Talk:Kamikaze

Recruitment

This section is woefully misleading and feeds into common stereotypes of zealous Japanese samurai eager to die for a cause. If you read the interviews of kamikaze survivors, the picture painted is drastically different. "Volunteering" was far from a free choice. In many cases, "volunteers" were coerced to join. Societally, they were forced to feel that they were bringing great shame upon their families if they did not "volunteer". Those who refused to "volunteer" were beat up. The ones that survived because their missions were aborted or the war ended before they could suicide, say they felt a great shame that still lingers even today.

The section needs to be entirely rewritten. Currently it gives the impression that those in charge were pleasantly surprised, "oh, wow, we have so many volunteers", when the reality is more like they knew very well how to manipulate the young men in their care to do their bidding. --C S (talk) 00:08, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

From what I've read, it depended on the situation. Some flight student classes were given a chance to volunteer, and between 30% and 60% did so, depending on the class, without fear of recrimination. In other cases, however, it's clear that pilots were pressured into volunteering as you mention above. In fact, I read somewhere that one pilot who was forced to volunteer strafed the airfield tower and flight operations building after taking off, where presumably his superiors were watching the takeoffs of the kamikaze aircraft, before flying off to complete his mission. Cla68 (talk) 02:04, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

Well Written?

This article seems to give too much importance on the the historical text of the Seconded World War,granted that it is important but, academically incorrect some more importance needs to be given on its Origin and its its influence on Sociological and Political areas. I mean the whole page just goes on and on about tokubetsu kōgeki tai and not Kamikaze. --XChile (talk) 13:57, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

My great great grandfather

My great great grandfather was a kamikaze...and before he went out to fulfill his duty, he wrote a letter to my great great grandmother...

My father still remembers that letter very well, because my grandmother was given the letter from my great great grandmother before she died...the letter goes like this:

"Just like any human being, I have only but one life to give, and my time is very short...I go off to my mission 2 days from today. I cannot tell you how nervous I am, but I also cannot tell you how excited I am to sacrifice my life for the Emperor. We recently had a child, but I was not able to be there for him as much. Give that child all your love, and remember to tell him that his father loved him very much, but had a important business to take care of. I love you. And may the Emperor riegn for eternity."

Yep...thats what the letter said...RIP grandpa, I'm sharing this, because I think its quite interesting.

• Too bad for all his efforts his country got 2 nukes instead. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.193.238.24 (talk) 22:50, 12 January 2011 (UTC)
• The B29 Superfortress which delivered the atomic bombs were strategic aircraft, designed for deep penetration behind enemy lines to strike industrial targets. The lone kamikaze which struck a lone allied warship were tactical aircraft used for that particular battle, Okinawa in this case. If a writer wishes to avoid making himself look foolish, then he should "brush-up" on his military history and terminology, know what he's talking about before making comments, other wise he is simply advertising his ignorance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.196.64.56 (talk) 18:46, 15 February 2011 (UTC)
• Thanks for sharing. Do you know in which unit he served and where he was stationed? Path-x21 (talk) 11:28, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

Quotation of Sasaki Hachiro

I think the German part of the Quotation is not perfectly correct. Instead of "Zwei Seelen wohnen auch in mein[em] Herz!!" it should be "Zwei Seelen wohnen ach! in meiner Brust" which is from Goethes probably most famous Drama "Faust".213.168.124.162 (talk) 09:33, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Influence in the years since

Shouldn't the article emphasize more clearly that kamikazes were a likely inspiration for many mass homicide/suicide/terrorist missions since? And probably all of the ones involving planes, particularly the likely attribution to the September 11, 2001 attacks.Hoops gza (talk) 14:57, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

Only if people can provide reliable, published sources that clearly show such a link. -- saberwyn 21:21, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

kamikaze refers to fatal or non fatal actions?

"In English, the word kamikaze may also be used in a hyperbolic or metaphorical fashion to refer to non-fatal actions which result in significant loss for the attacker, such as injury or the end of a career."

The above statements says kamikaze refers to non fatal actions. I am confused as i think it should say "fatal actions". — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venkyzealous1 (talk • contribs) 09:37, 7 October 2011 (UTC)