Chiran school girls wave farewell to Toshio Anazawa, a Kamikaze pilot

As the balance of power in the Pacific shifted in favour of the Allies, the Japanese explored more desperate combat methods. One of these were the Shinpū Tokubetsu Kōgekitai (Divine Wind Special Attack Units), colloquially known as Kamikaze. These suicidal pilots would deliberately crash their planes into enemy naval vessels in an attempt to destroy or disable them. Kamikaze only became official Japanese policy from October 1944 onwards. Tactically, the concept was a success, three vital Allied aircraft carriers being utterly disabled by Kamikaze attacks. Yet the stratagem could not prevent Japanese defeat and was ultimately a pointless waste of life. The extent to which propaganda and coercion was used to round up ‘volunteers’ for Kamikaze missions remains subject to academic dispute. In the photo, school girls wave goodbye to Kamikaze pilot Toshio Anazawa, 23 years old. Toshio had just been engaged to his girlfriend Chieko before volunteering for the suicide attack. His diary showcases his conflicting emotions:
“I feel that the sortie will be soon. I burned my letters. What remained were entirely ones from Chieko. As the flames blazed up, my feelings and heart were shaken immeasurably.”
Anazawa died on the 12th of April 1945, conducting a Kamikaze attack during the battle for Okinawa. (Josef Mlejnek)