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DuringWorld War II,Japanese Special Attack Units (特別攻撃隊,tokubetsu kōgeki tai; often abbreviated to 特攻隊tokkōtai), also calledshimbu-tai, were specialized units of theImperial Japanese Navy andImperial Japanese Army normally used forsuicide missions (specifically,suicide attacks). They includedkamikaze aircraft,fukuryu frogmen, and several types of suicideboats andsubmarines as well assmertnik infantryman.
Weapons similar in effect to these suicide weapons are used today by modern militaries, though asdrones or otherwise automated rather than human-guided. Notable example isloitering munitions, which are popularly known askamikaze drones.
Towards the end of thePacific War, the Japanese were increasingly anticipating an American attack into the country and preparation was made for its defense.[1] This was calledKetsugō and the operation included the formation of specialized Japanese units. The move was driven by the realization that, in order to defend their homeland,conventional warfare was no longer sufficient.[1] The recruitment of soldiers willing to die in the suicide missions was, therefore, easily carried out. The suicide attack was also an accepted method of fighting and this is largely attributed to Japan's highly militaristic society as demonstrated by thesamurai system with itsbushido code, which established a legacy that honors and idealizes self-sacrifice.[2]
Japan saw the efficacy of the specialized units during their deployment in the Philippines in summer-fall 1944 when special attack units executed their first missions.[1] Japan saw that they were able to achieve results with limited resources.[3] Historians view the success of the suicide tactics as an important driver to Japanese war policies after 1943.[citation needed]Suicide attacks began in 1944, and British historians describe the campaign as a failure.[4][5]
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TheYokosuka MXY-7Ohka (櫻花; "cherry blossom") was a purpose-builtkamikaze aircraft employed by theImperial Japanese Navy Air Service towards the end of World War II. TheUS gave the aircraft theJapanese nameBaka ("idiot").
It was a smallflying bomb that was carried underneath aMitsubishi G4M2e "Betty",Yokosuka P1YGinga "Frances" (guided Type 22) or planned HeavyNakajima G8NRenzan "Rita" (transport type 33)bomber to within range of its target; on release, the pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough he would fire theOhka's engine(s) and dive onto the ship to destroy it. That final approach was almost unstoppable (especially for Type 11) because the aircraft gained tremendous speed. Later versions were designed to be launched from coastal air bases and caves, and even fromsubmarines equipped withaircraft catapults, although none were actually used this way.
The MizunoShinryū (神龍; "Divine Dragon") was a proposed rocket-poweredkamikaze aircraft designed for theImperial Japanese Navy towards the end of World War II. It never reached production.
TheNakajima Ki-115Tsurugi (剣; "Sword") was a one-mankamikaze aircraft developed by theImperial Japanese Army Air Force in the closing stages of World War II in late1945.
TheKokusai Ta-Go was a prototypekamikaze aircraft developed by Captain Yoshiyuki Mizuyama and Nippon Kokusai in late 1945 as a simpler aircraft than the Nakajima Ki-115.
TheKawanishiBaika (梅花; "Ume Blossom") was apulsejet-poweredkamikaze aircraft under development for theImperial Japanese Navy towards the end of World War II. The war ended before any were built. The design was inspired by the manned version of the GermanV1 flying bomb, theFieseler Fi 103R "Reichenberg".
TheShin'yō (震洋; "Sea Quake") were Japanese suicide boats developed during World War II. They were part of the wider Special Attack Units program.[6] These fast motorboats were piloted by one man, to speeds of around 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph). TheMaru-Ni was an Army version with two depth charges the operator would drop and try to escape before detonation.
Around 6,200Shin'yō were produced for theImperial Japanese Navy and 3,000Maru-Ni for theImperial Japanese Army. Around 400 were deployed toOkinawa andFormosa, and the rest were stored on the coast of Japan for the ultimate defense against the invasion of the Home islands.[7]
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TheKaiten (回天; variously translated as "Change the World", "Returning to Heaven" or "Heaven-shaker") was atorpedo modified as asuicide weapon, and used by theImperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.[8]
Early designs allowed for the pilot to escape after the final acceleration towards the target, although whether this could have been done successfully is doubtful.[9] There is no record of any pilot attempting to escape or intending to do so, and this provision was dropped from later production Kaitens.[10]
The inventor of the Kaiten, Lt. Hiroshi Kuroki, was lost during one of the first training missions. When the submarine was raised, a note written during his final minutes before death was found, sending his respects to his family and detailing the cause of the accident and how to repair the defect.[11]
TheKairyū (海龍; "Sea Dragon") was a class of Suicidemidget submarines of theImperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were designed to meet the invading American Naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tokyo.
These submarines had a two-man crew and were armed with two torpedoes and an internal warhead for suicide missions. Over 760 of these submarines were planned, and by August 1945, 200 had been manufactured, most of them at theYokosuka shipyard.
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Suicide divers (伏龍,Fukuryū; "Crouching dragons") were a part of the Special Attack Units prepared to resist the invasion of the Home islands by Allied forces. They were armed with amine containing 15 kg (33 lb) of explosive, fitted to a 5 m (16 ft) bamboo pole. They would dive and stick the pole into the hull of an enemy ship, destroying themselves in the process. They were equipped with a diving jacket and trousers, diving shoes, and a diving helmet fixed by four bolts. They were typically weighed down with 9 kg (20 lb) of lead, and had two bottles of compressed air at 150 bars. They were expected to be able to walk at a depth of 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft), for about six hours. Several deaths occurred during training due to malfunctions, but this weapon is only known to have been used a few times operationally:
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