Strana 17
instead forced into special attack operations,
a practice that sparked protests within parts
of the Japanese command. Some pilots even
refused to carry out these missions, repeatedly
returning to base from bombing flights.
In this operation, Zero aircraft piloted by
kamikaze pilots were deployed not only by
the previously mentioned Kōkūtai 721 and
training units but also by Kōkūtai 601, 252, and
210. Fighter escort missions using Zero aircraft
were provided by Kōkūtai 352 and 131, with the
latter also conducting night flights against
Allied night fighters along the route between
Kyūshū and Okinawa.
Special attack units were not limited to
aircraft; they also utilized boats, Kaiten manned
torpedoes, and other combat assets. On the
Allied side, an average of 1.5 vessels were
struck daily off Okinawa, and the relentless
attacks, combined with constant high-alert
conditions, led to severe mental and moral
exhaustion among many crew members.
During the campaign, approximately 40
Allied vessels were either sunk or damaged
beyond repair, with three-quarters of them
being destroyers patrolling the Picket Stations.
Perhaps the most famous destroyer on this
mission was the USS Laffey, which, on April
16, 1945, withstood an attack by approximately
50 (presumably Army) special attack aircraft.
About half of these attackers were shot down
by U.S. Navy and USMC fighters, while others
were destroyed by the destroyer's anti-aircraft
defenses. However, the vessel was struck by
four bombs and rammed by eight Japanese
aircraft. During the battles off Okinawa, nearly
200 additional vessels were damaged by special
attack units, including twelve U.S. aircraft
carriers, among them the USS Enterprise.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious was
also damaged.
Nearly 5,000 crew members aboard
American ships were killed, with approximately
the same number wounded in Japanese attacks.
Hundreds of casualties also occurred aboard
British and Dutch vessels as a result of these
attacks.
Between March 18 and June 22, 1945, U.S.
forces engaged in intense aerial battles with
Japanese airmen. U.S. Navy (USN) fighters
claimed 1,594 aerial victories, while U.S. Marine
Corps (USMC) pilots scored 631 kills, and U.S.
Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilots shot down
101 enemy aircraft. A significant portion of these
victories were achieved while defending Allied
vessels from kamikaze raids.
The legacy of kamikaze pilots
The effectiveness of special attack operations
has long been debated. While it is undeniable
that these tactics did not prevent Japan’s
defeat, Japanese airmen nonetheless managed
to strike, damage, or sink a significant number
of American vessels, including aircraft carriers.
The threat they posed was so severe that the
Americans were forced to implement numerous
defensive measures, such as deploying
forward-positioned destroyers equipped with
radar and establishing an air patrol system.
The fear of these attacks during the planned
invasion of Japan was one of the factors that
contributed to the decision to drop the atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Shortly after Japan’s surrender and the lifting
of wartime censorship, the Japanese military
command, particularly those responsible for
the special attack units, became the target of
criticism from religious leaders, intellectuals
and scholars. Many former special attack unit
pilots, if recognized in public, even faced insults
and hostility.
Gradually, however, public opinion began to
shift. Farewell letters from kamikaze pilots
were published, surviving veterans shared their
testimonies, and with the opening of the Chiran
Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, numerous
other memorials dedicated to these pilots
were established, including approximately
200 websites.
The names of 5,843 members of the special
attack units are inscribed at Yasukuni Shrine,
which honors those who gave their lives for
their country — a distinction considered a great
honor. The aforementioned Setsuo Ishino also
referenced Yasukuni in his farewell letter to his
mother, writing: “[…] The day when we meet next
will be under the splendid flowers at Yasukuni
Shrine. […]”
HISTORY
A kamikaze pilot in an A6M5 Type 52c crashes near the USS Essex (CV-9) off
Okinawa on May 14, 1945. Note the aircraft’s broken tail and the hole in its wing.
The plane’s cannons had been removed prior to the kamikaze mission, leaving
only the wing-mounted machine guns. Photo: US Naval Heritage Command
This bronze statue of a kamikaze pilot stands to the left of the main en
-
trance to the Yūshūkan, founded in 1882 as the museum of the Yasukuni
Jinja (Shrine). In 2005, a plaque was placed to the left of the statue,
commemorating 5,843 members of the Imperial Japanese Navy and
Army Special Attack Units. Representing the 2,514 men of the Naval
Kamikaze units, Lieutenant Seki is mentioned as their leader.
Photo: Yasuyuki Hirata
INFO Eduard
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April 2025