Japanese Kamikaze Recognition Training Slide
As World War II became more prolonged, the Empire of Japan had suffered not only several significant military defeats, but were also suffering from a declining industrial capacity with which to support the war efforts. In particular, the loss of experienced pilots, coupled with the fact that many of their aircraft were outdated, had resulted in the Japan losing aerial dominance that they had enjoyed earlier in the war. The loss of their pilots was so rapid that they could not train new pilots quickly enough to fill the void.
The situation described above led to Japan adopting a suicide attack strategy as a way of possibly increasing their military successes. Commencing in October 1944, Japan began sending Kamikaze (which means Divine Wind) pilots on suicide missions in planes that were laden with some combination of explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks to attempt to attack and sink Allied ships. In total, about 3,862 kamikaze pilots died, but only about 19% of the attacks managed to hit a ship. In actuality, the Allies developed effect defensive measures that were successful, and the suicide mission approach was largely ineffective at accomplishing large scale losses of Allied ships.
The item in my collection is a vintage WWII US Navy Recognition Training Slide, which depicts a Baka Kamikaze Japanese Suicide Plane. Baka comes from the nickname American sailors gave the pilots, which meant “fools" or "idiots". The slide is dated 4 Jun 1945, which was just a couple of months before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which effectively brought the war with the Japanese to an end. It is a standard 2” x 2” slide.
The situation described above led to Japan adopting a suicide attack strategy as a way of possibly increasing their military successes. Commencing in October 1944, Japan began sending Kamikaze (which means Divine Wind) pilots on suicide missions in planes that were laden with some combination of explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks to attempt to attack and sink Allied ships. In total, about 3,862 kamikaze pilots died, but only about 19% of the attacks managed to hit a ship. In actuality, the Allies developed effect defensive measures that were successful, and the suicide mission approach was largely ineffective at accomplishing large scale losses of Allied ships.
The item in my collection is a vintage WWII US Navy Recognition Training Slide, which depicts a Baka Kamikaze Japanese Suicide Plane. Baka comes from the nickname American sailors gave the pilots, which meant “fools" or "idiots". The slide is dated 4 Jun 1945, which was just a couple of months before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which effectively brought the war with the Japanese to an end. It is a standard 2” x 2” slide.
