Are Kamikazes Heroes or Victims? Kaitens: Japanese kamikazes (19 photos).

Suicide bombers or kamikazes, despite the fact that they turned out to be ineffective in the war that Japan lost, nevertheless became one of the most striking symbols of the Second World War. What they felt, how they went to death is most incomprehensible to us today. Soviet propaganda also could not explain the mass Japanese Sailors.

On December 7, 1941, Japan suddenly, without declaring war, dealt a crushing blow to the US Navy base on the Hawaiian Islands - Pearl Harbor. An aircraft carrier formation of ships of the Imperial Navy, having complete radio silence, approached the island of Oahu from the north and attacked the base and airfields of the island with two waves of aircraft.
The daring and unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor aimed to destroy the enemy's naval forces in as soon as possible and ensuring freedom of action in the South Seas zone. In addition, with a sudden attack, the Japanese hoped to break the Americans' will to fight. The operation was conceived, proposed, in general terms developed and approved by the commander-in-chief of the Japanese fleet. Yamamoto Isoroku.

The Japanese military made grandiose plans. The war was based on the principle of lightning speed. The war, as the Japanese leadership believed, could only be won as a result of fleeting military operations. Any delay is fraught with disaster. America's economic power would take its toll, and the Japanese understood this. the main objective The first stage of the war - the destruction of the US Pacific Fleet - was completed.

In addition to airplanes, small submarines took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although, theoretically, it was planned to return these boats to the base, it was clear that the crews were going to certain death. Indeed, eight of the nine officers died during the attack and completed the snapshot of the gods at the Yasukuni Shrine. The ninth was a bummer. Lieutenant Sakamaki's boat got stuck on the coastal rocks, and he became the first captured officer in this war. Sakamaki could not make himself hara-kiri, because... was seriously wounded. But this was not an excuse for him. A stain of shame fell on the fleet. I, poor lieutenant, not only passed with enlistment as a god-kami of the Yasukuni Shrine, but was also called a person with a “small heart” and a “small belly.” Japanese propaganda went so far as to call him “a man without a belly at all.”

The suicide bombers of the Japanese fleet were divided into several categories. These included the so-called "suijō tokkotai" (Kamikaze Surface Force) and "sui Tokkotai" (Kamikaze Submarine Force). The surface forces were equipped with high-speed boats loaded with explosives. The symbolic designation of one of the types of such boats is “Xingye” (ocean shaking). Hence the name of the groups of katerniks - suicides - “Xingye Tokkotai”. "Xingye" were made of wood, equipped with a six-cylinder engine of 67 hp, which allowed them to reach speeds of up to 18 knots. The range of such boats was about 250 km. They were equipped with either a 120 kg bomb, a 300 kg depth charge, or a rocket. Kamikaze boat attacks were in most cases effective and the Americans were very afraid of them.

Underwater means of combating ships are the notorious "human torpedoes" ("mingen-gerai"), small and human submarines ("fukuryu") and teams of suicide paratroopers ("giretsu kutebutai"). The fleet had its own paratrooper units. Even the parachutes for them were developed separately and were very different from the army ones, although they were intended for the same purpose - landing on land.

The suicide-launched torpedoes were called Kaiten. Their other name is “Kongotai” (Kongo group, in honor of Mount Kongo, where the hero of the Japanese Middle Ages Masashi Kusonoke lived). Human torpedoes, in addition, were also called “kukusuitai”, from “kukusui” - a chrysanthemum on the water." Two main modifications of torpedoes, controlled by people, were developed. One serviceman was placed in the torpedo. a large number of explosive. The Kaiten's speed of 28.5 miles per hour and human guidance made it extremely difficult to combat the weapon. Massive attacks by Kaiten, as well as other suicide bombers, caused strong nervous tension American personnel.

The Japanese called the small submarines “Kyuryu” - dragon and “Kairu” - sea dragon. Small magnetic submarines were designated by the term "Shinkai". Their range usually did not exceed 1000 miles. They had a speed of 16 knots and were usually controlled by two suicide bombers. Dwarf submarines were intended for torpedo attacks inside enemy harbors or for ramming.

The "fukuryu" units - dragons of the underwater grotto (another translation of the hieroglyph - dragons of happiness) and "human mines" - that is, divers with mines - also posed a great danger to the American fleet. Secretly, under water, they made their way to the bottoms of enemy ships and blew them up with a portable mine.

Their activities are known mainly from the book “Underwater Saboteurs” by V. Bru (foreign literature publishing house, Moscow, 1957). Along with valuable data on the actions of Japanese saboteurs, this book also contains quite significant “blunders”. For example, he describes an oxygen apparatus designed for fukuryu teams, which allowed an underwater saboteur to dive to a depth of 60 meters and move there at a speed of 2 km/h. No matter how well a diver is trained, if his apparatus runs on oxygen, then at a depth of more than 10 meters, oxygen poisoning awaits him. Devices with a closed breathing circuit operating on mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen, allowing diving to such depths, appeared much later.

It was widely believed in the American Navy that at the entrances to the harbors, at a depth of 60 meters, Japanese listening posts were located to ensure that enemy submarines and guided torpedoes could not penetrate into the harbor. Firstly, this was not technically feasible at that time, because it was necessary to keep the crews in them in a saturated dive mode, supplying them with air from the shore, to ensure regeneration as in a submarine. What for? From a military point of view, shelter at such a depth is pointless. Submarines also have sonars and microphones. Rather than fence off this whole garden with underwater shelters, it’s easier to keep a submarine on duty there. But shelters in submerged shallow waters, or even merchant ships with their keels sticking up, are a very real thing. For the concentration of fukuryu fighters, this is quite acceptable, given that they will die anyway. From their own mine, from a Japanese shell that fell into the water next to the ship they are attacking, or from an American grenade thrown into the water by an alert soldier who noticed something suspicious in the water.

The Japanese Navy has long had well-trained and equipped diver units. Their equipment was advanced for those times; even before the war they used fins. Suffice it to recall the Japanese raid mask, which was used back in the twenties to search for the “Black Prince”. To our divers it seemed the height of technical perfection. True, it is completely unsuitable for sabotage affairs. Mention of it as a technical novelty, indicative of the development of diving in Japan, which followed its own path, different from Europe. In February 1942, light divers of the Japanese fleet cleared minefields near Hong Kong and Singapore, opening the way for their amphibious landings. But there were few of them. And Japan could not equip the huge masses of newly recruited divers with good equipment and weapons. The emphasis was again placed on mass heroism. This is how one of the participants describes the suicide attack on our destroyer Japanese war 1945:
“Our destroyer stood in the roadstead of one of the Korean ports, covering the landing of the Marine Corps. The Japanese were almost knocked out of the city, through binoculars we saw how the Korean population was greeting ours with flowers. But in some places there were still battles. The watch observer noticed that some strange object was moving in our direction from the shore. Soon through binoculars it was possible to see that it was a swimmer’s head, next to which a bubble inflated with air was hanging, either appearing on the surface or hiding in the waves. One of the sailors pointed a rifle at it and looked at the commander, awaiting further orders. Don't shoot! - the political officer intervened, - maybe it's a Korean with some kind of report or just to establish contact. The sailor lowered his rifle. No one wanted to kill a class brother who was sailing to extend a hand of friendship. Soon the swimmer was almost next to the side. We saw that he was young, almost a boy, completely naked, despite cold water, on his head he has a white bandage with some hieroglyphs. Through the clear water it was clear that a small box and a long bamboo pole were tied to the inflated bladder.

The swimmer looked at us, we looked at him. And suddenly he stuck a knife that came from nowhere into the bubble and, shouting “Banzai!”, disappeared under the water. If it weren’t for that stupid scream, no one knows how it all would have ended. Sergeant Major Voronov, who was standing next to me, pulled the pin out of the lemon bottle that he had prepared in advance and threw the grenade into the water. There was an explosion and the saboteur floated to the surface like a stocked fish. Since then we have increased our vigilance. Later, talking with tank crews who were also attacked by suicide bombers, I learned that the Japanese jumped out of the trenches with mines on bamboo poles and fell under machine-gun fire, having time to shout “Banzai!” If they had tried to slip their mine unnoticed, their losses could have been much greater. But the impression was that dying gracefully was more important to them than destroying a tank.

The suicide squads did not experience a shortage of volunteers. In letters to family and friends, young people who faced imminent death enthusiastically announced their intention to give their lives for Japan, for the Emperor.

So twenty-year-old midshipman Teruo Yamaguchi wrote to his parents: “Don’t cry for me. Although my body turns to dust, my spirit will return to my native land, and I will forever remain with you, my friends and neighbors. I pray for your happiness.” Another Kaiten driver, twenty-two-year-old midshipman Ichiro Hayashi, consoled his mother in a letter: “Dear mother, please don’t miss me. What a blessing it is to die in battle! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to die for Japan... Goodbye dear. Ask Heaven to take me in. I will be very sad if Heaven turns away from me. Pray for me, Mom!"

The atomic bomb is of course a crime. But when landing on the islands of the mother country, the Japanese command prepared to meet the American landings with an army of suicide bombers. More than 250 super small submarines, more than 500 Kaiten torpedoes, 1000 exploding Xinye boats, 6000 Fukuryu divers and 10,000 kamikaze pilots. The American command decided to kill several tens or hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians rather than lose the lives of their soldiers. And, in the end, the Japanese were the first to start. Who is right and who is wrong is up to God to decide. But it is already possible to pay tribute to the courage of the people who, by the will of fate, were our opponents in this war.

Part 2

The greatest interest for military historians now is not the great battles of large armies, but single actions, where a person discovers his superiority over a machine and destroys it with his fearlessness, self-control, and strength of mind.

Carrying out special missions to mine ships and commit other acts of sabotage is obviously associated with mortal risk. A combat swimmer who has undergone thorough preparation and training, inspired by a sense of patriotism, possessing unbending willpower and fearlessness, consciously takes risks to complete the assigned task. This is typical for special forces of any army in the world. But even against the background of these iron men, the Japanese stand out especially. After all, a saboteur of any army takes a mortal risk, and a Japanese man goes to his death.
This phenomenon is rooted in the ancient history of Japan and lies at the basis of the Shinto religion, which in the “Land of the Rising Sun” strangely coexists with Buddhism.
The first mention of the use of suicide bombers dates back to the 13th century. In 1260, the grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, ascended the Mongol throne. After the victory over China, a new Mongol dynasty of Chinese emperors, the Yuan, was founded. The Mongols landed troops on Sumatra and Java and attacked Vietnam and Burma. By that time, all of Central Asia, the Far East, part of Western Asia, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, including Rus', were already under the heel of the Mongols. However, there was a country that refused to submit to the mighty Empire, which enslaved dozens of states. This was Japan. In 1266, an ambassador was sent to Japan demanding submission to the Great Khan.

The Shikken (ruler) of Japan, Hojo Tokemuni, unconditionally rejected the Mongol demands. War became inevitable. A terrible danger of a Mongol invasion loomed over Japan, which received the name “GENKO” in Japanese history. In November 1274, an armada of the Mongol fleet, consisting of 900 ships, with 40 thousand Mongol, Korean and Chinese soldiers, set out from the Korean port of HAPPO towards the Japanese Islands. This army quickly killed the small samurai squads on the islands of Tsushima and Iki. The Mongols fought using masses of cavalry and tactics that allowed them to conquer vast areas of Europe and Asia.

The Japanese did not use large formations in battles. A samurai is, first of all, a solitary warrior. The Japanese attached great importance to external forms of warfare. The main thing is that everything is beautiful and according to the rules. First, they fired a whistling Kaburai arrow towards the enemy, challenging them to a duel. The best warriors came forward and demanded single combat. Then a hundred knights rode out and fought with the same number of the enemy. And only after that the army went into battle. In this case, this tactic failed. Military honor did not exist for the Mongols and their satellites. As a group, they surrounded individuals and killed them in the back, using poisoned arrows, which was not acceptable for samurai (for samurai, not ninja). The Japanese were losing the war without even causing much damage to the enemy. Next up is the island of Kyushu. The Japanese clearly did not have enough strength to repel aggression. Near the town of Hakata, the Mongols entered into a fierce battle with a small, but brave and well-trained detachment of samurai. Stubborn resistance, the sun setting; The commander's decision forced the Mongols to retreat to the ships to regroup their forces.

In the evening a storm began and turned into a typhoon. The Mongolian fleet was scattered across the water surface, destroying more than 200 ships. The remnants of the armada were forced to return to Korea in complete disorder. Thus ended the first invasion.

The Japanese were already distinguished by their ability to learn and not make old mistakes. Realizing that Kublai would not calm down, they prepared more carefully for the next invasion. Defensive structures were built on Kyushu and Honshu, and samurai squads were concentrated at the sites of the proposed landing. The tactics of the Mongols were studied and adopted, their own miscalculations and shortcomings were taken into account and analyzed.

In the spring of 1281, 4,500 ships with 150,000 warriors on board under the command of the Mongol commander Alahan left the Korean port of Happo. Never before or subsequently in the history of all nations has there been a fleet larger than the Mongol fleet of 1281, either in the number of ships or in the number of troops. Huge ships armed with catapults carried a huge number of people and horses in their holds.

The Japanese built a huge number of small rowing ships that had good speed and maneuverability. These ships were waiting in the wings in Hakata Bay. The morale of the Japanese was very high. Even Japanese pirates abandoned their craft and joined the imperial fleet.

The aggressor fleet was approaching Hakata Bay, destroying everything in its path. Finally, the Mongol armada entered Hakata Bay. And the battle began on land and at sea, where the Mongols were attacked by rowing boats. The advantage here was on the side of the Japanese. The boats, despite the hail of cannonballs and arrows, approached the clumsy bulk of the Chinese ships, the samurai with lightning speed climbed onto the sides of the ships and destroyed the crews. The Japanese fought despising death, and this helped in the fight. The Mongols turned out to be morally unprepared for the self-sacrifice that the Japanese soldiers made. The samurai won battles in a limited space; their individual swordsmanship was better than that of the Mongols, who were accustomed to fighting in masses, if possible at a distance, shooting the enemy with poisoned arrows.

History has brought to us many episodes of this battle. Among the heroes of the naval battle, Kusano Jiro stands out. A hail of arrows and cannonballs fell on the boat he commanded, one of which tore off his arm. Having stopped the bleeding with a tourniquet, he continued to lead the battle. According to sources, the wounded samurai, overcoming pain, led the boarding team, personally killed 21 people in battle and set the enemy ship on fire.

Another Japanese military leader, Michi Iri, wrote a prayer before the battle asking the kami gods to punish the enemy. Then he burned the paper with the text and swallowed the ashes. Miti Ari equipped two rowing boats with the best warriors who swore to die in this battle. Hiding their swords under the folds of their clothing, the Japanese approached the Mongol flagship. They thought that the unarmed Japanese were approaching in order to negotiate or surrender. This allowed us to get closer. The samurai flew onto his deck. In the bloody battle, most died, but the remainder managed to kill the commander of the Mongol fleet and set fire to the huge ship.

Faced with such resistance on land and at sea (much is known about the land battle, but it is beyond the scope of this article), the Mongol fleet left Hakata Bay to regroup and meet the second part of the armada approaching Japan. It was decided to go around the island of Kyushu and land on the other side.

After the fleets met, a huge force of the Mongols and their allies attacked the island of Takashima, preparing a new invasion of Kyushu. A mortal threat once again loomed over Japan.
In all Shinto shrines, prayer services were held without ceasing.

On August 6, 1281, a dark streak appeared in the clear, cloudless sky, which eclipsed the sun in a matter of minutes. And a deadly typhoon broke out. When the wind died down three days later, barely a quarter of the original strength remained of the Mongolian fleet - about 4 thousand military ships and more than 100 thousand people died in the abyss.

The demoralized remnants on the crippled ships returned to Kolre. This is how the campaign against Japan ended ingloriously for Kublai’s soldiers. It was from this time that the idea took root in the minds of the Japanese that their country was under the special protection of national gods and that no one could defeat it.

The idea of ​​the divine origin of the country, belief in miracles, and the help of the Shinto gods, primarily Amaterasu and Hachiman, significantly influenced the formation of the national ideology. The heroes of the battles with the Mongols, who became gods in the minds of the Japanese, became examples for young people. And beautiful death in battle has been glorified in this country for thousands of years. Michi Ari and his samurai became gods and the inspiration for Japanese suicide divers and torpedo drivers.

Japanese military doctrine is based on lightning speed. The war in the Pacific Ocean has many examples when the Japanese acted first and thought later. Or they didn’t think at all, but only acted. The main thing is that it is lightning fast and beautiful.

The desire for self-sacrifice, which made the Japanese fierce and fanatical warriors, led at the same time to irreparable losses in trained and well-prepared pilots and submariners, which the Empire so needed. Enough has been said about Japanese views on warfare. These views may have been good for the samurai of the Middle Ages and the legendary 47 ronin, who, as ancient legend says, made hara-kiri for themselves after the death of their master, but they are completely inappropriate for 1941. American Admiral S.E. Morison, in his book Rising Sun in the Pacific, assesses the Japanese decision to attack Pearl Harbor as strategically stupid. He gives a very telling example of the interrogation of a captured Japanese admiral, one of the planners of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Former Japanese admiral: "Why do you think our attack on Pearl Harbor was strategically stupid?"
Investigator: “Had it not been for this attack, the United States might not have declared war on Japan, and if war had been declared, efforts to hold back the Japanese advance to the south due to our involvement in Europe in the war with Hitler would not have been so decisive. A sure way to bring America to war was an attack on American soil.
Former Japanese admiral: “However, we considered it necessary to disable your fleet so that, by eliminating the possibility of offensive actions by the Americans, we could launch an offensive to the south.
Investigator: For how long, according to your calculations, after the attack on Pearl Harbor would the American fleet have been unable to take offensive action?
Former Japanese admiral: According to our assumptions, within 18 months.
Investigator: In fact, when did the first actions of the American fleet begin?
Former Japanese admiral: Fast carriers began conducting air strikes on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in late January and early February 1942, that is, less than 60 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Investigator: Tell me, did you know the location of the tanks with fuel supplies in Pearl Harbor?
Former Japanese admiral: Of course. The location of the tanks was well known to us.
Investigator: How many bombs were dropped on these tanks?
Former Japanese admiral: None, the main targets of attack were your large warships.
Investigator: Has it ever occurred to your officers operational management planning the attack, the idea that the destruction of the fuel depots on the island of Oahu would mean the incapacitation of the entire fleet located in the Hawaiian Islands until the fuel was delivered from the continent? Then your boats could prevent the delivery of fuel, thereby preventing the possibility of an American attack for many months?
The Japanese admiral was shocked. The idea of ​​destroying fuel reserves was new to him. The most expedient ways and means of neutralizing the American fleet did not occur to the Japanese, even in retrospect. So they fought, making up for the lack of strategic thinking with the heroism of their personnel. Japanese boats were huge and difficult to control. They had poor noise masking and an unreliable control system. Lack of living quarters, unsanitary conditions, strong vibration of the building. It's amazing how Japanese submarines could swim at all. And not only sail, but also sink large warships.

Almost all the successes of the Japanese were associated with the cult of self-sacrifice in the war, taken to the point of absurdity. According to the samurai code of Bushido, dying in battle is the highest happiness. But the decision to die or not is made by the warrior himself. In the early 30s, during the war in China, the first suicide bombers appeared; in the 20th century, they deliberately went to their death.
During the Shanghai operation, three soldiers - sappers, tied a hachimaki bandage around their heads, drank a cup of sake and swore an oath to die (like the ancient samurai during the Mongol invasion) and blew up a Chinese fortification with the help of one large mine. The fallen soldiers were hailed as divine and declared to be examples of the "yamatodamasiya" of the "Japanese spirit." In Japan they began to be called "Bakudansanyushi" (three brave warriors with a bomb). It is much easier to send soldiers to certain death than to call in artillery. In addition, you can make a fuss about this issue and intimidate America and the Soviet Union, which support China. In 1934, an advertisement was published in Japanese newspapers for the recruitment of volunteer suicide bombers, drivers of guided torpedoes.

Such actions were needed to keep the United States from sending a fleet to help Beijing. More than 5,000 applications were received for 400 places. But then it didn’t come to use, and there were no torpedoes. The Japanese returned to the idea of ​​suicide torpedo drivers in 1942, after losing the Battle of Midway, although the idea of ​​striking with a torpedo fired by a submarine, but controlled by a person in it (a volunteer), had taken shape by the time of the first attack on Pearl Harbor. Motitsura Hashimoto, commander of the submarine (I 58) - the carrier of guided torpedoes, describes in detail in his memoirs the history of the creation of Kaiten torpedoes.

“For the first series of tests, several such torpedoes were manufactured,” writes Hashimoto, “their tests were carried out near the Kure naval base on the island, which was known under the code name “Base 2.” By January 1943, the development of the human torpedo project had reached such a level stage when it seemed that they could be put into production and then used in combat situations. However, the design of the torpedoes excluded the possibility of saving the person who controlled it, that is, he was doomed to certain death, which the naval command objected to. Changes were made to the design of the torpedoes a device that allows the driver to be thrown into the sea at a distance of about 45 meters from the target by simply pressing a button.

Around February 1944, a prototype of the human torpedo was delivered to Navy headquarters, and the torpedoes were soon put into production. With passionate hope for success, their production began in the experimental torpedo workshop of the ship repair plant in Kura. Great hopes were placed on this weapon. Now, it seemed, it was possible to take revenge on the enemy for the heavy losses that Japan had suffered. By this time the island of Saipan had passed into American hands and we had suffered heavy losses.

The new weapon was called "Nightens", which meant "Path to Heaven". In Taras’s book the name of this torpedo is translated as “Shaking the Heavens”; in other sources there are translations “Turning to the Sky” and “Restoring Strength After Their Decline”. Apparently this hieroglyph has many interpretations.

While the production of torpedoes was underway, a base was established in Tokuyama Bay where personnel were trained.
Alas! On the very first day of testing in Tokuyama Bay, one of the volunteers and advocates of this weapon drowned. The torpedo he was in was buried in the mud and could not be recovered. This bodes ill for the future."

The omen did not deceive. During the training process alone, 15 people died as a result of imperfect technology. The idea of ​​a catapult, which offered a chance for salvation, had to be abandoned. The Japanese command had no time to save the lives of the torpedo drivers. Japan lost one battle after another. It was urgent to launch the miracle weapon. The first Kaiten samples were launched on the surface. The boat surfaced, launched torpedoes and went into the depths. The drivers, landed in the area of ​​​​operations of the American fleet, were looking for their own target. Since it was dangerous to risk a boat in an area where planes and ships could detect it, the drivers were dropped off at night near the harbors where the Americans were based and often the torpedoes simply disappeared without finding a target, sank to the bottom due to technical problems, or got stuck in anti-submarine nets. There was no driver exit for cutting the network.

Later they began to re-equip the boats to launch torpedoes from a submerged position. The drivers boarded the torpedoes in advance and waited for the boat to find the target. Air was supplied through a hose, communication was carried out by telephone. Finally, at the very end of the war, boats appeared from which it was possible to go to the torpedo directly from the compartment through the lower hatch of the torpedo. The effectiveness of the torpedo immediately increased. Hashimoto describes an incident when his boat was lying on the ground, and an American destroyer was throwing depth charges at it. He decided to attack the destroyer with human torpedoes. The suicide bomber said goodbye to everyone and got into the Kaiten. The sailor closed the rear hatch behind him, a few minutes later the noise of a torpedo engine was heard, the cry of “Banzai!” Then the connection was lost. Then there was an explosion. When the boat surfaced, only debris floated on the surface.

The descriptions of the behavior of torpedo drivers before going on a mission are interesting. “During long periods of being under water, there was nothing to do in the boat. Both officers from the torpedo drivers, in addition to preparing their torpedoes and practicing observation through the periscope, had no other duties, so they played chess. One of them was present during the attack of human torpedoes in area of ​​the Ulithi Islands, but he himself was unable to go on the attack due to a malfunction of the torpedo. He was a very good chess player...

The enemy seemed to surround us. I ordered the drivers of torpedoes No. 2 and No. 3 to immediately take their places. It was cloudy, but here and there bright stars could be seen in the sky. In the darkness, we did not see the drivers’ faces when they both came to the bridge to report. They remained silent for some time, then one of them asked: Commander, where is the Southern Cross constellation? His question took me by surprise. I looked around the sky, but still didn't notice this constellation. The navigator standing nearby noticed that the constellation was not yet visible, but that it would soon appear in the southeast. The drivers, simply saying that they were going to take their seats, resolutely shook our hands and left the bridge.

To this day I am reminded of the composure of these two young men. The sailor, whose duty it was to close the bottom cover of the torpedo, did his job and raised his hands, indicating that everything was ready. At 2:30 a.m. the order came: “get ready to launch human torpedoes!” The torpedo rudders were installed in accordance with the position of the submarine rudders. Before the release of human torpedoes, communication with them was maintained by telephone; at the moment the torpedoes were detached from the submarine, the telephone wires leading to them could be tied up.
Ten minutes later, everything was ready for the release of torpedoes, scheduled according to the plan for 3.00 on the assumption that it would begin to get light at 4:30.

The driver of torpedo No. 1 reported: “Ready!” The last clamp was released, the torpedo engine started working and the driver rushed towards his target. The last connection with him was cut off at the moment when the torpedo separated from the boat and rushed towards the enemy ships stationed in the harbor of the island of Guam! At the very last moment before release, the driver exclaimed: “Long live the Emperor!”
The release of torpedo No. 2 was carried out in exactly the same way. Despite his youth, her driver remained calm until the end and left the boat without saying a word.
Too much water got into the engine of torpedo No. 3, and its release was postponed to the last stage. When torpedo No. 4 was released, the following sound was also made: “Long live the Emperor!” Finally, torpedo No. 3 was fired. Due to a phone malfunction, we were unable to hear her driver's last words.
At that moment there was a strong explosion. We surfaced and, fearing persecution, began to retreat to the open sea...
...We tried to see what was happening in Apra Bay, but at that moment a plane appeared and we had to leave."

Meanwhile, the war became increasingly fierce. In addition to human torpedoes, small boats and human ships from fukuryu teams, the Japanese naval command began to use “giretsu kutebutai” units - teams of suicide paratroopers. In February 1945, the Japanese dropped a parachute assault force consisting of military personnel from this team onto one of the army airfields. The paratroopers, tied with bags of explosives, destroyed seven “flying fortresses” and burned 60 thousand gallons (1 gallon - 4.5 liters) of gasoline. 112 suicide soldiers died in this battle. Information about the effectiveness of suicide bombers is very contradictory. Japanese propaganda agreed that every kamikaze, as a rule, destroyed a large warship. When suicide divers ceased to be a military secret, they began to write a lot about them, extolling the results of their actions to the skies, drawing new crowds of young people into the ranks of suicide. The Americans, on the contrary, did not admit their losses and reported underestimated figures, misleading the Japanese command about the degree of effectiveness of their sabotage forces and means. According to Japanese propaganda, kamikaze, fikuryu, kaiten and other suicide teams were destroyed many times more ships than the Americans generally had in the Pacific Fleet. According to American data, the Japanese lost a whole lot of carrier boats and achieved virtually no results. By the way, I read a book by an Englishman about Japanese ace pilots (not kamikazes). He treats their reports of victories over Soviet and American aircraft with irony. For example, in the battles at Khalkin Gol, one Japanese ace, according to his reports, destroyed a number of aircraft that the Russians did not have at all in that area. A Japanese newspaper wrote that he killed one Soviet pilot with a samurai sword, sitting next to a downed Soviet plane. The samurai is taken at his word (as a gentleman). So, if no one blames the Japanese for lack of courage, then they have a problem with truthfulness. Therefore, the degree of effectiveness of the use of suicide submariners is still not known (and probably will not be known) (I am not talking about aviation).

By the end of the war, the rights and benefits of suicide bombers and their families were regulated. Goodbye to the gods, the future soldier god will have the opportunity to live to his fullest. Every restaurant owner considered it an honor to host a suicide bomber without taking money from him. Universal honor and admiration, love of the people, benefits for the family. All the close relatives of the future kami (god) were surrounded by honor.

The mission was arranged according to the rules invented for kamikazes. The headband "hachimaki" with sayings, inscriptions or the image of the sun - the emblem of the Empire, like the medieval samurai, symbolized a state in which a person was ready to move from everyday life to sacredness, and tying it was, as it were, a prerequisite for the inspiration of the warrior and his acquisition of courage. Before boarding a plane or torpedo, suicide bombers said to each other a ritual farewell phrase: “See you at the Yasukuni Shrine.”
You had to go to the goal with your eyes open, not closing them until the very last moment. Death had to be perceived without any emotion, calmly and quietly, with a smile, according to the medieval traditions of the feudal army. This attitude towards one’s own death was considered the ideal of a warrior.

The use of suicide bombers, according to interpretations of Japanese propaganda, was supposed to show the superiority of the Japanese spirit over the Americans. General Kawabe Torashiro noted that until the end of the war, the Japanese believed in the possibility of fighting the Americans on equal terms - “Spirit against machines.”

What is the difference between the European and Japanese understanding of death. As one Japanese officer explained to the Americans to an unconscious prisoner: while Europeans and Americans think life is wonderful, the Japanese think it is good to die. Americans, British or Germans, having been captured, will not regard this as a disaster; they will try to escape from it in order to continue the fight. The Japanese will consider captivity a cowardly act, because... For a warrior - a samurai - true courage is to know the time of his death. Death is victory.

As a rule, everyone going on a mission left dying poems chanting death for the Emperor and the Motherland. Some former suicide bombers who did not have time to die in battle still regret it.

It was not possible to replace the typhoon that saved Japan in the 13th century. Hundreds of midget submarines and thousands of guided torpedoes remained in hangars without waiting for their crews. And thank God (both ours and the Japanese one). Japan lost the war. Some will call suicide bombers fanatics and scumbags. Someone will admire the courage of people who go to death for their Motherland in a desperate attempt to save the situation, fighting in spirit against the machines. Let everyone draw a conclusion for themselves.

(c)V. Afonchenko

I will add on my own that regarding the fact described above, there is a huge variety of opinions, both in Japan itself and throughout the world. I will not undertake to judge the correctness or agree on the correctness of any of them. I just think that people died, it’s scary. Although someone will say to this, what do you care about those people who died in some kind of war, in any war, not just this one? After all, every day so many of them die and die from causes completely unrelated to the war.

But in my opinion, it is worth thinking about the fact that by forgetting about something that happened, we deliberately provoke a repetition of it in the future.

The popularized and highly distorted image of the Japanese kamikaze that has formed in the minds of Europeans has little in common with who they actually 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 goal shouting “banzai!” Japanese warriors, since the times of the samurai, considered death literally as a 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 kamikaze squads, citing the fact that they simply had to stay alive in order to train new fighters who were destined to become suicide bombers.

Thus, the more young people sacrificed themselves, the younger were the recruits who took their places. Many were practically teenagers, not even 17 years old, who had the chance to prove their loyalty to the empire and prove themselves as “real men.”

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

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

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

But kamikazes were not only suicide bombers in the air; they also operated underwater.

The idea of ​​​​creating suicide torpedoes was born in the minds of the Japanese military command after a brutal defeat in the Battle of Midway Atoll. While the world-famous drama was unfolding in Europe, a completely different war was going on in the Pacific. In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to attack Hawaii from the tiny Midway Atoll, the outermost one in the western group of the Hawaiian archipelago. There was a US air base on the atoll, with the destruction of which the Japanese army decided to begin its large-scale offensive.

But the Japanese greatly 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 regarding human losses on the part of Japan has not been preserved. However, the Japanese never really considered their soldiers, but even without that, the loss greatly demoralized the military spirit of the fleet.

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

Underwater kamikazes used kaiten torpedoes to carry out their mission underwater, which translated means “will of heaven.” In essence, the kaiten was a symbiosis of a torpedo and a small submarine. It ran on pure oxygen and was capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 knots, thanks to which it could hit almost any ship of that time. The inside of a torpedo is an engine, a powerful charge and a very compact place for a suicide pilot. Moreover, it was so narrow that even by the standards of small Japanese, there was a catastrophic lack of space. On the other hand, what difference does it make when death is inevitable?

Midway operation

Main caliber turret of the battleship Mutsu

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

Directly in front of the kamikaze's face is a periscope, next to it is a speed shift knob, which essentially regulates the supply of oxygen to the engine. At the top of the torpedo there was another lever responsible for the direction of movement. The instrument panel was stuffed with all sorts of devices - fuel and oxygen consumption, pressure gauge, clock, depth gauge, etc. At the pilot's feet there is a valve for admitting sea water into the ballast tank to stabilize the weight of the torpedo. It was not so easy to control a torpedo, and besides, the training of pilots left much to be desired - schools appeared spontaneously, but just as spontaneously they were destroyed by American bombers. Initially, kaiten were used to attack enemy ships moored in bays. The carrier submarine with kaitens attached to the outside (from four to six pieces) detected enemy ships, built a trajectory (literally turned around relative to the location of the target), and the captain of the submarine gave the last order to the suicide bombers. The suicide bombers entered the kaiten's cabin through a narrow pipe, battened down the hatches and received orders via radio from the submarine captain. The kamikaze pilots were completely blind, they did not see where they were going, because the periscope could be used for no more than three seconds, since this led to the risk of the torpedo being detected by the enemy.

At first, 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 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 to be humane. The torpedo had an ejection system, but it did not work in the most efficient way, or rather, it did not work at all.

At high speed, no kamikaze could eject safely, so this was abandoned in later models. Very frequent raids of the submarine with kaitens led to the devices rusting and breaking down, since the torpedo body was made of steel no more than six millimeters thick. And if the torpedo sank too deeply to the bottom, then the pressure simply flattened the thin hull, and the kamikaze died without due heroism.

It was possible to use kaitens more or less successfully only at the very beginning. Thus, following the results of naval battles, official Japanese propaganda announced 32 sunk American ships, including aircraft carriers, battleships, cargo ships and destroyers. But these figures are considered too exaggerated. By the end of the war, the American navy had significantly increased its combat power, and it was increasingly difficult for 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 did not have the opportunity to attack ships scattered on the open sea - they simply could not withstand long swims.

The defeat at Midway pushed the Japanese to take desperate steps in blind revenge against the American fleet. Kaiten torpedoes were a crisis solution for which the imperial army had high hopes, but they did not materialize. Kaitens had to solve the most important task - to destroy enemy ships, and no matter at what cost, but the further they went, the less effective their use in combat operations seemed to be. A ridiculous attempt to irrationally use human resources led to the complete failure of the project. War is over

Japanese Type A boat, Second Lieutenant Sakamaki, at low tide on a reef off the coast of Oahu, December 1941.

Japanese Type C dwarf boats on American-occupied Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, September 1943.

Japanese landing ship Type 101 (S.B. No. 101 Type) in Kure Harbor after the Japanese surrender. 1945

Damaged by aircraft, the Yamazuki Mari transport and the Type C dwarf submarine are abandoned on the shores of Guadalcanal

Koryu Type D midget boat at Yokosuka Naval Base, September 1945.

In 1961, the Americans raised a boat (Type A), which sank in December 1941 in the Pearl Harbor canal. The boat's hatches are open from the inside; a number of publications report that the boat's mechanic, Sasaki Naoharu, escaped and was captured

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. (It is pleasant and honorable to die for the Motherland).

Horace.

I would like to be born seven times to give all my lives for Japan. Having decided to die, I am strong in spirit. I expect success and smile as I board.

Hirose Takeo, First Lieutenant of the Japanese Navy,
1905

In the history of many nations one can find many examples of selfless heroism. However, never in any army in the world, except for the Japanese army at the end of World War II, was self-sacrifice a special or special tactic, approved from above and planned in advance.

Hachimaki - headband with inscription
"Kamikaze" - "Divine Wind".

Sekio Yukio - first official commander
units of Kamikaze pilots.

Japanese sailors and submariners, drivers of human torpedoes, infantrymen who cleared minefields with their bodies, Kamikaze pilots, undertaking suicidal attacks, realized that they were destined to die, but voluntarily chose the path of self-sacrifice and bravely faced death. The category of such volunteer suicide bombers in the Japanese armed forces during the Second World War received the general name “teishin-tai” - “shock troops”. Their formation, based on the medieval moral and religious code of samurai bushido (literally translated as “the way of the warrior”), obliging them to despise death, was sanctioned by the Imperial General Staff (the first official squad of Kamikaze pilots was formed by October 20, 1944). Moreover, special weapons were developed and produced for suicides - torpedoes, boats, airplanes. Suicide bombers killed in battle were considered kami - the patron saints of Japan.

The sense of duty and responsibility for the fate of the nation, inherent in the vast majority of Japanese, was elevated to an absolute among the samurai - representatives of the caste of Japanese chivalry, and their spiritual followers.

The Japanese looked at death completely differently from their opponents. If for an American death was a terrible departure into oblivion, then for the Japanese the main thing was not the death itself, but the circumstances under which it occurred.

18th century priest and warrior Yamamoto Tsunetomo in the famous book " Hagakure” (“Hidden in the Leaves”) described the meaning of a samurai’s life this way: “The path of the samurai is death... If you need to choose between life and death, immediately choose the latter. There's nothing complicated about it. Just gather your courage and take action. He who chooses life without fulfilling his duty must be considered a coward and a bad worker.”

A samurai with a sword in his belt is always ready to attack. Then his mind will be focused on death, readiness for which is the main quality of a warrior.

Yasukuni-jinja Shrine is the main military temple in Japan. It was considered the highest honor for a warrior to be included in his lists.

All thoughts of a warrior, according to bushido, should be aimed at rushing into the midst of enemies and dying with a smile. One should not, of course, assume that the content of samurai ideology is limited to these cruel commandments that amaze the mind of Western man. The moral ideals and aspirations of the Japanese military class were highly respected in society. The samurai, in turn, were well aware of the significance of their position and the responsibility of their role as representatives of the upper caste. Bravery, courage, self-control, nobility, duty to fulfill one’s duty, mercy, compassion - all these virtues, according to the Bushido code, were certainly required of a samurai.

Vice Admiral Onishi is the ideological inspirer and organizer of kamikaze aviation units.

However, it was precisely such quotations and laws that became the ideological basis and sometimes the content for the propaganda, education and military training programs developed and implemented by the Japanese leadership in the first half of the twentieth century. The entire nation, young and old, was preparing for the decisive battle for Japanese dominance in Asia. In those days, for the land of the rising sun, one victory was followed by another, and there seemed to be no limit to its capabilities and strength. Military science was taught in Japanese schools to twelve-year-old children, and in general the education there differed little in the prescribed order and requirements from barracks service. At that time, the shelves in stores were filled with toy sabers and rifles, models of Japanese ships and cannons, and the most popular pastime among boys was, of course, playing war. And even here, some of them were already tying a log to their backs, simulating “human bombs” and suicide attacks. And at the beginning of each day of classes, the teacher certainly asked the class what his most cherished desire was, to which the students had to answer in chorus: “our most cherished desire is to die for the emperor.”

The fundamental ideological documents intended for widespread study were the “Imperial Rescript for Soldiers and Sailors” and its civilian version, the “Imperial Rescript for Education,” which obligated every Japanese to devote all his strength to the altar of defense of the fatherland.

Hosokawa Hoshiro is one of the few kamikaze pilots to survive.

However, it was not only the poison of propaganda, created from the ancient traditions of death, veneration of the emperor and duty, that in the first half of the twentieth century transformed the unusually kind, humble, polite and hardworking (in Japanese, by the way, there is no such word, because it is assumed that otherwise than with with full dedication, it is simply impossible to work) the people into a merciless warrior full of hatred for himself and his enemies. The reason for the success of the aggressive plans of Japanese politicians and military men also lies in the ineradicable communal spirit of ordinary Japanese. The nature of the Japanese islands, cruel and treacherous, given to man as if out of spite, dooms the individual to death. Only large communities, through hard work, can carry out the enormous amount of work necessary for successful agriculture, for the maintenance and continuation of life itself. Under such conditions, individualism is not only dangerous, it is completely impossible. Thus, an old Japanese proverb says that a protruding nail should be hammered in immediately. The Japanese see themselves in the family, next to neighbors, in the community as a whole. He cannot imagine his life without her. And to this day, when calling himself, a Japanese pronounces his surname before his first name, first defining his belonging to one or another clan, and only then only his participation in its life. Due to precisely this feature of Japanese culture, the propaganda of a general national upsurge in the fight against enemies, of universal self-sacrifice, found such broad support among the entire nation, which, by the way, the propaganda machine of Nazi Germany could not achieve to the same extent. It is a fact that of all Japanese soldiers and sailors, only about one percent surrendered during the four years of war...

A traditional photo as a souvenir before the last flight with personal signatures of the pilots.

Sekio Yukio's A6M fighter takes off with a suspended 250 kg bomb.

The Oka missile aircraft is a popular exhibit in many military museums.

The Mitsubishi G4M2 bomber carries the Oka guided bomb.

Torpedo "Kaiten" type 2 as an exhibit in the USA.

The escort carrier USS Saint Lo is hit by a kamikaze plane.

(“...The Japanese plane... received several hits and released a trail of fire and smoke, but continued its deadly flight... The deck died out. Everyone, with the exception of the anti-aircraft gunners, instantly prostrated on it. With a roar, the fireball passed over the superstructure and crashed, producing a terrible explosion... ")

The first military suicide squads began to be created at the end of 1943, when Japan had already exhausted its usual means of fighting, and it was losing its positions one after another. The main types of such strike forces were Kamikaze (divine wind), which were field and naval aviation units designed to defeat enemy forces at the cost of their own death, and Kaiten (Path to Heaven), human torpedo units. Such units did not take part in hostilities. Their personnel were intended to deliver a single strike against enemy ships or ground forces.

The Kamikaze plane was a huge shell filled to capacity with explosives. After dropping conventional bombs and torpedoes, or without it, the Japanese pilot was obliged to ram the target, diving at it with the engine running. Most Kamikaze planes were outdated and could barely stay on a straight course, but there were special ones designed only for suicidal attacks.

Among them, the most dangerous for the Americans were the Oka (Cherry Blossom) missile-powered aircraft. They were dropped from heavy bombers at a distance of 20-40 km from the target and were actually a homing anti-ship missile, the “guidance system” of which was a suicide pilot.

The first large-scale use of Kamikaze forces by Japan was during the Battle of the Philippines in the fall of 1944, and then the number of suicide attacks increased until the very end of the war. During the battle in Leyte Gulf and the battle for Okinawa, Kamikaze planes were the only somewhat effective weapon of Japan, whose fleet and army could no longer provide worthy resistance.

However, despite the enormous efforts made to increase the effectiveness of the use of aircraft and torpedoes controlled by suicide bombers, no breakthrough success was achieved in this area, and American losses are insignificant compared to the monstrous genocide that the Japanese leadership undertook against its own to the people with the goal of stopping the enemy at all costs at a time when the war was already hopelessly lost.

One of the few successful battles for Japan involving the use of Kamikazes was the attack of a group of its aircraft on October 21, 1944, east of the Guroigaoi Strait, which disabled three escort aircraft carriers and several other US Navy ships. Ten days later, another Kamikaze group struck a discovered American carrier group, sinking the escort carrier Saint Lo and damaging three others.

The psychological consequences of Kamikaze attacks were simply stunning. Confusion and fear among American sailors grew as suicide pilot attacks increased. The thought that Japanese pilots deliberately directing their planes at ships, scarecrows to the point of stupor. The bravado of the power of the American fleet has faded.

“There was some kind of hypnotizing admiration in this philosophy alien to the West. We watched each diving Kamikaze in fascination - more like an audience at a performance than a victim about to be killed. For a while we forgot about ourselves, gathered in groups and thought helplessly about the man who was there,” recalled Vice Admiral Brown.

Yokosuka D4Y3 "Judy" Yoshinori Yamaguchi "Special Attack Corps" Yoshino.

Yamaguchi bomber crashes into the forward flight deck of the USS CV-9 Essex, November 25, 1944, 12:56 p.m.

The CV-17's flight deck was destroyed and the aircraft carrier had to be repaired.

The Americans had to urgently take countermeasures. Admiral Nimitz first ordered the establishment of secrecy regarding information about the actions of the Kamikazes and the results of their attacks. The number of fighters in carrier groups had to be increased to approximately 70%, compared to the usual 33%. Special patrols of fighters operating at low altitudes, in Kamikaze dangerous directions, were allocated. It was necessary to place radar patrol destroyers at very considerable distances. As a result of this, it was the radar patrol destroyers that took on the first onslaught of Kamikaze attacks. To suppress the activities of Kamikaze, it was necessary to organize continuous raids on the airfields of Japanese aviation (literally from dawn to dawn), which greatly reduced the impact of aviation on Japanese ground forces.

On April 6, during the battles for Okinawa, a large-scale operation began, called “Kikusui” (“Chrysanthemum”). 1,465 aircraft took part in it, including Oka jets. The result was the death of almost all Japanese aircraft, the destruction of several dozen and damage to hundreds of American ships.

Most of the Kaitens and also the Furukui (“dragons of happiness,” squads of suicide swimmers armed with bombs that were to be detonated by hitting the hull of an enemy ship) disappeared without a trace, but there are known facts of death or damage to American ships for which no reasonable explanation was found within the framework of conventional ideas about armed struggle at sea.

In particular, the loss of the American heavy cruiser Indianapolis is sometimes associated with an attack by Kaiten, which were in service with the Japanese submarine I-58, under the command of M. Hashimoto.

Japanese schoolgirls see off Kamikaze pilots with cherry blossoms as they embark on their final flight in Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighters.

Without a doubt, the use of Kamikaze tactics could not turn the tide of hostilities. But this was the natural choice of a nation with an unbending spirit. The Japanese were not going to repeat the fate of the German Hochseeflotte, when the German fleet was captured by the English in 1918, and preferred death to shame. The Japanese were able to slam the door so hard during the last major battle of World War II that the world now uses the term "Kamikaze" to refer to a volunteer suicide bomber.

On Okinawa, the American command used 18 battleships (three times more than in Normandy), 40 aircraft carriers, 32 cruisers and 200 destroyers. The total number of US ships reached 1,300 units. The losses caused by Kamikaze to the ships of the 3rd and 5th US fleets in the battles off Okinawa were greater than those suffered by the Pacific Fleet in December 1941 from a Japanese air raid on the naval base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The losses of the American Navy near Okinawa were 36 ships sunk and 368 damaged. The damaged included 10 battleships, 13 aircraft carriers, 5 cruisers, 67 destroyers and 283 smaller units. A significant part The heavily damaged ships could not be restored. The Japanese also shot down 763 American aircraft. Suicide pilots seriously damaged four large aircraft carriers: Enterprise, Hancock, Intrepid and San Jacinto. Patrol and radar ships also suffered significant losses. Subsequently, the Americans were forced to move the radar stations on land and place them in dominant positions on Okinawa and the surrounding islands. American losses amounted to about 12 thousand people killed and about 36 thousand wounded. Japanese losses amounted to 16 warships (who could still move), 7,830 aircraft, 107 thousand military personnel killed and 7,400 prisoners.

According to Naito Hatsaho in suicide attacks in 1944-45. 2,525 naval and 1,388 army pilots were killed, and out of 2,550 Kamikaze missions, 475 were successful.

Kamikazes were also used against ground and air enemies. Since Japan's air defense forces were clearly insufficient to combat American heavy bombers B-17, B-24 and B-29, the pilots resorted to ramming strikes. Moreover, some of them managed to survive. There is no data on the total number of B-29 bombers shot down as a result of ramming. It is only known that out of approximately 400 lost vehicles, 147 were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery and aircraft.

Who became a suicide bomber, or, as it is now customary to call everyone who goes on suicidal attacks, Kamikaze? These were mostly young people 17-24 years old. It would be wrong to consider them all some kind of robots or frenzied fanatics. Among the Kamikazes were people of all social classes, different views and temperaments.

Tome Torihama surrounded by Kamikaze pilots. She ran a cafe on the outskirts of Chiran and supported the pilots as best she could. Tome became their adoptive mother. After the war, she made great efforts to create a museum of suicide pilots, for which she received the nickname “Mother Kamikaze” in Japan.

The road to the Kamikaze Museum in Chiran, lined with cherry trees.

Monument to Kamikaze pilots in the museum in Chiran. The Japanese people carefully preserve the memory of their fearless sons.

The constant expectation of death was a difficult ordeal for them. It shook my nerves. Young pilots, namely aviation became the main branch of the military, suicide bombers, swimmers and submariners were haunted by a feeling of horror and despair.

The preparatory course for Kamikaze pilots, and other suicide bombers, was not great. Over the course of a week or two, they were supposed to make several flights to practice diving techniques. The rest of the time we trained on the simplest, primitive simulators, engaged in physical training - sword fencing, wrestling, etc.

Both naval and army aviation have developed special farewell rituals for pilots leaving for their last flight. So, each of them left in a special unpainted box clippings of their nails and a lock of hair, which often remained the only memory of the departed warrior, and composed their last letter, which were then sent to their relatives. Immediately before the start, right on the take-off field, the table was covered with a white tablecloth, and the white color was not accidental, since according to Japanese beliefs it is a symbol of death. At this table, Kamikaze accepted a cup of sake, or plain water, from the hands of his commander. On the flight, many pilots took with them a white Japanese flag with hieroglyphic inscriptions about fortitude, contempt for death, and various amulets that were supposed to bring their owner good luck in his last battle. One of the most common was the motto “Seven Lives for the Emperor.” Each suicide bomber was solemnly presented with a personalized samurai sword in a brocade sheath, which included its owner among the samurai, and, in addition, facilitated, according to the religious concepts of Shinto, the samurai’s transition to the world of the holy Kami, for which it was necessary to hold it in his hand at the moment of death.

Despite various rituals and privileges, the morale of the doomed warriors steadily declined as Japan's defeat approached. Self-sacrifice only deepened the crisis of the Japanese war machine. Many indulged in drunkenness and debauchery, leaving their bases without any permission. They knew that the war was lost and did not want to die in vain. There is a known case when a Kamikaze, who was forced to fly into a suicidal attack, rammed his own command post in despair and anger.

Is it possible to condemn young Japanese who are ready to do anything for their homeland? Her ardent and ardent defenders, they last days wars considered the only sure thing for themselves to die in battle, destroying their enemies. Their large number and the massive nature of the impulse evoke only respect and, undoubtedly, do honor to Japan, which knows how to educate patriots. However, the tragedy of an entire generation of Japanese youths was that they became hostages of military adventurers who did not want to fully admit defeat and were ready to win at any cost, even at the cost of the lives of their own people.

Your son went into nowhere endlessly proud
A toy whose factory lasts for two hours.
Wasp stuck into enemy aortas
His wooden flaming "Kokusai".

These planes were designed for only one flight. A one-way ticket. They were made of birch plywood, equipped with obsolete decommissioned engines and lacking weapons. Their pilots had the lowest level of training, they were just boys after a couple of weeks of training. Such a technique could only have been born in Japan, where a beautiful death redeemed no matter how meaningless and empty a life. Technology for real heroes.

This is how the girls saw them off:

Kamikaze planes

By 1944, Japanese military equipment and aviation in particular were hopelessly behind their Western counterparts. There was also a shortage of trained pilots, and even more so of fuel and spare parts. In this regard, Japan was forced to seriously limit air operations, which weakened its already not very strong position. In October 1944 American troops attacked the island of Suluan: this was the beginning of the famous battle in Leyte Gulf near the Philippines. The first air fleet of the Japanese army consisted of only 40 aircraft, unable to provide the navy with any significant support. It was then that Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi, commander of the First Air Fleet, made a largely historic decision.

On October 19, he said that he saw no other way to inflict any noticeable damage on the Allied forces other than by using pilots who were ready to give their lives for their country and bring down their plane, armed with a bomb, on an enemy ship. The preparation of the first kamikazes took about a day: already on October 20, 26 light carrier-based Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters were converted. On October 21, a test flight was made: the flagship of the Australian fleet, the heavy cruiser Australia, was attacked. The kamikaze pilot did not cause too serious damage to the ship, but, nevertheless, part of the crew died (including the captain), and the cruiser could not take part in battles for some time - it was undergoing repairs until January 1945. On October 25, the first successful kamikaze attack in history was carried out (against the American fleet). Having lost 17 aircraft, the Japanese sank one ship and seriously damaged 6 more.

In fact, the cult of a beautiful and honorable death has been known in Japan for centuries. The valiant pilots were ready to give their lives for their homeland. In the vast majority of cases, kamikaze attacks used conventional aircraft, converted to transport a single heavy bomb (most often these were mass-produced Mitsubishi A6M Zeros of various modifications). But “specialized equipment” was also designed for kamikazes, characterized by simplicity and low cost of design, the absence of most instruments and the fragility of materials. This is what we will talk about.

Mitsubishi A6M Reisen, better known as "Zero"(or "Rei shiki Kanjo sentoki" in Japanese), was by far the most produced Japanese fighter-bomber of the Second World War. It began production in 1939. In its designation, “A” indicates the type of aircraft (fighter), “6” - the model (it just replaced the “5” model, produced from 1936 to 1940 and was in service until 1942), and “M” - “Mitsubishi” " The aircraft received the nickname “Zero” for the nomenclature of model 00, which came from the last digits of the year of the start of mass production (2600 according to the Japanese calendar, also known as 1940). A group of the best engineers from Mitsubishi, led by designer Jiro Horikoshi, was assigned to work on Zero.

"Zero" became one of the best carrier-based fighters of World War II. It was distinguished by a very high flight range (about 2600 kilometers) and excellent maneuverability. In the first battles of 1941-42. he had no equal, but by the autumn of 1942, the latest “Air Cobras” and other, more advanced enemy aircraft began to appear over the battlefield in increasing numbers. Reisen became obsolete in just six months, and there was no worthy replacement for it. Nevertheless, it was produced until the very end of the war and therefore became the most popular Japanese aircraft. It had more than 15 different modifications and was produced in quantities of more than 11,000 copies.

"Zero" was very light, but at the same time quite fragile, since its skin was made of duralumin, and the pilot's cabin had no armor. The low wing load made it possible to ensure a high stall speed (110 km/h), that is, the ability to make sharp turns and increased maneuverability. In addition, the aircraft was equipped with retractable landing gear, which improved the aerodynamic parameters of the aircraft. Finally, visibility into the cockpit was also excellent. The aircraft had to be equipped with the latest technology: a full set of radio equipment, including a radio compass, although in reality, of course, the equipment of the aircraft did not always correspond to what was planned (for example, in addition to command vehicles, the Zero was not equipped with radio stations). The first modifications were equipped with two 20-mm cannons and two 7.7-mm machine guns, plus mountings for two bombs weighing 30 or 60 kilograms were provided.

The very first combat missions of the Zero turned out to be a brilliant success for the Japanese air fleet. In 1940, they defeated the Chinese air fleet in a demonstration battle on September 13 (according to unverified data, 99 Chinese fighters were shot down versus 2 from the Japanese, although according to historian Jiro Horikoshi, no more than 27 “Chinese” were killed). In 1941 the Zeros maintained their reputation with a string of victories across vast areas from Hawaii to Ceylon.

However, the Japanese mentality worked against Japan. Although incredibly maneuverable and fast, the Zeros were stripped of all armor, and the proud Japanese pilots refused to wear parachutes. This led to constant losses qualified personnel. In the pre-war years, the Japanese Navy did not develop a system for mass training of pilots - this career was considered deliberately elitist. According to the memoirs of pilot Sakai Saburo, the flight school in Tsuchiura where he studied - the only one where naval aviation fighters were trained - in 1937 received one and a half thousand applications from potential cadets, selected 70 people for training and ten months later graduated 25 pilots. In subsequent years the numbers were slightly higher, but the annual “production” of fighter pilots was about a hundred people. In addition, with the advent of the light American Grumman F6F Hellcat and Chance Vought F4U Corsair, the Zero began to rapidly become obsolete. Maneuverability no longer helped. Grumman F6F Hellcat:

“Mitsubishi” began to rapidly make changes to the design and “produce” modifications of the aircraft: “A6M3” types 32 and 22, “A6M4”, “A6M5” type 52. The latter (in the “Hei” modification) received an armored back and an armored headrest for the pilot. Most of the modifications were designed to further increase maneuverability, as the “Zero” trademark, as well as increase firepower, including rate of fire. The speed of the Model 52 was increased to 560 km/h.

We are most interested in modification "Mitsubishi A6M7", developed specifically for kamikaze attacks and a modification of the Mitsubishi A6M5, which, due to its mass production, was most often converted for the same purposes. In the first battles in October and November 1944, the following actions were carried out with the A6M5: machine guns and cannons were dismantled, and a 250-kilogram bomb was installed under the fuselage.

The A6M7, although it was a “suicide plane,” carried on board not only a bomb, but also two 13.2 mm wing machine guns, which made it possible to use it as a dive fighter before the final attack. The only thing that really distinguished it from the A6M6 model was that it was cheaper, simplified version engine “Nakajima Sakae 31b” without a water-methanol mixture injection system. In addition, two additional 350-liter fuel tanks were installed on the aircraft to increase the flight range. This made it possible to strike from a greater distance. Taking into account the fact that fuel was refueled for a one-way flight, the distance covered by the suicide plane almost doubled, which contributed to the “surprise” of Japanese attacks on the Allied fleet.

In total, 530 A6M type aircraft carried out deadly attacks, although more than 1,100 representatives of this model were converted for the needs of kamikazes. It should be noted that the predecessors of the Zero, the A5M model, which were completely obsolete by the end of the war, were also actively used for deadly attacks. Actually, almost all of the last surviving “fifth” models, worn out to the utmost, ended their lives in this way.

Despite the fact that the A6M was not specifically designed for kamikazes, it became the most common manned projectile of the Second World War and was used in this capacity in almost every air battle involving the Japanese fleet.

Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi became the first and, in fact, the only aircraft designed specifically for kamikaze attacks. Its development began in January 1945, when the “stocks” of old, worn-out aircraft suitable for conversion into flying coffins began to deplete. The task before the designers was simple: lightness, speed, maneuverability. No weapons (except bomb racks) or armor. Maximum low cost of materials and ease of manufacture. The designer of the Nakajima company, Aori Kunihara, was appointed chief engineer.

The design of the Ki-115 was simplified to the point of absurdity. Such an aircraft could be assembled “on the knee” in almost any conditions and equipped with absolutely any engine with power from 800 to 1300 hp. The frame was welded from steel pipes, the hood was made from sheet metal, the fuselage was made from duralumin, and the tail section had a fabric covering. One 800-kilogram bomb was attached to a recess under the fuselage. The cockpit was open, and a sight was painted on the windshield, making it easier to hit the target.

Actually, the aircraft was intended to be produced by unskilled workers from scrap materials and to be flown by unskilled pilots. True, the plane was quite difficult to control on the ground. The landing gear was intended for take-off only and was discarded as soon as the aircraft lifted off. There was no turning back for the kamikaze. Here is the control panel of this aircraft:

They tried to improve the planes, for example, to equip them with rocket boosters, but there was essentially no time left for such work. They also produced several prototypes of the “Otsu” modification with larger wooden wings. A total of 105 copies of the Ki-115 aircraft were manufactured, but the Allies learned about their existence after the war. Not a single “Sword” (as “Tsurugi” is translated) was ever used during combat.

However, there was another model developed “from scratch” specifically for suicidal attacks. It was a plane Kokusai Ta-Go. It was developed by a group of officers led by aircraft technician Yoshiuki Mizuama in early 1945.

The plane was made entirely of wood (wooden and plywood slats on a metal frame) and canvas, only the landing gear and engine mount were metal. The power unit was an in-line Hitachi Ha-47 engine with a power of 510 hp, and the aircraft was armed with one bomb weighing 500 kilograms. Even the engine hood was made of plywood, not tin, as on other “disposable” designs.

Characteristically, the plane did not have rounded surfaces at all, being assembled, in fact, from wooden sheets. This made it possible to make a car even in a carpentry workshop. The landing gear was not retractable at all, the shock absorbers were made of ordinary rubber, and the tail spike, instead of the third wheel, was made of welded pipes. Instruments in the cockpit included a compass, speedometer and altimeter. The aircraft was light and rather slow, the only weapon it could carry was a 100 kg bomb.

In June 1945, the only experimental Kokusai took off. Until the end of the war, the Japanese did not manage to launch “Bamboo Spears” (“Ta-Go”) into mass production.

In 1945, another specialized kamikaze aircraft was developed - Mitsubishi Ki-167. Unlike its “brothers”, the Ki-167 model was a bomber, and quite a heavy one at that. Information about this aircraft is contradictory, but most of sources agree that on April 17, 1945, three Ki-167 vehicles carried out a combat mission in the Okinawa area. Not finding the target, two aircraft returned to base (the landing gear of these aircraft was not dropped), and the third detonated its bomb at technical reasons. The only photo of this plane:

The base model for the Ki-167 was the Ki-67 Hiryu medium torpedo bomber, which entered service at the end of 1943. Model 167 was equipped with a huge Sakuradan bomb weighing 2900 kilograms. To transport such weight, the aerodynamics of the aircraft were seriously modernized. The documentation for the Ki-167 was destroyed after the war, so there is practically no specific information about it.

But, probably, the most famous kamikaze aircraft, which appeared in many films and described in books, was the legendary projectile aircraft Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka. His project was developed by a group of researchers at the University of Tokyo led by former combat pilot Mitsuo Ota in the fall of 1944. Unlike an ordinary aircraft, the Ohka projectile had no landing gear at all and was intended exclusively for launch from a carrier. The aircraft was made entirely of wood and could be manufactured using unskilled labor. Three rocket boosters were installed on it.

The carrier used was a special modification of the Mitsubushi G4M2 Tei heavy bomber. In addition to fastenings for the projectile aircraft under the fuselage, this modification was equipped with additional armor, since it was the carrier that was the increased risk factor in attacks by the Ohka missile. The slow and clumsy bomber was quite easy to shoot down, unlike a fast projectile with rocket boosters.

The first modification “MXY7 Ohka” bore the index “11” and carried a charge weighing 1200 kilograms in the bow. The penetrating ability of the aircraft-projectiles turned out to be monstrous: there is a known case when a missile completely penetrated the American destroyer Stanley, which saved it from sinking. But if the rocket hit the target, the destruction was very great. True, the flight range of the projectile aircraft was most often less than the radius of destruction of the air defense; therefore, the missiles could not always be launched successfully.

The Ohka was first used in March 1945, and on April 12, the first ship, the destroyer Mannert P. Abel, was sunk with the help of these aircraft. Pay attention to the dimensions of the bomb:

Naturally, progress did not stand still, and designers were required to improve the design. Further development of the design of the projectile aircraft led to the appearance of the “Model 22” modification. New development was aimed, first of all, at launching from a more advanced and protected Kugisho P1Y3 Ginga carrier aircraft. It was smaller in size and carried a much lighter charge (only 600 kilograms). In addition, more powerful jet engine The Tsu-11 made it possible to launch a projectile at a greater distance from the target. A total of 50 copies of modification “22” were manufactured, and the first test flight took place in July 1945.

Subsequently, several more modifications of the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka were developed (but never left the project stage): model 33 (for launching from a Renzan G8N1 aircraft), model 43a (for launching from submarine catapults - with folding wings; in the "b" wingtip modifications were dropped altogether), the Model 21 (essentially a hybrid of the Models 11 and 22) and the turbojet-powered Model 53. Two training copies of the 43 Wakasakura model with a landing ski and a second cabin were even made, but things did not go further than that.

It was precisely because of the slowness of the carriers that the effectiveness of using aircraft-projectiles was not very high. Many pilots died senselessly; enemy losses were not so great. In this regard, the Americans even called Japanese projectiles in official documents the word “Baka” (“fool”).

By the way, due to the fact that engines, especially rocket engines, were not cheap, projects of kamikaze gliders were also developed, not burdened with power units, for example, Yokosuka Shinryu. Development began in May 1945 under the direction of engineer Sakakibara Shigeki. One prototype glider was manufactured and tested: it could carry a charge of 100 kg and accelerate to 300 km/h. The glider was launched from the ground using stationary Toku-Ro 1 Type 1 rocket boosters. They started for only 10 seconds, but that was enough to start.

The tests were unsuccessful: the pilot concluded that the glider was very difficult to control, and low-skilled kamikaze pilots simply would not be able to control it. In addition, rocket engines were too expensive and imperfect. The project for the improved Shinryu II glider remained only on paper, and soon work on the first model was completely curtailed.

By the way, in 1944, the development of another type of “suicide technique” began. These were the legendary Kaiten torpedoes, launched from submarines or ships and controlled by suicide bombers. The pilot sat down in the control room of the guided missile, the hatch was sealed tightly.

The first Kaitens included a pilot ejection mechanism, but torpedo drivers simply refused to use them. Unlike kamikaze planes, Kaitens had virtually no success. Too expensive to manufacture and leading to personnel losses, they rarely reached their target, being intercepted by enemy retaliatory torpedoes or anti-torpedo defense systems. In total, 10 groups of Kaiten drivers were trained during the war, after which their production was curtailed.

It must be said that many Japanese aircraft were used for kamikaze attacks. These were mostly obsolete, retired models that were hastily converted to carry a single bomb. For example, a modification of the Kawasaki Ki-48 medium bomber (“Kawasaki Ki-48-II Otsu Kai”), built in 1939-1944, was created for similar purposes, but it was never used in battle. The Mitsubishi Ki-67 medium bomber also had a kamikaze modification: Mitsubishi Ki-67-I-Kai “To-Go”.

In 1945, a development project for the Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi model called Ki-119 was also developed, but this machine remained on paper. The documents also mention the Rikugun To-Go aircraft, but there is no specific information about this suicide aircraft.

In 1944-45, the Japanese army and air force trained approximately 4,000 kamikazes, which sank or damaged more than 300 Allied ships. However, there were almost three times as many volunteers: there was not enough equipment. However, many “volunteers” simply received orders. And they couldn’t break it. Before flights, twenty-year-old suicide bombers drank a ritual cup of sake and tied their heads with a white strip of cloth with a red circle (“hachimaki”).

And then they took their planes into the air without landing gear and died for the country they loved more than their own lives.

However, experienced pilots often acted as kamikazes. The most famous suicide pilot was Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki. On August 15, 1945, along with other pilots, he took off on the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei dive bomber and died heroically near the island of Okinawa. Actually, such a death was something like an analogue of the ritual suicide of seppuku, honorable for a samurai. By the way, the “father of kamikaze” Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi also committed ritual suicide shortly before the surrender of Japan, on August 16, 1945, when it became clear that the war was lost.

Some examples of kamikaze aircraft can still be seen in Japanese museums. The thought that a person boarding such a plane knew that he would never return home makes him turn away and move on to other exhibits.

P.S. In fact, “kamikaze” is just one of the varieties of so-called "teishintai", volunteer suicide bombers, ready to give their lives for their homeland. Teishintai worked not only in aviation, but also in other military units. For example, there were entire groups of suicide paratroopers who armed themselves with bombs and dropped them on enemy equipment. Ground-based teishintai worked in exactly the same way, destroying enemy officers, radar points and other objects at the cost of their lives. Teishintai sometimes used small boats and guided missiles to launch their attacks on the water.

P.P.S. By the end of World War II, aircraft for suicide pilots were also being developed in Germany. The Fi-103R “Reichenberg” flying bomb (modification “Fi-103R-IV”) was converted into a manned aircraft. A volunteer suicide squad was recruited and even specialized courses on flying bombs were organized. But psychology made itself felt. Germany was already, in fact, losing ground, and the pilots had no desire to give their lives “for nothing.” Despite the fact that the German kamikaze project was personally supervised by Himmler, it was curtailed without, in fact, starting.

The creator of kamikaze squads, commander of the first air fleet, Vice Admiral Onishi Takijiro, stated: “If a pilot, seeing an enemy plane or ship, strains all his will and strength, turns the plane into a part of himself, this is the most perfect weapon. Can there be greater glory for a warrior than to give his life for the emperor and for the country?

However, the Japanese command did not come to such a decision out of a good life. By October 1944, Japan's losses in aircraft, and most importantly, in experienced pilots, were catastrophic. The creation of kamikaze detachments cannot be called anything other than a gesture of despair and faith in a miracle that can, if not reverse, then at least level out the balance of forces in the Pacific Ocean. The father of the kamikaze and the corps commander, Vice Admiral Onishi and the commander of the combined fleet, Admiral Toyoda, were well aware that the war was already lost. By creating a corps of suicide pilots, they hoped that the damage from kamikaze attacks inflicted on the American fleet would allow Japan to avoid unconditional surrender and make peace on relatively acceptable terms.

The only problem the Japanese command had was with recruiting pilots to perform suicidal missions. German Vice Admiral Helmut Geye once wrote: “It is possible that among our people there are a number of people who will not only declare their readiness to voluntarily go to death, but will also find enough mental strength to actually do it. But I have always believed and still believe that such feats cannot be performed by representatives of the white race. It happens, of course, that thousands of brave people in the heat of battle act without sparing their lives; this, undoubtedly, often happened in the armies of all countries of the world. But for this or that person to voluntarily condemn himself to certain death in advance, such a form of combat use of people is unlikely to become generally accepted among our peoples. The European simply does not have that religious fanaticism that would justify such exploits; the European lacks contempt for death and, consequently, for his own life...”

U Japanese warriors, brought up in the spirit of bushido, the main priority was to carry out orders, even at the cost of one’s own life. The only thing that distinguished kamikazes from ordinary Japanese soldiers was the almost complete lack of chance of surviving the mission.

The Japanese expression "kamikaze" translates to "divine wind" - a Shinto term for a storm that brings benefit or is an auspicious omen. This word was used to name a hurricane that twice, in 1274 and 1281, defeated the fleet of the Mongol conquerors off the coast of Japan. According to Japanese beliefs, the hurricane was sent by the thunder god Raijin and the wind god Fujin. Actually, thanks to Shintoism, a single Japanese nation was formed; this religion is the basis of Japanese national psychology. According to it, the Mikado (emperor) is a descendant of the spirits of heaven, and every Japanese is a descendant of less significant spirits. Therefore, for the Japanese, the emperor, thanks to his divine origin, is related to the entire people, acts as the head of the nation-family and as the main priest of Shintoism. And for every Japanese it was considered important to be loyal first of all to the emperor.

Onishi Takijiro.

Zen Buddhism also had an undoubted influence on the character of the Japanese. Zen has become main religion samurai who found in the meditation they used a way to fully reveal their inner capabilities.

Confucianism also became widespread in Japan; the principles of humility and unconditional submission to authority and filial piety found fertile ground in Japanese society.

Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism were the basis on which the entire complex was formed moral and ethical standards who compiled the samurai code of bushido. Confucianism provided the moral and ethical basis for bushido, Buddhism brought indifference to death, and Shintoism shaped the Japanese as a nation.

A samurai must have a complete desire for death. He had no right to be afraid of her, to dream that he would live forever. All thoughts of a warrior, according to bushido, should be aimed at rushing into the midst of enemies and dying with a smile.

In accordance with traditions, kamikazes developed their own special farewell ritual and special paraphernalia. Kamikazes wore the same uniform as regular pilots. However, each of her seven buttons had three cherry blossom petals stamped on them. At Onishi's suggestion, white bandages on the forehead - hachimaki - became a distinctive part of kamikaze equipment. They often depicted the red hinomaru sun disk, as well as black hieroglyphs with patriotic and sometimes mystical sayings. The most common inscription was “Seven Lives for the Emperor.”

Another tradition was a cup of sake immediately before the start. Right on the airfield, they covered the table with a white tablecloth - according to Japanese beliefs, this is a symbol of death. They filled cups with drink and offered them to each of the pilots lined up in a line as they set off for the flight. Kamikaze accepted the cup with both hands, bowed low and took a sip.

A tradition was established according to which pilots departing on their last flight were given a bento - a box of food. It contained eight small rice balls called makizushi. Such boxes were originally given to pilots going on a long flight. But already in the Philippines they began to supply kamikazes with them. Firstly, because their last flight could be long and they needed to maintain their strength. Secondly, for the pilot, who knew that he would not return from the flight, the box of food served as psychological support.

All suicide bombers left nail clippings and strands of their hair in special small unpainted wooden boxes to send to their relatives, as each Japanese soldier did.

Kamikaze pilots drink sake before takeoff.

On October 25, 1944, the first massive kamikaze attack against enemy aircraft carriers was carried out in Leyte Gulf. Having lost 17 aircraft, the Japanese managed to destroy one and damage six enemy aircraft carriers. It was an undoubted success for Onishi Takijiro's innovative tactics, especially considering that the previous day Admiral Fukudome Shigeru's Second Air Fleet had lost 150 aircraft without achieving any success at all.

Almost simultaneously with naval aviation, the first detachment of army kamikaze pilots was created. Six army special attack units were formed at once. Since there was no shortage of volunteers, and in the opinion of the authorities, there could be no refuseniks, the pilots were transferred to army kamikazes without their consent. November 5 is considered the day of official participation in military operations of army groups of suicide pilots, all in the same Leyte Gulf.

However, not all Japanese pilots shared this tactic; there were exceptions. On November 11, one of the American destroyers rescued a Japanese kamikaze pilot. The pilot was part of Admiral Fukudome's Second Air Fleet, which was transferred from Formosa on October 22 to participate in Operation Se-Go. He explained that upon arrival in the Philippines, there was no talk of suicide attacks. But on October 25, kamikaze groups began to hastily form in the Second Air Fleet. Already on October 27, the commander of the squadron in which the pilot served announced to his subordinates that their unit was intended to carry out suicide attacks. The pilot himself considered the very idea of ​​such attacks stupid. He had no intention of dying, and the pilot admitted quite sincerely that he had never felt the desire to commit suicide.

How were aerial kamikaze attacks carried out? In the face of growing losses of bomber aviation, the idea was born to attack American ships with fighters alone. The lightweight Zero was not capable of lifting a heavy, powerful bomb or torpedo, but could carry a 250-kilogram bomb. Of course, you couldn’t sink an aircraft carrier with one such bomb, but it was quite possible to put it out of action for a long period. It's enough to damage the flight deck.

Admiral Onishi came to the conclusion that three kamikaze aircraft and two escort fighters constituted a small, and therefore sufficiently mobile and optimally composed group. The escort fighters played extremely important role. They had to repel attacks from enemy interceptors until the kamikaze planes rushed towards the target.

Due to the danger of detection by radars or fighters from aircraft carriers, kamikaze pilots used two methods of reaching the target - flying at an extremely low altitude of 10-15 meters and at an extremely high altitude - 6-7 kilometers. Both methods required properly qualified pilots and reliable equipment.

However, in the future it was necessary to use any aircraft, including obsolete and training ones, and the kamikaze pilots were recruited by young and inexperienced recruits who simply did not have time to train sufficiently.

Airplane "Yokosuka MXY7 Oka".

On March 21, 1945, an unsuccessful attempt was made for the first time to use the Yokosuka MXY7 Oka manned projectile aircraft by the Thunder Gods detachment. This aircraft was a rocket-powered aircraft designed specifically for kamikaze attacks, and was equipped with a 1,200 kg bomb. During the attack, the Oka projectile was lifted into the air by a Mitsubishi G4M until it was within the kill radius. After undocking, the pilot, in hover mode, had to bring the plane as close to the target as possible, turn on the rocket engines and then ram the intended ship at high speed. Allied forces quickly learned to attack the Oka carrier before it could launch a missile. The first successful use of Oka aircraft occurred on April 12, when a missile aircraft piloted by 22-year-old Lieutenant Dohi Saburo sank the radar patrol destroyer Mannert L. Abele.

A total of 850 projectile aircraft were produced in 1944-1945.

In the waters of Okinawa, suicide pilots inflicted very serious damage on the American fleet. Of the 28 ships sunk by aircraft, 26 were sent to the bottom by kamikazes. Of the 225 ships damaged, 164 were damaged by kamikazes, including 27 aircraft carriers and several battleships and cruisers. Four British aircraft carriers received five hits from kamikaze aircraft. About 90 percent of kamikazes missed their target or were shot down. The Thunder Gods Corps suffered heavy losses. Of the 185 Oka aircraft used for the attacks, 118 were destroyed by the enemy, killing 438 pilots, including 56 “thunder gods” and 372 crew members of the carrier aircraft.

The last ship lost by the United States in the Pacific War was the destroyer USS Callahan. In the Okinawa area on July 29, 1945, using the darkness of the night, an old low-speed training biplane Aichi D2A with a 60-kilogram bomb at 0-41 managed to break through to the Callahan and ram it. The blow hit the captain's bridge. A fire broke out, which led to an explosion of ammunition in the cellar. The crew left the sinking ship. 47 sailors were killed and 73 people were injured.

On August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender in a radio speech. In the evening of the same day, many of the commanders and staff officers of the kamikaze corps set off on their last flight. Vice Admiral Onishi Takijiro committed hara-kiri on the same day.

And the last kamikaze attacks were carried out on soviet ships. On August 18, a Japanese army twin-engine bomber tried to ram the Taganrog tanker in the Amur Gulf near the Vladivostok oil base, but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. As follows from the surviving documents, the plane was piloted by Lieutenant Yoshiro Tiohara.

On the same day, the kamikazes achieved their only victory by sinking the minesweeper boat KT-152 in the Shumshu area (Kuril Islands). The former seiner, the fish scout Neptune, was built in 1936 and had a displacement of 62 tons and a crew of 17 sailors. From the impact of the Japanese plane, the minesweeper boat immediately sank to the bottom.

Naito Hatsaro in his book “Gods of Thunder. Kamikaze pilots tell their stories” (Thundergods. The Kamikaze Pilots Tell Their Story. - N.Y., 1989, p. 25.) gives the number of losses of naval and army kamikazes with human accuracy. According to him, 2,525 naval and 1,388 army pilots died in suicide attacks in 1944-1945. Thus, a total of 3,913 kamikaze pilots died, and this number did not include lone kamikazes - those who independently decided to go on a suicidal attack.

According to Japanese statements, 81 ships were sunk and 195 damaged as a result of kamikaze attacks. According to American data, losses amounted to 34 sunk and 288 damaged ships.

But in addition to material losses from massive attacks by suicide pilots, the allies received psychological shock. It was so serious that the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz, suggested keeping information about the kamikaze attacks secret. US military censors have placed strict restrictions on the dissemination of reports of suicide pilot attacks. The British allies also did not talk about kamikazes until the end of the war.

Sailors extinguish a fire on the aircraft carrier USS Hancock after a kamikaze attack.

Nevertheless, kamikaze attacks fascinated many. Americans have always been amazed by the fighting spirit demonstrated by suicide pilots. The kamikaze spirit, originating in the depths of Japanese history, illustrated in practice the concept of the power of spirit over matter. “There was a kind of hypnotic admiration in this philosophy alien to the West,” recalled Vice Admiral Brown. “We watched in fascination every diving kamikaze - more like an audience at a performance, and not potential victims who were going to be killed. For a while we forgot about ourselves and thought only about the person who was on the plane.”

However, it is worth noting that the first case of an aircraft ramming an enemy ship occurred on August 19, 1937, during the so-called Shanghai Incident. And it was produced by the Chinese pilot Shen Changhai. Subsequently, 15 more Chinese pilots sacrificed their lives by crashing planes into Japanese ships off the Chinese coast. They sank seven small enemy ships.

Apparently, the Japanese appreciated the heroism of the enemy.

It should be noted that in desperate situations, in the heat of battle, fire rams were carried out by pilots from many countries. But no one except the Japanese relied on suicide attacks.

The former Prime Minister of Japan, Admiral Suzkuki Kantarosam, who more than once looked death in the eye, assessed kamikazes and their tactics this way: “The spirit and exploits of kamikaze pilots certainly evoke deep admiration. But these tactics, considered from a strategic point of view, are defeatist. A responsible commander would never resort to such emergency measures. Kamikaze attacks are a clear indication of our fear of inevitable defeat when there were no other options to change the course of the war. The air operations that we began to carry out in the Philippines left no possibility of survival. After the death of experienced pilots, less experienced pilots and, in the end, those who had no training at all, had to be thrown into suicide attacks.”