Episode 7: As Allied Forces worked to retake strategically important islands from the Empire of Japan, Japanese military leaders grew increasingly desperate. With the U. S. Navy steadily inching closer to the Japanese mainland, the Imperial Japanese Navy would begin recruiting pilots for suicide missions to crash their planes into U. S. ships, in a nightmarish program known as Kamikaze, or Divine Wind.

 

Joining us for the discussion today is Dr. Kenneth Swope of the Dale Center. He will take us on a deep dive into the strategy behind the Island Hopping campaign, consider the success of the Kamikaze program, and discuss the Japanese Navy's misguided focus on cruisers and battleships.

 

To his insights, we add the stories of those Mississippians who lived through it all and returned home with memories that would haunt them for the rest of their lives, including: James Bass of Laurel, Jerry Clower of East Fork community, A. J. Jones of Hattiesburg, Alvy Ray Pittman of Columbia, and James Smith of Gulfport.

 

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

 

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