FPP200 - Kamikazes: the Terrifying Divine Wind of World War ll

In late 1944, when it was clear the war in the Pacific was lost, the Imperial Japanese Navy employed a frightening tactic against the US Navy: suicide attacks. Reminiscent of the "divine wind" that twice turned back marauding Mongrols, such attacks were called kamikaze.

On this episode, New York City author Gary Santos explains the scourge of kamikaze attacks during World War ll, including an attack on the aircraft carrier USS Randolph where his father Eugene served. Gary explains the mindset and techniques used by Japanese pilots to commit aerial hari-kari.

Check out Gary's book, A Grand Pause, chronicling a single day in 1945 between battling US and Japanese navies.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices