Japanese & German Suicide attacks on B-29 Bombers

We mostly heard about Japanese Kamikaze attacks on Warships but they also used this tactic on american bombers too.During 7th of November 1944 Japanese Kawasaki Ki-61's were modified to reach high altitude capability so its armament was updated with .50 cal machine guns to handle big american bombers, but it still remained capable with a 580 km/h (313 km) maximum speed. The cannon armament was needed to counter the high altitude Allied bombers, but which proved to be difficult to shoot down with only 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns because B-29 can take a beating and still fly also it had remote controlled machine guns too.

Japanese ramming attacks became frequent and desperate at the late 1944 .In order to conduct attacks on high flaying b-29, japanese aircraft's were stripped of their fuselage armament and protective systems in order to attain the required high altitudes. Once japans intercept b-29 with great difficulty only option is ramming. Although the term "kamikaze" is often used to refer to the pilots undertaking these attacks, the word was not used by the Japanese military.

several number of Ki-61s were also used in Tokkotai (kamikaze) missions, launched toward the end of the war. The tactic of using aircraft to ram American Boeing B-29 “Superfortresses” was first recorded in late August 1944, when B-29s from Chinese airfields attempted to bomb the steel factories at Yawata. Sergeant Shigeo Nobe of the 4th Sentai intentionally flew his Kawasaki Ki-45 into a B-29; debris from the explosion severely damaged another B-29, which also went down. Other attacks of this nature followed, as a result of which individual pilots determined it was a practicable way of destroying B-29s. I Also heard that german Luftwaffe pilots also did ramming attacks on american bombers. i have limited information about that. Does anybody have more information. More about Japanese Ramming B-29 Prashan Shan's answer to Why did Japanese pilots ram their planes into B-29s? - Quora
Aerial ramming - Wikipedia
Thanks.

 

I think you were referring to Sonderkommando ELBA. Technically, they weren't suicide missions. Pilots were trained to hit places on the American bombers that would cause them to crash but wouldn't necessarily result in the pilots death. There was quite a controversy in the LW fighter command over this tactic. Galland and others pointed out that if one is close enough to ram a bomber, then you're close enough to shoot one down. Sonderkommando ELBE only had one mission and the results were a trifle meager, with heavy losses to boot. I'm sure some German pilots, realizing they were mortally wounded, dove their planes into bombers so as to revenge their own deaths.

 

I think the USAF still reserves this option if ever its fighter arm is decimated so as not to be able to fully counter enemy nuclear bombers attacking the US. Unarmed planes, both military and civilian will be tapped for this purpose.

 

Interesting Diego...

 

I have found some Great Youtube videos this my interest you all.
B-29 in Action Over Tokyo





It was fun to learn how to shoot from B-29

 

On 9/11, two USAF pilots who had to take off in unarmed F-16s were prepared to ram a hijacked airliner if necessary.

On 9/11, Heather Penney Tried to Bring Down Flight 93