By the autumn of 1944, Japan was facing the defeat of its armed forces, and a likely American invasion of the Home Islands in 1945. In desperation, they turned to suicide weapons, the legendary kamikaze. Although kamikaze aircraft are the best known of these weapons, there was a variety of special attack naval options, including human torpedoes, crash boats, and frogmen. The army also had its own last-ditch weapons, such as antitank lunge mines.
A postwar American study of Japanese air power concluded that “the single most effective air weapon developed by the Japanese was the suicide plane.” In contrast, the naval kamikaze weapons were more a dangerous nuisance than a serious threat to the US fleet. The special focus of this book is on the weapons designed in 1944–45 specifically for the special attack missions.
This dramatic image was taken seconds before this aircraft, probably a Yokosuka D4Y3 Suisei, narrowly missed the escort carrier USS Sangamon on May 4, 1945, off Kerama Retto, part of the 5th Kikusui wave. Moments later, the carrier was struck near the flight deck by another aircraft. (NARA)