In May 1945, with victory in Europe established, the war was all but over. But on the other side of the world, the Allies were still engaged in a bitter struggle to control the Pacific. And it was then that the Japanese unleashed a terrible new form of warfare: the suicide pilots, or Kamikaze.Drawing on meticulous research and unique personal access to the remaining survivors, Will Iredale follows a group of young men from the moment they signed up through their initial training to the terrifying reality of fighting against pilots who, in the cruel last summer of the war, chose death rather than risk their country's dishonorable defeat—and deliberately flew their planes into Allied aircraft carriers.
The destruction of much of the remainder of the Japanese fleet and its air arm in the later half of 1944 left the Japanese Home Islands vulnerable to attack by US naval and air forces. In desperation, the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed using “special attack” formations, or suicide attacks. These initially consisted of crude improvisations of conventional aircraft fitted with high-explosive bombs that could be crashed into US warships. Called “Divine Wind” (Kamikaze), the special attack formations first saw action in 1944, and became the scourge of the US fleet in the battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. In view of the success of these attacks, the Japanese armed forces began to develop an entire range of new special attack weapons. This book will begin by examining the initial kamikaze aircraft attacks, but the focus of the book will be on the dedicated special attack weapons developed in 1944. It also covers specialized suicide attack weapons such as anti-tank lunge mines.
In this fascinating book the author examines the Japanese concept of Kamikaze, the deliberate self-sacrifice of life in the cause of victory. This attitude, while incomprehensible to their American and European enemies, has its roots in the samurai tradition of fighting for their master or nation regardless of personal safety. By late 1944 the Japanese had already proved themselves fanatical but the actions of the Kamikaze Corps of pilots from the Leyte Gulf battle onwards took matters to a new level. Allied forces were shocked to find themselves the subject of widespread deliberate suicide attacks by pilots. These continued during the invasion of the Philippines in early 1945 and reached a climax during the Battle of Okinawa from 1 April to June 1945. In total over 1000 kamikaze airmen perished. Graphic description of these suicide attacks and the resulting loss of life and ships litter this revealing and shocking book. The author’s in depth study of the historic and cultural reasons for this seemingly reckless courage is important and illuminating.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! Military History Matters Book of the Year Bronze Award Winner 'Compelling... sensitive, colourful and moving' -- Saul David, Telegraph 'Fascinating and utterly gripping' -- James Holland 'Absorbing' -- Daily Mail Book of the Week The incredible story of the crack team of men and women who transformed RAF Bomber Command and helped the Allies deliver decisive victory over Nazi Germany. The Pathfinders were ordinary men and women from a range of nations who revolutionised the efficiency of the Allies' air campaign over mainland Europe. They elevated Bomber Command - initially the only part of the Allied war effort capable of attacking the heart of Nazi Germany - from an impotent force on the cusp of disintegration in 1942 to one capable of razing whole German cities to the ground in a single night, striking with devastating accuracy, inspiring fear and loathing in Hitler's senior command. With exclusive interviews with remaining survivors, personal diaries, previously classified records and never-before seen photographs, The Pathfinders brings to life the characters of the airmen and women - many barely out of their teens - who took to the skies in legendary British aircraft such as the Lancaster and the Mosquito, facing almost unimaginable levels of violence from enemy fighter planes to strike at the heart of the Nazi war machine.
As a "Sea Hunter" and host, with novelist Clive Cussler, for the new National Geographic International television series, join Delgado as the team searches for, discovers and explores, among others, the wrecks of RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic’s survivors; Mary Celeste, the infamous "ghost ship" found sailing alone without a soul aboard, in the mid-Atlantic in 1872; Vrouw Maria, a perfectly preserved Dutch cargo ship of 1771, discovered on the bottom of the Baltic Ocean packed with cargo, including crates of long-lost Old Masters belonging to Empress Catherine the Great of Russia; the lost ships of the Mongol fleet of Kublai Khan that invaded Japan in 1274; and wreck of the USS Mississinewa, the first ship sunk by a Japanese "suicide submarine" in WWII. Stories and personalities of the past are interspersed with visits and voyages around the world - crossing the Atlantic, drifting in a powerless ship at the mercy of gales in the heart of the Pacific, and navigating through the fabled Northwest Passage. The undeniable thrill of being where history was made make "Adventures of a Sea Hunter" a highly entertaining, personal account of the exploration of the sea and the past that rests beneath the waves.
Discover step-by-step all the tricks - both freehand and digital - to get the best manga characters. Here is an amazing manual of manga for artists of all ages! Concentrating on Kodomo manga and Kodomo anime, Kodomo Manga is a practical, hands-on guide to learning the skills of Kodomo drawing. It includes detailed information on how to apply digital colour, 3D designs, vectorial drawing, and a host of other fascinating and useful design applications. And each project in Kodomo Manga includes step by step instructions specifying software, tools, and professional tricks to achieve the cutest and most captivating kawaii manga illustrations. Not just for kids, Kodomo Manga takes manga artists, illustrators, and graphic designers from initial black-and-white sketches to a vibrant, fully costumed collection of characters. In six chapters, its content will be broken down as follows: o CHAPTER ONE: ANIMALS. Featuring: In the Woods, the Circus, Under the Sea, the Farm, and the Safari. o CHAPTER TWO: FANTASY. Featuring: Magicians, Elves and Dwarfs, the Heavenly Pegassus, Fairies, Dragons and Warriors. o CHAPTER THREE: OFFICES. Featuring: Magic Postmen, Idols, Astronauts, Health Center Workers, and Bakers. o CHAPTER FOUR: STORIES. Featuring: Sleeping Beauty, Pirates, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White. o CHAPTER FIVE: HORROR. Featuring: Halloween, Vampires, Mystery Castles, Little Monsters, She-Devils. o CHAPTER SIX: STARS. Featuring: Baseball Players, Adventurers, Dinosaur Hunters, Card Master, The Ninja and the the Samurai, Super Cowboys
“It's all well-written and well-illustrated with 208 black and white photos and two black and white maps.” — Historical Miniatures Gaming Society HMS Formidable was a British aircraft carrier during the Second World War. One of four Illustrious-class carriers, Formidable was an armored carrier, able to withstand air attacks, guarding its precious aircraft hangar with an armor-plated flight-deck. As well as its squadrons of fighters and torpedo bombers, Formidable was armed with sixteen 4.5-inch dual-purpose guns, mounted in eight turrets. When action stations sounded, in one of these turrets, sweating in the tropical heat due to heavy asbestos anti-flash gear, lifting shells from the hoist to the gunner, while frantically turning the air into a ‘plum pudding’ of smoke and flame to smash the enemy kamikaze from the sky, was the author’s grandfather, Arthur Flint. Illustrated with almost 200 contemporary photographs throughout, Formidable is a memorial to the voyages and service of Arthur Flint and his shipmates during the war, from the Battle of Matapan, the landings in North Africa, Sicily and Salerno, to the arctic hunt for Tirpitz, before Formidable steamed east to Sydney in 1945 and joined the British Pacific Fleet, fighting alongside the Americans at Okinawa and the final assault against Japan.
The dramatic history behind one of WWII’s most powerful—and dangerous—planes, “spiced with many first-hand accounts, American and British” (Aeroplane). Despite everything, I felt very lucky to have flown Corsairs. They were the best, you know, even though it took me some time to realize this when so many friends died flying them. —Colin Facer, Corsair pilot, HMS Illustrious The Vought-Sikorsky Corsair was one of the most potent fighters of WWII—and one of the most flawed. Conceived by Rex Beisel, Vought’s Chief Designer in 1938, it was condemned by the US Navy as too dangerous for carrier operations and wasn’t certified for use at sea. With British companies unable to build fighters with sufficient range and potency for carrier use, the Admiralty sought alternatives, and due to Roosevelt’s Lend Lease program, they could acquire weapons from American factories. In practice, this meant standing in line behind the US military for service, but it still opened up new opportunities. So with newly built Corsairs being stockpiled and the promise of an improved version to come, the Royal Navy saw an opening worthy of development and exploited it. By the end of the war, the Fleet Air Arm had acquired more than 2,000 Corsairs to equip its squadrons. But the risks identified by the USN were largely ignored by the Royal Navy and far too many men and aircraft were lost in accidents as a result. Yet in the hands of experienced carrier pilots, its virtues were only too apparent and, in due course, they achieved great things. Eventually, the US Navy noted this “success” and certified the Corsair for use on their carriers too, but the aircraft never entirely lost its reputation as a “widowmaker.” This book, with photos included, describes the Corsair’s development and tells the sad but inspiring story of the young men who struggled and suffered to make the Corsair a going concern in the most vicious, unforgiving war one can imagine. The author met and corresponded with almost a hundred veterans from America, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada. Their recollections made this book possible—and through their vivid memories we can experience what it felt like to be barely of age, a civilian called to arms, and a fighter pilot.
During World War II, Allied casualty rates in the air were high. Of the roughly 125,000 who served as aircrew with Bomber Command, 59,423 were killed or missing and presumed killed—a fatality rate of 45.5%. With odds like that, it would be no surprise if there were as few atheists in cockpits as there were in foxholes; and indeed, many airmen faced their dangerous missions with beliefs and rituals ranging from the traditional to the outlandish. Military historian S. P. MacKenzie considers this phenomenon in Flying against Fate, a pioneering study of the important role that superstition played in combat flier morale among the Allies in World War II. Mining a wealth of documents as well as a trove of published and unpublished memoirs and diaries, MacKenzie examines the myriad forms combat fliers' superstitions assumed, from jinxes to premonitions. Most commonly, airmen carried amulets or talismans—lucky boots or a stuffed toy; a coin whose year numbers added up to thirteen; counterintuitively, a boomerang. Some performed rituals or avoided other acts, e.g., having a photo taken before a flight. Whatever seemed to work was worth sticking with, and a heightened risk often meant an upsurge in superstitious thought and behavior. MacKenzie delves into behavior analysis studies to help explain the psychology behind much of the behavior he documents—not slighting the large cohort of crew members and commanders who demurred. He also looks into the ways in which superstitious behavior was tolerated or even encouraged by those in command who saw it as a means of buttressing morale. The first in-depth exploration of just how varied and deeply felt superstitious beliefs were to tens of thousands of combat fliers, Flying against Fate expands our understanding of a major aspect of the psychology of war in the air and of World War II.
A heartwarming tale of courage, resilience and hope from master storyteller and winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal, Linda Sue Park. When her name was Keoko, Japan owned Korea, and Japanese soldiers ordered people around, telling them what they could do or say, even what sort of flowers they could grow. When her name was Keoko, World War II came to Korea, and her friends and relatives had to work and fight for Japan. When her name was Keoko, she never forgot her name was actually Kim Sun-hee. And no matter what she was called, she was Korean. Not Japanese. Inspired by true-life events, this amazing story reveals what happens when your culture, country and identity are threatened.
