Suicide mission

A suicide mission is military operation in which few of the participants are expected to survive the mission.

These are not to be confused with Kamikaze attacks used by the Japanese during WWII, as the participants will certainly try to survive, even if it's unlikely. In most cases, these missions are against a target that is considered important enough that the expected outcome of its destruction is considered worth the loss of the personnel assigned to the mission. As it is expected that few, if any, of the personnel assigned are expected to return, they often do not include a plan for the extraction, but most missions will at least plan for their survival and rescue. The best example of a suicide mission would be the famous Doolittle Raid over Tokyo during WWII.

Suicide Missions in Fiction

Suicide missions are staples of science fiction and fantasy.

• The attack on the Collectors in Mass Effect 2 was considered a suicide mission, and even literally called that.
• Frodo's journey into Mordor to destroy the Ring in The Lord of the Rings was considered a suicide mission.