Kamikaze Plane Strikes Heavy Cruiser – And It Was Embarrassing

Pink Colorization

HMS Sussex.

As the WWII came to its final months the forces of Imperial Japan became increasingly desperate to stop the Allies and their advance. With qualified pilots running low and a huge Allied fleet headed their way Japan was forced to implement kamikaze attacks. These suicide strikes caused massive damage to Allied vessels but not all of them went as planned.

The HMS Sussex was a London-class heavy cruiser on the service of the Royal Navy. After finishing service in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans she was dispatched to the Pacific in 1944 to aid the Allies against the Japanese Navy. In the Pacific, the heavy cruiser would get its first taste of Japanese military tactics.

On July 26th, 1945 the HMS Sussex came under attack by Japanese suicide bombers. A Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” targeted the heavy cruiser and crashed into the side of its hull. Surprisingly, there was no major damage due to the heavy cruiser’s powerful defenses, the attack only left a mark on the side of its hull.

This incident went to show that not all kamikaze attacks are created equal and created a very amusing scene for the crew. The HMS Sussex went on be the site where the Japanese military would surrender their rule over Singapore as seen in this clip.