Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Kamikaze Attacks

“Transcend life and death. When you eliminate all thoughts about life and death, you will be able to totally disregard your earthly life. This will also enable you to concentrate your attention on eradicating the enemy with unwavering determination, meanwhile reinforcing your excellence in flight skills.”

- A paragraph from the Kamikaze pilot's manual, located in their cockpits.

Kamikaze Pilots are arguably the most notorious unit of Japanese war strategies. Meaning "divine wind", these pilots were devastating to the US army in the fact that Kamikazes didn't just accept death, they strove for it as a final sacrifice for the Japanese Army against the US.

But why would one willingly kill themselves in battle?

Kamikaze forces felt honor in defending their country, and would rather die for it than lose. In fact, the Japanese treated prisoners of war as lower than dirt, making Allied soldier's lives a living hell.


“We tried to live with 120 percent intensity, rather than waiting for death. We read and read, trying to understand why we had to die in our early twenties. We felt the clock ticking away towards our death, every sound of the clock shortening our lives.”

Irokawa Daikichi, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers

 
"I am pleased to have the honour of having been chosen as a member of a Special Attack Force that is on its way into battle, but I cannot help crying when I think of you, Mum. When I reflect on the hopes you had for my future ... I feel so sad that I am going to die without doing anything to bring you joy."

Last letter home from 23 year old Kamikaze pilot Ichizo Hayashi

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