The history of the kamikaze - Japanese suicide pilots. Divine Wind: Kamikaze

The word kamikaze has firmly entered our vocabulary... We, most often, call them “reckless” people who do not value their lives, unreasonably risking deaths, in other words, suicides. Thus, we distort its true meaning. At the same time, many people know that they called it that. Japanese suicide pilots attacking enemy ships. Few initiates even know the history of this movement among Japanese pilots. But few people, even from the historians of the Second World War, realize that in Japan, there were much more suicide bombers like kamikaze. And they acted not only in the air, but also on land, on water, and under water. And they were not called kamikaze at all. This is what our story will go about.

Already in 1939, a movement of volunteers was organized in Japan, first for military service, then for work in enterprises, in agriculture, in hospitals. Volunteers formed squads called teishintai. In the army, among such detachments, the medieval philosophical code of the samurai was widespread - Bushido, which literally meant - a way to die.

The combination of the militaristic tenets of Bushido with nationalism demanded from the soldiers complete devotion to the God-Emperor Hirohito, and during the war, death for the Emperor and the country. By virtue of this belief system, the sacrifice of life for a noble cause was seen as the purest and highest form of achieving the meaning of life. “Death is as easy as a feather,” was a phrase that was a hit among the ranks of the Japanese military. However, the ruling elite of Japan understood perfectly well that such lofty ideals were beyond the strength of the spirit of all warriors. Therefore, purely material incentives were added to ideology. In addition, the dead suicide bombers were numbered among the patron saints of Japan, became national heroes, their relatives turned into highly respected people who enjoyed certain state benefits. And although there was no shortage of those wishing to get into teishintai, the selection to the detachments was carried out with rather stringent requirements, not devoid of common sense. After 1943, the Teishintai army units became shock troops suicide bombers. Their general rule becomes self-sacrifice in order to destroy the superior forces of the enemy.

There are five categories of teishintai. The first - kamikaze - suicide pilots in naval and combined-arms aviation, with the former intended to destroy ships, and the latter - heavy bombers, columns of tanks or trucks, railways, bridges and other important objects. The second - teishintai paratroopers - were used to destroy aircraft, ammunition and fuel at enemy airfields using bombs and flamethrowers. The third - underwater teishintai - using mini-submarines and man-torpedoes, were used to destroy enemy ships. These included demolition divers (fukuryu, "dragons of fortune"). The fourth - surface teishintai - operated on high-speed exploding boats to destroy enemy ships. And the fifth, the most widespread and numerous category - ground teishintai - suicide infantrymen who, with anti-tank mines on poles or special devices, or simply with explosives in their backpacks and similar methods, attacked enemy tanks and armored vehicles. Each of these categories is detailed below.

Kamikaze - teishintai in the air

After being defeated at the Battle of Midway Atoll on June 4, 1942, Japan began to lose the initiative in the Pacific War. During 1943-1944, the Allied forces, backed by the industrial power of the United States, advanced step by step towards the Japanese islands. By this time, Japanese aircraft, especially fighters, were seriously inferior in technical parameters new American models. Due to heavy combat losses, there was a shortage of experienced pilots in Japan. In addition, the shortage of spare parts and fuel made any major aviation operation a problem for Japan. After the capture of the Saipan Island by the United States in July 1944, the Allies had the opportunity to bomb Japanese territory. Their further advance to the Philippines threatened to leave Japan without oil sources in South-East Asia... To counter this, the commander of the 1st Air Fleet, Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi, decided to form a special shock squad of suicide pilots. At a briefing on October 19, Onishi said: "I do not think there is any other way to accomplish the task before us, other than to unleash a Zero armed with a 250 kg bomb on an American aircraft carrier." This is how Onishi became known as the "father of the kamikaze".

The name kamikaze comes from the "divine wind", which was called the typhoon, twice, in 1274 and 1281, saved Japan from the invasion of the Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan. In response to the prayers of the Japanese, the typhoon destroyed enemy ships off the coast of Japan. By analogy, the kamikaze pilots were supposed to save the country from defeat.

Kamikaze were part of the teishintai movement in aviation. And although they were officially called "the special assault force of the divine wind", with light hand American translators began to call them simply kamikaze, in fact, like all other categories of Japanese suicide bombers. After the war, the Japanese allowed the reading of hieroglyphs in the interpretation of "suicide bomber".

The first squads of kamikaze pilots were formed on October 20, 1944, based on naval aviation units, in which the pilots were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their country. The naval aviation initially trained 2,525 kamikaze pilots, another 1,387 were recruited into the army. The bulk of the kamikaze were young non-commissioned officers or junior officers, that is, graduates of naval and military flight schools. Although there were twenty-year-old university students who went to the detachments, both on the motives of patriotism and the desire to glorify their family. An important motivation for enrolling young people in volunteers was the desire to protect their families from possible "atrocities" of the allies after the occupation, which were widely "trumpeted" by Japanese propaganda. They considered themselves the last defense. All who entered the kamikaze detachments received an officer's rank, and those who already had it - an extraordinary rank. Distinctive features in the form of kamikaze pilots were a white scarf and a red sun flag. And the symbol of the kamikaze was a chrysanthemum flower. Usually it was minted on the brass buttons of the uniform, which later became a valuable trophy for American sailors.

Over time, a ritual of honoring the kamikaze took shape while they were alive. On the eve of their departure on a mission, they were treated to a festive dinner, and just before the flight, the commander poured a ceremonial glass of sake. They were given a headband - hachimaki - with the symbols of the flag of Japan, or a white headband with inspired hieroglyphs written in it. Hachimaki symbolized the inflexibility of intentions and maintained a fighting spirit. It also has a direct function - to protect the face from sweat. Usually hachimaki were 50 mm wide and 1200 mm long.

Often the kamikaze was given a senninbari - a "belt of a thousand stitches" or "a thousand needles" sewn by a thousand women, each of whom made one stitch or knot. It was worn either at the waist or tied on the head and was considered the strongest amulet, as well as allowing the soul to be reborn after death. Sometimes on the wires on the last flight, in addition to colleagues, civilians were also present. For example, high school girls or girls from the teishintai squads. Seeing off was solemn, something in the form of a meeting. Thanksgiving or glorifying verses were read to them.

The basis of training newbie pilots who entered the kamikaze squads was preparation for the readiness to die. For this, various methods were used, from brainwashing with patriotism and religious tenets, to physical torture in training. Training in flight skills was reduced to simple elementary skills: takeoff and landing, flight in formation, imitation of an attack. The kamikaze pilot's manual detailed how the pilot should attack. It was indicated that when attacking from a height, the best aiming point was the place between the bridge and the chimneys. On aircraft carriers, it was necessary to look for aircraft lift elevators or an "island" (superstructure for controlling the ship above the deck). For horizontal attacks, the pilot had to "aim at the middle of the ship, slightly higher than the waterline", or "aim at the entrance to the aircraft hangar." There was also a rule in the leadership that allowed him to return from a mission if the target was not detected. It was believed that life should not be wasted easily. However, there are cases that after repeated returns, the pilots were shot for cowardice.

It should be noted that groups of kamikaze pilots were led to their destination by experienced pilots, whose task was not only to bring less trained pilots to the target, but also to record the results of the attack. But even in these conditions, attempts to bring the detachment to the goal were not always successful.

Despite the fact that, according to the Japanese, there was no shortage of kamikaze volunteers, after their first military operations, a massive campaign to glorify suicide bombers was launched in the country, and agitation was recorded by volunteers. The authorities appealed to the population with a request to support the volunteers, help in recruiting them into the detachments. In addition to materials in the media, brochures, leaflets, posters, even children's stories about the courage of the kamikaze were published. Since this hysteria lasted until the very end of the war, there were probably problems with the massive enrollment of volunteers. There are known cases of forced transfer of army formations to kamikaze detachments. And as the pinnacle of the idea of ​​"voluntariness", it should be noted that the literature describes a case when a kamikaze rammed his own command post.

Even those kamikaze who agreed to carry out suicidal attacks raise doubts and enthusiasm. So, on November 11, 1944, one of the American destroyers pulled out of the water a pilot who could not hit the aircraft carrier, and crashed into the sea. During interrogation, he willingly shared any information, and said that on October 27, his unit was completely transferred to kamikaze tactics. From the very beginning, the pilot found this idea as stupid and ineffective as possible, but he did not dare to tell his comrades about it. The fact that he survived the impact on the water suggests a safe dive angle for life, which in turn raises the question whether his miss was accidental. It is also interesting that already in the post-war period, the Japanese who made public doubts about the voluntariness of the formation of kamikaze units in their training system were harshly persecuted by the authorities.

The first kamikaze attack took place on October 21, 1944, against the flagship of the Australian Navy, the heavy cruiser Australia. Armed with a 200-kilogram bomb, the pilot of which remained unknown, crashed into the superstructure of "Australia", scattering debris and fuel over large area, however, the cruiser was lucky and the bomb did not explode. However, 30 people died, including the ship's commander. On October 25, "Australia" received another hit, after which the ship had to be sent for repairs (the cruiser returned to service in January 1945, and in total by the end of the war, "Australia" survived 6 hits by kamikaze aircraft).

On October 25, 1944, a kamikaze squad led by Yukio Seki attacked an American carrier formation in the east of Leyte Bay. The first Zero hit the stern of the aircraft carrier Senti, killing 16 people in the explosion and causing a fire. A few minutes later, the aircraft carrier Suoni was also disabled. The fires caused by the hit of the kamikaze on the deck of the escort aircraft carrier "Saint-Lo" soon caused a detonation of the arsenal, as a result of which the ship was torn to pieces. 114 crew members were killed. In total, as a result of this attack, the Japanese sank one and disabled six aircraft carriers, losing 17 aircraft. On October 29, kamikaze aircraft damaged the aircraft carriers "Franklin" (33 aircraft were destroyed on board the ship, 56 sailors were killed) and "Bello Wood" (92 killed, 44 wounded). On November 1, the destroyer Abner Reed was sunk, 2 more destroyers were put out of action. On November 5, the aircraft carrier Lexington was damaged (41 people were killed, 126 were wounded). On November 25, 4 more aircraft carriers were damaged. On November 26, the kamikaze attacked transports and cover ships in Leyte Gulf. The destroyer Cooper was sunk, the battleships Colorado and Maryland, the cruiser St. Louis and 4 more destroyers were damaged. In December, the destroyers Mahan, Ward, Lamson and 6 transports were sunk, several dozen ships were damaged. On January 3, 1945, a kamikaze hit on the aircraft carrier "Ommani Bay" caused a fire, soon as a result of the detonation of the ammunition, the ship exploded and sank, taking 95 sailors with it. On January 6, the battleships "New Mexico" and the "California", which was reborn after Pearl Harbor, were damaged. In total, as a result of the actions of the kamikaze in the battle for the Philippines, the Americans lost 2 aircraft carriers, 6 destroyers and 11 transports, 22 aircraft carriers, 5 battleships, 10 cruisers and 23 destroyers were damaged.

Further actions for the massive use of kamikaze unfolded during the battle for Iwo Jima. On February 21, as a result of fires caused by a kamikaze hit, the aircraft carrier Bismarck Si burned down and sank (318 people died), the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga was also damaged, its losses amounted to 140 people. Particularly vulnerable to the kamikaze were American strike aircraft carriers, which, unlike their British counterparts, did not have flight deck reservations, as well as escort aircraft carriers of the Casablanca class.

The maximum intensity of the kamikaze attack was reached during the Battle of Okinawa - a total of 1,465 aircraft participated in the attacks. On April 3, the Wake Island aircraft carrier was disabled. On April 6, along with the entire crew (94 people), the destroyer Bush was destroyed, into which 4 planes crashed. The destroyer Calhoun was also sunk. On April 7, the aircraft carrier "Hancock" was damaged, 20 aircraft were destroyed, 72 people were killed and 82 people were wounded. Until April 16, another destroyer was sunk, 3 aircraft carriers, a battleship and 9 destroyers were put out of action. On May 4, the aircraft carrier "Sengamon" with 21 aircraft on board completely burned down. On May 11, two kamikaze hits caused a fire on the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill, which destroyed 80 aircraft, killing 391 people and injuring 264. By the end of the Battle of Okinawa, the American fleet had lost 26 ships, 225 were damaged, including 27 aircraft carriers. Nevertheless, the measures taken by the Americans to protect against kamikaze yielded results - 90% of Japanese aircraft were shot down in the air.

The intensified air defense of the allies by the spring made daytime kamikaze raids almost useless, and the Japanese command attempted night attacks. However, after several sorties of kamikaze detachments, they were forced to abandon this practice, since not a single plane could find the target and almost all of them lost their way.

According to Japanese statements, as a result of the kamikaze attacks, 81 ships were sunk and 195 were damaged. According to American data, the losses amounted to 34 sunk and 288 damaged ships. There are other numbers as well. Obviously, we will no longer know the exact data, because everyone counted differently. For example, the same cruiser "Australia" was damaged 6 times. Should it be counted as one unit or six units? During the operation of the kamikaze detachments, according to the Japanese, 2,800 aircraft were lost, in which 3,862 suicide pilots were killed, of which about 12-15% of the professional military. The greater number of pilots killed is attributed to the deaths of bombers and carriers of MXY7 projectiles, where there were numerous crews. Whether the number of casualties includes planes bombed at airfields and dead pilots is unknown, although their number is rather large. It is also not known whether the statistics of suicide losses of pilots who were not in kamikaze units, but who rammed or attacked ships on their own initiative or because they were not, are unknown. According to experts, there were at least 200-300 such cases.

From 3 to 7 thousand allied sailors died from kamikaze attacks, and from 5 to 6 thousand were wounded, which amounted to 68% of combat injuries in the fleet. The debate about these numbers also continues to this day. Some consider only losses at sea, others include airfields, and others add wounded who did not survive. In addition, the initial psychological effect on American sailors was also important. And although the Americans underestimate it, and the Japanese exaggerate, several thousand sailors were nevertheless written off ashore. Over time, the fear on the ships passed.

It should be noted that of the 30% planned by the Japanese command, only 9% of kamikaze aircraft reached their targets. At the same time, the accuracy of hitting the target was only 19%. Actually, these two figures are the most complete and characterize the effectiveness of the use of kamikaze.

Initially, for kamikaze attacks, conventional aircraft were used, which were in service with the army and navy, which were minimally altered, and often not, to conduct an effective collision with an enemy ship. These aircraft were stuffed with any explosives that were at hand: explosives, bombs, torpedoes, containers with combustible mixtures.

Soon, due to the decrease in the number of Japanese aircraft, a special type was developed. aircraft for kamikaze - Yokosuka MXY-7 called "Ohka", which means cherry or sakura flower. Seeing this plane, both in action and captured on the ground, the Americans, not knowing its name, nicknamed the aircraft "Baka" (idiot, fool). According to another version, the name "Baka" was introduced by American propaganda to instill confidence in American servicemen and sailors, since, in accordance with the postulate of psychological influence: "the ridiculed enemy is not terrible." In any case, in American manuals, these projectile aircraft were called only "Baka".

The plane was a manned bomb with rocket engine transported to the attack site by Mitsubishi G4M, Yokosuka P1Y or Heavy Nakajima G8N aircraft. In the area where the target was located - in the line of sight of the enemy ship - "Ohka" detached from the carrier and planned until it was stabilized by the pilot and aimed at the target, and after turning on the rocket boosters, which worked for 8-10 seconds, it approached it until the collision, which caused the detonation of the charge ... The aircraft had a length of 6-6.8 m, a height of 1.6 m, a wingspan of 4.2-5.1 m, a wing area of ​​4-6 m², an equipped weight of 1.4-2.1 tons; charge mass - 600-1200 kg, maximum speed- 570-650 km / h, dive speed - 800 km / h, flight range - 40 km, crew - 1 person.

The aircraft began to be developed in August 1944 with a simplified design in order to ensure the possibility of its production at enterprises that do not have qualified personnel. The aircraft consisted of a wooden glider with an explosive charge in the bow, a single-seat cockpit in the middle and a rocket engine in the rear of the hull. He did not have take-off engines and landing gear. As an engine, an assembly of three solid-propellant rocket boosters located in the tail section of the aircraft was used. A total of 854 vehicles of six modifications were produced, differing in engines, wing shape, explosive mass and the ability to launch from caves or from submarines.

Dropping "Ohka" from the carrier plane.

The Ohka aircraft were ready for combat operations in October 1944. But fate itself did not allow them to enter the battlefield. Either an aircraft carrier carrying 50 aircraft was sunk, or the enemy's base airfield was bombed, then all the carriers were destroyed, while still on the distant approach to the combat area. And only on April 1, 1945, six projectile aircraft attacked US ships near Okinawa. The battleship "West Virginia" was damaged, although it is still not known for certain whether it was "Ohka" or two conventional kamikaze aircraft. On April 12, an attack from 9 Ohka took place - the destroyer Mannert L. Abele sank, the destroyer Stanly was damaged. On April 14, the fleet was attacked by 7 Ohka aircraft, on April 16 - six, on April 18 - four. Not one hit the target.

The general measures taken against kamikaze aircraft also had a positive effect against aircraft shells. Further, the losses of the American fleet, despite the increase in the intensity of the kamikaze raids, became less and less. So, on May 4 out of seven "Ohka", one hit the bridge of the minesweeper "Shea", and on May 11, out of four aircraft, one destroyed the destroyer "Hugh W. Hadley", which was written off without repair. On May 25, eleven "Ohka", and on June 22, six - could not hit the target.

Thus, the effectiveness of the use of a special projectile aircraft turned out to be significantly lower than conventional aircraft with kamikaze pilots on board. And of the entire production of Ohka aircraft, about two dozen remained intact, which are now scattered around the museums of the world.

For the actions of the kamikaze, another type of special aircraft was developed - the Nakajima Ki-115 called "Tsurugi", which means a sword. This vehicle was designed as a one-time single bomber. The bomber had a length and wingspan of 8.6 m, height - 3.3 m, weight - 1.7 tons, engine power - 1,150 hp, maximum speed - 550 km / h, flight range - 1200 km, armament - bomb of 500 or 800 kg, crew - 1 person. After takeoff, the landing gear was dropped and was unsuitable for further use, and the plane, if it was lucky to return, landed on its "belly".

The prototype of the aircraft was manufactured in January 1945, and its production began in March. The aircraft manufacturing technology was designed for the possibility of its production even in small factories by the forces of unskilled workers. Of the materials used, only steel and wood were used. The aircraft used outdated engines from 1920-1930. The plane had so many design defects that it was extremely dangerous to fly on it. So the plane had a very rigid suspension of the landing gear, which, moreover, also did not obey the steering wheel well, which often led to overturning during takeoff. Incorrect calculations of the wing and tail load caused the aircraft to stall into a spin during descent and turns. According to the testers, the plane was unfit for flight.

The military command considered it possible to use the aircraft as a bomber, in which only the engine and crew were reusable. Everything else was proposed to be installed new, after the plane landed. By the end of the war, 105 vehicles were produced, but the facts of its use in hostilities have not been established.

In addition to these two special aircraft for kamikaze, the Japanese industry has developed two more types of aircraft, but they did not have time to launch into serial production.

The first defensive tactics of the allies against the kamikaze appeared only at the beginning of 1945. It involved patrolling in the air within a radius of 80 km from the bases of the fleet or the main location of the ships. This ensured the early interception of enemy aircraft detected by radar stations on long-range approaches. This distance also made it possible to destroy enemy aircraft that broke through the patrolled area, preventing them from reaching their ships. In addition, strategic bombers regularly launched strikes at nearby Japanese airfields, including bombs with delayed explosion times, in order to actively interfere with recovery work on the runways. At the same time, large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery of ships began to use projectiles with radio fuses against the kamikaze, which, on average, were seven times more effective than conventional ones. On aircraft carriers, to the detriment of bombers, the number of fighters was increased. Small-caliber anti-aircraft guns were additionally installed on all ships, which did not allow kamikaze aircraft to approach at ultra-low altitudes. In addition, anti-aircraft searchlights began to be used on ships even during the day, which blinded pilots at close distances. On aircraft carriers, where the borders of the aircraft lifts, which were so fond of targeting kamikaze, were painted with white paint, we had to paint false ones, and wash off the paint from the genuine ones. As a result, the kamikaze plane simply crashed on the armored deck, practically not causing any damage to the ship. The measures taken by the allies have yielded positive results. And although at the end of the war the kamikazes significantly increased the intensity of their attacks, their effectiveness was significantly lower than those carried out at the end of 1944.

Evaluating the actions of the kamikaze, it should be noted that their appearance, although presented by Japanese propaganda, as an impulse of the soul of the Japanese, highest manifestation patriotism, etc. etc., in fact, was a cover for the militaristic policy of the authorities, an attempt to shift onto the people all the burdens and responsibility for the war unleashed by them. Organizing kamikaze detachments, the Japanese command was well aware that they could neither stop the allies, nor turn the tide of the war, even with the help of a real "divine wind", and not with the forces of poorly trained pilots and students. Did the kamikaze themselves understand this? Judging by the recollections of the survivors, there are very few. And even today they do not understand how much propaganda poisoned them. Was the damage done by the kamikaze to the allies sensitive, significant? Far from it! All lost ships were replenished by the US industry in less than three months. The personnel losses were within the statistical error in the total losses during the war. As a result - myths and legends to the world, and to the Japanese themselves a couple of dozen museums.

Teixintai skydivers

In 1944-1945, the United States achieved absolute air superiority in the Pacific theater of operations. Regular bombing of Japan began. In order to weaken their intensity, the Japanese command decided to create special sabotage groups from army paratroopers to attack American airfields. Since such operations did not provide for the evacuation of units after completing the task, and the ability of the paratroopers to survive was only hypothetical, they were rightly attributed to the category of suicide bombers.

The formation of such groups began in late 1944 under the general command of Lieutenant General Kyoji Tominagi. The paratroopers' special forces unit was named "Giretsu kuteitai" (heroic paratroopers). Combat operations of the "Giretsu" unit were to be carried out at night, after the bombing raid. The suicide bombers either parachuted or landed on their planes at an enemy airfield with the task of blowing up fuel and ammunition depots and destroying as many enemy planes as possible. For this, each of the paratroopers had a supply of explosives and grenades. In addition, they had light small arms: Ture-100 assault rifles, Ture-99 rifles, Ture-99 light machine guns, Ture-30 bayonets, Ture-89 grenade launchers, and Ture-94 pistols.

The first operation "Giretsu" on the night of December 6-7, 1944 was carried out by 750 paratroopers from the 1st raid group. The transfer to the targets was carried out by Ki-57 transport aircraft, which were towed by gliders (13 people in each). The landings took place at enemy airfields in the Philippines, including two at Dulag and two at Tacloban on Leyte Island. The mission was initially self-destructive: according to the order, the paratroopers had to destroy all enemy aircraft that were possible, and then defend their positions to the last soldier. As a result, it was possible to land about 300 saboteurs on one of the intended targets - all the other Japanese aircraft were shot down. After several hours of combat, all the paratroopers capable of resisting were killed, but they could not cause any harm to the American planes and the airfield.

Another operation by the Giretsu units was carried out on the night of May 24-25, 1945, when nine Mitsubishi Ki-21 bombers (each with 14 saboteurs on board) raided the Yontan airfield in Okinawa. Four aircraft returned through engine problems, three were shot down, but the other five were able to land. During this operation, paratroopers armed with submachine guns, phosphorus grenades and explosive charges detonated 70,000 gallons of aviation fuel, destroyed nine American aircraft and damaged 26 more. The airfield was disabled for a day. According to the Japanese, only one paratrooper survived the operation and almost a month later reached his own. However, the name of this hero is unknown, whence it follows that either he died, or he did not exist at all. Otherwise, Japanese propaganda would not have missed such a chance to popularize heroism.

On August 9, 1945, the Japanese planned a massive Giretsu attack against B-29 bomber bases on Saipan, Tinian and Guam. During this attack, 200 transports were supposed to deliver 2,000 saboteurs to the targets. But this operation was never carried out, since the Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the ground. The next operation was planned for August 19-23, but since Japan surrendered, it was not destined to come true.

This is where the list of military actions of the Giretsu paratroopers ends. But, despite this, the "heroic parachutists" in Japan are still remembered. A memorial was even opened in their honor.

The popularized and highly distorted image of the Japanese kamikaze that has formed in the minds of Europeans has little to do with who they really were. We imagine the kamikaze as a fanatical and desperate warrior, with a red bandage around his head, a man with an angry look at the controls of an old plane, rushing towards the target, shouting "Banzai!" But the kamikaze were not only air suicide warriors, they also operated under water.

Conserved in a steel capsule - a controlled kaiten torpedo, the kamikaze destroyed the emperor's enemies, sacrificing themselves for Japan and at sea. They will be discussed in today's material.

Restored submarine Na-51 (Type C), exhibited in Guam

Kamikaze schools

Before proceeding directly to the story of "living torpedoes", it is worth briefly immersing yourself in the history of the formation of schools and the ideology of kamikaze.

The educational system in Japan in the middle of the 20th century differed little from the dictatorial schemes for the formation of a new ideology. WITH early years the children were taught that by dying for the emperor they were doing the right thing and their death would be blessed. As a result of this academic practice, young Japanese people grew up with the motto “jusshi reisho” (“sacrifice your life”).

Plus, the state machine in every possible way hid any information about the defeats (even the most insignificant) of the Japanese army. The propaganda created a false image of Japan's capabilities and effectively instilled in under-educated children the fact that their death is a step towards total victory Japan at war.

It is appropriate to recall the Bushido Code, which played important role in the formation of kamikaze ideals. Since the days of the samurai, Japanese warriors have seen death literally as part of life. They got used to the fact of death and were not afraid of its approach.

Educated and experienced pilots flatly refused to join the kamikaze squads, citing the fact that they simply have to stay alive in order to train new fighters who are destined to become suicide bombers.

Thus, the more young people sacrificed themselves, the younger the recruits who took their places were. Many were practically teenagers, under the age of 17, who had a chance to prove their loyalty to the empire and prove themselves as "real men."

Kamikaze was recruited from poorly educated young guys, second or third boys in families. This selection was due to the fact that the first (that is, the eldest) boy in the family usually became the heir to the fortune and therefore did not fall into the military sample.

Kamikaze pilots received a form to fill out and took five oath points:

The soldier is obliged to fulfill his obligations.
The soldier is obliged to observe the rules of decency in his life.
The soldier is obliged to highly esteem the heroism of the military forces.
The soldier must be a moral person.
The soldier is obliged to live a simple life.

This is how unpretentious and simple the whole "heroism" of the kamikaze was reduced to five rules.

Despite the pressure of ideology and the imperial cult, not every young Japanese was eager to accept with a pure heart the fate of a suicide bomber, ready to die for his country. There were indeed queues of young children at kamikaze schools, but this is only part of the story.

It is hard to believe it, but even today there are still "living kamikaze". One of them, Kenichiro Onuki, said in his notes that young people could not help but enroll in kamikaze units, because this could bring trouble to their families. He recalled that when he was "offered" to become a kamikaze, he took the idea as a laugh, but changed his mind overnight. If he dared not to obey the order, then the most harmless thing that could happen to him is the stigma of "coward and traitor", and in the worst case - death. Although for a Japanese, everything can be exactly the opposite. By chance, his plane did not start during the sortie, and he survived.

The story of the underwater kamikaze is not as funny as the story of Kenichiro. There were no survivors in it.

Midway operation

The idea of ​​creating suicide torpedoes was born in the minds of the Japanese military command after the brutal defeat at the Battle of Midway Atoll.

While in Europe it was unfolding known to the world drama, a completely different war was going on in the Pacific Ocean. In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to attack Hawaii from the tiny Midway Atoll - the extreme in the western group of the Hawaiian archipelago. The atoll housed a US air base, with the destruction of which the Japanese army decided to launch its large-scale offensive.

But the Japanese miscalculated. The Battle of Midway was one of the major failures and the most dramatic episode in that part of the globe. During the attack, the imperial fleet lost four large aircraft carriers and many other ships, but exact data on Japanese casualties were not preserved. However, the Japanese never really considered their warriors, but even without that, the defeat very much demoralized the military spirit of the fleet.

This defeat marked the beginning of a series of Japanese failures at sea, and the military commanders had to invent alternative ways of waging the war. Real patriots should have appeared, with brainwashed, sparkle in their eyes and not afraid of death. This is how a special experimental subdivision of underwater kamikaze appeared. These suicide bombers were not much different from aircraft pilots, their task was identical - sacrificing themselves to destroy the enemy.

Battleship main battery turret ISCU(Mutsu)

From sky to water

Underwater kamikaze to fulfill their mission under water used torpedoes-kaiten, which means "the will of heaven". In fact, kaiten was a symbiosis of a torpedo and a small submarine. He worked on pure oxygen and was able to reach speeds of up to 40 knots, thanks to which he could hit almost any ship of that time.

A torpedo from the inside is an engine, a powerful charge and a very compact place for a suicide pilot. At the same time, it was so narrow that even by the standards of small Japanese, there was a sorely lack of space. On the other hand, what's the difference when death is inevitable.

1. Japanese kaiten at Camp Dealy, 1945. 2. A burning ship USS Mississinewa, after being hit by a kaiten at Ulithi Harbor, November 20, 1944. 3. Kaitens in dry dock, Kure, October 19, 1945. 4, 5. Submarine sunk by American planes during the Okinawa campaign.

Right in front of the kamikaze's face is the periscope, next to the speed control knob, which essentially regulated the supply of oxygen to the engine. At the top of the torpedo, there was another lever responsible for the direction of movement. Dashboard was crammed with all sorts of devices - fuel and oxygen consumption, pressure gauge, clock, depth gauge, and so on. At the pilot's feet there is a valve for seawater inlet into the ballast tank to stabilize the torpedo's weight. It was not so easy to control the torpedo, besides, the training of the pilots left much to be desired - schools appeared spontaneously, but just as spontaneously and were destroyed by American bombers.

Initially, kaiten was used to attack enemy ships moored in bays. The carrier submarine with kaitens fixed outside (from four to six pieces) detected enemy ships, built a trajectory (literally turned around relative to the target's location), and the submarine captain gave the last order to the suicide bombers.

Through a narrow pipe, the suicide bombers entered the kaiten's cockpit, closed the hatches and received radio orders from the captain of the submarine. The kamikaze pilots were completely blind, they did not see where they were going, because they could use the periscope for no more than three seconds, since this led to the risk of the enemy detecting a torpedo.

At first, the kaitens terrified the American fleet, but then the imperfect technology began to malfunction. Many suicide bombers did not swim to the target and suffocated from the lack of oxygen, after which the torpedo simply sank. A little later, the Japanese improved the torpedo by equipping it with a timer, leaving no chance for either the kamikaze or the enemy. But at the very beginning, kaiten claimed humanity. The torpedo was provided with a bailout system, but it did not work in the most efficient way, or rather did not work at all. At high speed, no kamikaze could safely eject, so this was abandoned in later models.

Very frequent raids of the submarine with kaiten led to the fact that the devices rusted and out of order, since the torpedo body was made of steel no more than six millimeters thick. And if the torpedo sank too deep to the bottom, then the pressure simply flattened the thin body, and the kamikaze died without proper heroism.

Failure of the Kaiten project

The first evidence of a kaiten attack recorded by the United States dates back to November 1944. The attack involved three submarines and 12 kaiten torpedoes against a moored American vessel off the coast of Ulithi Atoll (Caroline Islands). As a result of the attack, one submarine simply sank, of the eight remaining kaitens, two failed at launch, two drowned, one disappeared (although it was later found washed up on the shore) and one exploded before reaching the target. The remaining kaiten crashed into the Mississineva tanker and sank it. The Japanese command regarded the operation as successful, which was immediately reported to the emperor.

It was possible to use kaitens more or less successfully only at the very beginning. So, following the results of naval battles, the official propaganda of Japan announced 32 sunk American ships, including aircraft carriers, battleships, cargo ships and destroyers. But these numbers are considered too exaggerated. By the end of the war, the American navy had significantly increased its combat power, and it was more and more difficult for the kaiten pilots to hit targets. Large combat units in the bays were reliably guarded, and it was very difficult to approach them unnoticed even at a depth of six meters, the kaitens also had no opportunity to attack the ships scattered in the open sea - they simply could not withstand long swims.

The defeat at Midway pushed the Japanese to desperate steps in blind revenge on the American navy. The kaiten torpedoes were a crisis solution on which the imperial army had high hopes, but they did not materialize. The kaitens were supposed to solve the most important task - to destroy the enemy ships, and no matter at what cost, but the further, the less effective their use in hostilities seemed to be. An absurd attempt to irrationally use human resources led to the complete failure of the project. War is over

In general, you can recall the history of Japanese midget boats in more detail. The Washington Naval Agreement of 1922 was a significant obstacle in the growing naval arms race that began during the First World War. Under this agreement, the Japanese fleet was significantly inferior to the fleets of England and the United States in terms of the number of aircraft carriers and "capital" ships (battleships, cruisers). Some compensation for this could be a permit for the construction of forward basing points on the islands. The Pacific... And since agreements on the number of submarines could not be reached in Washington, the Japanese admirals began to plan the deployment of small coastal boats on remote island bases.

In 1932, Captain Kishimoto Kaneji declared: "If we fire large torpedoes with people on board, and if these torpedoes penetrate deep into enemy waters and, in turn, fire small torpedoes, it will be almost impossible to miss." This statement determined that in the event of attacks on enemy bases and enemy anchorages, small boats would be delivered to the operation site on a specialized carrier ship or submarine. Kishimoto believed that if you install twelve ultra-small submarines on four ships, then victory in any naval battle will be ensured: “In the decisive battle between the American and Japanese fleets, we will be able to fire almost a hundred torpedoes. By doing this, we will immediately reduce the enemy's forces in half. "

Kishimoto received permission to implement his idea from the head of the naval headquarters, admiral of the fleet, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasi. Kishimoto, together with a group of naval officers, consisting of four specialists, developed the blueprints and under the strictest secrecy in 1934, two experimental ultra-small submarines were built. Officially, they were classified as A-Nuotek (“type A target boats”). To achieve high submerged speed by ultra-small boats, a powerful electric motor was installed on them, and the hull was spindle-shaped.

According to the test results, the necessary improvements were made to the project, after which the serial construction of boats under the designation Ko-Nuotek was launched.The changes in the design of the submarine turned out to be small - the displacement increased (47 tons instead of 45 tons), the torpedo caliber decreased to 450 mm (instead of 533 mm) and the maximum underwater speed of the submarine decreased to 19 knots (from 25).

Japanese boat Type A of junior lieutenant Sakamaki at low tide on a reef off the coast of Oahu, December 1941

Japanese dwarf boats Type C on the American-captured island of Kiska, Aleutian Islands, September 1943

At the same time, air carriers Chiyoda and Chitose, as well as submarines of the Hei-Gata (C) type, were equipped as carrier ships. There is evidence that the Mizuiho and Nisshin seaports were also upgraded for the same purpose, each of which could carry 12 midget submarines.

The deck with a slope to the stern and the rails made it possible to quickly, in just 17 minutes, launch all the boats. The base ships of the midget submarines were supposed to be used in sea ​​battle together with ships of the line.

On April 15, 1941, 24 junior naval officers received a secret order to join a special formation. They met aboard the seaplane carrier Chiwod. The commander of the ship Harada Kaku announced to them that the Japanese fleet possessed top-secret weapons that would revolutionize naval battles, and their task was to master them. All of the young officers had diving experience, and Lieutenant Iwasa Naoji and Sub-Lieutenant Akieda Saburo had been testing new weapons for over a year.

Submarine crews were trained at Base II, located on the small island of Ourazaki, 12 miles south of Kure. During the development of submarines, accidents and breakdowns sometimes occurred. The crews were also killed, and instead of targets, the boats that ensured their delivery were struck ...

The first ultra-small boats had too short a cruising range, which was determined by the capacity of the batteries, and their recharging was possible only on the carrier ship. For the same reason, it was impossible to use boats from unequipped berths on the islands. To eliminate this drawback, in the fall of 1942, the design of an improved version of type B submarines began, in which the operating experience of type A was taken into account.

At the beginning of 1943, the last five submarines of type A (the total order for them was 51 units) were converted into type B.

Japanese landing ship Type 101 (S.B. No. 101 Type) in Kure harbor after the surrender of Japan. 1945 year.

The first of the improved submarines to be tested was the Na-53, and after their completion, a series of specially designed modernized C-type submarines was built. The main difference from the A-type submarines was the installation of a diesel generator - with its help, a complete recharge of the battery was carried out in 18 hours ...

The T-1 amphibious assault ships were used as carriers for type B and C boats.

In December 1943, based on the type C submarine, the design of a larger type D (or Koryu) boat began. The main differences from type C submarines were the installation of a more powerful diesel generator - with it the battery charging process decreased to eight hours, seaworthiness increased and the living conditions of the crew, which had increased to five people, improved. In addition, the hull has become noticeably stronger, which increased the diving depth to 100 m.

In the spring of 1945, even before the end of the tests of the lead ship, the serial construction of submarines was launched. In accordance with the plans of the naval command, by September 1945, it was planned to hand over 570 units to the fleet, with a subsequent construction rate of 180 units per month. To speed up the work, the sectional method was used (the boat was assembled from five sections), which reduced the construction period to 2 months. However, despite being involved in the Koryu construction program a large number shipyards, the rate of delivery of these submarines to the fleet could not be maintained, and by August 1945 there were only 115 boats in service, and another 496 were at various stages of construction.

On the basis of the Koryu ultra-small submarine (SMPL) in 1944, a project was developed for the M-Kanamono submarine minelayer (literal translation - "Type M metal product"), intended for setting mine cans in enemy bases. Instead of torpedo armament, he carried a mine tube containing four bottom mines. They managed to build only one such submarine.

At the end of the war, in addition to the family of dwarf submarines, which trace their ancestry to submarines of type A (types A, B, C and D), the Japanese fleet was also replenished with smaller submarines of the Kairyu type (their characteristic feature was fixed side rudders (fins) in the middle of the hull The design armament consisted of two torpedoes, but their shortage led to the emergence of a variant of a boat with a 600-kg explosive charge instead of torpedo tubes, which actually turned them into human torpedoes.

Serial construction of Kairyu-class boats began in February 1945. To speed up the work, it was carried out using the sectional method (the submarine was divided into three sections). The plans of the naval leadership provided for the supply of 760 mid-size boats of this type to the fleet by September 1945, but by August only 213 units had been delivered, and another 207 were under construction.

Information about the fate of Japanese midget submarines is fragmentary and often contradictory. It is known that during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, 5 type A midget boats were lost.

Young submarine officers persistently sought the inclusion of midget submarines in the operation against Pearl Harbor. And finally, in October, the command allowed them to be turned on, on the condition that the drivers return after the attack. Work began to boil. In Kure, I-22 was the first to arrive to make the necessary modifications to the design.

A few days later, three more arrived. The fourth submarine, I-24, had just been built at Sasebo and began sea trials immediately.

The commanders arrived at the submarines: Lieutenant Iwasa Naoji (I-22), Sub-lieutenant Yokoyama Masaharu (I-16), Sub-lieutenant Haruno Shigemi (I-18), junior lieutenant Hiroo Akira (1-20) and junior lieutenant Sakamaki Katsuo (I- 24). The second crew members were non-commissioned officers: Sasaki Naoharu (I-22), Ueda Teji (I-16), Yokoyama Harunari (I-18), Katayama Yoshio (I-20), Inagaki Kyoji (I-24). A characteristic detail: the crews were formed only from unmarried submariners, from large families and not older sons. Sakamaki Katsuo, for example, was the second of eight sons.

The midget submarine formation was called the Tokubetsu Kogekitai, or Tokko for short. This phrase can be translated as "Special Attack Force", or "Special Naval Strike Force".

In the early morning of November 18, the submarines left Kure, stopping briefly at Ourazaki to pick up the small boats. Towards evening they headed for Pearl Harbor. The boats kept 20 miles apart. The flagship - I-22 - was in the center. In the daytime, the boats went under water, fearing detection, and surfaced only at night. According to the plan, they were to arrive at the rally point located 100 miles south of Pearl Harbor, at night, after sunset, two days before the start of the attack. Having checked the boats again under cover of darkness, the carrier submarines were then to leave for Pearl Harbor, take a position 5-10 miles from the harbor entrance and disperse in an arc. Three hours before dawn, the leftmost submarine I-16 is the first to launch its midget boat. Then, sequentially, with an interval of 30 minutes, midget boats start from carriers I-24, I-22, I-18. And, finally, a dwarf boat from the last boat I-20 was supposed to pass through the harbor gate half an hour before dawn. In the harbor, all boats were ordered to go to the bottom, then join the air attack and inflict maximum damage on the enemy with their ten torpedoes.

At 3:00, the midget boats were launched, and the carrier boats began to dive. The "baby" Lieutenant Sakamaki was unlucky. The gyrocompass is out of order, it was not possible to eliminate the malfunction. It was already 5:30, and she was not yet ready for the descent, two hours late from the time set by the plan. Dawn was approaching as Sakamaki and Inagaki squeezed through their boat's hatch.

The entrance to Pearl Harbor was blocked by two rows of anti-submarine nets. American minesweepers every morning monitored the waters surrounding the base. It was not difficult to slip into the bay after them. However, the plans of the Japanese were disrupted from the very beginning. At 3:42 a.m. the minesweeper Condor spotted the submarine's periscope in front of the bay. The old destroyer Ward, built in 1918, joined in her search. At about 5:00, the Americans opened a passage in the nets to allow minesweepers, as well as transport, a tug and a barge, to pass. Apparently, two midget submarines managed to secretly infiltrate the harbor, and the third was spotted from the Ward and from the flying boat Catalina circling over the sea.

The deckhouse of the boat and part of the cigar-shaped hull towered above the surface of the water. It seemed that she did not notice anyone, moving into the harbor at a speed of 8 knots. The Ward opened direct fire from a distance of 50 meters and hit the base of the wheelhouse from the second shot. The boat shuddered, but continued to move with a torn hole in the wheelhouse. The explosions of four depth charges tore the boat in half. The Catalina also contributed by dropping several bombs. Presumably, Lieutenant Iwas's boat from the carrier boat I-22 came under attack.

Second Lieutenant Sakamaki and NCO Inagaki desperately tried to trim their submarine for over an hour. With difficulty they managed to do this, and they reached the entrance to the bay. The gyrocompass was still out of order. Sakamaki was forced to raise the periscope, and the boat was spotted from the destroyer Helm. Having plunged and leaving him, the boat ran into the reef and leaned out of the water. The destroyer opened fire and rushed to the ram. However, he slipped past, while the boat managed to free itself from the reef and leave, but as a result of the impact on the reef, one of the torpedo tubes jammed, water began to flow into the hull. Due to the chemical reaction of the water with the sulfuric acid of the batteries, a suffocating gas began to be emitted. At about 2:00 pm, the submarine again swooped down on the reef. The second torpedo tube failed.

On the morning of December 8, a helpless unguided boat was near the coast. Sakamaki started the engine, but the boat hit the reef again! This time she was stuck tight. Sakamaki decided to blow up the boat and swim to land by himself. Inserting detonators into the explosive charges, he lit the fuse-cord. Sakamaki and Inagaki rushed into the sea. It was 6 o'clock. 40 minutes ... Jumping into the water after Commander Inagaki drowned. The exhausted Sakamaki was captured on the shore by five patrolmen of the 298th American Infantry Division ...

Another midget submarine was most likely sunk at 10:00 by the cruiser Saint Louis. Heading for the exit from the bay, he was torpedoed. Dodging two torpedoes, the cruiser found the boat behind the outside of the net fence and fired at it. As for the fifth boat, according to modern data, she managed to get into the harbor, where she participated in the torpedo attack of the battleship, and then sank along with the crew (it may have been sunk by him).

From other operations of ultra-small submarines, it should be mentioned that three more boats of this type were lost on May 30, 1942 in the Diego Suarez area, and four in Sydney harbor on May 31, 1942.

During the battles near the Solomon Islands in 1942, eight type A submarines (including the Na-8, Na-22 and Na-38) were killed. In the area of ​​the Aleutian Islands in 1942-1943, three more type A boats were lost.In 1944-1945, during the defense of the Philippines and the island of Okinawa, eight type C boats were lost.

sources

http://www.furfur.me/furfur/all/culture/166467-kayten

http://modelist-konstruktor.com/morskaya_kollekcziya/yaponskie-sverxmalye

http://www.simvolika.org/mars_128.htm

More things to read about war and Japan: , but look what interesting ones. I can also remind you about The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from is

American fighter "Corsair" shoots down Japanese bomber "Betty", from which the control bomb "Oka" has already separated

Lightweight and durable construction of "Zero" made it possible to fill the aircraft with additional cargo - explosives

At the beginning of the war, "Zero" terrified American fighter pilots, and then became a formidable kamikaze weapon

Before the plane was handed over to the kamikaze pilot, weapons and the most valuable instruments were usually removed from it.

Kamikaze were different from others Japanese pilots silk jumpsuits and white headbands depicting the rising sun

October 19, 1944. Luzon Island, the main Japanese aviation base in the Philippines. The meeting of the commanders of the fighter units is being chaired by Vice Admiral Onisi ...

Two days in his new position was enough for the vice admiral to understand that neither he nor the people subordinate to him would be able to perform the functions that were entrusted to them. What Onishi took command over was splendidly called the First Air Fleet - but in reality it was only three dozen battle-worn Zero fighters and a few Betty bombers. In order to prevent the American invasion of the Philippines, a huge Japanese fleet was concentrated here, including two super battleships - "Yamato" and "Musashi". Onishi's aircraft were supposed to cover this fleet from the air - but the enemy's multiple superiority in air force made it impossible.

Onishi told his subordinates what they knew without him - the Japanese fleet was on the brink of disaster, best ships in a few days they will be launched to the bottom by torpedo bombers and dive bombers from American aircraft carriers. It is impossible to sink aircraft carriers with fighter planes, even if they are armed with bombs. The Zero does not have scopes for bombing, and their pilots have the necessary skills. However, there was one way out that was suicidal in the full sense of the word - fighters equipped with bombs would crash into enemy ships! Onisi's subordinates agreed with the vice admiral - they have no other way to end the American aircraft carriers. A few days later, the "Divine Wind Special Attack Squadron" was created - "Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kogekitai".

Self-sacrifice as a tactic

Now the word "kamikaze" has become a household term, as they call any suicide bombers, and in a figurative sense - and just people who do not care about their own safety. But the real kamikaze were not terrorists, but soldiers - Japanese pilots of the Second World War, who voluntarily decided to give their lives for their homeland. Of course, in war, anyone risks their lives, and some even deliberately sacrifice it. Often, the commanders give orders, the executors of which have no chance of surviving. But the kamikaze is the only example in the history of mankind when suicide bombers were assigned to a special type of troops and specially trained to fulfill their mission. When tactics were developed for them at headquarters, and special equipment was designed at design bureaus ...

After Vice-Admiral Onishi came up with the idea of ​​using the kamikaze, self-sacrifice ceased to be an initiative of individual pilots and received the status of an official military doctrine. Meanwhile, Onishi just figured out how to more effectively use the tactics of dealing with American ships, which were de facto already used by Japanese pilots. By 1944, the state of aviation in the Land of the Rising Sun was deplorable. There was a shortage of planes, gasoline, but above all, qualified pilots. While schools in the United States trained hundreds and hundreds of new pilots, there was no effective reserve training system in Japan. If successful in air battles The American was immediately recalled from the front and appointed an instructor (therefore, by the way, American aces do not shine with a large number of downed aircraft), then the Japanese, as a rule, fought until his death. Therefore, after a couple of years, almost nothing remained of the personnel pilot who started the war. A vicious circle - inexperienced pilots acted less and less efficiently and died faster and faster. The prophecy of Admiral Yamamoto, who had died by that time, came true: back in 1941, one of the organizers of the attack on Pearl Harbor warned that his country was not ready for a long war.

In these conditions, the first examples appeared of how poorly trained Japanese pilots, who could not hit with a bomb from an American ship, simply crashed into the enemy. It is difficult to stop the plane diving onto the deck - even if the anti-aircraft guns inflict a lot of damage on it, it will achieve its goal.

Admiral Onishi decided that such an "initiative" could be officially legalized. Moreover, the combat effectiveness of an aircraft crashing into the deck will be much higher if it is filled with explosives ...

The first massive kamikaze attacks took place in the Philippines on October 25, 1944. Several ships were damaged, and the escort aircraft carrier Saint-Lo, which was hit by the only Zero, was sunk. The success of the first kamikaze led to the decision to widely disseminate the experience of Onishi.

Death is not an end in itself

Soon, four air formations were formed - "Asahi", "Shikishima", "Yamazakura" and "Yamato". Only volunteers were accepted there, because the death in an air sortie for the pilots was an indispensable condition for the successful completion of a combat mission. And by the time of Japan's surrender, almost half of the remaining naval pilots had been transferred to kamikaze units.

It is well known that the word "kamikaze" means "Divine wind" - a hurricane that destroyed the enemy fleet in the 13th century. It would seem, what does the Middle Ages have to do with it? However, in contrast to the technology, the Japanese military had everything in order with the "ideological support". The "divine wind" was believed to have been sent then by the goddess Amaterasu, the patroness of Japan's security. She sent her at a time when nothing could interfere with the conquest of her country by the 300,000 Mongol-Chinese army of Kublai Khan. And now, when the war approached the very borders of the empire, the country was to be saved by the "Divine Wind" - this time not embodied in a natural phenomenon, but in young guys who want to give their lives for the fatherland. The kamikaze was seen as the only force capable of stopping the American offensive literally on the outskirts of the Japanese islands.

Kamikaze units could seem elite in terms of the external attributes of their activities, but not in terms of their level of training. The combat pilot who got into the detachment did not need additional training. And kamikaze novices were trained even worse than ordinary pilots. They were not taught bombing or shooting, which made it possible to drastically shorten the preparation time. According to the Japanese army leadership, only the massive training of kamikaze could stop the American offensive.

You can read a lot of strange information about the kamikaze - for example, the fact that they were not taught to plant. Meanwhile, it is quite clear that if the pilot is not taught how to land, then the first and last for him will not be a combat, but the very first training flight! Contrary to popular belief, landing gear dropped after takeoff was a rather rare occurrence on kamikaze aircraft, which made it impossible to land. Most often, suicide pilots were provided with the usual worn-out Zero fighter, or even a dive bomber or bomber loaded with explosives - and no one was involved in altering the chassis. If the pilot did not find a worthy target during the departure, he had to return to the military base and wait for the next task of the leadership. Therefore, several kamikaze who made combat missions have survived to this day ...

The first kamikaze raids had the effect for which they were designed - the crews of the American ships were very frightened. However, it quickly became clear that crashing into an enemy ship was not so easy - at least for an unskilled pilot. And they didn’t know how to dodge American kamikaze fighters. Therefore, seeing the low combat effectiveness of suicide bombers, the Americans calmed down somewhat, and the Japanese command, on the contrary, was puzzled. Meanwhile, such an aircraft has already been invented for the kamikaze, which, according to the plan of its creators, would be difficult for fighters to shoot down. Moreover, the author of the idea, Mitsuo Ota, “pushed through” the project even before the first squads of suicide pilots were created (which once again shows that the idea of ​​kamikaze was in the air at that moment). What was built according to this project at the Yokosuka firm was more likely not an airplane, but a one-of-a-kind human-controlled bomb ...

Pilot cruise missile

The tiny MXY-7 "Oka" airplane (translated from Japanese for "Cherry Blossom") resembled a German gliding bomb invented at the end of the war. However, this was a completely original development. The planning bomb was controlled by radio from a carrier aircraft - and the jet engines installed on it made it possible for the bomb to maneuver and keep up with the aircraft that launched it. "Oka" was controlled by a kamikaze sitting in it, and jet boosters were used to accelerate the bomb plane on the way to the target to a speed of almost 1000 km / h. It was believed that at this speed the Oki would be invulnerable to both anti-aircraft fire and fighters.

It is characteristic that during this period the headquarters conducted research on the use of kamikaze tactics in other areas. For example, human-controlled torpedoes were created, as well as mini-submarines, which first had to launch a torpedo into an enemy ship, and then crash into it themselves. Suicide pilots were planned to be used for ram attacks of American "Flying Fortresses" and "Liberators" that bombed Japanese cities. Later, there were also ... land kamikaze, pushing ahead of themselves a cart with explosives. Such weapons in the Kwantung Army tried to cope with Soviet tanks in 1945.

But, of course, the main target of the kamikaze was the American aircraft carriers. Managed cruise missile, carrying a ton of explosives, should have, if not sunk the aircraft carrier, then at least severely damage it and permanently disable it. The Oka was suspended under the Betty twin-engine bomber, which was supposed to get as close as possible to the American squadron. At a distance of no more than 30 km, the kamikaze was transferred from the bomber to the Oka, the guided bomb separated from the carrier and slowly began to glide in the right direction... Three solid-propellant rocket boosters worked for only ten seconds, so they had to be turned on in the immediate vicinity of the target.

The very first combat use of bombs was a real carnage. But the victims were by no means the crews of American ships, but Japanese pilots. The need to fly rather close to the target made carrier bombers very vulnerable - they entered the range of carrier-based fighters of aircraft carriers and immediately went astray. And the perfect radars that the Americans had at that time made it possible to detect an approaching enemy formation, be it a group of kamikaze, bomb carriers, conventional bombers or torpedo bombers. In addition, as it turned out, the cruise missile accelerated under the influence of accelerators maneuvered poorly and was not very accurately guided to the target.

Thus, the kamikaze could not save Japan from defeat in the war - and nevertheless, there were enough volunteers who wanted to enroll in a special-purpose air unit until the moment of surrender. Moreover, it was not only about the exalted youths who did not smell gunpowder, but also about the pilots who had had time to fight. First, the Japanese naval pilot was somehow getting used to the thought of his own death. In the American naval aviation was debugged efficient system search for downed pilots at sea using seaplanes and submarines (this is how, in particular, the onboard gunner of the Avenger torpedo bomber George W. Bush, the future US president, was saved). And the downed Japanese pilot most often drowned in the sea along with his plane ...

Secondly, the Shintoism prevailing in Japan gave rise to a special attitude towards death. This religious and philosophical system gave the suicide pilots hope after completing the task to join the host of numerous deities. Thirdly, the further, the more

Japan's defeat seemed inevitable, and Japanese military traditions did not recognize surrender.

Of course, any fanaticism is terrible. And yet, the kamikaze pilots were participants in the war and acted against the enemy army. This is their fundamental difference from modern suicide bombers, who are called by this word without any reason.

And those who led the Japanese kamikaze were not cynics who calmly dispose of other people's lives, not wanting to sacrifice their own. Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi, after the surrender of Japan, chose a way out for himself, the name of which does not need to be translated from Japanese - hara-kiri.

Kamikaze is a term that became widely known during the Second World War. This word denoted Japanese suicide pilots who attacked enemy aircraft and ships and destroyed them, going to ram.

The meaning of the word "kamikaze"

The appearance of the word is associated with Kublai Khan, who, after conquering China, twice gathered a huge fleet to reach the shores of Japan and conquer it. The Japanese were preparing for war with an army many times superior to their own. In 1281, the Mongols collected almost 4.5 thousand ships and an army of one hundred and forty thousand.

But both times the matter did not come to a major battle. Historical sources claim that off the coast of Japan, the ships of the Mongolian fleet were almost completely destroyed by sudden storms. These typhoons, which saved Japan from conquest, were called "divine wind" or "kamikaze".

And when, during the Second World War, it became obvious that the Japanese were losing to the United States and allies, suicide squads appeared. They were supposed to, if not turn the tide of hostilities, then at least inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy. These pilots began to be called kamikaze.

First flight of kamikaze

Already from the very beginning of the war, there were single rams performed by the pilots of the planes on fire. But these were forced victims. In 1944, an official suicide squadron was formed for the first time. Five pilots in Mitsubishi Zero fighters, led by Captain Yukio Seki, took off on 25 October from the Philippine airfield Mabarakat.

The first victim of the kamikaze was the American aircraft carrier St. Lo. Seki's plane and another fighter crashed into it. A fire started on the ship, and soon it sank. So the whole world learned who the kamikaze are.

"Living weapon" of the Japanese army

After the success of Yukio Seki and his comrades, mass hysteria over heroic suicides began in Japan. Thousands of young people dreamed of accomplishing the same feat - to perish, destroying the enemy at the cost of their lives.

Hastily formed "special shock detachments", and not only among the pilots. Suicide teams were also among the paratroopers who were dropped on airfields or other technical structures of the enemy. Suicide sailors flew either boats filled with explosives or huge torpedoes.

At the same time, an active processing of the consciousness of young people was carried out, they were inspired that kamikaze are heroes who sacrifice themselves for the sake of saving the Motherland. They completely obey the one who called for constant readiness for death. to strive for.

The last flight of the suicide bombers was heralded as a solemn ritual. Its integral part was white bandages on the forehead, bows, the last cup of sake. And almost always - flowers from girls. And even the kamikaze themselves were often compared to sakura flowers, hinting at the speed with which they bloom and fall. All this surrounded death with an aura of romance.

The honor and respect of the entire Japanese society awaited the relatives of the killed kamikaze.

Strike Force Results

Kamikaze are those who have flown nearly four thousand sorties, each of which was the last. Most flights led, if not to destruction, then to damage to ships and other military equipment enemy. They managed to instill terror in American sailors for a long time. And only by the end of the war they learned to fight suicide bombers. The total list of the killed kamikaze consists of 6418 people.

Official US figures indicate approximately 50 sunken ships. But this figure is unlikely to accurately reflect the damage done by the kamikaze. After all, the ships did not always sink immediately after a successful attack by the Japanese, they managed to stay afloat sometimes for several days. Some ships were able to be towed to the shore, where repair work was done, without which they would have been doomed.

If we consider the damage to manpower and equipment, the results immediately become impressive. After all, even giant aircraft carriers with enormous buoyancy are not immune from fires and explosions as a result of a fiery ram. Many ships burned out almost completely, although they did not go to the bottom. About 300 ships were damaged, about 5 thousand sailors of the United States and allies were killed.

Kamikaze - who are they? Change of world view

After 70 years since the first suicide squads appeared, the Japanese people are trying to determine for themselves how to treat them. Who are the kamikaze? Heroes who deliberately chose death in the name of the ideals of bushido? Or victims drugged by state propaganda?

During the war, there was no doubt. But the archival materials lead to reflections. Even the first kamikaze, the famous Yukio Seki, believed that Japan was killing its best pilots in vain. They would be more useful by continuing to fly and attack the enemy.

Anyway, kamikaze is part of Japanese history. The part that causes pride in ordinary Japanese people for their heroism, self-denial, and pity for people who died in their prime. But she does not leave anyone indifferent.

America? Your America is no more ..

Japanese military customs contributed to the obscurity in which the Japanese aces fighters arrived. And not only for their opponents, but also for their own people, which they defended. For the Japanese military caste of that time, the idea of ​​publishing military victories was simply inconceivable, and any recognition of the aces of fighter aviation in general was inconceivable. Only in March 1945, when the final defeat of Japan became inevitable, war propaganda allowed the names of two fighter pilots, Shioka Sugita and Saburo Sakai, to be mentioned in the official message. Japanese military traditions recognized only dead heroes.For this reason, it was not customary in Japanese aviation to celebrate air victories on aircraft, although there were exceptions. The indestructible caste system in the army also forced outstanding aces pilots to fight almost the entire war with the rank of sergeants. When after 60 aerial victories and eleven years of service as a combat pilot, Saburo Sakai became an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, he set a record for rapid promotion.

The Japanese tested their fighting wings in the skies over China long before the outbreak of World War II. Although they rarely encountered any serious resistance there, they nevertheless gained invaluable experience in real combat shooting at aerial targets, and the self-confidence that arose as a result of the superiority of Japanese aviation became an extremely important part of combat training.
The pilots who swept over Pearl Harbor, sowed death over the Philippines and The Far East were outstanding combat pilots. They distinguished themselves both in the art of aerobatics and in aerial shooting, which brought them many victories. Especially naval aviation pilots went through such a harsh and strict school as nowhere else in the world. For example, for the development of vision, a structure in the form of a box with telescopic windows directed towards the sky was used. Inside such a box, novice pilots spent long hours, peering into the sky. Their eyesight became so sharp that they could see the stars during the day.
The tactics used by the Americans in the early days of the war played into the hands of the Japanese pilots who sat at the controls of their Zeros. At this time, the Zero fighter had no equal in close air "dog dumps", 20-mm cannon, maneuverability and low weight of the Zero aircraft became an unpleasant surprise for all the pilots of the Allied aviation, who had a chance to meet them in air battles at the beginning of the war. ... Until 1942, in the hands of well-trained Japanese pilots, the Zero was at its zenith, battling Wildcat, Airacobra and Tomahawk.
American pilots of carrier-based aircraft were able to switch to more decisive actions, only having received the F-6F "Hellcat" fighters, best in their flight data, and with the advent of the F-4U "Corsair", R-38 "Lightning", R-47 "Thunderbolt" "and the P-51" Mustang "Japan's air power gradually began to fade away.
The best of all Japanese fighter pilots in terms of the number of victories won was Hiroshi Nishizawa, who fought in the Zero fighter throughout the war. Japanese pilots called Nishizawa among themselves "The Devil", since no other nickname could convey the manner of his flights and destruction of the enemy so well. With a height of 173 cm, very tall for a Japanese, with a deathly pale face, he was a withdrawn, arrogant and secretive person who demonstratively avoided the company of his comrades.
In the air, Nishizawa forced his "Zero" to do things that could not be repeated by any Japanese pilot. It seemed that some of his willpower was bursting out and connected to the plane. In his hands, the limits of the machine's design meant absolutely nothing. He could surprise and delight even seasoned Zero pilots with the energy of his flight.
One of the select Japanese aces who flew with the Lae Air Wing in New Guinea in 1942, Nishizawa suffered from bouts of tropical fever and often suffered from dysentery. But when he jumped into the cockpit of his plane, he dropped in one fell swoop all his ailments and infirmities like a cloak, immediately gaining his legendary vision and the art of flying instead of an almost constant painful state.
Nishizawa received 103 aerial victories, according to other sources 84, but even the second figure may surprise anyone who is used to the much lower results of American and British aces. However, Nishizawa took off with the firm intention of winning the war, and was such a pilot and gunner that he shot down the enemy almost every time he entered the battle. None of those who fought with him doubted that Nishizawa shot down more than a hundred enemy aircraft. He was also the only World War II pilot to shoot down over 90 American aircraft.
On October 16, 1944, Nishizawa piloted an unarmed twin-engine transport aircraft with pilots on board to retrieve new aircraft at Clark Field in the Philippines. The heavy, clumsy vehicle was intercepted by the US Navy Hellkets, and even Nishizawa's unbeatable skill and experience proved useless. After several calls of fighters, the transport plane, engulfed in flames, crashed down, taking the life of the "Devil" and other pilots with it. It should be noted that despising death, the Japanese pilots did not take a parachute with them on the flight, but only a pistol or a samurai sword. Only when the loss of pilots became catastrophic did the command oblige the pilots to take parachutes with them.

The title of the second Japanese ace is the pilot of the First Class of Naval Aviation Shioki Sugita, who has 80 aerial victories on his account. Sugita fought throughout the war until its last months, when American fighters began to fly over the islands of Japan itself. At this time, he flew on the Sinden plane, which in the hands of an experienced pilot was not inferior to any Allied fighter, on April 17, 1945, Sugita was attacked during takeoff from the Kanoya airbase, and his flashed Sinden crashed into the ground with lightning, becoming a funeral fire of the second ace of Japan.
When in connection with air battles people remember about human courage and endurance, one cannot pass over in silence the career of Lieutenant Saburo Sakai - the best Japanese aces who survived the war, who had 64 downed aircraft to his account. Sakai began fighting in China and ended the war after Japan's surrender. One of his first victories in World War II was the destruction of a B-17 US air hero, Colin Kelly.
The history of his military life is vividly described in the autobiographical book "Samurai", which Sakai wrote in collaboration with journalist Fred Saido and American historian Martin Kaidin. The aviation world knows the names of the legless ace Bader, the Russian pilot Maresyev, who lost his feet, and Sakai cannot be forgotten. A courageous Japanese man flew final stage war with only one eye! Similar examples are very difficult to find, since vision is a vital element for a fighter pilot.
After one brutal fight with American planes over Guadalcanal, Sakai returned to Rabul almost blind, partially paralyzed, in a damaged plane. This flight is one of the outstanding examples of the struggle for life. The pilot recovered from his wounds and, despite the loss of his right eye, returned to duty, again engaging in fierce battles with the enemy.
It is hard to believe that this one-eyed pilot, on the very eve of Japan's surrender, took off his Zero at night and shot down a B-29 Superfortress bomber. In his memoirs, he later admitted that he survived the war only thanks to the poor aerial shooting of many American pilots, who often simply did not hit him.
Another Japanese fighter pilot, Lieutenant Naoshi Kanno, became famous for his ability to intercept B-17 bombers, which, with their size, structural strength and the power of defensive fire, instilled fear in many Japanese pilots. Kanno's personal account of 52 wins included 12 Flying Fortresses. The tactics he used against the B-17 was an attack from the front hemisphere in a dive followed by a barrel and was first tested at the very beginning of the war in the South Pacific.
Kanno died during the final part of the defense of the Japanese islands. At the same time, the Germans ascribe to Major Julius Meinberg (53 victories), who served in squadrons JG-53 and JG-2, the invention and the first use of a frontal attack by B-17 bombers.

Japanese fighter pilots boast at least one exception to the "Japanese character" in their ranks. Lieutenant Tameya Akamatsu, who served in the Japanese Imperial Navy, was a very peculiar personality. He was something of a "white crow" for the entire fleet and a source of constant irritation and anxiety for the command. For his comrades in arms, he was a flying mystery, and for the girls of Japan, an adored hero. Distinguished by a stormy disposition, he became a violator of all rules and traditions and nevertheless managed to win a huge number of aerial victories. It was not uncommon for his squadron mates to see Akamatsu staggering across the area in front of the hangars to his fighter, brandishing a bottle of sake. Indifferent to the rules and traditions, which seems incredible for the Japanese army, he refused to attend pilot briefings. Messages about upcoming flights were sent to him with a special messenger or by phone so that he could wallow in the brothel he had chosen until the very last moment. A few minutes before takeoff, he could appear in an ancient battered car, rushing through the airfield and roaring like a demon.
He was demoted many times. After ten years of service, he was still a lieutenant. His unbridled habits on the ground were doubled in the air and complemented by some special dexterous piloting and outstanding tactical prowess. These characteristics of his in aerial combat were so valuable that the command allowed Akamatsu to go for obvious violations of discipline.
And he brilliantly demonstrated his flying skills, piloting the heavy and difficult-to-fly Raiden fighter, designed to combat heavy bombers. With a top speed of about 580 km / h, it was practically not adapted for aerobatics. Almost any fighter was superior to it in maneuvering, and it was more difficult to engage in aerial combat with this aircraft than with any other aircraft. But, despite all these shortcomings, Akamatsu on his "Raiden" repeatedly attacked the formidable "Mustangs" and "Hellkets", and, as is known, shot down at least a dozen of these fighters in aerial battles. His swagger, arrogance and daring on the ground could not allow him to rationally and objectively recognize the superiority of American aircraft. It is possible that only in this way he managed to survive in aerial battles, not to mention his multiple victories.
Akamatsu is one of the few finest Japanese fighter pilots to survive the war with 50 aerial victories. After the end of hostilities, he took up the restaurant business in the city of Nagoya.
The brave and aggressive pilot non-commissioned officer Kinsuke Muto shot down at least four huge B-29 bombers. When these aircraft first appeared in the air, the Japanese had a hard time recovering from the shock of power and fighting ability. After the B-29, with its tremendous speed and deadly firepower of defensive weapons, brought the war to the islands of Japan itself, it became a moral and technical victory for America, which the Japanese could not really resist until the very end of the war. Only a few pilots could boast of downed B-29s, while Muto had several of these aircraft on his account.
In February 1945, the fearless pilot took to the air alone in his aging Zero fighter jet to fight 12 F-4U Corsair jets attacking from low-level attack targets in Tokyo. The Americans could hardly believe their eyes when, flying like a demon of death, Muto, in short bursts, set fire to two Corsairs one after the other, demoralizing and upsetting the order of the remaining ten. The Americans were still able to pull themselves together and began to attack the lone Zero. But the brilliant art of aerobatics and aggressive tactics allowed Muto to stay on top of the position and avoid damage until he shot all the ammunition. By this time, two more "Corsairs" had crashed down, and the surviving pilots realized that they were dealing with one of the best pilots in Japan. Archives indicate that the four Corsairs were the only American aircraft shot down over Tokyo that day.
By 1945, the Zero was essentially left far behind by all the Allied fighters attacking Japan. In June 1945, Muto was still flying the Zero, remaining loyal to him until the very end of the war. He was shot down during an attack on the Liberator, a couple of weeks before the end of the war.
The Japanese rules for confirming victories were similar to those of the Allies, but were very loosely applied. As a result, many of the personal accounts of Japanese pilots may be called into question. Due to the desire to reduce weight to a minimum, they did not install photo-machine guns on their aircraft, and therefore did not have photographic evidence to confirm their victories. However, the likelihood of exaggeration and ascribing false victories to oneself was rather small. Since this did not promise any awards, distinctions, gratitude or promotion, as well as fame, there were no motives for "inflated" data on downed enemy aircraft.
The Japanese had many pilots with twenty or fewer victories, many with a number of victories from 20 to 30, and a small number stood next to Nishizawa and Sugita.
The Japanese pilots, for all their valor and brilliant successes, were thwarted by the pilots of the American aviation, which was gradually gaining its power. The American pilots were armed with the best equipment, better coordination, superior communications, and excellent combat training.