''Wings of Defeat'' is a 2007 documentary feature film in which former

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

pilots reveal they were not fanatics but were ordered to die by a desperate military. ''Wings of Defeat'', broadcast on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Independent Lens series in May 2009, was awarded the 2009

Erik Barnouw Award The Erik Barnouw Award—also known as the OAH Erik Barnouw Award—is named after the late Erik Barnouw, a Columbia University historian and professor who was a specialist in mass media. The OAH -- Organization of American Historians -- gives one o ...

by the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad incl ...

. In Japan,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Kamikaze are still revered as self-sacrificing heroes. Internationally, they remain a potent symbol of fanaticism. In astonishingly candid interviews, four former Kamikaze reveal that they were neither suicidal nor fanatical. The film reveals they were young men sentenced to death by a military that could not admit defeat. In heartbreaking testimony corroborated with rare archival footage, they tell us about their dramatic survival and their survivors’ guilt. This riveting, seamlessly edited film is an emotionally charged and timely exposé, probing the responsibilities that a government at war has to its people and its soldiers. ''Wings of Defeat'' features interviews with four trained kamikaze pilots, including three who took off to attack the U.S. fleet off the coast of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

in the spring of 1945 as well as exclusive interviews with surviving American Navy veterans of the USS Drexler, a destroyer sunk by two kamikaze pilots. The American veterans illustrate the enduring trauma of the suicide attacks. The film features commentary by

John W. Dower John W. Dower (born June 21, 1938, in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American author and historian. His 1999 book '' Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II'' won the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction, National Book Foundat ...

, the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning, American historian of modern Japan, and Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, author of the books ''Kamikaze Diaries'' and ''Cherry Blossoms, Kamikaze and Nationalism''.

Awards

*2009 Winner - Organization of American Historians Erik Barnouw Award *2008 Winner - Special Jury Award, SF Intl Asian American Film Festival *2008 Winner - Audience Award, New York Asian American Int'l Film Festival *2008 Winner - Best Documentary, Southern Appalachian International Film Festival *2008 Winner - Best Director, Southern Appalachian International Film Festival *2008 Winner - Best Editing, Southern Appalachian International Film Festival *2008 Winner - Above and Beyond Award, Women Film Critics Circle

References

*Japan Focus
Challenging Kamikaze Stereotypes: “Wings of Defeat” on the Silver Screen
*NPR Story
'Wings of Defeat': Kamikaze Stories, Told in Person
*Japan Times
Neither Heroes Nor Villains
*CNN.com

*Reuter
Documentary examines Kamikaze pilots

External links

* * 2007 films Documentary films about military aviation Documentary films about World War II Films about kamikaze pilots Documentary films about Japan Documentary films about suicide 2000s English-language films {{WWII-documentary-film-stub