Thunder Gods: The Kamikaze Pilots Tell Their Story

Thunder Gods is the compelling first-hand account of the pilots who pledged themselves to die for their emperor in the closing days of the Pacific War. Known to the world as kamikaze--divine wind--their suicide attacks on American naval forces caused panic and disruption, but they were born out of the desperation of the Imperial Command, determined to avoid the shame of surrender at any cost. Using as a rationale the loudly proclaimed belief that suicide attacks by Japanese pilots attested to the spiritual righteousness of Japan's struggle, the Command's exhortations convinced legions of young men of the virtue of volunteering for the Ohka program, in which flying bombs were constructed whose only guiding mechanism was their human cargo. The pilots are the thunder gods of the title, and this is the first time they have told their own story.