You know, if you were to scan the available documentaries dealing with the Kamikaze, the Japanese suicide pilots near the end of World War II, you'd most likely come up with a description of the attacks on the American fleet at Okinawa. The British carriers farther south wouldn't be brought up. There would be an offhand reference to the rocket-powered Oka, a new version of a suicide plane, and possibly a brief mention of the Kaiten, the suicide torpedoes.
This program begins with a description of the Japanese Zero as a suicide plane, its effectiveness and its weaknesses. Among the latter: It was too light and its bomb load too small to penetrate the heavily armored ships that the Japanese wanted to destroy. And that would be that, for the traditional Kamikaze.
Most of us already know something about Okinawa and the bomb-laden Zeros. This program gives far more attention to the Oka. It was hardly used because it appeared so late in the war but it was a phenomenal device. It was a flying torpedo manned by a pilot who would be released from a bomber, glide towards his target and then activate three rocket boosters behind him and achieve a speed of 600 miles per hour -- unstoppable. And with that momentum, and with a heavy load of explosive, extremely dangerous to large ships.
The Kaiten was a submarine of similar construction. One sailor sat in a miniature cockpit, with only a compass and a stop watch for instruments, and steer his craft towards a desirable target. The Kaiten were built around the Japanese long lance torpedoes, the most powerful and effective torpedoes in existence at the time. The torpedo was ahead of the sailor. Behind him was a large tank of highly inflammable oxygen that both powered the engine, so that the Kaiten could reach 40 miles per hour, and also add to the explosive impact.
The two most powerful suicide weapons -- the flying Oka and the piloted Kaiten -- had weak points involving their transportation by mother ships. Both had short range and needed to be carried near their targets. But a bomber loaded with an Oka was slow and vulnerable. And a Japanese submarine with eight Kaitens strapped to its deck was hindered by drag and difficult to maneuver, so it was readily sunk.
It's a sensible, informative, and clearly written documentary with a few reenactors. And we get not only historical and technical details but personal experiences as well, drawn from Japanese diaries and other sources. The general commanding the Kamikaze effort, Ugaki, could not bring himself to face the humiliation of defeat. He was determined to make one last attack by himself. But he couldn't fly, so a volunteer offered to serve as his pilot. The airplane was shot down by American fighters.
It was all tragic, of course, on both sides. Mass homicide seems a habit hard to shake.
This program begins with a description of the Japanese Zero as a suicide plane, its effectiveness and its weaknesses. Among the latter: It was too light and its bomb load too small to penetrate the heavily armored ships that the Japanese wanted to destroy. And that would be that, for the traditional Kamikaze.
Most of us already know something about Okinawa and the bomb-laden Zeros. This program gives far more attention to the Oka. It was hardly used because it appeared so late in the war but it was a phenomenal device. It was a flying torpedo manned by a pilot who would be released from a bomber, glide towards his target and then activate three rocket boosters behind him and achieve a speed of 600 miles per hour -- unstoppable. And with that momentum, and with a heavy load of explosive, extremely dangerous to large ships.
The Kaiten was a submarine of similar construction. One sailor sat in a miniature cockpit, with only a compass and a stop watch for instruments, and steer his craft towards a desirable target. The Kaiten were built around the Japanese long lance torpedoes, the most powerful and effective torpedoes in existence at the time. The torpedo was ahead of the sailor. Behind him was a large tank of highly inflammable oxygen that both powered the engine, so that the Kaiten could reach 40 miles per hour, and also add to the explosive impact.
The two most powerful suicide weapons -- the flying Oka and the piloted Kaiten -- had weak points involving their transportation by mother ships. Both had short range and needed to be carried near their targets. But a bomber loaded with an Oka was slow and vulnerable. And a Japanese submarine with eight Kaitens strapped to its deck was hindered by drag and difficult to maneuver, so it was readily sunk.
It's a sensible, informative, and clearly written documentary with a few reenactors. And we get not only historical and technical details but personal experiences as well, drawn from Japanese diaries and other sources. The general commanding the Kamikaze effort, Ugaki, could not bring himself to face the humiliation of defeat. He was determined to make one last attack by himself. But he couldn't fly, so a volunteer offered to serve as his pilot. The airplane was shot down by American fighters.
It was all tragic, of course, on both sides. Mass homicide seems a habit hard to shake.
