Kamikaze attacks were made by Japanese servicemen throughout the final, desperate year of the Second World War (1939-45). Planes, piloted rockets, and boats were packed with explosives with the intention of causing maximum damage to the enemy, but with no realistic chances of survival for the pilots. These extraordinary tactics were deemed necessary as the only way to prevent an Allied invasion of Japan. Far less successful than hoped due to a plethora of Allied defensive response measures, the 4,000 kamikaze pilots who gave their lives were, nevertheless, honoured, revered, and remembered in their home country as young men willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend their homeland.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2988/why-japans-kamikaze-attacks-failed-in-wwii/.
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