Kamikazes and the Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka

Japan in WWII was a force to be reckoned with. With their significant amount of high skilled troops, new technologies, and hellbent drive to win the war, the Japanese were convinced that they would win the war. Common with Japanese soldiers was the Bushido code, which emphasized their loyalty and honor. One way that the Japanese did this was through Kamikazes. Kamikazes were a set of Japanese troops who partook in suicide missions to prevent allies from convening forces and taking over the Atlantic. Throughout the war, over 3,800 kamikazes died, with them killing around 7,000 people.

The Kamikazes troops piloted aircraft that were essentially missiles. They were to pilot these missiles and launch the aircraft, as well as themselves with it. These attacks had higher success rates then dropping normal missiles or other air warfare but came at the cost of the Japanese troops. One of the main planes used by the Kamikazes was the Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka. The plane was designed to allow low skilled pilots to fly their plane directly into Allied ships. The plane was designed to dive at extremely fast speeds, and on impact, explode the missile. Typically, it was made out of lighter materials, such as wood and aluminum to reduce the weight and increase the speed of its dive. Because the planes weren’t typically in the air for long and the pilots were already were ready to die, the lighter materials helped make the planes as deadly as possible for Japan’s allied enemies. The plane had 1,764 of thrust, which propelled the 2,646-pound warhead. The Japanese soldiers who became Kamikazes believed that their role would be crucial in the war and worth risking their lives for, but overall, the program was viewed as unsuccessful. Also, the Ohka’s, when shot at, would do more damage if they were on a Japanese boat. Overall, Kamikazes sunk 47 allied boats, however only around 14% of the attacks were successful and hit ships.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamikaze

https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=483

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Allied_vessels_struck_by_Japanese_special_attack_weapons