The Foreign Service Journal, September 2004

F O C U S 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4 O n Nov. 25, 1944, the aircraft carrier USS Essex sailing off the east coast of Luzon came under coordinated attack by a kamikaze shotai (a three- plane formation favored by Japanese pilots). The lead plane plunged toward the Essex , aiming for the flight deck of the carrier where fighters were being gassed up for takeoff. In Fig. 1, the plane dives perilously close to the radar towers. In Fig. 2, flak has set the plane aflame, and the kamikaze pilot slides open the canopy and sticks his head out as if to say “Komatta-na! (I’m in trouble). My left wing is on fire!” The code numer- al 17 on the tail unmistakably identifies the Zero as the new A6M7, modified to enable the 550-pound bomb to be fitted inside the fuselage rather than carried exter- nally. The demise of two kamikazes is captured in this sin- gle dramatic image (Fig. 3). The first ends in a fiery crash on the port side of the forward flight deck, wrecking its 20mm battery, but at the same time sparing the gassed- up planes on the flight line. The second kamikaze crash- es into the sea, missing its target. A patch of white foam marks its watery grave — visible just beyond the bow of an escort destroyer partly hidden by the Essex . In this episode, the aircraft carrier suffered minor damage, and light casualties. After undergoing repairs at sea, the ship was able to continue its mission. Kamikazes in Action Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3