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#Post#: 11809--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka
By: vonofterdingen Date: July 6, 2020, 3:49 pm
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I had a model kit of the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka as a boy. On the
box it was named �the Baka Bomb,� a name that always stuck with
me. I had the opportunity to see one at the USAF Museum in
Dayton Ohio many years ago; it was a tiny little flying coffin.
It gave me chills then and still does. What a terrifying weapon
both for the attacker and the target. The idea that military
planners and engineers would design an aircraft specifically as
a suicide weapon is chilling in itself. As a friend of mine used
to say, �there�s a fine line between bravery and stupidity.�
From Wikipedia:
The Yokosuka MXY-7 was a purpose-built, rocket-powered
human-guided kamikaze attack aircraft employed by Japan against
Allied ships towards the end of the Pacific War during World War
II. Although extremely fast, the very short range of the Ohka
meant that it had to be carried into action as a parasite
aircraft by a much larger bomber, which was itself vulnerable to
carrier-borne fighters. In action during the Battle of Okinawa
in 1945, Ohkas were able to sink or damage some escort vessels
and transport ships but no major warships were ever hit.
Improved versions which attempted to overcome the aircraft's
shortcomings were developed too late to be deployed. The Allied
reporting name for the Ohka was "Baka".
The MXY-7 Navy Suicide Attacker Ohka was a manned flying bomb
that was usually carried underneath a Mitsubishi G4M2e Model 24J
"Betty" bomber to within range of its target. On release, the
pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough
he would fire the Ohka's three solid-fuel rockets, one at a time
or in unison, and fly the missile towards the ship that he
intended to destroy.
The design was conceived by Ensign Mitsuo Ohta of the 405th
Kokutai, aided by students of the Aeronautical Research
Institute at the University of Tokyo. Ohta submitted his plans
to the Yokosuka research facility. The Imperial Japanese Navy
decided the idea had merit and Yokosuka engineers of the
Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku
Gijitsusho, or in short Kugisho) created formal blueprints for
what was to be the MXY7. The only variant which saw service was
the Model 11, and it was powered by three Type 4 Mark 1 Model 20
rockets. 155 Ohka Model 11s were built at Yokosuka, and another
600 were built at the Kasumigaura Naval Air Arsenal.
The final approach was difficult for a defender to stop
because the aircraft gained high speed (650 km/h (400 mph) in
level flight and 930 km/h (580 mph) or even 1,000 km/h (620 mph)
in a dive. Later versions were designed to be launched from
coastal air bases and caves, and even from submarines equipped
with aircraft catapults, although none were actually used in
this way. The USS Mannert L. Abele was the first Allied ship to
be sunk by Ohka aircraft, near Okinawa on 12 April 1945. Over
the course of the war, Ohkas sank or damaged three ships beyond
repair, significantly damaged three more ships, with a total of
seven U.S. ships damaged or sunk by Ohkas.
The only operational Ohka was the Model 11. Essentially a
1,200-kilogram (2,600 lb) bomb with wooden wings, powered by
three Type 4 Model 1 Mark 20 solid-fuel rocket motors, the Model
11 achieved great speed, but with limited range. This was
problematic, as it required the slow, heavily laden mother
aircraft to approach within 37 km (20 nmi; 23 mi) of the target,
making them very vulnerable to defending fighters. There was one
experimental variant of the Model 11, the Model 21, which had
thin steel wings manufactured by Nakajima. It had the engine of
the Model 11 and the airframe of the Model 22.
The Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka was used mostly against U.S. ships
invading Okinawa, and if launched from its mothership, could be
effective because of its high speed in the dive. In the first
two attempts to transport the Ohkas to Leyte Gulf using aircraft
carriers, the carriers Shinano and Unryu were sunk by the U.S.
submarines Archerfish and Redfish.
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Attacks intensified in April 1945. On 1 April 1945, six
"Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. At least one made
a successful attack; its Ohka was thought to have hit one of the
406 mm (16 in) turrets on the battleship West Virginia, causing
moderate damage. Postwar analysis indicated that no hits were
recorded and that a near-miss took place. The transports Alpine,
Achernar, and Tyrrell were also hit by kamikaze aircraft, but it
is unclear whether any of these were Ohkas from the other
"Bettys". None of the "Bettys" returned.
The U.S. military quickly realized the danger and
concentrated on extending their "defensive rings" outward to
intercept the "Betty"/Ohka combination aircraft before the
suicide mission could be launched. On 12 April 1945, nine
"Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The destroyer
Mannert L. Abele was hit, broke in two, and sank, witnessed by
LSMR-189 CO James M. Stewart. Jeffers destroyed an Ohka with AA
fire 45 m (50 yd) from the ship, but the resulting explosion was
still powerful enough to cause extensive damage, forcing Jeffers
to withdraw. The destroyer Stanly was attacked by two Ohkas. One
struck above the waterline just behind the ship's bow, its
charge passing completely through the hull and splashing into
the sea, where it detonated underwater, causing little damage to
the ship. The other Ohka narrowly missed (its pilot probably
killed by anti-aircraft fire) and crashed into the sea, knocking
off the Stanly's ensign in the process. One Betty returned. On
14 April 1945, seven "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off
Okinawa. None returned. None of the Ohkas appeared to have been
launched. Two days later, six "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet
off Okinawa. Two returned, but no Ohkas had hit their targets.
Later, on 28 April 1945, four "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet
off Okinawa at night. One returned. No hits were recorded.
https://i.postimg.cc/CKtRwKNc/Screen-Hunter-308.png
May 1945 saw another series of attacks. On 4 May 1945, seven
"Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. One Ohka hit the
bridge of a destroyer, Shea, causing extensive damage and
casualties. Gayety was also damaged by an Ohka's near miss. One
"Betty" returned. On 11 May 1945, four "Bettys" attacked the
U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The destroyer Hugh W. Hadley was hit and
suffered extensive damage and flooding. The vessel was judged
beyond repair. On 25 May 1945, 11 "Bettys" attacked the fleet
off Okinawa. Bad weather forced most of the aircraft to turn
back, and none of the others hit targets.
On 22 June 1945, six "Bettys" attacked the fleet. Two
returned, but no hits were recorded. Postwar analysis concluded
that the Ohka's impact was negligible, since no U.S. Navy
capital ships had been hit during the attacks because of the
effective defensive tactics that were employed. In total, of the
300 Ohka available for the Okinawa campaign, 74 actually
undertook operations, of which 56 were either destroyed with
their parent aircraft or in making attacks. The Allied nickname
for the aircraft was "Baka", a Japanese word meaning "foolish"
or "idiotic".
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In game�
Every April Fool�s day a think about announcing my new
12-mission campaign for the Ohka. Still haven�t done it. I have
never flown the Ohka and don�t particularly care to. From the
other side, it is a real challenge to bring down once it is in
flight. As the Wiki article mentions, the best approach is to
catch it while still in the Betty bomber. Even Mustangs or
Corsairs can�t keep up. If you do happen to get into a shooting
position, you need to treat it somewhat like a German V-1; if
you are too close and you hit it, the explosion will take out
both of you.
#Post#: 11810--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka
By: ben_wh Date: July 6, 2020, 4:58 pm
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von,
Thank you for the write up of this very interesting 'plane'
(weapon?) that came out of some of the most devastating years of
human history. So much has been/ can be written about kamikaze
in real life that I am not sure what I can add here.
In game: this is certainly a rare occasion that a flyable Ohka
is included in the game. Your 12-mission campaign is not such
an outlandish idea: one can imagine a campaign for a pilot that
migrate from flight school to some air-to-air actions, then
transfer to the Tokubetsu Kōgekitai and ultimately to a
'fiery conclusion'.
Should you choose to make this a reality, these books may
present some useful perspective:
Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers by
Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney
Kamikaze: A Japanese Pilot's Own Spectacular Story of the Famous
Suicide Squadrons by Gordon T. Allred and Yasuo Kuwahara
Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze by M.G.
Sheftall
Finally, you may also try searching online for 'The Cockpit
Anime Part 2' by Leiji Matsumoto.
Cheers,
#Post#: 11812--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka
By: vonofterdingen Date: July 6, 2020, 9:18 pm
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I had not thought of that approach for a campaign. Good idea. It
would make for a hell of a final mission, wouldn't it?
#Post#: 11814--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka
By: ben_wh Date: July 7, 2020, 12:00 pm
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Yes, it would.
Suggestion for potential mission maker: include an excerpt from
the final personal letter from the pilot to his family as the
last part of the mission briefing.
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