During World War II, attacks at sea by Japanese “Kamikazi” continued through the months of 1945 after its first use in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October of 1944. As the Japanese navy was slowly bled to death, it relied increasingly on these suicide attacks to cripple American warships. The new tactic was used with considerable effect, most notably in the prolonged struggle for Okinawa (April 1 - June 22, 1945) where kamikaze pilots took a toll of twenty-nine ships sunk and some sixty others put out of service.