Wings of Defeat Video Guide
1. Kamikaze pilots were also referred to as Tokkutai. What does this mean?
2. According to author Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, how did Japan justify its territorial
expansion?
3. According to history professor John Dower, what was the significance of Pearl Harbor in
1941?
4. What compelled the pilots featured in the film to join the military?
5. What was the significance of the Battle for the Marianas in 1944?
6. Discuss the reasons why the Kamikaze Corps was formed in 1944.
7. How did the government and military glorify the mission of the Kamikaze pilots?
8. Provide specific evidence illustrating how badly the war had deteriorated for Japan.
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Wings of Defeat Video Guide
9. Despite the dire situation, how did the government attempt to continue to rally the
support of its citizens and its soldiers? How effective were these attempts?
10. Discuss First Lieutenant Fujii’s ultimate sacrifice.
11. How were the Kamikaze pilots comparable to the samurai of medieval Japan?
12. Discuss the events that unfolded at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
13. What happened after the Americans captured Okinawa in July 1945?
14. How did the war finally end? Why did Japan finally surrender in August 1945?
15. How do the pilots interviewed in the film feel about their role in the war in retrospect?
16. How does the film affect your views of Japan during WW II and the role of its Kamikaze
pilots? What revelations and/or questions are you left with?
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Wings of Defeat Video Guide
17. Record the details of each pilot’s personal story of survival.
Ena Takehiko
Drafted, Imperial Navy-December 1943
Assigned to Kamikaze Corps-March 1945
Ueshima Takeo
Drafted, Imperial Navy-December 1943
Assigned to Kamikaze Corps-March 1945
Nakajima Kazuo
Joined Pilot Cadet Academy-May 1942
Assigned to Kamikaze Corps-March 1945
Hamazono Shigeyoshi
Joined Imperial Navy-May 1942
Assigned to Kamikaze Corps-March 1945
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