The Day of the Kamikaze

The extraordinary and compelling story of the world's first suicide bombers. The kamikazes were Japanese pilots who made the ultimate sacrifice: to carry a new and incomprehensible weapon of war; a final mission that would result in certain death; to dive and crash into enemy ships. Over 60 years ago, with the Second World War entering its final stages, Japan faced utter ruin and total defeat. As the Allies crept ever closer to the Japanese mainland, a Japanese High Command under increasing pressure sought desperate measures. Surviving kamikaze pilots and the families of those who died reveal how military leaders, Japan's increasingly grave situation, and their country's proud history each played a part in persuading men to sign up for certain death