kamikaze proj
TRANSCRIPT
By Mai Hanoon and Hilary Cutler
• To educate students about Kamikazes during World War II
• Means “divine wind” in Japanese
• During WWII, referred to suicide attacks against Allied boats in the Pacific by Japanese aviators
•Japan’s 205th was the air force regiment assigned the job of completing the suicide attacks
• The air group caused serious losses on the American Pacific fleet
•Japanese that volunteered to join the 205th Air Group were guaranteed a place in heaven for their sacrifices
• Kamikaze culture was based on Bushido tradition and was influenced by Shinto believes
• Young Japanese grew up learning the core beliefs of the Kamikaze through fairy tales and folklore
• Before the kamikaze pilots’ last mission a ceremony was performed where the Japanese flag, inscribed with inspirational words of wisdom, was given to them
• Pilots also read a “death poem” which was taken from Samurai tradition
• Saki was drunk before the pilots departed along with receiving their “Flag of the Rising Sun” headband
• Training for the Kamikaze unit was very brutal
• Torturous punishment and strenuous training was used daily
• Beatings during training were justified by the idea that they instilled the soldiers’ fighting spirits
• Daily punishments caused some pilots to lose patriotism for their country
• The idea of having a manned missile was proposed by vice-Admiral Onishi of the Japanese Navy on October 19, 1944.
• Adopted the motto “One man, one ship.”
• Created new plane just for the project named “Okha” translated to “Cherry Blossom”
•Nicknamed the "Zero”
•Kamikaze pilot's personal "flying coffin.“
•It had a maximum speed of 332 mph and a range of 1,930 miles.
•The A6M2 was armed with 2 machine guns and could carry 264 lbs bombs
•Main aircraft used at Pearl Harbor and in the early stages of Pacific War
•11,283 models produced
• Nakajima Ki-115 – 104 were built that could carry bombs used for kamikaze attacks
• Mitsubishi J8M/Ki-200 Shusui – rocket powered interceptor
• Reppu – specially designed for use againt B-29
• Yokosuka Ohka – piloted glide bomb called BAKA, or idiot, by the allies. It was very difficult to stop
• Ki-167 or Kiruy To-Go – Bomber with a 3 ton thermite bomb
• Went on from late March through June 1945• First Kamikaze attacks took place during the battle on
April 6-7• 1465 Kamikaze attacks flown from Kyushu• Attacks sank 30 American ships and damaged 164 others
• There were other units and weapons used by the Kamikaze soldiers– Explosive speed boats– Suicide torpedoes
called “Kaitens”– Suicide midget
submarines– Suicide divers carrying
explosives– Suicide infantry men
carrying anti-tank mines
Kamikaze Kaiten
• Continued to be active until the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• The commander of the Kamikazes, Admiral Takijiro Onishi, committed suicide when receiving the news of Emperor Hirohito’s surrender
• 5000 Kamikaze pilots launched• 36 American ships and landing crafts sunk• 368 American ships and landing crafts
damaged
• The ideology of Kamikaze carried on into other cultures
• Germans used similar tactics during World War II such as suicide ground-attack pilots
• Al-Qaeda also adopted some Kamikaze ideas in both their first and second attacks on the World Trade Center