The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was a rocket powered human-guided anti-shipping kamikaze attack plane, using as a platform, the bomber Mitsubishi G4M Betty. The following link shows a report and some photos this weapon, employed by Japan towards the end of World War II:
http://aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2011/02/uma-bomba-kamikase.html
Hope you enjoy and thanks for visiting!
The Japanese had Hind-D’s??!! :mrgreen:
Interesting photos, some of which I had not seen before. Thanks to its speed and substantial payload, the Okha was, in principle, a formidable weapon. The first recorded Okha attack of which I am aware simply wiped out a destroyer that was part of a US destroyer screen, and a few other examples of heavy damage to USN assets are recorded. The great weakness of this weapons system was the need to launch from “Betty” bombers. Unless heavily escorted by fighters, the “Betty” was a pretty easy target for US fighters, who quickly developed the knack of shooting down Okha and “Betty” before the former could be launched. At the very end of the war, the Japanese were developing jet (as opposed to rocket) powered Okhas in part to extend range, and were also working on land-launched Okhas for close home defence. Another case of desperate measures, coming much too late to make a difference. Best regards, JR.
Hi.
Besides the Okha the japanese navy also had suicide divers which should ram large pole mines into approaching landing craft and submersible gun turrets for coastal defense.
The japanese army developed special Kamikaze aircraft plus suicide speed boats and submarines.
To me every weapon based on the suicide of the operator is simply stupid…
Yours
tom! 
Was it used as a dive bomb, or it would i dont know, fly low and attack in the side of a ship? Because i dont think it had large range
From what I’ve read, when the Okhas were attached to the bottom of the bombers, they ( the bombers ) became so slow they were easy pickings for american fighters. The fighters shot them to ribbons.
Saw the other day a National Geographic episode of “Nazi Megastructures: Kamikaze” .
And here are my questions/remarks:
remarkable that the japanese were quick to institute kamikaze pilots and boatsmen and that Hitler was against it (end of 1944), however in may 1945 all german men were called to fight and all germans should better die with Nazi Germany if it was up to Hitler…so why didn’t Hitler order suicide missions in , say , march 1945 ?
remarkable that Japanese skilled pilots were asked and accepted to be Kamikaze, but for the mini-submersible equivalent they didn’t get experienced boatsmen, but only teenagers (who had to train longer to use the Kaiten sub). Does this mean Japanese Navy officers were more “normal”/“western educated” ? (Britain had a large influence on the structure and weapons of the Japanese modern Navy since 1900’s)
At one point you get the impression, kamikaze flying pilots were instituted because of the lack of planes and pilots to have a decent mainland Japan defense, and because a (proven in first attacks) 1 in 5 kamikaze hit on a US AC is very succesfull so the decision is “sensible” (having some 200 planes left), but another moment it is told (but not verified) that Japan had “over 5000” kamikaze planes ready for the defense, plus 1000’s of kamikaze subs and surface (speed)boats. If that were to be true, then there would have been a proper aireal defense and kamikazes would not have been necessary.
That 's confusing. What is it ?
There was a book written by or perhaps dictated by a man who joined the Kaiten program, and in it he recounts his experiences both in the Japanese military, and the program, and eventual (unsuccessful)deployments. It was titled “Suicide Submarine” I don’t recall the name of the man though. You might find it on line. He had wanted to train as a Navy Pilot, but due to missing teeth, and imperfect eyesight, he was not accepted. He then volunteered for Kaiten training. It was a good read, you might find it so as well.
