Strana 31
#84211
BOXART STORY
If any aviation weapon has come to symbolize
the special attack operations of the Japanese
armed forces in the closing stages of the Second
World War, for many readers it is undoubtedly the
rocket-powered MXY-7 Ōka (“cherry blossom”).
In August 1944, design work was approved for
a rocket aircraft carrying a 1,200 kg warhead.
Propulsion consisted of three rocket motors,
each producing 2.62 kN of thrust, supplemented
by auxiliary units on the wings. A glider version
was ready for flight testing by October 1944. The
rocket-powered Model 11 was intended for launch
from modified G4M Betty bombers. As the pilot
lacked an oxygen system, the carrier’s slow pre-
launch approach had to be flown at 10,000 feet.
This restricted the powered and subsequent glide
phase to a maximum range of 18 nautical miles
(33.3 km), forcing the mother aircraft to fly much
of the approach within areas patrolled by enemy
fighters. With access to German rocket technology,
of which the Japanese had only limited knowledge,
the Ōka’s range would have been significantly
greater.
Kōkūtai 721 was established for operational
deployment of the Ōka Model 11, while Kōkūtai
722 was formed to train its pilots. This unit was
also intended to operate the smaller Ōka Model
22, planned for launch from P1Y Ginga (Frances)
bombers, but the concept was abandoned after
unsuccessful initial tests. Later, Kōkūtai 725 was
created to deploy a larger Ōka variant designed
for catapult launch from land bases in Japan’s
mountainous regions. This was the MXY-7 Model
43 Otsu, planned to use the same turbojet engine
as the twin-engine Kikka bomber, already
intended for the Ōka Model 22. From the naval
aviation perspective, the Ōka was regarded not as
an aircraft but as a weapon, accordingly, it carried
no national insignia (hinomaru), usually bearing
only a unit and an individual number.
The IJN sought to deliver Ōka aircraft to the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Okinawa to ensure
sufficient stocks for mass deployment. During
these transport efforts (including other cargo)
Japan lost two aircraft carriers. Smaller vessels
were also used for transport, and the Americans
first encountered the Ōka on 1 April 1945 after
capturing an airfield on Okinawa. The captured
aircraft received the Allied reporting name “Baka,”
a Japanese pejorative meaning “fool” or “idiot.”
One theory holds that intelligence officers chose
the name based on the assumption that only
a madman would pilot such a machine, another
suggests it was inspired by the date - April Fools’
Day.
Japanese aviators were certainly no fools. They
were predominantly volunteers, in many cases
veterans, who saw self-sacrifice in a ramming
attack as a more effective means of inflicting
damage on heavily defended naval formations,
missions from which the chances of return were
minimal in any case.
Kōkūtai 721, established in October 1944, was
given the name Jinrai, often translated as either
“Divine Thunder” or “Thunder Gods.” The Ōka
aircraft were organized into four flights and for
a time even had their own fighter escort unit.
The carrier aircraft were G4M Betty bombers
from Hikōtai 708 and 711, while fighter cover was
provided by A6M Zero pilots from Hikōtai 305, 306,
and 307. The principal operational base became
Kanoya. Two-seat Zero variants were assigned to
various elements of Kōkūtai 721, including the Ōka
flights.
Both training and operational deployment were
plagued by numerous organizational, technical,
and tactical problems. Some Ōka pilots were
committed repeatedly due to aborted missions,
while many G4M bombers were shot down by
American fighters. Several Ōkas were destroyed
by defensive fire from U.S. warships, one destroyer
was even credited with shooting down two.
On 12 April 1945, Ōka pilots sank the destroyer
USS Mannert L. Abele. During various missions,
over the next two months, they damaged
seven other vessels. Kamikaze operations also
included pilots from Hikōtai 306 flying Zero
fighters. In addition to the twelve Ōka missions,
approximately 200 kamikaze aviators from this
unit sacrificed their lives in Zeros, primarily within
the Kenmu-tai. Many had originally been trained
for Ōka operations, but due to shortages of G4M
carriers were forced to fly Zeros. Kōkūtai 721 later
coordinated kamikaze operations of other units as
well.
Kōkūtai 721 was the largest kamikaze unit in
terms of personnel. Within its ranks, 369 pilots
of single-seat aircraft and 365 crew members
of Betty bombers were killed. Their tragic fate is
commemorated by several memorials. The story
of this unit is compellingly told by Dan King in his
fascinating book Blossoms from the Sky. It is highly
recommended, having been written in cooperation
with surviving veterans of the unit and relatives of
deceased or killed unit members.
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Thunder Gods
Text: Jan Bobek
INFO Eduard
31
May 2026