Kamikaze pilots - 1945 | Movietone Moment | 5 January 2024

On this day in 1945, Japan created a new breed of pilots during World War II. Here is a British Movietone showing the first pictures of Kamikaze pilots. First pictures of Japan’s piloted V-Weapon stress the suicidal desperation of her defence and the reality of the dangers now being faced in the Pacific. ® ® Kamikaze pilots are the elite of the Japanese Airforce and revered in the streets, death to them means a triumph for the Emperor. The US carrier “Bunker Hill“ is hit and fire spreads among the planes onboard and the crew fight valiantly for the life of the ship. ® ® The Kamikaze have managed to sink and damage many Allied ships in the Pacific campaign. Cut story - KS. Maps of Pacific area help by the Japs. Elevated shots of carriers, planes landing. Drawing of the latest weapon of Japan, rocket driven plane, with pilot called Kamikaze. On Okinawa various shots of captured plane. Fade to Jap pilots in classroom. In streets of Japan they’re lionised, people kneel in streets praying for them. Shots of Geisha girls, paper print their photos; parade through the streets with heads nearly shaven & in ceremonial dress, crowds honour them. On the airfield Jap pilots lined up. Japanese cheer Banzai. American planes take off from carriers. Formations of suicide planes pealing off to attack our ships. Many get shot down by our men. Cut-ins of our carriers firing ack-ack. Spectacular crashes into the sea by Jap suicide planes. One scores near-miss on Allied destroyer. Various shots of battle royal in progress. Kamikaze scores direct hit on Essex Class carrier, fighting flames, plane complete wreckage on flight deck. Various shots of planes (Kamikaze) crashing, some hit their targets, majority crash into the sea. ’Bunker Hill’ aircraft carrier gets direct hit, flight deck an inferno, cruiser alongside plays water onto same, various shots. Sixty miles off Jap coast, American Task Force encountered a dive-bomber attack. Shots of several crashing after being hit, wing flies off, another spins into the sea. Shot of naval/air battle in progress. American fighter bombers land on carrier, one pivots on landing & crashes; another runs along flight deck hitting another plane at end of run & crashes into sea. Another comes into land, its emergency petrol tank ignites, plane enveloped in fire, pilot rescued. Shots of water being played on petrol tank. Another plane ablaze, pilot also rescued. Various shots of dead American naval & air personnel being buried at sea, several hundred, various shots, also wounded being rushed to medical section of ship. Finish on ’Last Post’ sounding as a few are dropped overboard (unseen). GVs of aircraft carriers at dusk. Survivors being picked up out of sea. see story number 45895/2 for cuts Disclaimer: British Movietone is an historical collection. Any views and expressions within either the video or metadata of the collection are reproduced for historical accuracy and do not represent the opinions or editorial policies of the Associated Press. Find out more about AP Archive: You can license this footage for commercial use through AP Archive - the story number is BM45895. Twitter: Facebook: Tumblr: ​​ Instagram: