The Most Sinister Aircraft Ever Built

On April 12, 1945, 70 nautical miles northwest of Okinawa, destroyer USS Mannert L. Abele drifts, immobilized. Smoke billows from her damaged shafts - the result of a recent kamikaze attack by a Mitsubishi A6M "Zero."
As the crew fights to contain fires and repair the damage, nine G4M "Betty" bombers appear, descending from 20,000 feet. These aircraft carry something far more heinous than conventional bombs. In their open bays rest Yokosuka MXY-7 "Ohka”

The Ohka is a pilot's coffin and a ship's nightmare rolled into one: a purpose-built, rocket-powered flying bomb designed for a single, devastating kamikaze strike.

As the Bettys approach, Abele's gunners spring into action. But just as the mothership releases its lethal cargo, it becomes clear the ship's remaining guns are no match. The tiny aircraft is moving too fast.

Within seconds, the pilot ignites three rocket engines, accelerating to over 600 miles per hour in a power dive. The seemingly unstoppable Ohka - a purpose-built human bomb - begins its silent glide toward the stricken destroyer.

All the American crew can do is watch in horror as Japan's ultimate weapon brings doom upon them.


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