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PLANES

Mitsubishi A6M2- “The Zero”

  • max speed: 332 mph

  • range: 1930 miles

  • one of the best dogfighter weapons in the beginning of the war

  • fell behind as Allies improved their technology and tactics

  • modified to carry heavier arsenal for kamikaze attacks

Ohka- “Cherry Blossom”

  • rocket-powered glider crammed with explosives

  • carried bombs that exploded with the plane (2600 lb bomb in nose)

  • towed into range by a bomber (launched with three minutes of fuel) before being guided by a solitary pilot into the chosen target

  • often had no landing gear, doors locked from the inside, and no parachute

  • Americans called them Baka (“Fool”) and saw them as acts of desperation

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