World War II in the Pacific
Japanese Suicide Attacks at Sea.

---

It is not uncommon in warfare for a wounded soldier to "Take one with him." The most dramatic is that of a pilot on either side with a damaged plane, with no hope of getting home, to ram the enemy, either in the air, on the ground, or at sea.

14 October44. Japanese aerial counterattacks continue on TF 38, inflicting damage on light cruiser Reno (CL-96) by a suicide plane.

Late in the war, the Japanese established a policy of intentional suicide, called "special attack".  From 23 October 1944, the policy of suicide attack inflicted much damage on the U.S. fleet.

Kamikaze -- Japanese Navy suicide plane. The Army also used suicide planes.

• 21 Oct44  Two planes with volunteers flew from the Philippines to attack U.S. carriers and crashed HMAS Australia.
• 25-26 Oct44.  Off Leyte, 55 Kamikaze pilots, in the first planned mass suicide attacks of the war, coordinated with the IJN attack in Leyte Gulf, hit the escort carriers and sank St. Lo (CVE-63) and damaged the large escort carriers Sangamon (CVE-26), Suwannee (CVE-27), Santee (CVE-29), and small escort carriers White Plains, Kalinin Bay, and Kitkun Bay.   In all, 7 carriers were hit and 40 other types damaged; five ships were sunk, 23 heavily damaged, and 12 moderate damage.
• 25Mar45-21Jun45. Off Okinawa -- Ten "Kikusui", swarms of Kamikaze, up to 350 attackers at a time, 1,900 in total, damaged 250 ships with 34 destroyers and smaller ships sunk.  Several ships were damaged so badly they were not repaired. One in seven of all naval causalities occurred off Okinawa.
• 3,500 naval planes and an additional 1,500 army planes are hidden on Kyushu for the "final battle" and just as many for orthodox use ; once suicide planes were used up, the orthodox pilots would become Kamikazes. This is a number sufficient to sink or damage 1,000 ships of an invading fleet.

Mitsubishi J8M/Ki-200 Shusui -- rocket powered interceptor.

Nakajima Ki-115.  -- Specially built, basic aircraft that could carry a bomb for kamikaze attacks.

Shinten Special Unit 47th Air Regiment -- to defend the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

Reppu.  -- Specially designed kamikaze for use against B-29 ;  the war ended before production.

Yokosuka Ohka. --   A piloted glide bomb, called "BAKA" (idiot) by the allies.

• 21Mar45. Japanese make first known operational use of Baka piloted bombs in unsuccessful air attack against TF-58.
• 12Apr45. Off Okinawa, destroyer Mannert L. Abele (DD-733) is sunk by Baka -- she is the first U.S. Navy ship to be sunk by that type of weapon.  Destroyer Stanly (DD-478) is damaged by Baka.  High speed minesweeper Jeffers (DMS-27) is damaged by Baka and kamikaze.
• 4 May45. Light minelayer Shea (DM-30) is damaged by a Baka.  Minesweeper Gayety (AM-239) is damaged by near-misses of kamikaze and Baka.
• 10May45 -- In a crash program to counter the Japanese Baka (suicide) bomb, the Navy authorized development of Little Joe, a ship-to-air guided missile powered with a standard JATO unit.
• 11May45. Destroyer Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) is damaged by Baka.

Ki-167 or Hiryu To-Go --   Bomber with 3 ton thermite bomb.

Shinyo and Maru-ni -- Motorboat with explosives in the bow.

• 10Jan45.   Six ships damaged and two gunboats sunk by Japanese suicide boats in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines. War Hawk (AP-161) 81 killed..
• 31Jan45.  PC-1129 sunk by Japanese suicide boat off Nasugbu, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
• 16Feb45.  LCS(L)-7, LCS(L)-26, and LCS(L)-49 sunk by suicide boats off Mariveles, Corregidor Channel, Luzon.
• 4 April 45.  USS LCI(G)-82 and LSM-12 sunk by Japanese suicide boats off Okinawa.
• 27April 45. USS Hutchins (DD-476) seriously damaged by a Japanese suicide boat in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, and not repaired after the end of the war.
• Hundreds, if not thousands, planned for defense of home islands.

Fukuryu -- Human mine - Swimmers carry an explosive charge beneath a ship or landing craft.

Water's Edge Surprise Attack Force

• 08 Jan45.  Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-404 is damaged by suicide swimmers, Yoo Passage, Palaus.
• 10Feb45.  Japanese suicide swimmers attempt attack upon surveying ship Hydrographer (AGS-2) in Schonian Harbor, Palaus.

Nikaku -- Human anti-tank mine - Soldiers with explosives strapped to their bodies.

The army had developed the technique in Philippines and on Okinawa to attack tanks by strapping explosive on a soldier who would crawl between the treads. Others were a shaped-charge on a spike and a simple hand granade. Motto : "One man - one tank".

    48 feet, 3 feet diameter, 8.3 tons, 3,400 pound TNT warhead.
• 20Nov'44 Mississinewa (AO-59) destroyed at Ulithi Anchorage by Kiaten launched from I-47.   Tanker-burns. DDs drops ash-cans"   video - 2 minute
  The first trial run was the most successful of the Kiaten program. Three subs left the Inland Sea Nov 8th each carrying four kaiten. I-37 was sunk at Kossol Roads, Palau by two DE's . I-36 could not launch her's. I-47 launched all four towards Ulithi lagoon anchorage containing 200 U.S. ships. Mississinewa made three explosions : the initial hit, the avgas tank, the magazine, which were reported by the mother sub as three aircraft carriers destroyed. The Kiaten program went into full production.
• 11Jan45. Begin Operation KONGO, employing suicide torpedoes [Kaitens].  I-36 launches Kaitens that damage ammunition ship Mazama (AE-9) and infantry landing craft LCI-600 at Ulithi.
• 12Jan45. Operation KONGO continues; submarine I-47 launches Kaitens that damage U.S. freighter Pontus H. Ross off Hollandia, New Guinea. Other Kaiten attacks are not successful -- I-53 at Kossol Roads, Palau; I-56 at Manus, in the Admiralties; and by I-58 at Apra Harbor, Guam.
• 20Jan45. Operation KONGO concludes with Japanese submarine I-48 carrying out unsuccessful Kaiten attack on U.S. shipping at Ulithi.  I-48 is sunk by destroyer escorts 23Jan45.
• 28Mar45. Japanese submarine I-47 (equipped with Kaitens) is damaged by 5th Fleet surface ships/craft off Okinawa and forced to return to Kure for repairs.
  From 26Apr45 to 10Aug45, ten ships were reported sunk.   Other Kaiten contacts include:
• 6 May45. Submarine I-366, en route to take delivery of Kaitens, is damaged by mine off Hikari.
• 27May45. Destroyer escort Gilligan (DE-508) is damaged by dud torpedo Kaiten launched from Japanese submarine I-367.
• 28June45. Japanese submarine I-136 carries out unsuccessful Kaiten attack on stores ship Antares (AKS-3) southeast of the Marianas ; destroyer Sproston (DD-577) comes to Antares's aid, sinking one Kaiten and damaging I-136.
• 24July45. Destroyer escort Underhill (DE-682), destroyed while intercepting 4 Kaitens from Japanese submarine I-53 off Luzon.
• 05 Aug45. Destroyer escort Earl V. Johnson (DE-702) is damaged by explosion of a near-miss of Kaiten fired by submarine I-53 in Philippine Sea.
• 09 Aug45. Destroyer escort Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360) on the convoy route between Leyte and Okinawa, sinks what may have been Kaitens launched by I-58.
• 12Aug45. Japanese submarine I-58 conducts unsuccessful Kaiten attack on dock landing ship Oak Hill (LSD-7) while she is en route from Okinawa to Leyte Gulf.
• A shore based Kaiten station was established in preparation for the invasion on the SE tip of Kyushu, on Hachijojima Island, and others were being prepared on Shikoku and Honshu.
• About 1,000 available at war end.

Civilian Resistance Training.