Operation Kikusui I

The first of ten large Japanese kamikaze air attacks against Allied naval forces off Okinawa, launched on April 6–7, 1945. It was part of Japan’s effort to disrupt the invasion fleet during the Battle of Okinawa.

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Kamikaze: A Japanese military tactic in which pilots deliberately crashed aircraft into enemy targets, especially ships. Kikusui I was a large-scale use of these deliberate aircraft attacks.
Battle of Okinawa: A major 1945 battle between Allied and Japanese forces for control of Okinawa. Kikusui I was launched against the Allied naval forces supporting this campaign.
USS Colhoun (DD-801): A U.S. Navy destroyer sunk by Japanese aircraft off Okinawa on April 6, 1945. Colhoun was among the Allied ships lost in the first Kikusui attack.
Kikusui operations: Ten large Japanese air attacks against Allied naval forces off Okinawa in 1945. Kikusui I began the series that continued through the Battle of Okinawa.
Operation Ten-Go: A Japanese naval operation in April 1945 centered on the battleship Yamato’s one-way mission toward Okinawa. The sortie was timed alongside Kikusui I to strike Allied forces supporting the invasion.
Ten-Go strategy: Japan’s 1945 plan to use remaining forces for a decisive defense of the home islands and nearby approaches. Kikusui attacks formed part of the desperate effort to blunt the Okinawa invasion.
USS Newcomb (DD-586): A U.S. Navy destroyer severely damaged by Japanese aircraft off Okinawa on April 6, 1945. Its damage shows how repeated attacks could disable a ship even when it survived.
Japanese kamikaze attacks during the Battle of Okinawa: Japanese suicide air attacks against Allied forces during the 1945 battle for Okinawa. The opening wave established a campaign of attacks that persisted for weeks.
USS Bush (DD-529): A U.S. Navy Fletcher-class destroyer sunk by Japanese air attacks off Okinawa on April 6, 1945. Its loss illustrates the damage inflicted on Allied screening ships during the opening Kikusui attack.
Japanese Special Attack Units: Japanese military units organized to carry out deliberate attacks intended to destroy themselves with their targets. Their aircraft and crews supplied the suicide attacks that defined Kikusui I.