Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #8 - revised

Engine cranes
IJNAF and IJAAF used improvised cranes to hoist and change the engines of their aircraft. Usually comprised of two or three wooden poles or tree logs, they actually came in a variety of configurations.

Two photos featuring Nakajima Ki-27 "Nates" having their engine removed. The crane configuration on the right was quite uncommon and to be honest, doesn't look very trustworthy, while the one on the left was more frequently used.

This photo from a January 1943 magazine features a completely different engine crane design.

The vintage article is about the IJAAF fighting from Burma, over the India border, so, although the tail marking is not visible, this Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) very possibly belonged to the 50th Sentai.

The classic engine crane configuration is seen in this photo featuring Nakajima A2N fighters and Nakajima E4N3 reconnaissance of the Sasebo Kokutai. Note the work platforms, mentioned in previous posts and work tables.

Another rather unusual crane comprising four wooden poles lifting the engine of a Mitsubishi A5M "Claude".

In this short clip, Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers are being serviced in mainland Japan. Of interest is the crane used to replace the engine of one of the bombers.

An even more interesting clip shows the port engine of a Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" getting replaced using a two-pole crane, somewhere in the South Pacific.

Although seaplanes are beyond the scope of this series, as they don't operate from an airfield, we can't help but include this photo, which we first posted on our blog in 2012, featuring an engine crane. Here is the original caption:

This is a photo from a vintage December 1942 magazine showing a Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" on the beach of a Southern Pacific island with its crew walking away after returning from a mission. Note that the floatplane is resting on its trestle in front of a scaffold usually used for propeller or engine changes.

And an epic comment our friend Jean Barby from France made:

"This island is nothing but the shore opposite of Lakunai airfield in Rabaul. In the middle the "brothers" can be seen, they appeared during the volcano eruption in the early 30's. A long time ago I did a couple of dives there, and there are many wrecked barges at the bottom of the two rocks. There are about 40 shipwrecks in Simpson harbor, the bridge of the closest is 120 feet from the surface, the others are further down. Keep in mind that I was there in 1979, and that there were no decompression chamber in case of bends or decompression troubles. Only single tanks were available thus limiting the length and stay at such a depth. Nevertheless, one Pete is accessible from the shore and is in fairly good condition (probably less now!) Some pretty good wrecks were still in the bush around Lakunai. A Ki-21, remnants of some Ki-43 and of a twin-engine which could be anything from a Ki-46 or a J1N1, and even an in-line engine from a Ki-61 or a D3Y2; all those treasures are now buried under heavy ashes as Rabaul was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano close to Lakunai, the Mother, in 1994. The new capital is now Vopopo; I also went to Tobera and Vanukanau but had little time to investigate."

And a short clip featuring a Nakajima E8N "Dave" floatplane having its engine replaced perhaps in the same location as the previous post.