World War II Suicide Missions

In a detailed analysis published in August 1945, the US Pacific Fleet reported that from February through May 1945, kamikaze attacks were TEN times more effective than conventional bomb attacks. Kamikaze attacks during the final ten months of the Pacific War sank 66 allied ships, damaged more than 250, destroyed over a hundred aircraft on aircraft carriers, and killed more than 6,000 American sailors. This cost Japanese just one thousand outdated aircraft with new pilots. The Kamikaze tactic was extremely successful!

Some American missions during World War II could be considered suicidal. A plan was concocted to fly 16 new US Army bombers off an aircraft carrier to bomb Tokyo, commanded by LtCol James Doolittle, which became known as the Doolittle Raid. He considered the raid a failure since 16 modern bombers were lost that caused only minor damage in Tokyo. However, President Roosevelt’s propaganda machine ensured the mission was deemed a great success and all crewmen became heroes.

One can argue that some infantry missions during World War II were suicidal. For example, the plan to dump off thousands of American Marines on the island of Iwo Jima, where they struggled up sandy soil with no cover to reach the towering Mount Suribachi fortress. The Japanese had spent months fortifying the island. The Marines suffered more casualties than the Japanese as some units were nearly wiped out.

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“The Kamikaze War”; Walter Topp; MHN; October 12, 2021; https://militaryhistorynow.com/2021/1…

Related Tale: “The Plan to Bomb Japan Before the Pearl Harbor Attack”; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ktXi…

“The Saga of the Franklin”; US Navy; September 18, 1947; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbRFo…

Related Tale: “The Japanese Victory on Iwo Jima”; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b9wU…