MANNED BOMB OHKA, I don’t like the nickname “BAKA BOMB”
My post “Sakura Flowers are Falling like Snow” written in this time around in last year has got some page views. But I am afraid that most people have been disappointed by the post because it does not contain any photos of Sakura flower. Today I’m going to upload a photo of Sakura here, though it’s not as gorgeous as photos other Japanese bloggers are posting anywhere on the web.
To most of people, flower of Sakura is beautiful and represents spring time in Japan. But do you know that there was a special Kamikaze weapon named “Sakura Flower”? When sakura flower was blooming 63 years ago, rocket-propelled suicide bombs “Sakura Flower” and carrying bomber airplanes had broken into pieces as if flower petals of sakura were falling down in the air. To be exact, what I’m writing about is “OUKA(櫻花 in Chinese characters)” which had been developed as the only one “man-operated bomb” in the world. It has 2,600 pounds bomb and three rocket engines. Lasting only nine second for each one, the engines could accelerate the bomb a little bit. But Ouka is basically aero done (glider). This means that a large air plane should carry Ouka and bring it to high altitude. Even if the carrier air plane could go up to 20,000 feet, ranges of OUKA were just 35 miles approximately. For the carrier, Ichishiki-Rikkou(code name: BETTY) which was a bomber of Imperial Japanese Navy was used. But the carrier should hang 5,000lb of OUKA at the bottom of the body outside, it could fly just at the speed of 180 miles per hour. Flying in high altitude means it’s easy to be caught by radar, Low speed and maneuverability mean it’s easy to be shot down. So it was impossible to reach US Navy’s warships around OKINAWA, Almost of all OUKA and BETTY were downed by ambushing fighter planes of US.
On March 21st in 1945, the first attack by OHKA was conducted. 15 (or 1 
combinations of OUKA and BETTY participated. The result is that all of them were shot down by US fighter planes before BETTY could get to a target. You can see the scene on YOU TUBE“OHKA” Single-Seat Suicide Missile. The “gun-camera” caught the scene that BETTY with OHKA was shot down. It is impressive that the straight wings of OHKA can be seen at the beneath of body of BETTY. I should say, I could not keep watching the video clip until the end. It is too sad to continue to see the moment deaths of many human beings. It is said that all of them were downed within just 20 minutes. I don’t know how many airmen were on board exactly, but if 6 for BETTY and one for OHKA (I guess OHKA pilot had not moved onto OHKA yet), 15 shoot-down means 105 deaths. It is a tragedy. I don’t say it’d be better if they could get to the target and sink the Allies’ battle ships by any means. NEVER. It would result in other mass killings.
The loss was too much but the operation using OHKA was continued by limiting the number of BETTY and OHKA in formation. Just one ship was sunk by the OHKA while so many pilots died. The Allies nicknamed OHKA “BAKA BOMB”. BAKA is a Japanese word and means “stupid”. It was things happened in old times, 63 years ago. Some Japanese people praise OHKA pilots’ saying that what Japan is now, very prosperous and in peace, is brought by their sacrifices in the war. I think that death of people is always serious in any occasions and we should show respect those who lost their lives in the war. But I am against praising sacrifices of Kamikaze pilots. Who made them die? Who is responsible for the war? I think that being thankful for the death could just hide the reality of the war. We should think about the war more carefully; how it had started, what the Japanese government had done in the process, what happened not only in Japan but also on the battle grounds on Asia-Pacific, how miserable the consequences were, how people’s lives were destroyed, so on. I think that knowing and thinking about them in the history are important.
Today’s post was inspired by J.Seagull’s blog
１９４５年３月２１日 神雷部隊（桜花）初出撃・・・そして全滅
