The Naval Warfare of World War II Quotes

“Kamikazes would sink at least 59 Allied vessels and damage over 300 by the end of the war, resulting in minimum casualty figures of 6,805 Americans killed and 9,923 wounded. The actual numbers likely ranged much higher due to lack of precise casualty figures from many ships, particularly those not sunk outright. That said, the rise in the use of kamikaze attacks was evidence of the loss of Japan’s air superiority and its waning industrial might. Altogether, nearly 4,000 kamikaze pilots died in combat between October 1944 and August 1945, and about one in seven managed to hit his target. At their peak, they did far more damage to the American Navy than did conventional air attacks, and they undoubtedly placed a significant new obstacle in the path of the American forces slowly encircling the Japanese home islands.”
― Charles River Editors, The Naval Warfare of World War II: The History of the Ships, Tactics, and Battles that Shaped the Fighting in the Atlantic and Pacific