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did you know that American pilots were the first kamikazis, in the Battle of Midway?

No. That's interesting. I can find references to the Battle of Midway being the first Japanese use of kamikazi. Can you point me to a reference regarding Americans? Kamikazi are an incredibly wasteful resource.

For our pilots, mostly raised in the South, it was born out of desperation, needing to make a dent in the Japanese carriers when our munitions (?torpedo bombs) were ineffective and perhaps the first couple started after they were hit and going to be going in the sea but turned their craft toward the carriers instead.

At this point in the war, we really hadn't had a decisive victory against the Japanese and were in dire straits. I envision them going in with a rebel yell.

I can't remember the book on the war in the Pacific that went into this, but I believe it was written as the result of a personal memorial journey that the author, who was known for other things, took. It drives me crazy that I can't remember him or the title. I read it a couple decades ago. I don't know if that's the one, as I've read lots of WWII books during my life.

I'll see if I can jog my memory by dropping over to Amazon after I check the news here.