Life of a Kamikaze

It's April 12th, 1945, and Nine Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers and their escort of A6M Zero fighters soar over the East China Sea. In the leading bomber, Lieutenant Saburo Dohi puts on his oxygen mask and lies back on his makeshift cot, breathing deeply. His mind is focused on one thing: the new secret weapon held in the bowels of the Betty, a weapon the Japanese hope will change the course of the war. The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was the chariot of the Thunder Gods. Volunteer pilots who would give everything for Japan. We try to lift the veil on the life of these young pilots. To try and understand their training and their friendships and to explore why they would strive to make the ultimate sacrifice. To find out more on the Thunder Gods check out the great book by Dan King, 'Blossoms From the Sky' which was one of the sources we used for this video. The Ohka was used successfully by Saburo Dohi when he hit the destroyer Mannert L. Abele causing it to split in half and subsequently sink.

00:00 The bombers and the fighters soar over the sea
00:35 Saburo’s last mission part 1
04:33 The secret weapon
06:58 The rise of the Thunder Gods
09:52 The last first sunrise
12:22 Saburo’s last mission part 2
13:56 “Baka” pilots

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[Yarnhub]

We thought long and hard doing this one. No doubt the Okha design is very cool but we in no way support the actions of the Japanese pilots. We wanted to do a video that showed their story from their view and reading 'Blossoms From the Sky' by Dan King inspired us to make this. Tell us if you think we got it right or wrong !

[zero-bcmg]

I am Japanese. I am impressed that someone from abroad has produced such a faithful and respectful work. Hopefully there will never be another war in the Pacific.

[しがらき]

Interesting fact:

When Tadanao Miki, the designer of the Ohka, was ordered by his superiors to design the Ohka, he strongly objected, saying, ``It would be an affront to technology to create an airplane in which the pilot would definitely die.'' However, his superiors and subordinates could not refuse this request. In his diary after the war, he wrote, ``My heart hurts every time I think about it.'' After the war, Tadanao Miki joined Japan National Railways, saying, ``I want to use technology for peace this time, '' and in 1964, he designed the world's first high-speed railway, the Shinkansen 0 series. Thorough weight reduction and a shape with low air resistance were exactly the techniques cultivated in Ohka's design. Tadanao Miki designed many other railway cars and passed away in 2005 at the age of 95.

[a.e.]

This was so amazing, I had to donate something. I am stunned by the beauty of this story and the way you handled the topic. Thank you for these videos. My entire family watches them regularly.

[tambao]

The graphic, the storytelling, the voice-over, the music & sound effects....everything is perfect! Bravo for this piece of art on YouTube!

[TheandOnlyWog]

As an American, who had multiple family memebers fight in the war, a few in the Pacific, this gave me a new respect for the Japanese soldiers they fought against. We don't get a whole lot of media portraying them as honorable, respectable, and selfless. Great video. May we never have to fight another war like that ever again. We need to find a way to coexist on this planet. I hope we find life out in the galaxy somewhere soon. I think that will be the thing that will finally unite us as a species.

[Gperalta]

I love all of you and your teams content! It really is impressive we can get this quality for free on youtube! Yall have came so far since I started watching your content years ago, the production is amazing and the stories you tell are humbling and worded so well! Keep up the good work and I will continue recommending this channel as long as I live 😊

[natesturm]

I love how this channel has no bias towards any nation. Only reporting on extreme acts of heroism, bravery, and final resolution within oneself to act in the heat of battle.

We're taught in the Infantry to always respect the enemy. He's doing exactly what we're doing, serving our nations with utmost urgency to the cause.

[flytopusa]

I love how this channel focuses solely on war stories of extreme heroism, bravery, and the inner resolve to act decisively in the heat of battle, without showing bias toward any nation.

In the Infantry, we're taught to always respect the enemy—he's a part of his own war story, doing exactly what we're doing: serving his nation with unwavering commitment to the cause.

[くるり-qs]

I am Japanese. Please read the wills of the kamikaze pilots. Written in beautiful and refined Japanese, they contain words of gratitude to their mothers, words of love encouraging their fiancées to forget about them and move on to the future, paintings they wanted to see, and what they really wanted to learn. Today's Japan is built on the sacrifice of these young lives.

[FRIEND_]

As a Japanese person, from a samurai family at that, I ans my family hate the kamikaze attack as a concept, but we still acknowledge that the pilots who flew them were all patriotic, family caring and despite the horrors the japanese inflicted during the war, thise pilots were innocent Spirits.
Thank you for making this video. It means a lot.

[lanej]

I despise war. There’s no other way to say it.

And yet, I’m still transfixed by the stories of the men that participated in them.

This story hit me especially hard. I know that every Japanese soldier was just another human, but a part of me still held such contempt for these pilots. You’ve washed that part of me away.

[zipsexe]

The voice acting, the Lighting, the Atmosphere, The Particles, The Camera panning everything about this one is outstanding

[daichi]

I am Japanese. I really respect for everyone who fights WW2.
I never forget and keep studying about this important history.

[danward]

Imperial Japanese Air Foce: "Good news! We've developed a guided missile!"

Japanese Pilot: "oh cool! What guidance system does it use?"

Imperial Japanese Air Force: "You are the guidance system"

Japanese Pilot: 😐

[thekellyartist]

You really nailed this video.
When I was around 11-14 years old, I saw Kamikaze pilots as fanatical lunatics.
Today I am 23 and I understand exactly what they gave their lives for.
The answer to this question is the "Last first sunrise" part.
Japan is a beautiful country and I like it even though I haven't been there.
Their culture and country is amazing.

I sympathize with them also for the reason that my great-grandfather fought in the First World War and at the end of the Second World War took part in the battles on the Prague barricades.
Unfortunately for him, he was in a part of Prague called Pankrác.
There were some pretty tough fights.
The Germans killed many resistance fighters there.
My great grandfather was seriously injured but survived.
But he suffered from PTSD until his death, painting pictures helped him to forget...
Honor the memory of all brave men and women.

[swancman]

This is one of the best videos you've done so far. I would put this up right next to "Letters From Iwo Jima" as being one of the best portrayals of WW2 from the Japanese point of view. Well done good sir!

[andrewl]

My grandfather was a Marine during WW2 and all he talked about was the bravery and discipline of the Japanese soldiers. He had a lot of respect for the Japanese even though they were the enemy.
After the war he went to Japan multiple times.

[Nobody]

I am amazed at the beautiful way that this topic was handled. Not glorifying or demeaning the actions of these pilots. Very well done.

[CandaceHuver]

The quality and respectfulness of your videos are unmatched by any other channels i have watched, keep doing what you do best.