Kamikaze – an approach to the historical and
psychological backgrounds

von: Thomas Marx

Contents

I. Introduction 3

II. The situation in autumn 1944 3

III. The invention of kamikaze 5

IV. The backgrounds 6

V. The survivors 8

VI. The results of the kamikaze attacks 11

VII. The influence of kamikaze attacks on the war 12

VIII. The very end 12

IX. Causes for the process of large scale suicide tactics 13

X. Conclusion 14

XI. About suicide (a comparison to the western point of view) 14

XII. Final announcement 16

XIII. Appendix A: Quotations 17

XIV. Appendix B: Bibliography 18

Introduction

On October 25th 1944, two hours after sunrise the U.S.S Santee (C.V.E -29) an escort carrier lying in the Mindanao area was attacked by a single Japanese aircraft coming in lowly and – crushing into the flight deck1. The `accident´ caused heavy damage – and proofed to be none. At the latest on the next day the American Forces in the Philippines had to realize that the Japanese were now using a new dreadful and desperate strategy to turn the tide of war. They started suicidal attacks in large numbers trying to hit enemy ships with their planes loaded with bombs. Another escort carrier the St.Lo (C.V.E.- 63) was sunk during this first attack after being hit by a suicide plane – leaving the U.S. soldiers and leaders frightened and shocked.

Kamikaze – divine wind - became another Japanese word known to U.S. soldiers. What led the prime of Japan’s youth to this last hopeless sacrifice? The situation in autumn 1944 On December 7th 1941 Japanese forces attacked Pearl Habor where the U.S. Pacific Fleet was stationed. The Americans caught by surprise on this `Day of infamy´ - because no official declaration of war had been handed over to the U.S. government – now chanced to participate in what then truly became the Second World War. Being unprepared Allied forces where driven out of Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Guam, Wake Island and the Philippines.

The Japanese army seemed unstoppable.

It was not until the famous Battle of Midway on June 3rd 1942 that the Americans rega ined offensive power by breaking the operational backbone of the Japanese Navy sinking 4 aircraft carriers. From now on the Japanese were slowly but steadily driven back from island to island. After the invasion of the island named Guadalcanal which was of greatest strategic importance during the rest of the year (with the battles of the eastern solomones and santa cruz fought) U.S. Forces cleared the way to the Philippines. In 1943 the Solomons and New Guinea were endangered and Japanese leaders slowly realized there was not much they could do to hinder the U.S. in taking these islands. With the battle of the Bismarck Sea lost and Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku the Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet shot down over Bougainville the Japanese lost more and more ground. In 1944 they were driven out of the Marshall Islands and U.S. Airforce wiped out the naval bases at Truk and Rabaul. U.S. troops advanced to the Marianas from where B-29 bombers could reach the Japanese mainland. `Turkey shooting´ the Americans named the engagement with Japanese Air forces in the Philippine sea thus indicating the enormous and numerous advantages regarding weapons (air superiority was gained using Hellcat and Corsair fighters), strategy (`island hopping´ to hit ´em where they ain´t) and experience (Japan suffered heavy losses especially trained pilots) they had over the Japanese at this time.

Japanese military leaders realised not only that their great Asian Empire could not be defended properly with the troops disposable but even weakened their forces by stretching them over a territory too expanded to control. They also realised that there seemed to be no possibilities to stop the `awoken giant´ America (referring to Yamamoto´s saying regarding the industrial potential of the U.S.A) from proceeding closer and closer to the mainland of Japan which at that time had already been bombed by U.S. planes. U.S. Forces had to be stopped. The decisive battles should be fought in the Philippine area where the Americans were already preparing an invasion in fall 1944. The fierce battle of Leyte Gulf was yet to come and the Japanese were willing to use all they still had to gain a victory and restore the balance of power with the U.S.A. The main body of the remaining IJN-Forces was send to the Philippines including the carrier Zuikaku and the huge battleship Musashi. The Japanese were willing to play all their cards. It was then that the idea of kamikaze – organized large-scale airborne suicidal attacks – was born.

The invention of kamikaze

It was Vice-Admiral Onishi Takaijiro at that time commander of the 1st naval air fleet who suggested the planned, systematically sacrifice of Japanese pilots on October the 19th 1944 in Mabalacat headquarter 80 kilometres off Manila2. The idea of suicidal attacks was not that new to the Japanese forces (they had used small submarines to block the entrances to Pearl Harbour) but the dimensions of the kamikaze attacks to come were and are until today unmatched. Onishi clearly pointed out that the Japanese had no more resources in whatsoever conventional way to stop the U.S.

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1 Scherer, Klaus: Kamikaze, 2001, Seite 13, 2. Abschnitt

2 Morris, Ivan: Samurai oder Von der Würde des Scheiterns, 1999, Seite 343