why do kamikazi pilots wear helmets ?

Answer 1

It had to do with radio communications, not to protect their heads from bumps and bruses when they smashed into the flight deck of an aircraft carrier...

Answer 2

Why does this question which has been answered a hundred times keep coming up? They didn't wear helmets they wore skull caps this was necassary because the radio earphones was built into the cap. They needed the radio to get instructions from the escort plane. The escort plane was needed because most kamikazes couldn't navigate long distance as they only had the most basic flight skills and experience.

Answer 3

The truth is... they don't! What you *thought* was a helmet is just a set of flying goggles with leather head covering, since the cockpit is open to air in those days, and it gets cold up there at high altitude, you don't want them to freeze before they find their targets!

What's with all these humorous/illogical questions any way?

Answer 4

To protect their heads during the flight, and to house their communications equipment.

A kamikaze mission is not just suicide, The pilot would want to stay alive until he reached his target.

The concept was more human guided cruise missile than suicide.

If they just wanted to kill themselves this could easily be accomplished on the ground.

It was a sacrificial act to inflict damage on the enemy, not an empty jesture of martyrdom.

Answer 5

Hi & oh dear !
you seem to have the correct answer already.
It is fundamentally so that you get directions via radio, and say "Cheerio!"
I suppose that you could rip the thing off before being shot down, as you have not got enough fuel to return anyway.
A daft notion in my book.
Bob.

Answer 6

for communication purposes and for protection against shards of glass from the cockpit canopy when encountering flak, they wore them purely as head protection to complete the honourable suicide mission as if the pilot was to suffer a head injury and loose consciousness he would slump forward on the his tanto (knife) strapped to the control column which would pierce his heart causing his zero to crash into the sea, the reason they strapped a tanto to the control column is to avoid capture if the mission went wrong and he ended up still alive in his cockpit as capture by the enemy was against the kamikaze code. the word kamikaze means devine wind, the name being taken from the gale force winds around the coast of japan, the very same wind that whipped up the tsunami that drowned 95% of the invading mongol hoards in the 10th or 11th century. the samurai took care of the rest, the kamikaze followed roughly the same code as the samurai, (seppuku) not to suffer the shame of defeat or capture hence the helmet.

Answer 7

To keep their heads warm. In that era, most helmets were made of leather and the only purpose was to keep the heat in. Cockpits were unheated and got extremely cold at altitude.

Sidebar: Many kamakazi pilots were NOT volunteers. The cockpits were wired with explosives to guarantee that they could not get out without killing themselves.

Answer 8

its like a disguise, if you saw a pilot with out one you would think.... AHA! he/she is a kamikazi pilot!

so cunning!

Answer 9

in case they have to take a crap , do it in helmet then throw it out

Answer 10

So they could communicate, to keep them warm, and to protect them (a little) from anti aircraft shrapnel