In the middle of the 13th century, Mongol fleets sailed to attack a helpless Japan. As the invaders approached the Japanese coast, terrific winds arose, smashed the Mongol ships and thwarted the attack. This "Divine Wind" - what the Japanese referred to as the "kamikaze" - saved Japan.
Kamikaze Attack
Seven hundred years later, as the American war machine moved slowly but inexorably across the Pacific towards their home islands, the Japanese again called upon the kamikaze for salvation. This time the "Divine Wind" took the form of suicidal pilots who sacrificed their lives in order to assure that their explosive-laden planes hit their targets. It became the Japanese weapon that the American Navy feared most.
The Kamikazes made their first appearance during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. By 1945, they were a terrifying threat, "the only weapon I feared in war," declared Admiral Halsey. Their most devastating attacks occurred during the battle for Okinawa where the suicide pilots inflicted the heaviest losses the US Navy ever suffered in a single battle.
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