Kamikaze Special Attack Force - Kamikaze Special Attack Force

Japanese: 神風特別攻撃隊 - かみかぜとくべつこうげきたい

A special attack force organized by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. In October 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy fought against the US military's counterattack in the Philippines, mainly using the First and Second Air Fleets, which were land-based air forces. However, due to the mobility and concentrated striking power of the US task force, which was based on about 15 aircraft carriers, and especially the advancement of radar in the fleet, the deployment of patrol ships, and the completeness of the information command and communication system, the formations of fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers of the land-based attack force were attacked by American fighters with superiority before they could even see the target of attack (the American aircraft carrier), and were shot down without any results. Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi, commander-in-chief of the First Air Fleet, proposed that if there was no hope of survival in any case, a small number of planes should break through the air defenses and ensure results by ramming, and he organized the Kamikaze Special Attack Forces. The first attack was carried out between October 21 and 25, 1944, when 22 planes commanded by Captain Seki Yukio crashed into the American fleet at Leyte Gulf. By the end of the war, approximately 2,400 planes had been deployed, and 2,520 men were killed in action. In terms of success, approximately 20 combat vessels of destroyer size or larger had been sunk, and approximately 200 had been damaged. Although the accuracy was superior to that of conventional bombing, the ramming of winged aircraft itself had a slow attack speed and lacked penetrating power, and the number of ships sunk was only one-tenth of that of damaged ships. This type of attack has been criticized as ignoring humanity and being a perverse commander-in-chief. In addition, 1,388 members of the Army Air Special Attack Unit were killed in action.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

第2次世界大戦中，旧日本海軍によって編成された特別攻撃隊。 1944年 10月，アメリカ軍のフィリピン反攻に対して，日本海軍は陸上基地航空兵力である第1，2航空艦隊を主力として戦った。しかし，航空母艦 (空母) 約 15隻を基幹とするアメリカ機動部隊の機動力と集中的打撃力，特に艦隊におけるレーダの進歩と警戒艦の配備，情報指揮通信組織の完備によって，陸上基地攻撃隊の戦闘機，爆撃機，雷撃機の編隊は，攻撃目標 (アメリカ空母) を視認する以前にアメリカ戦闘機の優位からの攻撃を受け，なんらの戦果をあげることなく撃墜されるという状態であった。第1航空艦隊司令長官大西滝治郎中将は，いずれにしても生還を期待できないならば，小数機によって防空陣を突破し，体当り攻撃によって戦果を確実にすべきことを提案し，神風特別攻撃隊を編成した。 44年 10月 21～25日にかけて関行男大尉を指揮官とする 22機がレイテ湾のアメリカ艦隊に突入したのが最初である。終戦までに約 2400機が出撃し，2520人が戦死した。戦果としては，駆逐艦以上の戦闘用艦艇約 20隻を撃沈し，約 200隻を損傷させた。命中率は普通爆撃よりすぐれるが，有翼機自体の体当りは，撃速が小で，貫徹力に欠け，損傷船に比べて撃沈数は 10分の1にとどまった。この種の攻撃は人間性を無視し，統帥の邪道であると批判されている。このほか陸軍航空特別攻撃隊員 1388人が戦死している。

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