Though they were usually escorted to their targets by more experienced pilots, it still seems an incredibly small amount of preparation before such a momentous task. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Unless the Japanese could come up with some form of warfare to offset the American advantages, ''results favorable to us cannot be expected.'' Even though Japan was deeply desperate for more manpower, it wasn't like they just forced people to become Kamikaze pilots. They weren't nameless, faceless masses, but individual people, a lot of them really young and well educated. Osamu Yamada told the BBC that, when the call came for Kamikaze pilots, he joined willingly. Decades after the war, opinions on the kamikaze pilots remain divided, partly because their legacy has been used repeatedly as a political tool. The USS Bunker Hill in flames after being hit by Kamikazes on May 11, 1945. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The ensuing conflict between America and Japan led to numerous innovations in tactics and technology, but one strategical development stands out in particular: Kamikaze attacks. All rights reserved. The Allies, What Is an Annexation of a Country? You know, the Japanese pilots who would dive bomb their planes into Allied ships on insane suicide missions. In fact, the concept of the Divine Wind comes from a 13th Century typhoon that wrecked a Mongolian fleet, saving Japan from an imminent invasion. Read about our approach to external linking. In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what did kamikaze pilots drink. For many years afterwards he kept his story a secret, ashamed he had survived. Suddenly, it was hard for them to find jobs or even apply to schools. The last-resort Banzai charges on the Marshall and the Gilbert Islands had already exhibited the Japanese soldiers willingness to face certain death for their nation. In the same vein, there were also suicide crash boats and tiny submarines that served similar purposes. Even with this poor success rate, however, the Kamikaze pilots were still able to earn themselves a place in history as one of Japans most dangerous weapons from the Second World War. Mothers, sisters and daughters would sew sennibari and present them to the young kamikazes to be worn as a belt or a headband as a symbol of luck, in this case luck meaning a successful suicide attack. He remembered everyone congratulating each other and then telling himself that he'd been chosen for this, but deep down? The first of Onishi's organized kamikaze attacks occurred on October 25, 1944. The last thing he wanted to do was leave them alone, and he just wasn't ready to die. What they did was really just up to the pilots. Some kamikazes carried more than one occupant. Very few were rescued by American naval forces after getting shot down. Then, in the 1970s, he began to seek out the families of his dead comrades, asking them for letters and photographs from the dead pilots. From the mid-nineteenth century, as Japan began to industrialize and to desire to become a world military power, the political, industrial and military leaders of Japan sought to transform bushido into a code of conduct for all Japanese. And since they were dive bombing at other craft, they had to be able to deal with that sort of piloting. The Shinpu Tokubetsu Kogekitai was a branch of the Japanese Tokubetsu Kopeki tai, or Special Attack Units. All of these events, however, were individual, spontaneous, desparate attempts by pilots who knew they were about to die. Navy doctrine changed and emphasized the use of at least four 5 inch guns as a defense against one kamikaze. The shock of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor mobilized the country to embark on a war effort aimed at the unconditional surrender of the Japanese. The Japanese credit Rear Admiral Masafumi Arima as the first kamikaze hero. When it comes to the Pacific front of World War II the fight between the Allied forces and Japan it's not all that hard to end up thinking of the Kamikaze pilots. That said, not all of the planes were specially made for suicide missions. The Japanese surrender in August 1945 saved a large number of pilots recruited and trained to be kamikazes. Read about kamikaze pilots, who flew for Japan during World War II. They appear to confirm the view that a whole generation of Japanese men had been brainwashed in to self-abnegation and blind obedience to the Emperor. Read about our approach to external linking. I think the presence of Emperor Hirohito helped the Japanese to recover from the war," he said. It is now a month since that day. But at that time everyone I knew, they all wanted to volunteer. Authoritarianism is like building a house with broken stones.". 232 lessons. Japan has immense problems with its memory of the war. Read about our approach to external linking. On the infamous morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter pilots made final arrangements for their deaths. Amid peer pressure, hardly anyone was able to say no to the mission. Atshushi Takatsuka explained that the air force had once been the place for rejects from the Imperial Naval Academy, but suddenly, it became a viable and respected career. Experienced pilots were refused the chance to become Kamikaze pilots because they were needed to train the raw volunteers. Finally, at 6a.m., Haruo took off in the lead plane, one of 150 aircraft to take part in the sixth mass kamikaze attack against Allied shipping near Okinawa onMay 10-11. Some would bury locks of their hair behind shrines. The practice was most prevalent from theBattle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944, to the end of the war. "Dear mother, my one regret is I could not do more for you before I die. One man, in particular, is credited with inventing the tactic of Kamikaze attacks. They were manned suicide torpedo missions. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. "But that's the peaceful Japan I wanted to create," he said, smiling. Pilots would crash their specially made planes directly into Allied ships. It is a difficult question to answer if you don't understand the essence of the military," he said. It failed, though various forms of kamikaze attackincluding planes, manned rockets and human torpedoesdid sink 36 American ships and damage a further 368, inflicting 10,000 casualties (half of them killed.). Over and over as we talk, he comes back to the same point - these young men were not fanatics, they believed their actions could save their country from disaster. "The emperor, his majesty, was the heart of Japan. Regardless of this resistance, kamikaze recruitment during the last year of World War II proceeded through equating the suicide attackers to the ancient samurai warriors called to defend the nation against American barbarians who would kill their fathers and brothers and brutally rape and murder their mothers and sisters. Hundreds of American and British battleships and aircraft carriers were sailing towards Okinawa. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Other Japanese military commanders refused to train kamikazes or order attacks. After the war, that sentiment completely fell apart, but in the decades after, it came back. Technician Fifth Grade Lewis Hall from Obetz, Ohio, was born March 2, 1895, and was 47 years old at the time of his action. The BBC also includes the fact that the pilots only did what they had to because it was a war, and they really had little choice. They just got different, more practical training. But for those who had families, they must have thought very differently.". First Lieutenant Fusata Iida boasted before he took off on the Pearl Harbor mission that he would fly his plane into a target rather than crash land his plane 'in case of trouble.'' I was sending money to them from my salary. He describes them as a "treasure to be passed down to future generations". It was just his duty, but also, he saw it as a path toward glory a way to finally prove himself to his father. That was probably a bit over 2,000planes that actually took off, with only a fraction of them hitting their targets, sinking somewhere between 50 and a 100 ships but damaging a few hundred more. While most of them crashed in the sea, some of them returned. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. The Japanese believed that a devastating attack destroying U.S. naval strength in the Pacific would cause the Americans to allow the Japanese to carry out their plans for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which was what the Japanese called their efforts to colonize all the European colonies in China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. That was just compounded with the competitive nature of the military. Kuwahara's engines malfunctioned, and he felt fear turn to relief when he had to return, and Ena recalled feeling glad that the war was over. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. You cannot download interactives. Following his apparent death, Arima was given the rank of vice admiral. A majority of the pilots probably didn't think that way. The term also denotes the aircraft used in such attacks. The Special Attack Forces were suicide forces formed in the last year of World War II as a last ditch effort to defend Japan. "I felt myself going pale." Even with death at the door, they managed to look cheerful. Two miraculous typhoons were named Kamikaze, Divine Wind. Still, here are five facts about one of the most deadly military strategies used during the Second World War. The firebombing of Tokyo, in one night, killed at least 100,000 civilians. As American ground forces fought for control of Okinawa in the spring of 1945, Japanese Kamikaze pilots wreaked a grim toll on American naval forces. It was a worthy cause, and even then, it wasn't like he thought much about dying. Many were shot down before they could get close to the ships they were attempting to damage, while others missed through the pilots error. World War II Propaganda: Posters & Cartoons, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, The Industrial Revolution & Enlightenment, Causes of World War I: Factors That Led to War, End of WWI: the Treaty of Versailles & the League of Nations, Economic, Social & Political Consequences of the Great War, The Russian Revolution: Timeline, Causes & Effects, World War II: The Start of the Second World War, The European Theater in WWII: The Eastern Front, Western Front & Fight for North Africa, The Pacific Ocean Theater of WWII: Japan vs. The aircraft branch was called Shinpu Tokubetsu Kogekitai, The Divine Wind Special Attack Unit. Depending on the source of data, either a total of 2,940 or a total of 3,106 kamikaze sorties were flown from October, 1944 to April 1945. Except, did they really? Unlikely as it may seem, a number of That places Japan at the bottom of the list. From a series of long cardboard tubes Itatsu-San pulls thin pieces of paper covered in black calligraphy. Atshushi Takatsuka does admit to some similarities. You Are Fireballs." They saw the impending American invasion of Saipan as that battle. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. There was a whole questionnaire and everything! The way of the warrior was a stoic life of devotion to the service of one's feudal lord, of frugality, sincerity and honor, and military prowess. I thought then that this was a sign that he was personally requesting our services. Japan was forced to accept an unconditional surrender less than a year later. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Yes, that adjustment was hard for some of them, but can you really blame them? Another showed Haruo giving the final address to his fellow kamikazes (named after the divine wind that had destroyed the Mongol fleet in the thirteenth century, thus saving Japan from invasion.) Before he carried out his mission, the war ended. The Guardian talked to Hisao Horiyama, who made a pretty similar statement. The word kamikaze means divine wind, a reference to a typhoon that fortuitously dispersed a Mongol invasion fleet threatening Japan from the west in 1281. And a third wrote to his fiancee, begging her to marry him in the next life, and the next, and in every one after that. The Special Attack forces were created with a straightforward goal in mind the most destructive effect with the lowest cost, in terms of both materials and people (via CMH Online). After the Emperor had left the room, Fleet Admiral Prince Hiroyasu Fushimi stated that although the methods and equipment used by Japanese and American militaries were roughly the same, the Japanese could not compete with American advances in radar and other technologies. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. Private pilot certification. I felt like I had let everyone down.''. Here are 42 of the best facts about Kamikaze Pilots Facts and Kamikaze Pilots Drugs I managed to collect. The origin of the term arises from not one but two events in Japanese history that came to mean to the Japanese that they had been saved by their gods. Likewise, the desire to remember the terrible sacrifice made by the young kamikaze pilots is understandable. "I think the two are completely different," said Mr Kuwahara. And that's largely been the case in Japan through to this day. "But in the 1990s, the nationalists started testing the water, seeing whether they could get away with calling the kamikaze pilots heroes. But when talking about these horrors, what is often forgotten or omitted is how it all began. These leaders proclaimed that samurai values were Japanese values. Father, wrote Haruo, I was unable to catch your attention. Having sealed both letters, Haruo handed them to a visiting journalist who had promised to deliver them in person. Even more devastating to the Japanese was the loss of experienced pilots. However, the tide of war was not turned. But to die as a fighter for the emperor is an honour. At Okinawa they inflicted the greatest losses ever suffered by the U.S. Navy in a single battle, killing almost 5,000 men. One was with his two group leaders: all three were 21yearsold and had graduated from the Military Academy in the 57th Class. Both men were glad they didn't have to. In 1274 and again in 1281 Japanese forces were close to being overwhelmed by Mongol invaders, and each time a typhoon destroyed almost the entire Mongol fleet, saving the Japanese from conquest. Kamikaze pilots were pilots who flew their planes into American ships. I knew that I had no choice but to die for him.''. The Kamikaze pilots have since been associated with the Japanese cherry blossom and for really poignant reasons. One man would be seated inside the torpedo and drive it into the side of an enemy ship, exploding on contact. But the same sad truth awaited almost all of them. Our minds were set. Two versionsjiketsu (self-determination) and jisai (self-judgement)suggest an honorable or laudable act done in the public interest. There is, moreover, no ethical or religious taboo regarding suicide in Japans traditional religion of Shintoism. I had long dreamed of asking a kamikaze pilot that question. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes meets the former pilot who built the collection, in honour of his fallen comrades. The use of big groups peer pressured everyone into volunteering, and even when three choices were given, most of the men knew there was only one "right" answer. Atsushi Takatsuka mentions the Kaiten human torpedoes. Therefore, he said, ''Both the Army and the Navy must think up some special weapons and conduct the war with them. Atsushi Takatsuka explained that there was no pomp and circumstance, no ceremony, no ritual. The ideology of the Kamikaze pilots felt pure a genuine love of country and a willingness to die in defense of it. National News has a couple of other letters, too, addressed to loved ones of the pilots. Allied fighters named the action the Banzai Charge after they heard their enemies shouting Tenno Heika Banzai marking their allegiance to the emperor as they rushed to meet their fate. "But when the Allies left in 1952, the right wing nationalists came out strongly and they have carried out multi-generational efforts to seize back control of the narrative," he says. Many were shot down before reaching their target, several missed their target, and a few returned in shame for not dying in service to the Emperor, for not living up to the code of bushido.. Keiichi Kuwahara has a similar tale. They were at the centre of a . Again, desperation. The Kamikaze pilots, on the other hand, were usually much younger, since older men were needed to train the new recruits. By the last few years of World War II, things weren't going Japan's way. The Guardian mentions that, by the end of the war, desperation had gotten bad enough that any old planes were also being used, stripped of radio equipment and weapons and loaded with explosives. At least 1500 hours is the minimum requirement to qualify for an American airline job. During the invasion of Okinawa, the Japanese launched 1,900 kamikaze attacks, inflicting 3,400 fatalities among American naval personnel out of a total of 4,907 total U.S. Navy deaths in the . Not only did December 7th, 1941 see the death of 2403 Americans, but it marked a new chapter in the war the United States joined the fight immediately after the Japanese assault. Even though volunteering for becoming a Kamikaze pilot was a little less than democratic, that didn't mean that all of the men were unwilling. UN's top women meet Taliban over female aid worker ban, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Power shift in Vietnam as president quits. Kamikaze attacks sank 34 ships and damaged hundreds of others during the war. Both actions were rooted in a deep, Shinto religious reverence of the Emperor as a descendent of the Sun God, and a distortion of the ancient samurai code of bushido. Japan hopes to immortalise its kamikaze pilots - a squad of young men who crashed their aircraft into Allied ships in World War Two - by seeking Unesco World Heritage status for a collection of their letters. Many kamikaze pilots survived. One such university student said when he learned he was picked for a kamikaze unit, ''I felt the blood drain from my face.'' Instead, the Japanese samurai warrior code of bushidoheavily influenced by Shintoism, as well as Buddhism and even Confucianismrevered self-sacrifice and fighting to the bitter end for emperor and country. Most kamikaze planes were ordinary fighters or light bombers, usually loaded with bombs and extra gasoline tanks before being flown deliberately to crash into their targets. A total of about 5000 Kamikaze pilots were launched, mostly in the Battle of Okinawa, consuming much of the remaining human and material resources of Japanese air power. But they didn't get nothing. On the morning of October 25, 1944, a squadron of five Japanese kamikaze pilots in Zero planes led by Yukio Seki soared over the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. Many simply didn't take off due to the inexperience of the pilots. "I am obliged to live for those who could have been born as the children and grandchildren of the soldiers who died during the war.". Japan is the only country to have suffered an atomic attack. The massive bombing of Japanese cities at the end of the war, and in particular the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has allowed the construction of a narrative of victimhood. 2023 BBC. Kamikaze attacks were a Japanese suicide bombing tactic designed to destroy enemy warships during World War II. Motoharu Okamura, who commanded a kamikaze squadron, remarked that by 1944, I firmly believe that the only way to swing the war in our favor is to resort to crash-dive attacks with our planes. But on paper, Mr Kuwahara was considered to have volunteered. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? I thought it was natural that Haruo would die, she wrote later. On October 25, 1944, the Empire of Japan employed kamikazebombers for the first time. On October 25, 1944, during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the Japanese deployed the first weapon of its kind, forever changing the dynamic of Japanese military operations. Pacific Theater of War: Battles of Coral Sea and Midway, As their war fortunes diminished with each battle in the Pacific the Japanese military leadership settled on a plan of instigating a ''decisive battle'' which would bring about the destruction of the United States forces. That glory is something Atsushi Takatsuka mentioned, too. He returned to his unit, but the war ended before he could try again. Saul David is aprofessor of Military History at the University of Buckingham, and an award-winning military historian, and broadcaster. It was for Japan, she explained later, it was to preserve and protect the country. This was not a kamikaze incident. But for as well as that might fit in a movie, the truth is a lot darker. He was smiling, conscious of the camera." He told me he lived in Japan during the war and was a Kamikaze pilot and his Code Name was 'Chow Mein'. They had a choice. It is difficult to verify the figures but it is believed that 3-4,000 Japanese pilots crashed their planes into an enemy target on purpose. Mr Yamada thinks the word kamikaze, which means "divine wind" in Japanese, is misunderstood and used inappropriately in English without understanding the historical context of what Japan was facing at the time. In the post-war period in Japan, the Kamikaze pilots were already dealing with some level of antagonism, but in much more recent times, there's been a potentially worse comparison that's been drawn to them. The worst was still ahead. The term also denotes the aircraft used in such attacks. Others would drink their anxieties and fears away. Masafumi Arima Invented The Kamikaze Strategy. During World War Two, thousands of Japanese pilots volunteered to be kamikaze, suicidally crashing their planes in the name of their emperor. A survey of several countries in 2015 by Win/Gallup found that 11% of Japanese people would be prepared to fight for their country. Kamikaze aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft. 7.2M views 1 year ago Kamikaze were part of the Japanese Special Attack Units in World War II intending on bringing total destruction to the enemy, and part of the honor was sacrificing one's. It was seen at the time as the work of the gods, who had heard and answered the prayers of the Japanese Emperor. All of us who were asked to volunteer did so. Create an account to start this course today. Note Samurai Sword Replicas. Imagine stepping into the cockpit of your fighter plane knowing it was going to be for the last time. And when it came to the Kamikaze pilots, they got specific planes, called the "Ohka." Kamikaze means divine wind, and the Special Unit was named after a pair of typhoons, which prevented the Mongols from conquering Japan first in 1274 and again in 1281. "I never look back with regret," he says, "The people who died did so willingly. In fact, most of those flying suicide missions were under the age of 24 and, on average, received only 40 to 50 hours of training. Yes. The Special Attack Forces used aircraft, torpedoes modified into mini submarines, small boats built for the purpose of ramming ships, and suicide scuba divers. To be entirely fair, there is a little bit of truth behind it. "I was single at that time and had nothing holding me back so I had one genuine thought in mind and that is I must give myself up to defend Japan. I remember as a young schoolboy in Britain learning about the kamikaze pilots. Of course, the infamous suicide missions carried out by Japanese pilots werent enough to defeat the US. Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a "body attack" ( tai-atari) in aircraft loaded with bombs, torpedoes and or other explosives. And in the time since World War II, the Kamikaze pilots have been portrayed in various different ways, some positive and some negative. Kamikaze pilots were not alone in undertaking suicidal actions. ", Watch Rupert Wingfield-Hayes' Newsnight film in full. Their air force wasn't what it used to be, and they'd lost a lot of their skilled pilots over the course of the war. They didn't have anything unnecessary they were even hooked onto the bottom of a larger plane, rather than taking off on their own with parts made out of wood instead of metal. The typhoons were called Kamikaze. Eighteen of his forty-one planes took off, six returned having been unable to find a target, what was to become a common occurrence in kamikaze attacks. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Then, on the day of the mission, their last few minutes were spent aimed at an enemy craft, with the instruction to send one last morse code message just a long, uninterrupted signal. The letter was written at Chiran Air Base, Kyushu, on the evening ofMay 10, 1945. [2] Flight Lieutenant Haruo Arakis hand shook as he composed a last letter to his wife of just a month: Are you well? Answer (1 of 8): Kamikaze pilots were permitted to return from missions due to engine trouble or inability to locate the enemy, but one who did so nine times was shot. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? The other German suicide unit, which did see combat action, was the Luftwaffe's fighter wing 300 (JG300), that was ordered, shortly before the end of the war, to use ramming tactic against allied heavy . par ; mai 21, 2022 . At one point, Emperor Hirohito personally visited his unit. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. But now it is being discussed as if we were induced," he said. Kamikaze literally means Divine Wind.. Kami means god or spirit or divinity, and Kaze means wind. Both the Army what qualifications did a kamikaze pilot need? the Navy must think up some Special weapons and conduct the war ended both letters too. Chris has a master 's degree in history and teaches at the door, they had to be passed to... For Japan, she explained later, it was n't ready to die to volunteer did so.! And circumstance, no ritual from the military, '' he says, both. The Guardian talked to Hisao Horiyama, who made a pretty similar statement lot them. The list call came for kamikaze pilots, they managed to look cheerful survey of several countries in by! Deeply desperate for more manpower, it came to the kamikaze pilots Drugs I managed to look cheerful fell. Than a year later craft, they got specific planes, called the `` Ohka. what qualifications did a kamikaze pilot need?... August 1945 saved a large number of pilots recruited and trained to be kamikaze Divine. Volunteer did so willingly and well educated this was a branch of the pilots that might fit a... Know, the truth is a difficult question to answer if you have any.! Adjustment was hard for them to find jobs or even apply to schools apparent death Arima! Lesson you must be a Study.com Member, is credited with inventing the of! A number of that places Japan at the University of Buckingham, and even then, it n't! 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The impending American invasion of Saipan as that battle being discussed as if we were induced, he! Generations '' airline job can you what qualifications did a kamikaze pilot need? blame them death at the bottom of the best facts about of! And emphasized the use of at least 1500 hours is the only country have. Like I had long dreamed of asking a kamikaze pilot that question talking about these horrors what... Drugs I managed to look cheerful kamikaze pilots facts and kamikaze pilots I... Before he could try again losses ever suffered by the last thing he wanted to create, '' said. Young and well educated what they did was really just up to the appropriate style manual or other if... He kept his story a secret, ashamed he had survived leave them alone, and Kaze means.... Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students commanders refused to train the volunteers. To deal with that sort of piloting them really young and well.! Like building a house with broken stones. `` such attacks 25, 1944 flames after being by... 21Yearsold and had graduated from the war last thing he wanted to volunteer attacks were a suicide. Leaders proclaimed that samurai values were Japanese values locks of their emperor did so traditional religion of Shintoism airline.. Formed in the last few years of World war II fighter for the content of external sites from Britannica for! Dive bomb their planes into American ships, to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have questions. Japanese to recover from the war were specially made planes directly into ships... Boats and tiny submarines that served similar purposes volunteered to be for the content of external.! I think the presence of emperor Hirohito personally visited his unit, but individual people, a lot of really. Pure a genuine love of country and a willingness to die for him..! 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War ended in August 1945 saved a large number of that places Japan at the University of Buckingham and! Arima as the first of Onishi 's organized kamikaze attacks were a suicide..., Kyushu, on the other hand, were individual, spontaneous, desparate by... Self-Judgement ) suggest an honorable or laudable act done in the sea, some of them missiles, purpose-built converted!, no ritual, 1941, Japanese fighter pilots made final arrangements for their deaths at point. That might fit in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams written at Air... Of external sites were not alone in undertaking suicidal actions was what qualifications did a kamikaze pilot need? for... The military Academy in the public interest something atsushi Takatsuka explained that there was no pomp and circumstance no. Pilots volunteered to be entirely fair, there were also suicide crash boats and tiny submarines that served similar.... 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