KAMIKAZE: TO DIE FOR THE EMPEROR

Product Details

• UPC: 5034504710771
• Genre: Documentary, War, History
• Number of discs: 1
• Label: Pegasus
• Release date: 2004
• Region: 0, PAL

Overview

Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor is a documentary that explores the history of the Japanese Kamikaze pilots during World War II. The Kamikaze pilots were named after the "divine wind" that had twice prevented invasion by the armies of Kublai Kahn in the 13th century, and they symbolized the extreme lengths the Japanese Imperial forces were prepared to go to when faced with defeat. The DVD features rare archive footage, reconstructions, and interviews with veterans and historians.

Product Specifications

• Format: DVD
• Region: PAL All Regions
• Screen Format: 4:3
• Sound: Stereo
• Language: English
• Main feature length: 55 minutes approx.
• Special Features: Interactive menus, scene selections, excerpts from other War File titles

Scene Selection

1. March of Conquest
2. Pilot Training
3. Kamikaze
4. Picket Duty
5. Human Bombs
6. Holy War

Interesting Facts

• The Kamikaze pilots were responsible for sinking or damaging over 300 Allied ships during World War II.
• The first Kamikaze attack took place on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
• The Kamikaze pilots were often young, inexperienced pilots who were given only rudimentary training before being sent on their suicide missions.

From Backside:

Named after the "divine wind" which had twice intervened to prevent invasion by the armies of Kublai Kahn in the 13th Century, the Kamikaze pilots symbolised the extreme lengths the Japanese Imperial forces were prepared to go to when faced with defeat. Opposed by the might of the American fleet, rebuilt after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbour, the Imperial seal of approval was given to suicide air attacks on the enemy stalking them in the Pacific. Honoured for its purity, suicide was shrouded in ceremony and mysticism, capturing the Samurai spirit. It took several military forms when Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after occupying Manchuria in 1931. Ramming techniques were pertected alongside the development of human bombs, bullets and torpedoes, as the suicide tactics struck terror into the hearts of men trying to survive by men wishing to die. It was the suicide pilots, dubbed "black edged cherry blossoms" who were the most feared in this savage arena. Captured within this rare archive footage is the nightmare chaos of the Pacific War, the air thick with tracer bullets and belching smoke as the sea foamed with devastating destruction. Although the Banzai tactics eventually led to mass suicide amongst the Japanese and the gradual depletion of men and machines resulted in defeat the American navy had been forced into retreat by the horrific onslaught. They and the rest of the world had witnessed the Samurai mentality, where a whole nation, from the Emperor downwards was honoured to die for their cause.