{"id":1519,"date":"2023-10-10T17:22:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T17:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1519"},"modified":"2023-10-10T17:22:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T17:22:26","slug":"yokosuka-mxy-7-ohka-the-kamikaze-baka-bomb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1519","title":{"rendered":"Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka \u2014 The Kamikaze Baka Bomb"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Tom Laemlein<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he current war in Ukraine has reintroduced us to the \u201ckamikaze\u201d moniker. in 2023, it normally refers to a kamikaze drone. The modern equivalent of the World War II Japanese concept of the self-sacrificing Divine Wind attackers no longer involves the death of the pilot \u2014 only the drone expends itself on the target, controlled by a distant operator using a system guided by video.<\/p>\n

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A U.S. Naval Intelligence illustration of the G4M2e Betty bomber releasing its Baka. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In late 1944, however, the Japanese lacked the advanced technology we now take for granted. Instead, they coupled rocket technology with the fanaticism of men willing to give their lives for their Emperor to create Yokosuka MXY-7 \u201cOhka\u201d. The MXY-7 rocket was a cherry blossom (\u201cOhka\u201d) by Japanese definition and a fool (\u201cBaka\u201d) in the estimation of the Americans who faced it.<\/p>\n

Baka Bomb \u2014 Human Guidance System<\/h2>\n

The Yokosuka MXY-7 was a cantilever, low-wing monoplane that was first conceived in 1943, more than a year before the notion of the Kamikaze suicide aircraft became a concerted effort for the Japanese Navy and Army air forces.<\/p>\n

\"yokosuka\n<\/picture>
This is an intact Baka that was captured by U.S. forces on Okinawa. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ensign Mitsuo Ohta, working with students at the Aeronautical Research Institute in Tokyo, created the initial design for the rocket-propelled ship-killer. After nearly a year of disinterest, the Japanese Navy proceeded with the project. The first 155 of the new Ohka flying bombs were completed at Yokosuka, with the remainder of the 852 total constructed at the Kasumigaura Naval Air Arsenal.<\/p>\n

\"baka\n<\/picture>
This is a Technical Air Intelligence Center diagram of the Baka bomb. Tactical Air Intelligence Units were developed to recover Japanese planes to develop actionable information. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The concept was a simple (but fast) delivery system for a massive 2,600-pound warhead. The small aircraft was basically a winged bomb powered by three Type 4 Model 1\/Mark 20 solid-fuel rocket motors. The rockets could be used individually or all together, powering the Ohka to speeds of 400 mph in level flight and more than 600 mph in a power dive. The pilot was provided with rudimentary controls \u2014 good enough, at least, for his short final flight.<\/p>\n

\"recovered\n<\/picture>
This captured MXY-7 Ohka was displayed in Okinawa. You can see its cigar-like shape, wings and dual vertical stabilizers. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The human kamikaze pilot offered a simple solution to the biggest problem bedeviling the missiles of the era: a reliable guidance system. Weapons like the German Hs293 and \u201cFritz X\u201d glide bombs were steered by remote control from a bombardier in a launching aircraft from some distance away. After early German successes, the Allies learned to jam their command signals.<\/p>\n

\"captured\n<\/picture>
Sleek and simple, the Baka was a rocket-powered flying bomb that used a suicidal pilot for guidance. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Allied glide bombs had proved to be horribly inaccurate \u2014 and the American radar-guided ASM-N-2 \u201cBat\u201d would not become available until April 1945. In the meantime, Imperial Japan had the best available guidance system for the MXY7 Ohka: a Japanese suicide pilot willing to sacrifice his life to strike the target.<\/p>\n

Hitching a Ride with Betty<\/h2>\n

Despite the Ohka\u2019s impressive speed and devastating payload, the manned flying bomb had a very short range \u2014 about 23 miles. Consequently, a conventional aircraft was required to carry the Ohka to the target area and then release the suicide bomb within its performance envelope. If the Japanese had air superiority over the target area, the Ohka\u2019s mothership would be in little danger. However, by the time the Ohka was operational, Japan had no such luxury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"japanese\n<\/picture>
U.S. Navy Hellcat and Corsair fighters intercepted many of the Japanese \u201cBetty\u201d bombers before they could launch their Baka payload \u2014 as seen in this gun camera still frame. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were many aircraft proposed to carry the Ohka into combat. Still, in the end, it was an old hand that ended up as the mother ship: the Mitsubishi G4M \u201cBetty\u201d twin-engine bomber (specifically the G4M2e Model 24 \u201cTei\u201d). The 4,700+-pound Ohka was usually carried partially recessed in the Betty bomb bay, with the pilot normally traveling inside the bomber until he entered his suicide craft as it closed on the target area. If the targets were close to the Ohka\u2019s base, the pilot would normally be bolted into his cockpit before the bomb was attached to the mothership. The Ohka was equipped with a small oxygen supply for high-altitude operations, allowing the piloted bomb to be released at above 26,000 feet.<\/p>\n

\"baka\n<\/picture>
Shown above are the simple controls of the Baka, with a ring sight mounted outside of the cockpit. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Betty bombers were particularly vulnerable to U.S. Navy combat air patrol (CAP) fighters \u2014 the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U. It was unlikely that the Betty groups would arrive with an escort, and once detected by USN radar, the motherships were easy meat for the fighters. On several missions, none of the Ohka-carrying Betty bombers returned to base.<\/p>\n

Difficult Beginnings for the Yokosuka Ohka<\/h2>\n

In late 1944, with the U.S. invasion of the Philippines underway, the Japanese sought to deliver their new rocket bombs to counter American naval power. On November 28, 1944, the Japanese super-carrier\u00a0Shinano<\/em>\u00a0began her shakedown cruise to deliver 50 Ohkas to the Philippines. Instead, Shinano was struck by four torpedoes from the USS\u00a0Archerfish<\/em>\u00a0(SS-311,) sending the carrier to the bottom along with more than 1,400 of her crew and all the Ohkas. On December 19, 1944, 30 more Ohkas were lost enroute to Manila aboard the carrier\u00a0Unryu<\/em>, which was torpedoed and sunk by the USS\u00a0Redfish<\/em>. Through no fault of its own, the Ohka had yet to fly a combat mission.<\/p>\n

\"diagram\n<\/picture>
This diagram details the Baka bomb and its Betty G4M2e bomber mothership. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ohka finally struck on April 1, 1945, as six G4M Betty bombers carried the rocket bombs into action against the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. None of the carrier aircraft survived, but one Ohka had a near miss on the battleship USS\u00a0West Virginia\u00a0<\/em>(BB-48,) causing a considerable amount of damage.<\/p>\n

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On April 12th, nine Bettys brought their Ohkas to challenge the U.S. fleet. Eight of the G4Ms were shot down, but not before one Ohka struck the destroyer USS\u00a0Mannert L. Abele<\/em>\u00a0(DD-733) and blew it in half. A total of 84 of her crew were killed. Nearby, AA fire from the destroyer USS\u00a0Jeffers<\/em>\u00a0(DD-621) exploded an Ohka less than 50 yards from the ship \u2014 the resulting blast causing severe damage, causing the Jeffers to withdraw from action.<\/p>\n

\"uss\n<\/picture>
USS\u00a0Mannert L. Abele\u00a0<\/em>(DD-733) in August 1944. She is wearing Camouflage Measure 32, Design 11A. Unfortunately, she was lost after being hit by a Baka bomb in April 1945. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, the destroyer USS\u00a0Stanly<\/em>\u00a0(DD-478) was hit by an Ohka whose warhead passed through the thinly armored ship and then exploded underwater nearby. A second Ohka attacked\u00a0Stanly<\/em>\u00a0and missed by a few feet as the rocket-propelled bomb\u2019s stubby wing clipped off the ship\u2019s ensign as it flew by.<\/p>\n

\"us\n<\/picture>
The 20mm Oerlikon gun was a prime close-range weapon for air defense. Fed by 60-round drum magazines, the 20mm AA gun had a cyclic rate of 450 rounds per minute. Image:\u00a0U.S. Coast Guard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ohka attacks on the Okinawa fleet continued until late June \u2014 with a total of 56 of the rocket bombs destroyed while making attacks or shot down aboard their Betty motherships. The radar picket destroyers took the bulk of the damage as the USS\u00a0Shea<\/em>\u00a0(DD-750) and USS\u00a0Gayety<\/em>\u00a0(AM-239) were damaged, and the destroyer USS\u00a0Hugh W. Hadley<\/em>\u00a0(DD-774)was deemed damaged beyond repair. Even so, just seven U.S. ships were damaged or sunk by the Ohka rocket-bombs, and no U.S. capital ship was sunk by an Ohka. <\/p>\n

\"baka\n<\/picture>
The MXY-7 Type 11 Ohka was powered by three Type 4 Model 1\/Mark 20 solid-fuel rocket motors. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What was it like to experience an attack by the Ohka? The following text includes the official log of the Ohka attack on the USS\u00a0Shea<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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Attack on the destroyer USS Shea (DD-750) May 4, 1945<\/em><\/p>\n

Off Okinawa, on radar picket duty<\/em><\/p>\n

The successful attack on the Shea came May 4, 1945, while the ship was on picket duty (relaying enemy aerial movements to the main body of the fleet) about 75 miles from Okinawa. The Baka, which are 20-feet long, have a wingspan of 16 feet and reportedly travel at 630 miles an hour \u2014 came in so quickly that Shea gunners did not have a chance to intercept it. Only five seconds after the rocket was sighted coming out of the mist the crash occurred.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Shea had a previous warning of a probable attack and was at battle stations with full steaming power at the time of the attack.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Japanese used clever tactics in opening a way for the Baka\u2019s run. Enemy planes circled overhead drawing the ship\u2019s fire. With a mist cover, the Baka streaked in before the Shea could change targets.<\/em><\/p>\n

The ensuing explosion and scattering of deadly metal pockmarked the superstructure. Parts of the wing and tail of the Baka, which had sheared off as the jet-propelled bomb tunneled through the ship, were recovered topside. Considerable damage resulted solely from the impact and velocity of the bomb which gored a hole four feet by five feet where it entered. Equipment was smashed and carried away, cables were severed and decks ripped open in its path.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The port list which resulted from flooding was quickly brought under control. Prompt action on the part of damage control parties did much toward preventing further damage and danger to the ship.<\/em>
The Baka barely missed two men in the sound hut adjoining the chart room, deflected off a fire director shaft, went through a passageway on the port side of the chart room, and smashed through a door into the clear where parts of it exploded just over the side of the ship.<\/em><\/p>\n

0859: Bomb struck starboard side bridge structure, 3-5 seconds after first sighting, at Frame 72, passed through the ship, exploded close aboard port side at waterline. One officer, 26 men killed by concussion, shrapnel, flash or shock; 11 officers, 80 men injured. 5\u201d\/38 mounts #1 and #2 inoperative. Mount #3 operative in local control, two twin 40mm operable in local control, 2 quad 40mm operable in automatic, six 20mm guns operative. All radars inoperative. Engineering plant ready for full power. Commenced fighting fires and caring for wounded.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI must have been knocked out by the explosion,\u201d said Lieutenant Richard Greiner, USNR, of Rocky River, Ohio, who was officer of the deck at the time. \u201cWhen I picked myself up I saw smoke coming from below, shattered glass was all about and wounded men were trying to crawl to safety. There was noise, but no confusion or hysteria. Every man immediately leaped to the job assigned him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Major Edwin S. Roberts, USMC, of Los Angeles, California, a Marine squadron pilot from a carrier who was flying patrol over Shea, described the incident as a minor miracle: \u201cI was too high to catch him, so all I could do was watch \u2014 and it looked like a certain hit. Into the side of the ship he went and I waited for the explosion, but none came. A second later he emerged from the other side of the ship minus his wings. The ship continued on course, a hole straight through her! It was a miracle, but it happened.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

One man, John V. Brown, ship\u2019s cook second class, USNR, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, died as a result of his persistency in asking for \u201ca shot at a Jap\u201d. Brown normally had a below-decks battle station. Because of his repeated requests he was put on a .50 caliber machine gun. He manned the gun until the second the Baka hit him in its run.<\/em><\/p>\n

Crew members have named her the \u201cShooting Shea\u201d since April 16, 1945, when she shot down seven planes in a 10-minute period near Okinawa. By the time she was hit by the Baka on May 4, 1945, the Shea had nine Japanese planes to her credit.<\/em><\/p>\n

Official Log of the USS Shea (DD-750)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note: the USS\u00a0Shea<\/em>\u00a0(commissioned on September 30, 1944) was named for Commander John J. Shea of Arlington, Connecticut. Commander Shea lost his life aboard the carrier USS\u00a0Wasp<\/em>\u00a0(CV-7) in September 1942. A letter from Commander Shea to his young son attracted national attention as he wrote: \u201cFighting for the defense of our country, ideals, homes, and honor is an honor and duty which your daddy had to do before he can come home and settle down with you and mother\u2026If I don\u2019t get back, remember, don\u2019t ever be a quitter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"us\n<\/picture>
U.S. Servicemen examine a captured Baka bomb\u2019s 2,600-pound warhead on Okinawa. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The men of the Shea<\/em> didn\u2019t quit, and after they off-loaded their wounded to the USS\u00a0Crescent City\u00a0<\/em>(AP-40,) and buried their dead at Okinawa, they continued on to anchorage at Kerama Reto. On May 15th, the\u00a0Shea<\/em>\u00a0joined a convoy to Ulithi Atoll. From Ulithi, she went on to Pearl Harbor, and from there, she arrived in Philadelphia Navy Yard on July 2, 1945. After extensive repairs, the ship was ready for service again on October 11, 1945. The\u00a0Shea<\/em>\u00a0remained in service until 1958 and was kept in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 1973. It certainly lasted longer than the Ohka program that tried to destroy it.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Tom Laemlein The current war in Ukraine has reintroduced us to the \u201ckamikaze\u201d moniker. in 2023, it normally refers to a kamikaze drone. The modern equivalent of the World War II Japanese concept of the self-sacrificing Divine Wind attackers no longer involves the death of the pilot \u2014 only the drone expends itself on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}