The untold story of kamikaze pilots
THE COMMON PERCEPTION is that the kamikaze pilots of World War II were indoctrinated zealots who willingly and selflessly met their end. Indeed, there is some truth to this, as the Japanese populace was conditioned to view this as the utmost, most honorable sacrifice. Elementary school teachers instilled in their students that these “sky hawks” should be revered, not only as heroes, but as divine beings.
Yet, the documentary “Kamikaze: An Untold History” – a thoughtful Japanese production that takes a sympathetic approach – recently aired on BBC Four, unveils a different reality. Pressured into volunteering and commanded to execute suicide missions against the American fleet, many “kamikazes” had little choice but to embrace their deadly destiny in a society where compliance was paramount.
“The commander told us that the war situation was so dire that we had to resort to kamikaze attacks. He said it was our only chance at victory. At that moment, I believed my life was over. We were being bluntly asked to sacrifice our lives.”
Concealed behind their final letters home, in which they professed pride in dying for their country, was a truth they couldn’t express. An elderly woman featured in the documentary recounts her older brother, whose first mission was also his last: “In the end, he had resigned himself to his fate. He felt it was inevitable, something he couldn’t evade.”
Although the kamikaze pilots harbored a unique sense of pride, it didn’t negate their fear. Yet they skillfully concealed it prior to entering battle. One airman assigned to guide the squadron to its target recalls a “chilling atmosphere” in the dormitory the night before the mission, “but when dawn broke and they arrived at the airport, they pushed all that aside and appeared cheerful. They didn’t want others to perceive any doubt or anxiety.”
The 90-minute documentary provides facts and figures – nearly 4,000 pilots perished on kamikaze missions, with an average age of 21, some were graduates of prestigious naval and military academies, others were fresh out of university – elucidating the strategy behind staffing the “elite” corps.
Japan was on the losing side of the war, but believed that by inflicting maximum damage on the enemy, it could demonstrate its might and secure more favorable terms. An unconditional surrender would have undermined the standing of the nation’s emperor. One pilot remembered being summoned to an air force briefing room where they were given the grim news. “The commander told us that the war situation was so critical that we had to resort to kamikaze attacks. “He told us it was our only chance for victory. In that moment, I felt as if my life was ending. We were bluntly asked to sacrifice our lives,” the pilot recalled.
The stories of the kamikaze pilots are brought to life through letters, photographs, and the memories of their relatives. Additionally, interviews conducted over a decade ago with pilots who were ultimately not chosen provide further insight. Some were not selected because their test scores were too high, and the top brass didn’t want to squander the lives of their most promising officers. Volunteers were asked to put in writing their desire to become a kamikaze pilot, with the options being “wish”, “strongly wish”, or “negative”.
Historians examining these records note that some wrote “wish” in smaller letters, a subtle sign of their reluctance. Yet, very few flatly refused. One man remembered playing rock-paper-scissors with a fellow pilot for the only kamikaze mission that day. He was disappointed when he lost. “Looking back, I can’t believe I volunteered,” he confessed, “but at the time, I felt cornered. Perhaps that’s the psychology behind suicide. I felt like I was suffocating.”
Many pilots felt they had no choice due to the prevailing political climate: the intense pressure that always accompanies conflicts of this scale, where any critique of the war effort is viewed as treason, silenced any opposition. The kamikaze strategy offered a glimmer of hope to the Japanese citizens. The film concludes with a reference to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, events that ultimately shattered that hope.
From The Telegraph
