Kamikaze: Beyond the Fire

Intrepid Museum Programs and Exhibitions

Photo credit: Collection of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Kamikaze: Beyond the Fire presents stories of young men on both sides of the devastating attacks on Allied warships during World War II. Artifacts from the United States and Japan, firsthand accounts from survivors and an immersive multimedia experience reveal the history and impact of kamikazes.

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Helmet and goggles on loan from the Daniels Fund's Bill Daniels Archive

Archives and Artifacts
The exhibit features items from the collections of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and the Chiran Peace Museum in Kyushu, Japan, including photographs, writings, medals and fragments from kamikaze aircraft. A touch screen offers a deeper look at materials from the Intrepid Museum’s archives. Oral history interviews with Intrepid crew members present firsthand accounts of the impact of these attacks.

Multi-Media Experience
88 crew members were lost as a result of kamikaze attacks on Intrepid between 1944 and 1945. The multi-media experience Kamikaze: Beyond the Fire transports visitors back to November 25, 1944, when Intrepid was struck by two kamikaze airplanes. The film tells the story of these deadly attacks through the eyes and voices of two Intrepid crew members: Donald Domenic DiMarzo, one of 69 men killed in the attacks, and Dean Lesnett, a survivor. A memorial wall honors the crew members who gave their lives while serving aboard Intrepid.

Photo credit: Chiran Peace Museum

Chiran Peace Museum
Kamikaze: Beyond the Fire has been made possible with the cooperation of the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots in Minamikyushu City, Japan. The Chiran Peace Museum is the world’s largest repository of artifacts and documents related to Japan’s kamikaze campaign of 1944–1945. The heart of the collection is its exhaustive archive of journals, letters and farewell messages handwritten by kamikaze pilots, many while stationed at Chiran Army Airbase, on the eve of their final missions. Most of these materials have been donated to the museum by the pilots’ surviving family members.

Kamikaze: Beyond the Fire has been made possible by a generous grant from the Daniels Fund.