0 (Zero) Fighter was a fighter airplane which was developed by Japanese industry before the Pacific War. The fighter had smallest Turn Around Radius Diameter that time. It was perfect for dog fights. For the people who are not familiar with how fighter planes fight, it is called "Dog Fight" to get your enemy's tail. Once you got your enemy's tail, you can shoot it down or you have control over the fight. 0 Fighter was almost designed for it. Some may say this fighter plane could fly long distance despite of fast speed and small quick and short turn around. This is the fighter plane which was used for attacking Pearl Harbor.
It became worldly known because of Pearl Harbor, it frightened allied army due to its flight ability, capacity, and efficiency in early stage of the Pacific War. There was no fighter plane in the world who could beat 0 Fighter until US introduced Mustang to fight against 0 Fighter. Japanese Navy that time trained and send a lot of young and skillful fighter plane pilot to Fighter 0. Being a 0 Fighter Pilot was the status for young Japanese that time and they were also afraid by US Navy and Air Force.
0 Fighter frightened Allied Forces all through the Pacific War. In early-middle stage as the way mentioned above. In later stage, it frightened US Navy more tragic way. It was "Kamikaze". Kamikaze was Special Attack (Tokubetsu Kogeki, Tokko in short), suicide attack, changing fighter plane itself to be the bomb to crash into enemy ship or base with pilot. So the method is same as adopted by terrorists today, I need to admit it.
Close to the end of the war, all experienced and skillful pilots were lost. Japanese Navy trained young people for short time like 3-6 months to make them to be Kamikaze pilot. Only to Kamikaze pilot, nothing else, nothing more, nothing less. They were not trained for skills and techniques to fight, maneuver, control airplane. They were just trained to crash into enemy ships. How terrible.
Related Posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/10/pacific-war-and-japanese-1.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/10/pacific-war-and-japanese-2.html
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Shaw Funami
Fill the Missing Link
4 comments:
Hi Shaw .. yes the training of young men just to be Kamikaze pilots is too terrible - the price of war: the men in safe positions can order the people to do what they require - despite the obvious loss of life.
Technologically and developmentally we have benefitted from the war - but at what a cost.
Intersting to know a little more - and you're doing it sympathetically to the world today .. not saying perhaps as we would the English were right.
I have a cousin on my mother's side - who had the Germans in agreement that they would meet with the British on the sands at the Hague in 1916 - the war could have been stopped then .. but the British wouldn't deign to agree. Emily Hobhouse was a pacifist .. and Jenny has all her papers, which she has researched and is still researching.
All the best -
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Hi Hilary,
You are right about the fact that World War II contributed much on the development of aviation technology including Zero Fighter or Mustang. But, the cost all human being paid is huge as you pointed.
Till this post is the preface to explain the book's background. I start to write about the book and the fighter pilot from tomorrows post. The story is about life, love, and survival.
Best regards,
Shaw Funami
Fill the Missing Link
Hello Shaw,
It is sad that the people high up thought so little of the young people that they sent them out with the mission of dieing and in that way. How sad a fact is that. What a great loss to all on both sides. We know that you have faith in a higher power, They will have to answer for sending those young people out for that purpose and that purpose only. It makes me sad for the families at home that knew that they died that way. They were sent out to die. Were they desperate, the war was not going very well at that time. Is that the reason that they only trained them for that reason?
I feel for the families that never saw their loved one again. They were sent out to never come back. What pain of loss they have felt.
Just like today in the Middle East. All the loss of life that goes on their. It is sad.
Dan and Deanna "Marketing Unscrambled"
Dear Dan and Deanna,
It was always the families who suffer from the loss. It is also sad that human beings have experienced and learned all tragic situation and still can not stop the tragedy happens again.
As you say, we sometimes need to revisit these tragic history and reassure that we should not repeat these situation.
Thank you for your comment.
Shaw Funami
Fill the Missing Link
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