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Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to destroy warships more effectively than with conventional air attacks. About 3,800 ''kamikaze'' pilots died during the war, and more than 7,000 naval personnel were killed by ''kamikaze'' attacks. ''Kamikaze'' aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft. Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a "body attack" (''tai-atari'') in aircraft loaded with bombs, torpedoes and or other explosives. About 19% of ''kamikaze'' attacks were successful. The Japanese considered the goal of damaging or sinking large numbers of Allied ships to be a just reason for suicide attacks; ''kamikaze'' was more accurate than conventional attacks and often cau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiyoshi Ogawa
Kiyoshi Ogawa ( ja, 小川 清 ''Ogawa Kiyoshi'', October 23, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator ensign () of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a Kamikaze, kamikaze pilot, Ensign Ogawa's final action took place on May 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. Piloting a bomb-laden Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Mitsubishi A6M, Zero fighter during Operation Kikusui#Operation Kikusui VI, Operation Kikusui No. 6, Ogawa flew through American anti-aircraft fire and attacked the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier , less than one minute after his flight leader, sub-lieutenant Seizō Yasunori, crashed into the ship. He dropped a bomb, never pulled out of the dive, and crashed deliberately into the flight deck near the control tower of the aircraft carrier. The bomb penetrated ''Bunker Hill's'' flight deck and exploded. Gasoline fires flamed up and several explosions took place when re-armed and re-fueled planes on deck exploded and caught fire. 393 America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suicide Attack
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout history, often as part of a military campaign (as with the Japanese ''kamikaze'' pilots of 1944–1945 during World War II), and more recently as part of terrorism, terrorist campaigns (such as the September 11 attacks in 2001). While few, if any, successful suicide attacks took place anywhere in the world from 1945 until 1980, between 1981 and September 2015 a total of 4,814 suicide attacks occurred in over 40 countries, killing over 45,000 people. During this time the global rate of such attacks grew from an average of three a year in the 1980s to about one a month in the 1990s to almost one a week from 2001 to 2003 to approximately one a day from 2003 to 2015. Suicide attacks tend to be more deadly and destructive t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast Pacific Ocean theater, the South West Pacific theater, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Soviet–Japanese War. The Second Sino-Japanese War between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China had been in progress since 7 July 1937, with hostilities dating back as far as 19 September 1931 with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. However, it is more widely accepted that the Pacific War itself began on 7 December (8 December Japanese time) 1941, when the Japanese simultaneously invaded Thailand, attacked the British colonies of Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well as the United States military and naval bases in Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam, and the Philippines. The Pacific War saw the Allies pitted against Japan, the latter ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiten
were crewed torpedoes and suicide craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II. History In recognition of the unfavorable progress of the war, towards the end of 1943 the Japanese high command considered suggestions for various suicide craft. These suggestions were initially rejected, but later deemed necessary. Various suicide craft were developed in the Japanese Special Attack Units. For the Navy, this meant ''Kamikaze'' planes, '' Shinyo'' suicide boats, ''Kaiten'' submarines, and ''Fukuryu'' suicide divers or human mines. The ''Kamikazes'' were somewhat successful, and the second most successful were the ''Kaitens''. Research on the first Kaiten began in February 1944, followed on 25 July of the same year by the first prototype. By 1 August, an order for 100 units had been placed. Development The very first Kaiten was nothing much more than a Type 93 torpedo engine compartment attached to a cylinder that would become the pilot's comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seizō Yasunori
Sub Lieutenant was a Japanese student who joined the Imperial Japanese Navy. On May 11, 1945, he flew a kamikaze suicide mission against during the Battle of Okinawa near the end of World War II. Early life Yasunori was born on a farm outside of Akō, Hyōgo, Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture. Military career and death Kamikaze pilots were generally 18–20 years old, poorly trained, and flew poorly maintained aircraft. As leader of the Navy's Kamikaze Corps 7th Showa Special Attack Squadron, he led a group of four young men to attack US Navy ships. Yasunori led a group of six planes which departed Kanoya Air Base between 0640 and 0653 on May 11, 1945. Yasunori dropped a 550-lb bomb and then crashed his A6M Zero into the aft portion of the flight deck of the . The bomb tore a hole in the port side of the ship and his plane crashed onto the flight deck. The ensuing explosion destroyed many of the planes on the deck. His plane dragged another plane overboard. His wingman, Kiyoshi Ogawa, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bushido
is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ''Bushido'' is also used as an overarching term for all the codes, practices, philosophies and principles of samurai culture. It is loosely analogous to the European concept of chivalry, but there are major differences. Origin Bushido formalized earlier samurai moral values and ethical code, most commonly stressing a combination of sincerity, frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery and honour until death. Born from Neo-Confucianism during times of peace in the Edo period (1603–1868) and following Confucian texts, while also being influenced by Shinto and Zen Buddhism, it allowed the violent existence of the samurai to be tempered by wisdom, patience and serenity. Bushido developed between the 16th and 20th centuries, debated by pundi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamikaze (typhoon)
The kamikaze ( ja, 神風, ) were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan. These fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281. Due to the growth of Zen Buddhism among Samurai at the time, these were the first events where the typhoons were described as "divine wind" as much by their timing as by their force. Since Man'yōshū, the word ''kamikaze'' has been used as a ''Makurakotoba'' of waka introducing Ise Grand Shrine. History The latter fleet, composed of "more than four thousand ships bearing nearly 140,000 men", is said to have been the largest attempted naval invasion in history whose scale was only recently eclipsed in modern times by the D-Day invasion of allied forces into Normandy in 1944. The size of the fleet is often disputed by modern historians, however. Events In the first invasion, the Mongols successfully conquered the Japanese settlements on Tsushima and Iki islands. When they landed on Hakata Bay, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fukuryu
were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units prepared to resist the invasion of the Home islands by Allied forces. The name literally means "crouching dragon," and has also been called "suicide divers" or "kamikaze frogmen" in English texts. Personnel Six thousand men were to be trained and equipped with self-contained diving gear including a diving jacket and trousers, diving shoes, and a diving helmet fixed by four bolts. They would be weighed down with of lead and be sustained by liquid food and an air purification system with two 3.5-liter bottles of oxygen at . They were expected to be able to walk at a depth of , for a period of up to ten hours. Personnel were organized into six-man squads with five squads to a platoon, five platoons plus a maintenance platoon to a company, and three companies to a battalion of approximately 540 men. The 71st Arashi was headquartered at Yokosuka with two trained battalions and four battalions in training. The 81st Arashi at Kure was p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Missiles
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket is made guided). Missiles have five system components: targeting, guidance system, flight system, engine and warhead. Missiles come in types adapted for different purposes: surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles (ballistic missile, ballistic, cruise missile, cruise, anti-ship missile, anti-ship, anti-submarine missile, anti-submarine, anti-tank missile, anti-tank, etc.), surface-to-air missiles (and anti-ballistic missile, anti-ballistic), air-to-air missiles, and anti-satellite weapons. Airborne explosive devices without propulsion are referred to as shell (projectile), shells if fired by an artillery piece and bombs if dropped by an aircraft. Unguided jet- or rocket-propelled weapons are usually described as rocket artillery. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Special Attack Units
During World War II, , also called ''shimbu-tai'', were specialized units of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army normally used for suicide missions. They included ''kamikaze'' aircraft, ''fukuryu'' frogmen, and several types of suicide boats and submarines. Background Towards the end of the Pacific War, the Japanese were increasingly anticipating an American attack into the country and preparation was made for its defense. This was called Ketsu Go and the operation included the formation of specialized Japanese units. The move was driven by the realization that, in order to defend their homeland, conventional warfare was no longer sufficient. The recruitment of soldiers willing to die in the suicide missions was, therefore, easily carried out. The suicide attack is also an accepted method of fighting and this is largely attributed to Japan's highly militaristic society as demonstrated by the samurai system with its bushido code, which established a legacy tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makurakotoba
are figures of speech used in Japanese poetry in association with certain words. The set phrase can be thought of as a "pillow" for the noun or verb it describes, although the actual etymology is not fully known. It can also describe associations and allusions to older poems (see ). Many have lost their original meaning but are still used. They are not to be confused with ("poem pillow"), which are a category of poetic words used to add greater mystery and depth to poems. are present in the , one of Japan's earliest chronicles. History and usage are most familiar to modern readers in the , and when they are included in later poetry, it is to make allusions to poems in the . The exact origin of remains contested to this day, though both the and the , two of Japan's earliest chronicles, utilise it as a literary technique. In terms of usage, are often used at the beginning of a poem. The is a similar figure of speech used in poetry, used to introduce a poem. In fact, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinyo (suicide Boat)
Shinyo (''shinyō'' or ''shin'yō'', depending on the word, in Modified Hepburn) may refer to: *''Shinyō'' (支繞) the common Japanese name for radical 65 (Chinese character) *Japanese aircraft carrier Shin'yō, Japanese aircraft carrier ''Shin'yō'', a Japanese aircraft carrier of World War II *Shinyo (suicide boat) (''shin'yō''), Japanese suicide craft of World War II *SS Shinyō Maru, SS ''Shinyō Maru'' (1941-1944) a Japanese 'hell ship' POW-transport, sunk during World War II, originally named the Clan Mackay in 1894 *SS Shinyō Maru (1911), SS ''Shinyō Maru'' (1911) (1911-1936) a Japanese liner on the trans-Pacific service, from Japan to San Francisco via Hawaii {{disambig, ship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
