How This Plane Survived a Mission of No Return

How This Plane Survived

It was late 1944, and the tide of the war was turning against Imperial Japan. As a last hope to defend its home islands from the United States, Tokyo’s military leaders envisioned a dedicated unit of ideologically conditioned warriors willing to give up their lives for the empire. Soon, the Japanese embraced the kamikaze concept: one plane, one ship. One of the most potent symbols of the war in Japan, the kamikaze pilots were vivid examples of the dangers of fervent nationalism and martial fanaticism. The volunteer cadets often wore cherry blossoms in their uniforms, a flower whose dazzling beauty is accentuated by its brief existence.

Credit Dark Skies