But this makes for a totally awesome and amazing looking historic photo!
And I guess if I had the choice of my own moment of death involving either: A) me going out in a bunch of flames, in a picturesque moment, versus B) me just dying unobserved…
I would select option A!
On the other hand…
Part of me kinda recoils from my initial response to this photo…
Thinking… wow… I can’t even imagine what the pilot of that aircraft was feeling as he looked to his left and saw his aircraft billowing bright red-orange flames, then looked forward again (desperately trying to regain control of the aircraft in a panic) watching the cold hard surface of the ocean speeding towards him at high-impact velocity…
And then…
AonDhaTri
How have I never seen this pic before? Just incredible
Maxxover
Not a kamikaze aircraft. The kamikaze program was not implemented until several months after the battle of Saipan. Prior to that, pilots crashing would certainly try to take out an enemy on the way, but kamikaze’s only begin to appear in October 1944.
![A Japanese plane is shot down during the Battle of Saipan in 1944 [1457x1781]](https://i.redd.it/nts9d12qnd941.jpg)
Synaptic_Impulse
Well… on the one hand…
I hate to admit it…
But this makes for a totally awesome and amazing looking historic photo!
And I guess if I had the choice of my own moment of death involving either: A) me going out in a bunch of flames, in a picturesque moment, versus B) me just dying unobserved…
I would select option A!
On the other hand…
Part of me kinda recoils from my initial response to this photo…
Thinking… wow… I can’t even imagine what the pilot of that aircraft was feeling as he looked to his left and saw his aircraft billowing bright red-orange flames, then looked forward again (desperately trying to regain control of the aircraft in a panic) watching the cold hard surface of the ocean speeding towards him at high-impact velocity…
And then…
AonDhaTri
How have I never seen this pic before? Just incredible
Maxxover
Not a kamikaze aircraft. The kamikaze program was not implemented until several months after the battle of Saipan. Prior to that, pilots crashing would certainly try to take out an enemy on the way, but kamikaze’s only begin to appear in October 1944.