Zero-sen Special #1 - "Toraware no Nihonki" #9

 At the end of the war a number of Zeros and other aircraft were found in Longhua airfield in Sanghai with an unusual tail marking. It's the kanji "中" and signified the unit "中支航空隊" (Chushi Kokutai - Central China) which was organized in February 20, 1945.

The first Zero is a Model 21.

Although the marking  "中1" can be seen in the bottom photo, the rest of the marking is on the piece of fabric that has been removed. In the top photo though, it should have been visible as it is written in the oposite direction. Unfortunately the photo I have is not of the best quality and therefore I can't be 100% sure of the complete tail marking. Note the fuselage hinomaru with the white surround.

The second Zero is a Model 52 Otsu.

Although the "中" part of the tail marking is not visible, the location the aircraft was found confirms the unit. So tail marking for this Zero is "中132" (no hyphen).

Another Model 52 is the one below.

Again the "中" part of the tail marking is missing and a very close reveals that there is indeed a tail marking which I believe is "中153" or something like that.

Of particular interest is the wing hinomaru with the darker green surround and the position of the white box with the cross. Note also the white lines on the cowling.