Kamikaze　Pilots

The Imperial Navy and Army prepared some sorts of Tokko (special attack without return) weapons, i.e. airplane, mini-submarine, torpedo(Kaiten), boat(Shinyo).  In Japan, "Kamikaze Tokko" means special attack by airplane. 

In the last year of WWII 1945, Japanese Navy and Army knew their desperate position. But nobody was allowed to admit it officially. It is prohibited to mention about such situation. Even privately if someone mentioned about the position, he or she including his/her family were blamed as desecrating the mother country. Still many of the people were made to believe their final victory and they admired such heroic action as Kamikaze pilot. Maybe with subtle suspicion. 

The Navy Special Attack Unit includes a special submarine that attacked Pearl Bay, a human torpedo kaiten, and a motor boat special attack "Shinyo" (more than 2,500 war dead, including many student soldiers and Navy flight preparatory trainees) In addition, the last battle by the battleship Yamato and other escorting destroyers was named Tokko (special attack without return)  (2740 dead) in Okinawa, but if you count only the aviation special attacks by aircraft (including Ohka - rocket bomb with pilot- ), 2568 people. 

The Army Special Attack Units had a special attack of paratroopers, a special attack motorboat called Marle, and a tank special attack, but excluding these, there were 1,305 aviation special attacks by aircraft alone. (From "Special Attack Units" and "Records of Special Attack Units Navy Bias / Army Edition") A little less than 4,000 people, including the Army and Navy, were killed in the aviation special attack. 

Among them, the Navy is mainly composed of flight preparatory students, graduates of universities and vocational schools called students, prospective graduates, and flight preparatory trainees (preparatory training) who are 14 years old or older. The Army is mainly composed of special flight apprentices (special operations) for high school / vocational school graduates, university graduates / current students, and boy aviation soldiers (small flight, technical students over 15 years old). 

As the war progresses with the Army and Navy, the war dead from the Naval Academy and the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, which have traditionally occupied military officers, are replenished from university and vocational school enrollment and graduates, and boy soldiers who are noncommissioned officers (between officers and soldiers)  The aviation soldiers who were particularly excellent both physically and mentally were carefully selected , and raised to the fullest while shaking off those that were not suitable for maneuvering through rigorous training. As the defeat approached, there was a shortage of planes and aviation soldiers, planes deteriorated, aviation soldiers only shortened their training period, and were unable to sufficiently fight with enemies from the latter half of 1944 to the end of the war in August 1945. They were trained for a short period of time with a focus only on hitting enemy ships. As the US military's special attack measures have advanced,  they were often  shot down before rushing into an enemy ship. The youngest people in their 16 to early 20s died in the kamikaze. They didn't want to die. However, they gave thei lives for the country, for his family, and for his own pride. 

Class and origin (various changes since the Meiji era) 

The kamikaze members are mainly lieutenants, second lieutenants to non-commissioned officers.

 Navy                                                                                                                              

Officers 

　　　General,  Lieutenant General, Major General 

　　　Colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, 

　　　Captain,   lieutenant, second lieutenant 

    　　Cadets 士官候補生

Warrant Officer 准士官

　　　Chief Master Sergeant (Master Sergeant)飛行兵曹長 　　（Army - Associate Lieutenant　准尉 )

Non-commissioned officer 下士官

　Senior Flight Sergeant ( Master Sergeant)上等飛行兵曹(上飛曹)        　　　　(Master sergeant)曹長

　First class sergeant (first sergeant) 一等飛行兵曹　　　　　　　　　　          (Sergeant ) 軍曹

　Second class sergeant (second sergeant)二等飛行兵曹 　　　　　　　　　 (Corporal)伍長

Corporal Soldier 兵

　　　Flying Chief 飛行兵長（飛長） 

　　　Captain Senior aviation soldier (superior aviation soldier)上等飛行兵（上飛兵） 

　　　first aviation soldier Gefreiter (Gefreiter) 一等飛行兵（一飛兵）

　　　Second Class aviator (private) 二等飛行兵（二飛兵）

Yukio Seki, who became the first kamikaze unit captain in Japan entered the Naval Academy (Edajima) in December 1938 (70th term of the Marine) through the old junior high school . A photo of the military school No. 4 (1st grade). Graduated in November 3, 1941 (formerly a maximum of four years, but gradually shortened due to the expansion of the war) 

In the Navy, becoming an elite among the elite who orders and commands noncommissioned officers and soldiers as officers It was promised. The enrollment rate for the 65th to 69th terms is 20 times or more. 432 people graduated from the same period. The total number of graduates of the 78th term of the military school is 12,433, and the average is about 160 students / year. The 75th term is the last graduation in 1945, and the 74th term graduates actually exceeds 1000. Rapid training was needed due to the increase in the number of killed in action. 

After Military school he became the battleship "Fuso" crew as a second lieutenant candidate. Ensign in June 1942. January 1943 Flight science student (39th term) Joined Kasumigaura Navy Air Corps. June Lieutenant Navy. August Practical training for onboard bombers in Usa Air Corp. Inaugurated as a flight instructor in January 1944, married in May, and died in a special attack in October. 

Military school → Ship work → Flight student (Kasumigaura Air Group about 1 year) → Practical aircraft training (fighter, carrier-based bomber, carrier-based attack aircraft, land attack aircraft, surface reconnaissance aircraft, etc.) It was a regular course for military officers in command of air combat units. This was a longer training period than pilots of Navy preparatory students and Navy flight preparatory train

Yokaren trainee (Yokaren) 

Captain Seki's Shikishima Corps (第一神風攻撃隊敷島隊）had four members. 　

Seki　大尉Colonel        graduated from the Navy Academy, 70th graduate.

The four members were from Naval Aviator Preparatory Course 

Nakano         一飛曹 First Sergeant　甲飛 10th graduate            20 years old

Tani  　　     一飛曹First Sergeant     甲飛 10th graduate             19

Nagamine    飛長 Flying chief                              丙飛15th graduate    19

 Ooguro      上飛曹 Senior Flight Sergeant　丙飛17th graduate    20

From left : Nakano                     Ooguro                            Tani                       Nagamine

Naval Aviator Preparatory Course  was established  in 1930 as the institution of aviation. The trainee of age 14 to 19 can enter the institution. The candidates were 5,807 in the first year and only 79 were selected from them. The training period was 3 years, but later was shortened due to the large loss of pilot.

10th graduate trainees are 1097 and 777 were killed by war. 15th graduate are 737 and 494 were dead.

(甲飛10th and 丙飛15th :　The year of these graduates were quite close)  

62% of Kamikaze Naval Tokkotai members who were killed in action were from Yokaren.

The youngest ones were 16 years old.

On the other hand, the graduate from Naval Academy was only 5%. 

In 942, four classes (a total of 277 people in the 9th-12th period) entered together. And 262 of the 445 people from the first to the twelfth period,  58% were killed in action. Furthermore, in 1943, the crew became increasingly scarce, and they had to be educated and put  on the front lines in the shortest possible time. Therefore, the qualifications for selection were higher than expected to graduate from the above-mentioned school in September of this year and the former normal school that was promoted to a public vocational school in May. From the total of 50,000 applicants, about 10% of 4726 students were selected and joined in the 13th term, and 3312 students in the 14th term and 1993 preparatory students in the 1st term were selected in large numbers. 769 officers of Kamikaze  were killed in action.  652 of them were from the flight department preparatory students.