The newly formed suicide air group comprised only twenty-six Zero fighters, divided into four sections. Three sections were based at Mabalacat; the fourth was on the island of Cebu, to the south. One-half of the planes were designated as escorts and observers; the others would crash-dive the enemy. Thus, this first kamikaze unit amounted to only thirteen aircraft slated for an actual suicide dive. The command staff gave a name to this corps: “Shimpu,” an archaic pronunciation of the Chinese ideographs for “god” and “wind.” An alternate vernacular pronunciation was “kamikaze,” but that term did
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