He also wrote: "I was hit so hard that I could no longer see and fell on the floor. On 19 June 1944, planes from the carrier Chiyoda approached a US task group. [36] The destroyer USS Laffey earned the nickname "The Ship That Would Not Die" after surviving six kamikaze attacks and four bomb hits during this battle. Entering a smoke stack was also said to be "effective". No war-monger, Onishi actually opposed the attack on Pearl Harbor, foreseeing that it would launch Japan into a full-scale war with the US, a war they could never win. All of the pilots raised both of their hands, volunteering to join the operation. They manned their guns and fired, but were still used to an enemy that, once disabled, would try to turn back home. They viewed themselves as the last defense.[57]. They said that the commander of a kamikaze attack should engage in the task first. Firsthand interviews with surviving kamikaze and escort pilots has revealed that they were motivated by a desire to protect their families from perceived atrocities and possible extinction at the hands of the Allies. The only surface losses were destroyers and smaller ships that lacked the capability to sustain heavy damage. We tried to live with 120 percent intensity, rather than waiting for death. When Kushina Uzumaki moved to Konoha, she was placed in the same class as Minato. He was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1939 and chief of staff of the 11th Air Fleet. Later, Tamai asked Lieutenant Yukio Seki to command the special attack force. The crashing action which simultaneously kills the enemy and oneself without fail is called the Special Attack ... Every Japanese is capable of becoming a member of the Special Attack Corps. Many of the kamikaze pilots believed their death would pay the debt they owed and show the love they had for their families, friends and emperor. Other sources disagree because it was not a planned attack by a member of the Special Attack Force and was most likely undertaken on the pilot's own initiative.[28]. On 25 October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Kamikaze Special Attack Force carried out its first mission. Suicide-mission pilots looked over their shoulders to see the mountain, the southernmost on the Japanese mainland, said farewell to their country and saluted the mountain. [31], In early 1945, U.S. Navy aviator Commander John Thach, already famous for developing effective aerial tactics against the Japanese such as the Thach Weave, developed a defensive strategy against kamikazes called the "big blue blanket" to establish Allied air supremacy well away from the carrier force. As a result, the special attack units are sometimes known in Japan as kamikaze tokubetsu kōgeki tai. [citation needed], The carrier battles in 1942, particularly Midway, inflicted irreparable damage on the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), such that they could no longer put together a large number of fleet carriers with well-trained aircrews. Though it's not even listed on the Internet Movie Database, Father of the Kamikaze (Aa, kessen kokutai, 1974) was a massive production for Japan's Toei Studios. [51], The tokkōtai pilot's manual also explained how a pilot may turn back if he could not locate a target, and that a pilot "should not waste [his] life lightly". On the morning of Oct. 25, 1944, a squadron of five Japanese kamikazepilots in Zero planes led by Yukio Seki soared over the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. [9][10], A Japanese monoplane that made a record-breaking flight from Tokyo to London in 1937 for the Asahi newspaper group was named Kamikaze. The ultimate offering was to give up one's life. Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father of the Kamikaze; Genres: War Drama History; Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi could see that Japan’s defeat in WWII was inevitable. English subtitles. Pilots were told not to aim at a carrier's bridge tower but instead to target the elevators or the flight deck. Allied gunners had begun to develop techniques to negate kamikaze attacks. Kamikaze pilots who were unable to complete their missions (because of mechanical failure, interception, etc.) Comparisons and alternative interpretations are also considered. Despite radar detection and cuing, airborne interception, attrition, and massive anti-aircraft barrages, 14 percent of Kamikazes survived to score a hit on a ship; nearly 8.5 percent of all ships hit by Kamikazes sank.[44]. I would say Asked about the soul of Japan, Inspired by the tragic true story of Kamikaze pilot Onishi Takijiro, director Kosaku Yamashita's historical drama follows the wartime experiences of the respected admiral who attempted to force America into considering a negotiated peace during World War II. They never returned, but there is no record of an enemy plane hitting an Allied ship that day. Kamikaze is the one that gave Big Chief his nickname. As the end of the war approached, the Allies did not suffer more serious significant losses, despite having far more ships and facing a greater intensity of kamikaze attacks. Provide me with 300 planes and I will turn the tide of war. Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, the commander of the IJN 5th Air Fleet based in Kyushu, participated in one of the final kamikaze attacks on American ships on 15 August 1945, hours after Japan's announced surrender.[42]. The First Naval Air Technical Bureau (Kugisho) in Yokosuka refined Ohta's idea. Japan was losing pilots faster than it could train their replacements, and the nation's industrial capacity was diminishing relative to that of the Allies. Kamikaze aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft. The Seafires' best day was 15 August 1945, shooting down eight attacking aircraft with a single loss. Ōnishi had opposed the attack on the grounds that it would lead to a full-scale war with a foe that had the resources to overpower Japan into an unconditional surrender. Nevertheless, his 11th Air Fleet had a critical role in the operations in attacking American forces in the Philippines from Japanese-occupied Taiwan.[3]. "[45] Okamura is credited with being the first to propose the kamikaze attacks. Most of the Kamikaze … Trailers for the film touted its all-star cast - Koji Tsuruta, Bunta Sugawara, Akira Kobayashi, Kinya Kitaoji (mistranslated as "Kinja Kitaoshi" in the credits) - and high production cost, which at ¥500 million came to around $2 million back then - a lot of money … He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. [25] The poem reads: If someone asks about the Yamato spirit [Spirit of Old/True Japan] of Shikishima [a poetic name for Japan] – it is the flowers of yamazakura [mountain cherry blossom] that are fragrant in the Asahi [rising sun]. The cold logic of suicide attacks, where one man and one plane could kill hundreds, seemed the only solution. By 17:00, Corsairs were able to land. On 1 May 1943, he was promoted to vice admiral. He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. Arima personally led an attack by about 100 Yokosuka D4Y Suisei ("Judy") dive bombers against a large Essex-class aircraft carrier, USS Franklin, near Leyte Gulf, on or about 15 October 1944. The B-29 also had formidable defensive weaponry, so suicide attacks against the plane demanded considerable piloting skill to be successful, which worked against the very purpose of using expendable pilots. In total, seven carriers were hit, as well as 40 other ships (five sunk, 23 heavily damaged and 12 moderately damaged). The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture and shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture; one of the primary values in the samurai life and the Bushido code was loyalty and honor until death. The unit was equipped with Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki ("Tojo") fighters, whose pilots were instructed to collide with United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-29s approaching Japan. [35] At Okinawa, kamikaze attacks focused at first on Allied destroyers on picket duty, and then on the carriers in the middle of the fleet. Its non-retractable landing gear was jettisoned shortly after takeoff for a suicide mission, recovered and reused. U.S. carriers also suffered considerably heavier casualties from kamikaze strikes; for instance, 389 men were killed in one attack on USS Bunker Hill, greater than the combined number of fatalities suffered on all six Royal Navy armoured carriers from all forms of attack during the entire war. [65], 1944–1945 Japanese suicidal aircraft attacks. These factors, along with Japan's unwillingness to surrender, led to the use of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the Japanese home islands. AnimEigo's Father of the Kamikaze is a quality presentation of the lengthy Toei feature, with good color and a clear soundtrack that favors Chuji Kinoshita's emphatic music score. He also stated that he would offer his death as a penance to the kamikaze pilots and their families. The fires were gradually brought under control, and the crater in the deck was repaired with concrete and steel plate. The task facing the Japanese air forces seemed impossible. Kamikaze (神風, Japanese pronunciation: [kamiꜜkaze]; "divine wind" or "spirit wind"), officially Kamikaze/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 closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to destroy warships more effectively than with conventional air attacks. There will be more than enough volunteers for this chance to save our country, and I would like to command such an operation. [21], According to some sources, on 14 October 1944, USS Reno was hit by a deliberately crashed Japanese plane. More … [22], Rear Admiral Masafumi Arima, the commander of the 26th Air Flotilla (part of the 11th Air Fleet), is sometimes credited with inventing the kamikaze tactic. The exact number of ships sunk is a matter of debate. [29] The attack killed 30 personnel, including the cruiser's captain, Emile Dechaineux, and wounded 64, including the Australian force commander, Commodore John Collins. The Imperial Japanese Navy's 1st Air Fleet, based at Manila, was assigned the task of assisting the Japanese ships that would attempt to destroy Allied forces in Leyte Gulf. Parshall, Jonathan B., Tully, Anthony P. (2005). He lists: It was claimed by the Japanese forces at the time that there were many volunteers for the suicidal forces. Ensign Mitsuo Ohta had suggested that piloted glider bombs, carried within range of targets by a mother plane, should be developed. By 26 October day's end, 55 kamikazes from the Special Attack Force had also damaged three large escort carriers: USS Sangamon, Santee, and Suwannee (which had Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a "body attack" (tai-atari) in planes loaded with bombs, torpedoes or other explosives. On 9 May, Formidable was again damaged by a kamikaze, as were the carrier HMS Victorious and the battleship HMS Howe. Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka rocket planes, launched from bombers, were first deployed in kamikaze attacks from March 1945. A Foreign Office official named Toshikazu Kase said: "It was customary for GHQ [in Tokyo] to make false announcements of victory in utter disregard of facts, and for the elated and complacent public to believe them."[55]. Father of the Kamikaze . Seafires were heavily involved in countering the kamikaze attacks during the Iwo Jima landings and beyond. Australian journalists Denis and Peggy Warner, in a 1982 book with Japanese naval historian Sadao Seno (The Sacred Warriors: Japan's Suicide Legions), arrived at a total of 57 ships sunk by kamikazes. The 1st Air Fleet commandant, Vice Admiral Takijirō Ōnishi, decided to form a suicide offensive force, the Special Attack Unit. Early successes – such as the sinking of USS St. "After the war, some commanders would express regret for allowing superfluous crews to accompany sorties, sometimes squeezing themselves aboard bombers and fighters so as to encourage the suicide pilots and, it seems, join in the exultation of sinking a large enemy vessel." Overview. The word originated from Makurakotoba of waka poetry modifying "Ise"[8] and has been used since August 1281 to refer to the major typhoons that dispersed Mongol-Koryo fleets who invaded Japan under Kublai Khan in 1274. Allied pilots became adept at destroying enemy aircraft before they struck ships. We were automatons who obeyed without thinking. The Japanese high command and propagandists seized on Arima's example. Captain Motoharu Okamura, in charge of the Tateyama Base in Tokyo, as well as the 341st Air Group Home, was, according to some sources, the first officer to officially propose kamikaze attack tactics. [citation needed] Accordingly, he did not use a kaishakunin, the usual second who executes the by beheading, and so died of self-inflicted injuries over a period of 15 hours. This plan also called for around-the-clock fighter patrols over Allied fleets, though the U.S. Navy had cut back training of fighter pilots so there were not enough Navy pilots available to counter the kamikaze threat. taken a kamikaze strike forward of its aft elevator the day before); and three smaller escorts: USS White Plains, Kalinin Bay, and Kitkun Bay. A long steel splinter speared down through the hangar deck and the main boiler room (where it ruptured a steam line) before coming to rest in a fuel tank near the aircraft park, where it started a major fire. During 1943–1944, U.S. forces steadily advanced toward Japan. Twin-engine aircraft were occasionally used in planned kamikaze attacks. It’s through Kamikaze’s father that he and Chief got into racing. At the base level, "Father of the Kamikaze" tells the story of Onishi Takijiro, a Vice Admiral of the Japanese navy. By the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944), the Japanese had to make do with obsolete aircraft and inexperienced aviators in the fight against better-trained and more experienced US Navy airmen who flew radar-directed combat air patrols. When Chief originally took his car off The List, Kamikaze was tired of everyones’ egos and took a break from racing as well. The title refers to Japanese pilots during World … On 20 March, the submarine USS Devilfish survived a hit from an aircraft just off Japan. [citation needed], Before the formation of kamikaze units, pilots had made deliberate crashes as a last resort when their planes had suffered severe damage and they did not want to risk being captured, or wanted to do as much damage to the enemy as possible, since they were crashing anyway. Yasukuni is the only shrine deifying common men which the Emperor would visit to pay his respects. In a meeting at Mabalacat Airfield (known to the US military]] as [[Clark Air Base), near Manila on 19 October 1944, Ōnishi, who was visiting the 201st Navy Flying Corps headquarters, said, "In my opinion, there is only one way of assuring that our meager strength will be effective to a maximum degree. Shinpū is the on-reading (on'yomi or Chinese-derived pronunciation) of the same characters as the kun-reading (kun'yomi or Japanese pronunciation) kamikaze in Japanese. As an admiral, Ōnishi was also very interested in psychology, particularly in relation to soldier′s reactions under critical circumstances. We read and read, trying to understand why we had to die in our early twenties. Naval War College Analysis, p. 1; Parshall and Tully. [58] Eleven of the 1,036 IJA kamikaze pilots who died in sorties from Chiran and other Japanese air bases during the Battle of Okinawa were Koreans. Suicide attacks by planes or boats at Okinawa sank or put out of action at least 30 U.S. warships[36] and at least three U.S. merchant ships,[37] along with some from other Allied forces. The daughter of the pilot is the narrator who explores how her father showed the courage and readiness to board the plane at sunrise (in the morning) with a flask of water, a samurai sword in the plane’s cockpit, a “shaven head”, full of powerful … He became executive officer of the aircraft carrier Kaga on 15 November 1932. [56] Stories like these, which showed the kind of praise and honour death produced, encouraged young Japanese to volunteer for the Special Attack Corps and instilled a desire in the youth to die as a kamikaze. It is said that young pilots on kamikaze missions often flew southwest from Japan over the 922 m (3,025 ft) Mount Kaimon. ON DVDR OR DOWNLOAD. Seki is said to have closed his eyes, lowered his head and thought for ten seconds before saying: "Please do appoint me to the post." While he is commonly credited with having devised the tactic of suicide air attacks (kamikaze) on Allied aircraft carriers, the project predated his tenure and was one that he had originally opposed as "heresy." [39][40], The resilience of well-armoured vessels was shown on 4 May, just after 11:30, when there was a wave of suicide attacks against the British Pacific Fleet. The kamikaze, along with all Japanese aviators flying over unfriendly territory, were issued (or purchased, if they were officers) a Nambu pistol with which to end their lives if they risked being captured. Country: Japan. The names of the four sub-units within the Kamikaze Special Attack Force were Unit Shikishima, Unit Yamato, Unit Asahi and Unit Yamazakura. The Americans were totally unprepared for what was about to happen. Its capture provided adequate forward bases that enabled U.S. air forces using the Boeing B-29 Superfortress to strike at the Japanese home islands. The “Father of the Kamikaze tactic”, the Japanese officer who officialized the use of kamikaze pilots is Vice Admiral Takahiro Onishi. This is usually abbreviated to tokkōtai (特攻隊). The attacks began in October 1944, at a time when the war was looking increasingly bleak for the Japanese. Eight kamikaze hits on five British carriers resulted in only 20 deaths while a combined total of 15 bomb hits, most of 500 kg (1,100 lb) weight or greater, and one torpedo hit on four carriers caused 193 fatal casualties earlier in the war – striking proof of the protective value of the armoured flight deck. At the base level, "Father of the Kamikaze" tells the story of Onishi Takijiro, a Vice Admiral of the Japanese navy. Its bomb caused fires that resulted in the bomb magazine exploding, sinking the carrier.[30]. [41] Although the kamikaze was hit by gunfire, it managed to drop a bomb that detonated on the flight deck, making a crater 3 m (9.8 ft) long, 0.6 m (2 ft) wide and 0.6 m (2 ft) deep. Early on 21 October, a Japanese aircraft deliberately crashed into the foremast of the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia. [51], The tokkōtai pilot's manual told pilots to never close their eyes, as this would lower the chances of hitting their targets. The admiral Takijiro Onishi, considered to be the ‘father’ of the kamikaze plan, addressed the 201 Navy Flying Corps saying: “Japan is in mortal danger. The Japanese word kamikaze is usually translated as "divine wind" (kami is the word for "god", "spirit", or "divinity", and kaze for "wind"). [12] One example of this may have occurred on 7 December 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This epic film is based on the true story of Onishi Takijiro, the conflicted man who unleashed the devastating Kamikaze attacks, and the tragic consequences of his decision. [53], Irokawa Daikichi, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers, Pilots were given a manual that detailed how they were supposed to think, prepare and attack. The kamikaze were escorted by other pilots whose function was to protect them en route to their destination and report on the results. He was also dispatched to England and France in 1918, to learn more about the development of combat aircraft and their use in World War I. [24] These names were taken from a patriotic death poem, Shikishima no Yamato-gokoro wo hito towaba, asahi ni niou yamazakura bana by the Japanese classical scholar, Motoori Norinaga. [62][63] Saburō Sakai said: "We never dared to question orders, to doubt authority, to do anything but immediately carry out all the commands of our superiors. On October 17 when he took command of the 1st Air Fleet in the Philippines, Onishi realized that the military situation was really desperate and that his options for stopping the American Navy were limited. The first kamikaze dove toward the USS Kitkun Bay, aiming right for the carrier's command center. A group of pilots from the army's 31st Fighter Squadron on Negros Island decided to launch a suicide attack the following morning. Following the commencement of the kamikaze tactic, newspapers and books ran advertisements, articles and stories regarding the suicide bombers to aid in recruiting and support. One, under heavy fire and trailing smoke, aborted the attempt on White Plains and instead banked toward USS St. The Japanese considered the goal of damaging or sinking large numbers of Allied ships to be a just reason for suicide attacks. About 19% of kamikaze attacks were successful. Takijirō Ōnishi (大西 瀧治郎, Ōnishi Takijirō, 2 June 1891 – 16 August 1945) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who came to be known as the father of the kamikaze.[2]. The poem’s content, ideas, language and structure are explored. He continued to serve in various staff positions related to naval aviation through the 1920s, and was also a flight instructor at Kasumigaura. A poem about a kamikaze pilot who returns home and faces rejection. [53][51], The manual was very detailed in how a pilot should attack. "[64] Tetsuzō Iwamoto refused to engage in a kamikaze attack because he thought the task of fighter pilots was to shoot down aircraft.

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