WW2 JAPANESE KAMIKAZE

Kamikaze or Shinpu are Japanese suicide air formations belonging to the Navy and Army aviation at the end of World War II. The official name of these formations was Shinpu Tokubetsu Kogekitai. Kamikaze units arose in connection with the huge losses suffered by the Japanese air force in the course of the fighting in the Pacific in the period 1943-1944, the overwhelming quantitative advantage of the American air force, and especially with a clear shortage of well-trained airmen. Their introduction was aimed at eliminating the enemy's advantage and slowing or completely slowing down his march towards the Japanese Islands. Kamikaze units were used for the first time during the fighting in the Philippines in October 1944, and were used particularly intensively during the Battle of Okinawa in April-June 1945. Most often, traditional planes with suspended bombs were used to carry out Kamikaze missions, such as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. However, a special missile-propelled plane called Okha was also developed, which from the beginning was intended for Kamikaze attacks.