This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:44 am
i'm sorry Digger but somehow i find these videos replusive.. they were the same as brain washed terrorist today. one can only imagine the fear of the men on those ships.
don't mean to sound harsh.. so plz don't be offended
Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:07 am
Thanks for posting. If anything, this is good video records. It's amazing anything survived out of Japan at the end of WWII.
But I do not look at Japanese as terrorists. They were defending their homeland and things were grim for them. Naturally they made a last resort to suicide missions.
Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:27 pm
As with most things, it's more complicated than that.
A few years ago I had an opportunity to spend a week in Tokyo while my better half was working there. Amongst other things I visited the Yasukuni Shrine which has an amazing museum and artifacts on display. I thoroughly recommend it.
They have a section/corner specifically focussed on the various 'special attack' forces. The way "they" describe and look at this issue is not the way "we" look at it. That newsreel is a prime example of our view.
The museum notes that attacking the American sea-borne forces was getting difficult/impossible for the Japanese air forces. A flight of attacking Japanese aircraft would more often than not be decimated, and successful strikes were both rare and extremely costly in terms of aircraft, munitions and lives lost. Someone hit on the idea of reinvigorating the Bushido code and allowing volunteers to sacrifice themselves in the interests of actually getting somewhere. It was acknowledged that they would very likely die in a conventional attack anyway, and it was surmised, and then proven in practice, that single aircraft deliberately flown into targets had a far better success rate, and far less cost in terms of lives and material, than the conventional approach.
And so it was. As always, more than meets the eye. Don
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