Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP
Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt
From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Kamikaze and Japan/WWII
Message-ID: <1143@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Oct-84 17:53:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.1143
Posted: Mon Oct 15 17:53:41 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Oct-84 20:16:13 EDT
References: <223@mhuxh.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 15

There are two appropriate references to Kamikaze in connection with WW II.
"Kamikaze" means "heavenly wind", and historically refers to a typhoon
which wiped out a Chinese (?) invasion force that seemed almost certain
to conquer Japan.  The suicide bombers of WW II were supposed to supply
the "heavenly wind" that would similarly destroy the Allied invasion fleets.

In the last days of the war, the Japanese command referred to the
Kamikaze as their hope for destroying the invasion, but it seems
to have meant real "heavenly" interference as much as suicide troops.
The distinction becomes unclear, but both concepts were involved.
-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt
{uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt