Kamikaze+Attacks+and+the+Battle+of+Leyte+Gulf




 * //Name://** Hiroshi Yamanashi


 * //Age://** 26

//**Hometown:**// Tokyo, Japan

//**Relationship:**// Single


 * //Occupation://** Pilot

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= = = = =Kamikaze Attacks=

The use of the kamikaze attacks was first used during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf. When they became a basic part of the Japanese army, the at tacks were the most feared part of the fight ("Kamikaze" 1). Our new fighting concepts scared the others armies. At the end of last year, 1944, the Japanese issued the first organized kamikaze flights and changed the course of the fight in the Pacific and battles to come ("Brief" 1). The American's had no idea we would resort to such actions, but it's what help most of us survive.

=The Battle of Leyte Gulf=



Our fuel was almost gone and we had barely any planes or boats left. We all knew that if the Philippines were lost, the war would end. So our leaders made a plan that would either be the total end of us or destroy the American army and isolate most of them in the Philippines ("Brief" 1).

The American navy had two fleets, one was sparsely armed and slow moving and the other was well equipped. We sent ships and planes that looked like a threat toward the islands, so the U.S. would see us, then turned around. Just as we hoped, their boats and planes followed us away, leaving the slow fleet unprotected ("Brief" 1, "Turkey" 1).

Meanwhile the rest of the Japanese fighters cornered the useless fleet, coming in from the north and from the south. There were submarines battling one another on one side of the island, while U.S. planes attack our army on foot ("Turkey" 1). The fighting was widely spread and hard to follow. With one of their commanders gone to fight the decoy, it was simpler than it would have been. Off the island of Samar was where the Japanese fleet directed their best attacks, in order to take down the American fleet located there ("Turkey" 1). We might have lost more than we were willing to loose, but the Philippines were safe for now. This was the largest battle I've ever seen. The U.S. fleets were trying to send messages for help, but they were delayed and some were encrypted. The other fleet did not receive them until much later ("Turkey" 6). They did us much damage


 * //Works Cited//**

"A Brief Account of the Battle." __The Battle of Leyte Gulf.__ 24 Oct. 2007. http://www.angelfire.com/fm/odyssey/LEYTE_GULF_Summary_of_the_Battle_.htm

"Kamikaze Attack, 1944." EyeWitness to History. 2005. 24 Oct. 2007. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/kamikaze.htm

"Turkey Trots to Water." __Battleship History - Leyte Gulf.__ 2000. 24 Oct. 2007. http://www.battleship.org/html/Articles/History/Leyte0.htm

//**Pictures**//

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[|http://www.insidetendays.com/Photos/KamikasePlaneBeforeHitweb.jp]