[AnalogReigns]

When there's a howler like that in the very first sentence . . .

Kamikaze planes were not introduced until October 1944 as a last-ditch effort to stop the American advance.

I understand that the writer probably meant, "an enemy that was cruel and evil enough to eventually use suicide aircraft." But that's not what he said.

I noticed that too. I'm sure he was trying to draw parallels of Imperial Japan with current-day Islamists.

Still it is interesting that even evil WWII-era Japan did not stoop to the barbarity of suicide bombing until late in the war...

[rmlew]

Still it is interesting that even evil WWII-era Japan did not stoop to the barbarity of suicide bombing until late in the war...
Yes and no. Kamikaze missions were not organized until 1944. However, the first known suicide attack occured at Pearl Harbor. First Lieutenant Fusata Iida’s plane had been hit and was leaking fuel, when he apparently used it to make a suicide attack on Kaneohe Naval Air Station. Before taking off, he had told his men that if his plane was badly damaged he would crash it into a "worthy enemy target".

And if we are talking about suicide attacks, the midget subs that the Japanese used starting at Pearl Harbor.