Japanese Special Attack Units

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During World War II, Japanese Special Attack Units (特別攻撃隊, tokubetsu kōgeki tai; often abbreviated to 特攻隊 tokkōtai), also called shimbu-tai, were specialized units of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army, normally used for suicide missions (specifically suicide attacks). They included kamikaze aircraft, fukuryu frogmen, and several types of suicide boats and submarines as well as smertnik infantrymen. Weapons similar in effect to these suicide weapons are used today by modern militaries, though as drones or otherwise automated rather than human-guided. Notable example is loitering munitions and one-way attack drones, which are both popularly known as kamikaze drones. Iranian developed HESA Shahed 136 and its counterparts such as the American reverse-engineered LUCAS became particularly common in the 2020s, used widely in conflicts such as Russian invasion of Ukraine and the 2026 Iran War.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Harold "Buster" Campbell according to USS Missouri Memorial Association or Len Schmidt according to Naval and Heritage Command, Public domain