Ohka  (桜花, Cherry Blossom)

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It was about 6m long, had a 1.2-ton armor-piercing bomb built into the forehead, and had a total weight of about 2 tons. Equipped with 3 solid rocket engines, the speed is about 800km / h in a dive assault state. At that time, the maximum speed of fighters was in the 500 / 600km range, so this speed was amazing, and it was difficult to shoot down if the aircraft was small and close to the enemy ship.

However, if the total fuel burning time was about 30 seconds and it was not possible to rush into the enemy ship with a single blow, then there was no choice but to rush into the sea. Ohka couldn't take off on her own, so she modified 一式陸攻　the land-based medium bomber type 24 (Mitsubishi G4M ) to carry it close to the enemy ship, mounted it on the bottom, dropped it after approaching the enemy ship, and started off. For the bomber was  designed with  bomb of 800 kg.

The Ohka with a total weight of about 2 tons was over loading, and the bomber equipped with Ohka was at the limit of taking off, and if you encounter an enemy fighter, it will be inferior in speed and mobility, and in many cases, both of them will be shot down.  The Ohka crew was on board before the start, and if they were attacked by the enemy before the start, they could unmannedly separate Ohka from the land attacker and avoid the enemy. 

The first Ohka Special Attack Unit set sail from Kanoya Base on March 21, 1945. First Ohka Special Attack Corps Captain Goro Nonaka (61st Marine) Captain , Captain Kentaro Mihashi (71st Marine) 

17 G4M bombers with 135 crew (or 18 aircraft 143 people according to"Jinrai Squadron Disposition")

15 Ohka and 15 crew,  total 150 soldiers

7 from Naval Military School, 143 remaining from  students & Navy aviation training school. 

According to "Illustrated Special Attack", Captain Nonaka was familiar with the weaknesses of the Ohka Corps he led. He requested the assistance of more than 70 fighters in the sortie, but only 55 were deployed. It is said that he said, "It's the way Minatogawa is." It was likened to the battle of Minatogawa by Kusunoki Masashige, who realized the end. "Navy Jinrai Squadron" Comrades Association p18, Hiroshi Kato "Jinrai Squadron Disposition" p202 The US military was intercepted by fighters from the regular aircraft carrier Hornet and the light aircraft carrier Belleau Wood. On the way, 25 of the  Ohka Corps escort fighters broke down and became 30. The set of escort fighters left the set of bombers for battle, and the set of bombers (US military nickname Betty) escaped, but all of them were shot down. The situation at that time is captured by a US military gun camera. A gun camera is a camera that shoots with a projector attached to a machine gun. 

Captain Kira Yagida (68th Marine) leaves the words of Major Nonaka. p146 "I want the command to give up Operation Ohka, even if I'm accused of being a national thief. Of course, I'm not afraid of desperate attacks, but it's clear that I can't reach the enemy as an attack aircraft. I don't want to affirm the tactics. I can't stand to take a large number of subordinates with me for suicide that is useless for feces. I'm saying it's a sortie again, but do you think that only you can return while watching the subordinates who lived together until today rush into the enemy ship? At the same time, I'll let the planes hit different goals. " The Nonaka Corps called themselves the "Nonaka Family" and had a high degree of unity under the leadership of Captain Nonaka, who had a tongue-in-cheek tone. Despite Captain Nonaka's intentions, like Lieutenant Seki and Captain Iwamoto, the first aviation officer who opposed the special attack method became the first captain of the Special Attack Unit.