Divine Wind: Japan's Kamikaze Force in World War II

by Roger Pineau, Tadashi Nakajima, Rikihei Inoguchi

Book Overview

A classic and poignant treatment of Japan's struggle between recognition of the kamikaze's futility and the country's pride in having made the attempt to stem the tide of the American advance in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155750394X
• ISBN13: 9781557503947
• Release Date: November 2013
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Genuine insight into a little-understood practice

Edited from the first-hand accounts of the officers responsible for developing the first Kamikaze corps, _Divine Wind_ was almost certainly the first clear portrait of what went on in the minds of the men who decided to face certain death with a good hope of harming the enemy, against almost certain death with little prospect of doing any harm at all.Contrary to popular American belief, the "Divine Wind" actions were counter to the deeply-held traditions of the Japanese Navy. As the last bastion of the old samurai class, Naval officers viewed a battle death without serious chance to harm the enemy as a disgrace, not an honor. At the time of the first attacks, the Naval Air Corp's aircraft were hopelessly outclassed, their state of repair and readiness was abysmal, and their pilots were woefully inexperienced and sorely lacking in chances for flight time. Faced with these facts, and under pressure from their own men, Inoguchi and Nakajima (with difficulty) secured permission for the first suicide attacks.The true story is far from the sensationalistic view painted on the History Channel or in War At Sea, and the two former officers paint it with as much dignity as they know how. It begins to dispell the stereotypes of contempt for life and paint a picture of what it was like to be a proud warrior in a cause you had begun to realize you could not win. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand how it feels at the wrong end of the stick.