Kamikaze

The kamikaze were Japanese suicide pilots during World War II whose objective was to destroy United States ships by crashing their airplanes into the ships. About 40 U.S. ships were sunk, and hundreds damaged by kamikaze attacks.

Kamikaze (神風 from Kami - "spirit" and kaze - "wind") means 'divine wind' in Japanese. It refers to the typhoon which saved Japan from a Mongol invasion fleet in the 13th century.