Oldgrubber says:
Japanese "Cherry Blossom", I think.
Correct, SAS advised it is a "WWII Japanese air dropped suicide rocket powered aircraft....750 built....some used.
Had three rocket engines giving about 600mph in a dive towards surface ships....very hard to shoot."
Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka (Cherry Blossom) aircraft, powered by three rocket motors, were the fastest Japanese aircraft of World War II.
When the Japanese started running out of Kamikaze aircraft used in actions against U.S. ships off the coast of Okinawa, they designed the Ohka. The aircraft was easy to mass produce for the one specific function, and inexpensive.
The rocket aircraft was slung under the belly of a bomber. When the host aircraft was within range, it was released. The pilot would ignite the rocket motors and go into a steep dive. Most aircraft failed to reach their destination because the host aircraft that carried it was relatively slow and vulnerable to interception.
Records with regard to the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka in combat are spotty and unclear. It appears that around 750 aircraft were produced. It is uncertain how many were actually launched on missions.
Perhaps six of the aircraft scored hits on U.S. warships off the coast of Okinawa. Three of the ships sustained heavy damage.