Awesome! Kamikazes!

[csargemg]

This has happened to me twice now.

If you heavily damage but do not destroy an aircraft attempting to attack you, often they will use the last of their speed to climb, and then try to dive right onto you. Amazing.

The one that got me was a four-engine flying boat. Couldn't have been good for my pressure hull. Instant sink.

[Safe-Keeper]

They indeed do that too often for it to be random. It simply must be a scripted feature.

And yes, it's fairly awesome. Maybe they shouldn't do it 100% of the time, but yes, it sure as Heck adds some challenge to even small, lightly armed aircraft.

[joea]

Well these are not "real" Kamikazes, as those went out with the idea not to return and would dive undamaged onto their targets. That said, if a Japanese plane was fatally damaged and bound not to make it back anyway they might dive. Plus a lot fo the fighters early war didn't bother with parachuts as they were too bulky so...

[Safe-Keeper]

According to Tora, tora, tora!, the Japanese airmen attacking Pearl Harbour were told that if they realized they'd not make it home, they were to crash their planes into the enemy ships. An example is given of a pilot who observes his wingman signalizing 'no more fuel' with his hand and then rams an American vessel.

[csargemg]

I am not using 'Kamikaze' in the strict sense, but only loosely. This was a common thing, actually, for heavily damaged aircraft - Germans often rammed American bombers if they had been too heavily damaged, and Colin Kelly famously was thought to have rammed his B-17 into a heavy cruiser after sustaining too much damage to make it back after he let the crew bail out - he won the DSC for that

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by csargemg

Germans often rammed American bombers if they had been too heavily damaged

That's not quite true. The Rammjeager were a unit of specially armored FW-190s, who had orders to ram an American bomber if they couldn't shoot one down. One of their pilots reported that he never heard of one of them actually trying it.

I know of only one report of a German fighter pilot intentionally ramming a B-17, though there are several instances of it happening apparently accidentally.

[csargemg]

I didn't say it was a standing order or anything like that, but it has recorded to happen after damage.

In addition, Soviet aircraft would often do it as well when fatally damaged.

[Kant Schwimm]

Its easy to tell if you've been targeted - - if the pilot bails and the plane hits your boat...its just not your day if the pilot dosnt bail...you pissed him off

[Sailor Steve]

You said "often", and I don't recall reading about it happening all that much. As I said, I've only seen one report of someone doing it on purpose.

Of course I could be wrong. It's been awhile since I read any of those books.

[csargemg]

'Often' is relative, but yes, perhaps I was overestimating it. Regardless, you are correct, there was no 'directive' or anything in place.

[Chock]

Just in case anyone is interested:

Prior to mid June 1944, 'kamikaze' attacks would have been an impromptu decision by a Japanese pilot, as at that time the idea as a sanctioned concept had not been approved in any real form. The credit for its inception is generally given to Captain Eiichiro Jyo, at one time commander of the Chiyoda (a light carrier). At the time of his command, the carrier group of which he was part was mostly equipped with the Model 21 Mitsubishi Zero, which was then outclassed by better US aircraft. However, these were modified to carry a 550lb bomb and transferred to the newly-formed 333rd Air Group, with the specific intention of going after US carriers, and given the name Tokebetsu Kogeki Kai (Special Attack Unit). On June 19 1944, a group of 43 aircraft from this group managed to penetrate the defenses of a US battleship task force, and despite heavy losses, about 12 aircraft managed to carry out attacks, one hitting the US ship South Dakota, another two making suicide dives on the Indiana. These were not the first ever Japanese suicide attacks by aircraft, but they were the ones that formed the germ of the Kamikaze idea.

Impressed by these results, Jyo suggested that 'crash dive tactics' should be formally adopted, but his superiors disagreed. However, a supportive voice came in the form of Rear Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi, who had just taken over the First Air Fleet in the Philippines. Ohnishi and his followers were heavily into the mysticism of the Bushido Code (part of the Samurai warrior code). The Samurai having been abolished in 1871, the Bushido code was to some degree absorbed into some variations of Shintoism, thus loyalty and self-sacrifice, became part of the Japanese official religion (incidentally this is one of the themes you find Akira Kurosawa's work is often critical of, and is rumoured to be one of the reasons why he was ultimately dropped from a role where he was due to be the director of the Japanese footage from the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, although officially, it was because he was 'unwell').

Back in 1944 however, Ohnishi became a patron of much of the dedicated development of genuine Kamikaze aircraft such as the Yokosuka Ohka rocket-powered suicide bomb. In fact there is some suggestion that much of this development work was in direct contravention of overall official doctrine, and is reminiscent of the backbiting and rivalry that plagued many German aircraft designers. Nevertheless, by late 1944, actual planned suicide raids were taking place with many obselete aircraft types finding a new and very deadly use.

Tying the more mystical elements of warrior codes to the kamikaze, or Divine Wind as it is often translated - actually a literal translation of Kamikaze would be God Wind - resulted in elaborate pre-mission rituals where kamikaze pilots would be presented with intricate gifts from women, indulge in religious ceremonies, wear head-dress scarves with the rising sun etc. The divine wind, from which they got their name was an actual historical event, in that it was a typhoon which wiped out a Mongol invasion fleet which was on its way to attack Japan in the 13th century. The comparison is an obvious one with the oncoming US carrier fleet heading for the Japanese homeland, and was particularly effective at entrancing susceptible young men who felt duty-bound to their Emperor. This is one of the reasons why obselete, easy-to-fly aircraft were preferred for these attacks (the Mitsubishi Zero, being easier to fly than many other Japanese aircraft , became a favourite for these attacks).

Overall, it is estimated that well over 2500 individual aircraft embarked on suicide missions, scoring hits or near-misses that caused damage on 363 occasions. A total of 71 ships were sunk or damaged beyond economical repair in these attacks, and human casualties on the allied side as a result of Kamikaze attacks are estimated to number over six and half thousand.

So, there you go, if that doesn't convince you how stupid war is, nothing will.

[kakemann]

Have experienced this a few times, but not very often. It can seem they kamikaze down on me, but sometimes I hit them with my antiaircraft gun and they go down and hit me. Wonder if this is a kamikaze feature or just a randomized plane crash!

[Steel_Tomb]

about the FW-190's ramming B-17's, I heard that a hurricane/spitfire accidentaly collided with a He-111 during the BoB, the bomber lost its wing and crashed but the RAF fighter managed to return to base. Don't know if its true or some made up war story but hey :P

[davidaspy]

Theres a case i know of when the pilot of a damaged Spitfire rammed a German bomber during the battle of Britain. The attack was filmed from the ground along with the clearly tailless bomber falling to earth. It wasnt strictly a kamikazi becasue the British pilot survived. I remember there was a TV show on about a year ago here in Britain where they dug the planes up and interviewed the pilot.

[UnSalted]

This afternoon I was trailing along behind a crippled Large Modern Tanker I'd torpedoed. I looked around and noticed a destroyer coming up on me dead astern...and by dead I mean 1 degree of deflection at the most. He kept closing and closing for almost 5000 yards so I let off a torp at 750 yards figuring he had to be ready for a course change and I was wasting a good round.

Much to my surprise I hit him and he kept right on coming. He passed over me and came to stop a couple of hundred yards ahead. I dove a few feet to make sure I was going to pass under him with no sweat and heard a tremendous blast. SOB blew up right over top of me!!

Talk about a guy trying to even the score........