the
Japanese military tradition of death being more honorable and
less shameful than defeat, capture, and surrender.
The first kamikaze attacks were launched against the American
fleet on October 25, 1944, at the Battle of Leyte Gulf (see pp.214–215),
and the attacks continued until the end of the war. In total, the use of
kamikaze strikes resulted in the loss of 34 US ships, and a further 368
US vessels were badly damaged.KAMIKAZE
TAC T I C S
In 1944, the Japanese military ordered suicide pilots—
known as kamikaze—into action, in a desperate attempt
to stem the tide of defeat. Thousands of volunteers
enlisted to undertake crash-dive attacks with their planes,
prepared to sacrifice their lives for Japan.
△ Propaganda poster
Japanese posters such as this one
glorified kamikaze missions. Many
young Japanese, often students,
came forward to volunteer.THE PILOTS
The average age of
kamikazes was between
17 and 20 years old, and
some of them had as few
as 40 hours of flying
experience before they
were sent on their final
mission. More than 2,500
kamikazes had sacrificed
their lives by the end of
World War II, and their
success rate is estimated
at around 19 percent.US_216-217_F_Kamikaze_tactics.indd 216 04/03/19 10:47 AM