Please note, this episode contains discussion of suicide.
In 1945, after lengthy delays, the Royal Navy sent a powerful fleet into the Pacific. After the disastrous Japanese invasions in Southeast Asia, Churchill was desperate to reassert British military might in the region. Aboard the carriers of these fleets were elite British and Commonwealth pilots, tasked with combating one of Japan's most fearsome weapons - the kamikaze.
In the second episode of our three-part series on the kamikaze, Dan is joined by Will Iredale, author of 'The Kamikaze Hunters: Fighting for the Pacific, 1945'. Will tells us all about the 'Forgotten Fleet', and the escapades of naval aviators like Chris Cartledge and his fellow 'kamikaze hunters'.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period
The Royal Navy's Darkest Night & The Origins of Longitude
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt: The Impossible Alliance that Won WWII
Twelve Caesars with Mary Beard
Marshal Pétain: Hero or Traitor?
Merlin, The Occult and British Politics
The Dynasty That Made Medieval France
Why Are We Drawn to Dictators?
The Atomic Bomb & Civil War Cigars: Greatest 'What Ifs' from History
The Battle of Okinawa
The Original Kamikaze: The Mongol Invasions of Japan
The Kamikaze Pilots
Rwandan Genocide Explained
Pontius Pilate
The Battle of Crécy
Iran & Israel: From Allies to Enemies
The Battle of El-Alamein Explained
Mao's China, The Berlin Wall and WWII Egypt: Witnessing History with Peter Snow
The Trial of Charles I
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
History Extra podcast
Gone Medieval
American History Hit
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal