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Japanese Aviation / Kamikaze or shimbu-tai


dov

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It is much talked about the late days of WW2 about Japanese Aviation.

As well Army and Navy air forcers.

Especially the tales about Kamikaze or shimbu-tai.

As having my self deep knowledge in Japanese history and culture and aviation I can recommend this two books.

Both of them will scatter many historical fragments, which were invented and told in the victory drunken days after the fall of the nuclear bombs.

Nearly nothing is true. Here I can offer you a little bit insight:

 

One book a newer one about the IJN, the memoirs of a pilot.

 

Memoirs of a Kamikaze

A World WAR II Pilot’s inspiring Story of Survival, Honor and Reconciliation

By Kazuo Odachi

 

One book is a older one, which contains the memoirs of an IJA pilot.

 

The Mind of Kamikaze

Chiran Peace Museum

With an interview Kensuke Kunugi

Just read it.

 

Happy modelling

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Oh, good idea.

It may be interesting, to find out what this pilots who survied the war was going to do after.

Most of them, in Japan, were at the edge of society in all terms.

I do have in countrary no idea, what fighter pilots did in other countriues after the war, when dismissed from the militayry bussines.

Maybe you can tell.

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2 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

Somewhat in jest but doesn't being a surviving Kamikaze pilot seem rather at odds with the rationale behind the whole concept?

 

Regards

Colin.

 

Not really. Plenty of pilots returned when they couldn't find the assigned target or a suitable alternative, among them, Sakai Saburo. A lot were trained but weren't assigned a mission before the war's end. And, contrary to the "first wave", so to speak, that were highly enthusiastic volunteers, later and mainly in the IJAAF they were "convinced to volunteer" so not everybody was eager to die. I even remember a report of the pilot of a diving plane trying to abandon the aircraft and finally getting back into the cockpit, resigned to die, when he couldn't jump.

Edited by Fukuryu
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By the way:

No matter where and when:

Analogy are the Sturm pilots of the Luftwaffe. Desperation, eager to prevent  more bombing on the homeland...

Analogy for GB: the call to SOE.

History is just to learn out of it!

 

Museums in Japan teached me a lot.

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In the same vein as dov's post, and trying to keep the comparisons meaningful as he does, I don't see much difference between Kaiten and Neger pilots.

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