Kamikaze Pilots had one job. Introduce and crash their face (and plane) into the deck of an American Aircraft Carrier or Battleship. They were a late addition to Imperial Japan's arsenal during the latter years of World War 2 when they desperately trying to stop the United States from defeating them.

So what happened to these young pilots when they failed and returned to their bases? Were they punished or just sent back out on another mission to sacrifice it all for victory. Find out in this video, the latest in my very short animated historical documentaries (about history).


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Japanese Reflections on World War II and the American Occupation by Edgar A. Porter and Ran Ying Porter

Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney

Most people have heard of kamikaze pilots, young men who were tasked with crashing their planes into enemy warships.

These pilots could, ideally, accurately target important parts of ships and do more damage than a traditional bombing run.

Also, it was believed that the display of a kamikaze pilot willingly sacrificing themselves for Japan would demoralize the enemy.

Now, the effects of kamikaze attacks are well debated, but something not spoken about is, what happened when they failed?

What was to become of a kamikaze pilot that either missed or wimped out?

As of 1944, things weren't exactly going great for Japan, and the only hope of preventing America from defeating them was to destroy or at least cripple their capital ships, most importantly, their aircraft carriers.

Simply attacking the ships with conventional means was too costly for Japan.

As such, taking young pilots, sticking them into planes loaded with explosives, and then ordering them to fly into critical parts of enemy ships was deemed to be a better strategy.

The men chosen for this weren't just some random champs, but were some of the most gifted pilots in Japan.

The training was harsh, but the rations were much better, and culturally, kamikaze pilots were revered.

Pilots were expected to reflect on death in their time off to prepare them for their upcoming mission.

Yet for some, this preparation and love for Japan wasn't enough to get them to introduce their face to the deck of an American warship.

So what happened to failed kamikaze pilots?

Well, many were shot down before they even completed their mission or could get there.

Some hit the wrong part of the ship or missed completely and fell into the ocean where, providing they survived, they'd be captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp.

And before continuing, there's a common misconception that kamikaze pilots were only given half a tank of fuel to ensure they couldn't come back.

Also, there were legitimate reasons for a pilot to turn around and losing a well-trained kamikaze to a malfunction would be a waste.

And the entire reason why Japan turned to this strategy in the first place was because their resources, including pilots, were limited.

So pilots that turned around because of technical issues or bad weather would face no consequences because it wasn't their fault.

Better luck next time, and there was going to be a next time.

Those that returned due to less easy to confirm reasons like enemy resistance or the inability to find their target would be chastised, and the number of these cases was alleviated by undertaking kamikaze attacks in groups and also getting the pilots drunk so they wouldn't think too much about the whole dying thing.

However, when only 1 survivor returned, it looked quite suspicious, but remember, kamikaze pilots were valuable resources and so Japan wanted to utilize every single 1 of them.

Now there was a limit to how often someone could return.

For example, there was 1 pilot that returned 9 times before he was executed for cowardice.

For most pilots though, returning from a suicide mission was, to an extent, expected and in many cases not something that would get you imprisoned or shot.

Like all resources during the Second World War, Japan had to conserve and make the best use of its kamikaze pilots if it were to compete with the industrial might of the United States.

And given that a single kamikaze pilot could put an aircraft carrier out of commission for months, they were seen as something not to be wasted.

Hence why returning kamikaze pilots weren't often punished.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with thanks to my Patreon supporters whom you can see on screen now, and with an extra special thanks to...

Wood, Kelly Moneymaker, Anthony Beckett, The Original Cage, Robert Wetzel, Skye Chappell, Parshoo19, and Mo.


Speaker 0: You had 1 job. Most people have heard of kamikaze pilots, young men who were tasked with crashing their planes into enemy warships. These pilots could, ideally, accurately target important parts of ships and do more damage than a traditional bombing run. Also, it was believed that the display of a kamikaze pilot willingly sacrificing themselves for Japan would demoralize the enemy. Now, the effects of kamikaze attacks are well debated, but something not spoken about is, what happened when they failed?

What was to become of a kamikaze pilot that either missed or wimped out? So some background. As of 1944, things weren't exactly going great for Japan, and the only hope of preventing America from defeating them was to destroy or at least cripple their capital ships, most importantly, their aircraft carriers. Simply attacking the ships with conventional means was too costly for Japan. As such, taking young pilots, sticking them into planes loaded with explosives, and then ordering them to fly into critical parts of enemy ships was deemed to be a better strategy.

The men chosen for this weren't just some random champs, but were some of the most gifted pilots in Japan. The training was harsh, but the rations were much better, and culturally, kamikaze pilots were revered. Pilots were expected to reflect on death in their time off to prepare them for their upcoming mission. Yet for some, this preparation and love for Japan wasn't enough to get them to introduce their face to the deck of an American warship. So what happened to failed kamikaze pilots?

Well, many were shot down before they even completed their mission or could get there. Some hit the wrong part of the ship or missed completely and fell into the ocean where, providing they survived, they'd be captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp. And before continuing, there's a common misconception that kamikaze pilots were only given half a tank of fuel to ensure they couldn't come back. Which isn't true. Also, there were legitimate reasons for a pilot to turn around and losing a well-trained kamikaze to a malfunction would be a waste.

And the entire reason why Japan turned to this strategy in the first place was because their resources, including pilots, were limited. So pilots that turned around because of technical issues or bad weather would face no consequences because it wasn't their fault. Better luck next time, and there was going to be a next time. Those that returned due to less easy to confirm reasons like enemy resistance or the inability to find their target would be chastised, and the number of these cases was alleviated by undertaking kamikaze attacks in groups and also getting the pilots drunk so they wouldn't think too much about the whole dying thing. However, when only 1 survivor returned, it looked quite suspicious, but remember, kamikaze pilots were valuable resources and so Japan wanted to utilize every single 1 of them.

Thus, no punishment, back out you go. Now there was a limit to how often someone could return. For example, there was 1 pilot that returned 9 times before he was executed for cowardice. For most pilots though, returning from a suicide mission was, to an extent, expected and in many cases not something that would get you imprisoned or shot. Like all resources during the Second World War, Japan had to conserve and make the best use of its kamikaze pilots if it were to compete with the industrial might of the United States.

And given that a single kamikaze pilot could put an aircraft carrier out of commission for months, they were seen as something not to be wasted. Hence why returning kamikaze pilots weren't often punished. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with thanks to my Patreon supporters whom you can see on screen now, and with an extra special thanks to... And more. Winston K.

Wood, Kelly Moneymaker, Anthony Beckett, The Original Cage, Robert Wetzel, Skye Chappell, Parshoo19, and Mo.

See all History Matters transcripts on Youtube

What Happened When Kamikaze Pilots Failed or Wimped Out? (Short Animated Documentary)