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The following lists relate to English-language books on Japan's special attack forces.

Most Influential
Best Reference Books on Special Attack Forces
My Favorite Books on Special Attack Forces
Original Publication Year
Books on Specific Type of Special Attack Force
Translated Books Originally Published in Japanese
Translated Books Originally Published in French
Books Translated to Japanese
Fiction Related to Special Attack Forces
Ship Histories

Most Influential

The following list gives the two most influential books based on the frequency of citations in other works, the estimated number of readers, and writing quality.

  1. Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind
  2. Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze

The Divine Wind is by far the most influential book ever published on the history of Japan's kamikaze operations. Most other books on Japan's kamikazes usually use this book, first published in English in 1958, as one of their key sources. The authors are Captain Inoguchi, who served as senior staff officer to the vice admiral who initiated Japan's kamikaze attacks in October 1944, and Commander Nakajima, who worked as flight operations officer for the air group from which the first kamikaze special attack corps was formed.

Kamikaze by Yasuo Kuwahara had six printings over 25 years. This paperback book has been considered since its publication in 1957 to represent the first detailed autobiographical account in English by a kamikaze pilot. However, the article Ten Historical Discrepancies (October 2006) shows why this book should be considered as fiction rather than Kuwahara's personal narrative of his wartime experiences.

Best Reference Books on Special Attack Forces
  1. O’Neill, Suicide Squads
  2. Warner and Warner, The Sacred Warriors
  3. Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind

Suicide Squads provides details regarding the various types of special attack or suicide weapons developed by Japan. This well-researched study has subheadings, many facts, and well thought-out summaries that facilitate finding specific information regarding special attack forces. 

My Favorite Books on Special Attack Forces
  1. Naito, Thunder Gods
  2. Imamura, Shig: The True Story of an American Kamikaze
  3. Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind
  4. Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze
  5. Mannock, The Sen-Toku Raid
Original Publication Year

Many books have reprint editions, so the following list gives only the original publication year. Some books were published previously in Japanese or French, but the list below refers to the English-language editions.

1957    Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze
1958    Inoguchi and Nakajima, The Divine Wind
1962    Yokota and Harrington, Kamikaze Submarine
1963    Grant, Attack from the sun
1964    Lott, Brave Ship Brave Men
1966    Aeronautical Staff of Aero Publishers, Kamikaze
1971    Barker, Suicide Weapon
   Millot, Divine Thunder
1973    Hagoromo Society, The Cherry Blossom Squadrons: Born to Die
   Nagatsuka, I Was a Kamikaze
1976    Gray, Tokyo Torpedo
1980    Becton, The Ship That Would Not Die
1981    Cortesi, Valor at Okinawa
   O’Neill, Suicide Squads
   Spurr, A Glorious Way to Die
1982    Warner and Warner, The Sacred Warriors
1983    Ferry, Raspberry One
   Hoyt, The Kamikazes
1984    Stafford, Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE343
1985    Harmon, U.S.S. Cassin Young (DD-793)
   Monsarrat, Angel on the Yardarm
   Yoshida, Requiem for Battleship Yamato
1986    Warner and Seno, The Coffin Boats
1989    Dennis, The Destroyer U.S.S. Flusser DD368: Her Life of Service
   Naito, Thunder Gods
   Samuels, War Patrol of the PCE(R)852
1990    Brown, Kamikaze
   Morris, The Last Kamikaze
   Rooney, Mighty Midget U.S.S. LCS 82
1991    Blanton, Boston——to Jacksonville (41,000 Miles by Sea)
     Eadon, ed., Kamikaze: The Story of the British Pacific Fleet
1992    Burlingame, Advance Force Pearl Harbor
   Freedman, The Seventh Stone
1993    Hoyt, The Last Kamikaze
   Meade, The Dignity of Danger
1994    Arnold, Standby Arnold
   Sholin, The Sacrificial Lambs
   Surels, DD 522: Diary of a Destroyer
1995    Burt, Kamikaze Nightmare
1996    Thurman, Picket Ships at Okinawa
   Tillman, Hellcats
1997    Griggs, Preludes to Victory: The Battle of Ormoc Bay in WWII
   Lambert, Bombs, Torpedoes and Kamikazes
   Lamont-Brown, Kamikaze: Japan's Suicide Samurai
   Sholin, Truman's Decision: Kamikazes the Unknown Factor
1998    Dennis, U.S.S. Frustrate: "The Luckiest Ship in the Navy"
1999    Fowler, The Astrological Diary of God
   Kaga, Riding the East Wind
   Streb, Life and Death Aboard the U.S.S. Essex
2000    Graves, Men of Poseidon: Life at Sea Aboard the USS Rall
   Rice, Kamikazes
   Sholin, The Kamikaze Nightmare: Terror of the Lambs
2001    Fillmore, War History of USS Leutze (DD-481)
   Harper, Too Close for Comfort
   Imamura, Shig: The True Story of an American Kamikaze
   Malott, "If We Save But One"
   Takaki and Sakaida, B-29 Hunters of the JAAF
2002    Axell and Kase, Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Gods
   Brown and Anteau, Historical Review: U.S.S. Drexler DD-741
   Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms
2003    Sakaida and Takaki, Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai
   Sakamoto, One Hundred Million Hearts
   Staton, The Fighting Bob: A Wartime History of the USS Robley D. Evans (DD-552)
   Stone, "My Ship!" The U.S.S. Intrepid
2005    Mannock, The Sen-Toku Raid
   Oberg, Lucky Sweetbrier
2006    Kalosky, Harm's Way—The Book of Destroyer (Tin Can) at Okinawa
     Slade, Kamikaze
2007    Crew, Combat Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate
   Olson, Tales from a Tin Can
2008    Mair, Oil, Fire, and Fate: The Sinking of the USS Mississinewa (AO-59) in WWII by Japan's Secret Weapon
   Sears, At War with the Wind: The Epic Struggle with Japan's World War II Suicide Bombers
   White and Gandt, Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship
2009    Garber, Crosswinds
Books on Specific Type of Special Attack Force
Army
Navy
Ohka (piloted glider bomb)
Kaiten (manned torpedo)
Midget Submarine
Aerial Ramming Attacks
Battleship Yamato
Translated Books Originally Published in Japanese

Some of these English-language translations contain supplemental information not in the original works in Japanese. For example, the English-language version of The Cherry Blossom Squadrons: Born to Die has a 75-page Introduction not in the original book.

Translated Books Originally Published in French
Books Translated to Japanese
Fiction Related to Special Attack Forces

The following list ranks my top five recommendations based on characterization, plot development, believability, and historical accuracy.

  1. Kaga, Riding the East Wind
  2. Mannock, The Sen-Toku Raid
  3. Park, When My Name Was Keoko
  4. Freedman, The Seventh Stone
  5. Searls, The Hero Ship
Ship Histories

The following list ranks my top eight recommendations of histories of ships that experienced kamikaze attacks.

  1. Surels, DD 522: Diary of a Destroyer
  2. Becton, The Ship That Would Not Die
  3. Stafford, Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE343
  4. Monsarrat, Angel on the Yardarm
  5. Malott, "If We Save But One"
  6. Crew, Combat Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate
  7. Lott, Brave Ship Brave Men
  8. Blanton, Boston——to Jacksonville (41,000 Miles by Sea)
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