While flying escort to the first Japanese kamikaze (“Divine Wind”) suicide mission, Warrant Officer Hiroyhosi Nishizawa, Japan’s leading ace, records his 86th and 87th victories (both Grumman F6F Hellcats), the final aerial victories of his career. Led by Lt. Yukio Seki, three of the four kamikaze aircraft strike their target, the escort carrier USS St. Lo, and inflict heavy damage. The carrier later sinks.
The Air Force conducted its first successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on May 14, snapping a streak of three consecutive failed tests and giving the beleaguered hypersonics program a much needed boost. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW separated from the wing…