Traitor Crats

Cherry blossoms became the dominant symbol associated with kamikaze pilots from the beginning of their operations. Vice Admiral Ohnishi, who initiated the kamikaze attacks in the Philippines in October 1944, named several of the first units after cherry blossoms, such as the Yamazakura-tai or Mountain Cherry Blossoms Corps. The ohka, a piloted bomb powered by a rocket, means "cherry blossom" in Japanese, and each ohka used in attacks against American ships in Okinawa had a painted cherry blossom on each side. Cherry blossoms became associated with kamikaze pilots in several other contexts, such as references in many of their last letters to falling cherry blossoms to signify death in battle.