Jordan Braun Nancy Elliott English 111 10/15/13 The Kamikazes Truth hen !e hear the !

ord Kamikaze" !hat do !e think# $ost o% us &ro'a'ly &icture ruthless" crazy sa(ages !ho %ought %or Ja&an in orld ar ))* +lthough their actions o%

committing suicide 'y crashing &lanes into ,*-* !arshi&s !ere unthinka'ly terri'le" there is much more !e dont kno! a'out the kamikaze* The mo(ie" Wings of Defeat" created 'y .isa $orimoto and /inda 0oaglund" in(estigates the truth and %acts a'out the la'el o% 'eing called kamikaze* They created this %ilm to &ersuade &eo&le to consider a di%%erent &ers&ecti(e* +ccording to .isa $orimoto" 1ecem'er 2" 1341" marked the day Ja&an 'om'ed 5earl 0ar'or" leading the ,*-* into orld ar ))* +s the !ar dragged on" the Ja&anese launched an

attack on an island in the middle o% the 5aci%ic 6cean" called $id!ay* The ,*-*" a!are o% this attack" !as &re&ared and 'adly damaged the Ja&anese na(al %leet* Taking ad(antage o% this situation" the ,*-* continued on !est and 'egan the con7uest to ca&ture Ja&anese controlled territory* The mo(ie stated that due to damage to their na(al %leet" the Ja&anese needed a !ay to de%end their territory* Their solution !as to %ly &lanes directly into !arshi&s causing catastro&hic damage* The Kamikaze 8or&s !ere %ormed on 6cto'er 90" 1344" the term kamikaze means :di(ine !ind; in Ja&an (Wings)* This re%ers to a great and &o!er%ul storm that o'literated a

$ongolian %leet threatening to attack Ja&an long ago* +t %irst" a select %e! !ere chosen to 'ecome kamikaze* Be%ore going out on a suicide mission" the kamikaze !ould ha(e a ceremonial drink o% sake" and get &hotos taken o% themsel(es* Ja&anese military leaders told the soldiers that they !ould 'e greatly honored and res&ected %or their deeds" 'ut in %act it only 'rought sadness* $ore time &assed and Ja&an !as getting 'attered %rom the !ar* $ost &eo&le" including the kamikaze" !anted to sto& %ighting* +s this o&inion !as gro!ing" the em&eror o% Ja&an" !ho !as (ie!ed as a li(ing god" %orced un!illing &eo&le to enter the !ar* ith des&eration kicking

in" Tokkoti" s&ecial Ja&anese attack %orces" 'ecame kamikaze* The %ilm said the Tokkoti consisted o% highly trained army and air %orce &ilots* +%ter the 'attle o% 6kina!a" all moral %rom the Ja&anese !as lost" 'ut the em&eror still didnt 'udge %rom his thinking* 1ay a%ter day o% kamikaze strikes continued" each one 'ecoming less success%ul* 6nly one out o% e(ery 100 &lanes hit their target" and most didnt e(en do damage* .e%using to admit de%eat" Ja&ans go(ernment %ought on* +ccording to the %ilm" i% one !as to re%use to 'ecome a kamikaze" they !ould 'e killed* )n the kamikaze &ilots mind this conse7uence did not matter since they !ould die any!ay* Trying to com%ort the kamikaze" citizens o% Ja&an made the doomed soldiers dolls that sym'olized strength to li(e through the !ar* +s the mo(ie stated" the e(entual dro&&ing o% the atomic 'om's 'y the ,nited -tates led to the end o% the !ar in 1345* )t !as much too late %or the 4"000 young Ja&anese men !ho died !hile sinking only 40 +merican shi&s* ) think the &ur&ose o% this mo(ie !as to sho! that the kamikaze !erent sa(ages* These !ere normal e(eryday &eo&le" !ho had their suicidal role %orced u&on them* -e(eral %ormer kamikazes !ho sur(i(ed the !ar !ere inter(ie!ed in the mo(ie" !hich !as an e%%ecti(e tool*

hen ) sa! the sur(i(ors" ) !as (ery sur&rised 'ecause they looked like normal caring &eo&le* +ll my li%e ) kne! !hat kamikazes !ere and !hat they did* ) al!ays looked do!n on not only them" 'ut Ja&an as !ell* ) couldnt understand !hy humans !ould 'e crazy enough to do the things the kamikazes did* ,n%ortunately" ) see no! that it !asnt their choice to go along the &ath they did* These !ere young men !ho had a lot to li(e %or* 1uring the inter(ie!s" the e< kamikazes !ho sur(i(ed said they only did so through &ure luck* T!o &ilots that !ere inter(ie!ed in the %ilm !ere gi(en e<tra %uel" sur(i(ed a dog%ight" and then !ent home* +nother man said his engine died 'ut he !as a'le to land near an island and sur(i(e* ) understand no! that as the !ar &rogressed" the &eo&le o% Ja&an gre! im&atient and angry !ith the go(ernment and !anted to 'ring the kamikaze home* -o many &eo&le tried to hel&* =or e<am&le" engineers tried to gi(e them more %uel and 'etter &lanes to increase their chance o% sur(i(al* The %ilm not only inter(ie!ed Ja&anese &eo&le" 'ut +merican (eterans as !ell* 1uring the mo(ie" se(eral +merican sur(i(ors !ho !ere a'oard USS Drexler !ere asked 7uestions a'out the kamikaze e<&erience* They !ent into detail" e<&laining !hat it !as like !hen the suicide %ighters attacked* ) %ound that the most interesting &art o% the inter(ie!s !as !hen one man said that i% +merica !as under an in(asion" !e !ould resort to the same kamikaze like missions* This >ust rein%orces that as humans" !e may ha(e gone to similar des&erate measures to &rotect our homeland and %amilies* ) think i% ) !ere a kamikaze ) !ouldnt ha(e 'een strong enough to go through !ith a sel%less mission like this* ) !ould ha(e gi(en u& ho&e" like so many Ja&anese a%ter the turning &oints in the !ar* The mo(ie !as (ery e%%ecti(e in its use o% music and the timing o% (isuals* )t !as o%ten sad and de&ressing" >ust like the %ate o% the kamikaze* )t hel&ed (ie!ers to 'etter gras& the theme and &ick u& more detail throughout the %ilm* The music also really hel&ed to rein%orce the

realization that the kamikazes !ere good normal &eo&le* 0o!e(er" music !asnt the only as&ect to enhance the e%%ecti(eness o% the %ilm as there !ere many (isual e<am&les as !ell* The %ilm s!itched 'ack and %orth 'et!een inter(ie!s" old (ideo cli&s" ne!s&a&ers" and e(en animation* )nter(ie!s ga(e the most accurate and direct in%ormation a'out the kamikaze" and !hat it !as like to li(e and die in that role* They told stories o% harsh li(ing conditions and long hours o% training and e(en star(ation* The old ne!s&a&ers and slogans &ictured in the mo(ie sho!ed !hat Ja&an !as like during the !ar* =or e<am&le" +ccording to the %ilm" all citizens !ere %orced to make 'am'oo s&ears in case o% an in(asion* They !ere told to kill any +merican solider they sa!* -hort (ideos" taken at the time o% the !ar" !ere also em&loyed in this %ilm* These short cli&s gi(e us an idea o% !hat the actual %ighting !as like* =inally" although 'rie%" the mo(ie used some animation* The animation" in my o&inion" !as the most con(incing" and saddening &art o% the %ilm* )t &articularly did this in one scene !here t!o kamikaze sur(i(ors !ent out on their mission* The emotion on their %aces looked like they had gi(en u& all ho&e* The sur(i(ors engaged in a long dog%ight" and a%ter some time" they !ere a'le to shed the enemy &lanes and return home* These di(erse !ays to &resent in%ormation %urther added to the main &oint that the kamikazes !ere normal &eo&le in an anything 'ut normal situation* Wings of Defeat did a %antastic >o' o% sho!ing the real story 'ehind Ja&an and the kamikaze in orld ar ))* +%ter (ie!ing the %ilm" ) ha(e %ore(er changed my o&inion o% the

kamikaze" %rom 'eing ruthless sa(ages" to young and talented men !ho !ere in the !rong &lace at the !rong time* ) think i% another &erson !as to !atch the mo(ie" they !ould also 'e enlightened* )t is no! the authors ho&es that the :di(ine !ind; o% Ja&an !ill 'e remem'ered not as sa(ages" 'ut as heroes*

orks 8ited

Wings of Defeat. .isa $orimoto" /inda 0oaglund* Edge!ood 5ictures )nc* 9002*