FEATURE - KAMIKAZE ATTACKS

Planes rained down from the skies like locusts, crashing and exploding into heaps of twisted metal. What motivated these suicide pilots, and were they the reason behind President Truman's decision to drop the bombs?

The term itself, "kamikaze," means "divine wind." Its origin traces back to 1281, when a massive typhoon destroyed KublaI Khan's fleet and his opportunity to invade Japan.

The decision to launch kamikaze attacks only came in 1944, when Japan's defeat seemed imminent. Hundreds of young Japanese now made the ultimate sacrifice.

On April 1, 1945, both Easter Sunday and April fool's day, the Japanese military launched their greatest barrage of kamikaze at the battle of Okinawa. The most costly attack occurred about the U.S.S. Franklin, killing almost 1,000 men.

Okinawa taught the U.S. military a painful lesson. Over 12,000 American servicemen died and almost 150,000 civilians.

President Truman was now faced with a terrible decision. The kamikaze had demonstrated Japan's will to defend the emperor. Invading the mainland would produce even more catastrophic loss of life.

Ironically, the death toll at Okinawa was greater than all those killed during the atomic bombings.