Just Finished Reading: The Kamikaze Hunters – Fighting for the Pacific, 1945 by Will Iredale (FP: 2015)

With the war in Europe coming to an end and demands on the Royal Navy falling in concert Winston Churchill offered their services to the US to assist in the final assault on Japan. The US Navy had reservations but their objections were overruled by the President. Initially tasked with bombing of oil refineries the British Pacific Fleet showed its ability to deal with tricky situations and earned plaudits from those who had originally questioned their use or usefulness in the Pacific – a theatre and way of fighting the British were unfamiliar with. Their next task was something different again. As the American Fleets approached the Japanese Home Islands and it became obvious to everyone that the last days of Japanese Imperialism approached the Japanese became desperate. So desperate indeed that they approved an idea that would shock the world – the Kamikaze. In essence it was a truly simple idea. With a reducing number of qualified pilots available on any particular mission the odds of a successful attack on US warships was steadily dropping. The odds of surviving an attack were decreasing too. But what if the pilots didn’t need to come back? What if the pilots only had one mission? When the attackers no longer had to think about surviving multiple missions and attacking multiple targets the odds of a ‘successful’ mission increased. The results were both terrifying and incredibly effective. Instead of dodging bombs and torpedoes dropped on them the ships of the US fleets now had to cope with bombs aimed with dedicated human precision – to the point of impact. The cost/benefit balance was equally devastating. In ideal circumstances a single pilot in a single engine fighter could destroy an entire aircraft carrier. As the Americans approached Japan the number of kamikaze attacks increased and increased again. Something needed to be done.

Part of the response was tactical, part technological. More fighters were kept back to operate CAPs – combat air patrols to engage the kamikazes before they can do their end-runs. Newer IFF devices prevented kamikaze planes from joining flights of US planes returning home after missions and classified proximity fuses were fitted to anti-aircraft ammunition to enhance lethality – but it wasn’t always enough. This is where the Royal Navy came in. Using its air assets (predominantly US designs) and armoured aircraft carriers the BPF was to provide flanking cover for future missions – which would put them directly in the firing line for any kamikaze attacks. It was not going to be a very pleasant experience. Following the usual format of recruitment, training (in the UK, Canada and the US) and deployment in theatre this well researched and often gripping account of a forgotten aspect of RN and Fleet Air Arm history puts you right in the action with people we ‘watch’ learning, fighting and, all too often, dying far away from home long after the European war ended. Part simple history and part long overdue recognition of service this was an excellent account of actions that should not have been side-lined nor forgotten. Definitely recommended for all flying and Pacific War buffs.