Sunday 24 February 2019

Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" & more - video

Another video from the NHK collection, dated November 2, 1944, featuring in the first part a visit by Admiral Toyoda Soemu to front line units. According to Wikipedia:
"After the death of Admiral Mineichi Koga, Toyoda was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet on 3 May 1944. In June of the same year, he drafted and implemented "Plan A-Go" which resulted in the decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. He followed with "Plan Sho-Go", which again resulted in another major defeat at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Toyoda was aware that both plans were major gambles, but as the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet was running out of fuel and other critical supplies, he felt that the potential gain offset the risk of losing a fleet that was about to become useless in any event. In the end, however, Toyoda's aggressive defencive strategy did not pay off. Nonetheless, Toyoda continued with the same strategy, approving "Plan Ten-Go" to send the battleship Yamato on its one-way final mission to Okinawa."
 
In the second part the narration mentions that on October 24 the enemy combined fleet was spotted in the east Philippines and the "Pacific War has become really serious." The "Sea Wild Eagles" (Umi no Arawasi) take off one after another. Ironically the narrator says that "they take off with the determination not to return alive from their mission (unless they are successful)".
 
The "Betty" Admiral Toyoda is getting on is a G4M2A Model 24. Note the antenna of the Type 3 Air Mark 6 Model 4 Airborne Ship-Search Radar (H6 Airborne Ship-Search Radar) (N6 Airborne Ship-Search Radar) on the fuselage side.

Did you notice the Zero and the Showa L2D transport?
 

1 comment:

Harold K said...

Yes; I especially liked the L2D. Just got the Amodel 1/72nd D3/D4 kit a couple of weeks ago, very much looking forward to building it.