Kaiten and Kamikaze
Kamikaze "divine wind" or ("spirit wind"), officially Tokubetsu Kōgekitai "Special Attack Unit", were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who initiated suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy warships more effectively than possible with conventional air attacks. About 3,800 kamikaze pilots died during the war, and more than 7,000 naval personnel were killed by kamikaze attacks.
Kaiten, literal translation: "Turn the Heaven", commonly rendered as "turn of the Heaven's will", "the heaven shaker" were manned torpedoes and suicide craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.
"The Coffin Boats"
Three two-man midget submarines tried to enter Sydney Harbor on May 31, 1942. The six men's last letters or poems made clear that they considered the mission to be one in which they would lose their lives. One midget got caught up in the boom net protecting the harbor, and the two crewmen set the self-demolition charge to destroy themselves and the midget rather than suffer the ignominy of capture as did Kazuo Sakamaki. Another midget fired its two torpedoes, and one sank the depot ship Kuttabul and caused the deaths of 19 men. Depth charges later destroyed this midget. The final midget did not have the opportunity to fire its torpedoes after depth charges and possible glancing blows from two ships. The two crewmen tried and failed to set the self-demolition mechanism, and they both died with shots to the head. The midget was recovered about a week later.
Kaiten, literal translation: "Turn the Heaven", commonly rendered as "turn of the Heaven's will", "the heaven shaker" were manned torpedoes and suicide craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.
"The Coffin Boats"
Three two-man midget submarines tried to enter Sydney Harbor on May 31, 1942. The six men's last letters or poems made clear that they considered the mission to be one in which they would lose their lives. One midget got caught up in the boom net protecting the harbor, and the two crewmen set the self-demolition charge to destroy themselves and the midget rather than suffer the ignominy of capture as did Kazuo Sakamaki. Another midget fired its two torpedoes, and one sank the depot ship Kuttabul and caused the deaths of 19 men. Depth charges later destroyed this midget. The final midget did not have the opportunity to fire its torpedoes after depth charges and possible glancing blows from two ships. The two crewmen tried and failed to set the self-demolition mechanism, and they both died with shots to the head. The midget was recovered about a week later.