Special Attack Picture Postcards
In 1999, the Tokkōtai Senbotsusha Irei Heiwa Kinen Kyōkai (Tokkōtai
Commemoration Peace Memorial Association) issued a set of eight picture
postcards of different types of special (suicide) attacks made during the
Pacific War. The paintings on these postcards were created by four different
artists. They were sold for a short time at Yasukuni Jinja's Yūshūkan
Museum but are no longer available.
The picture postcards show that the Japanese military considered that special
attacks encompassed much more than aerial attacks by kamikaze aircraft. The
postcards along with English translations of the captions are shown below.
Special Submarines
by Takehito Matsumoto
Two-man midget submarines with two torpedoes each first appeared at attack on
Pearl Harbor. Afterward, five-main midget submarines called Kōryū also appeared.
Surface Special Attack Maru-re and Shin'yō
by Takehito Matsumoto
The Army's maru-re crashed into the enemy ship and dropped a
depth charge, and the Navy's shin'yō had explosives in the bow
and made a taiatari (body-crashing) attack. This picture is a maru-re.
Taiatari (Body-Crashing) Special Attacks Against B-29s
by Shūichi Kaihō
In order to bring down B-29s attacking at an altitude of 10,000 meters, our
fighters
were stripped entirely of heavy equipment and used taiatari
(body-crashing) tactics.
Aerial Special Attacks Against Ships
by Shūichi Kaihō
Aerial special attacks known by the name of "kamikaze" appeared in
the Battle of Leyte and played a key role during the Battle of Okinawa.
Human Torpedo "Kaiten"
by Kunio Ichikawa
A kaiten, a large torpedo piloted by a man that could vanquish a large ship in
one
blow, was carried to the battlefield by a submarine. It was very active in many
places.
Saipan Special Attack of 1st Mitate Squadron
by Shūichi Kaihō
Twelve Zero fighters that took off from Iwo Jima with fuel for
one way strafed B-29s at Saipan, and all of them did not return.
Battle of Okinawa Aerial Special Attacks
by Kōji Nishino
Postwar work that expresses through paintbrush the vivid impressions of
what the artist, who was in Okinawa military staff unit, witnessed personally.
Giretsu Airborne Special Attack Unit
by Takehito Matsumoto
Before sortie from Kengun Airfield in evening of May 24, 1945, each
man faced his home and said goodbye. Among airborne special
attacks, besides this there were Kaoru Airborne Unit and others.
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