Baka Bomb Trainer

Built by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal late in the war, the Ohka (Cherry Blossom) was one of the most infamous weapons of World War II.  Designed expressly for kamikaze suicide bombings, the rocket-powered aircraft was launched from a bomber and used to attack American warships in the Pacific.  American forces nicknamed it the Baka (fool/idiot/maniac) Bomb, as they thought Japan must have been mad to throw away many of its remaining pilots in a campaign that had little strategic effect on the war.  Much as the Nazis did in Germany, the Japanese military government promoted itself by appealing to an exaggerated ideal of patriotism and tradition.  As part of the suicide-attack campaign, Yokosuka built 45 MXY7-K1 trainers, which were reusable and equipped with a single landing skid.  To simulate the weight of the bomb and rocket engines, the trainer was loaded with two tons of water ballast.  A surviving "Baka Bomb" trainer is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio).