Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" & Tachikawa Ki-54 "Hickory" Kengun (Kumamoto) Airfield 一〇〇式司令部偵察機 & 一式双発高等練習機 輸送機型の丙型 健軍 - video

A color (not colorized) clip featuring a Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" Model 3 and a Tachikawa Ki-54 "Hickory" transport found at the end of the war in Kengun Airfield (Kumamoto).

The NARA photo below shows both aircraft and more importantly the tail marking of the Tachikawa Ki-54 "Hickory". Unfortunately the unit it belonged to has not been identified.

Although more Ki-46 Model 3 "Dinahs" can be seen in the photo closeup below, none seem to have any visible tail marking. The only one with a tail marking that seems to be a "hinomaru" is a Mitsubishi Ki-46 Model 3 Kai Fighter with two machine guns on the nose. Again, the unit has not been identified.

UPDATE: Watanabe Yoji, in "Nihon Boku-sen", p. 190, features a photo of members of the unit saying goodbye to Chofu Airfield, Tokyo, and departing for Kengun. According to the caption, the relocation took place on July 25, 1945, when the photo was taken. Only six "Dinahs" were left behind in Chofu and all together 12 planes reached Kengun in two groups. They only managed to perform a couple of patrol flights around Okinawa before the war ended. So, based on this information we can conclude that the "Dinah" in Kengun, indeed belong to the 17 Dokuritsu Hikotai.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero in Atsugi 零式艦上戦闘機 第三〇二海軍航空隊 厚木- video

This Mitsubishi A6M had a tail marking "ヨD-125" (YoD-125) and belonged to the 302 Kokutai. Note the small mark on the tail above the unit marking and also note that the original tail marking has been roughly wiped out. A photo of the same plane during wartime can be found on page 130 of the book "Tatakau Zero-sen".

Can you identify the model?

Mitsubishi Ki-67 "Hiryu" (Peggy) 170 Sentai Kengun (Kumamoto) Airfield 四式重爆 第百七十爆撃隊-熊本 - video

A color (not colorized) clip featuring Mitsubishi Ki-67 "Hiryu" (Peggy) bombers belonging to the 170 Sentai, found at the end of the war in Kengun (Kumamoto) Airfield, Kyushu.

Heads Up! - IJAAF Aces Biography by DNK

The very latest release by Dai Nippon Kaiga (DNK) is dedicated to the biographies of IJAAF Aces. It's basically the well-known Hata/Izawa publication but it's full of photos of (almost) every ace and their aircraft and also, more importantly, of color illustrations of the aircraft. There is also a number of photos not included in the original Hata/Izawa publication. Although all in Japanese, this is a most interesting publication and very inspiring for modellers.

Title: "Nihon Rikugun Sentokitai 2 - Ace Retsuden"

(The Imperial Japanese Army Fighter Group 2 - Ace Biographies)

Author: Hata / Izawa

Artwork: Ninomiya Shigeki

Published by: DNK, 2024 p/b

Pages: 208

Photos: 287b/w

Profiles: 80

Size: 21X26cm

The publication is in-print.

Price: $US 40.00 (Postage NOT included)

Send over a PM or email us if interested with your name and delivery address (to calculate postage): arawasiorder@gmail.com

"A History of IJN's Night-Fighter Units" 日本海軍夜間邀撃戦 - Library

The ultimate book on the IJNAF night fighters. Released in 2004 by "Dai Nippon Kaiga" and penned by the most prolific Japanese aviation author, Watanabe Yoji, this hard-back publication details the combat history of all the night fighter units of the IJNAF and is accompanied by hudrends of photos, some never published anywhere else. It is mostly a history book, without any aircraft details the modellers look for for their models but nevertheless the sheer amount of photos and material makes it worthwhile, even though it's all in Japanese with no English whatsoever.
A book that should not be missing in the library of Japanese aviation enthusiasts.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Title: "日本海軍夜間邀撃戦"  (A History of IJN's Night-Fighter Units)
Author: Watanabe Yoji
Published by: Dai Nippon Kaiga,2004
Pages: 496, hard cover
Size: 16X21cm
Photos: 310 b/w 
Price: 35$US
The publication is in-print and limited copies are available through our online store. Send over an email with your name and delivery address (to calculate postage): arawasiorder@gmail.com

Felixstowe F.5 in Japan - video

After having a good time with the Avro seaplane, Prince Yamashina (see previous post) was taken for a flight with a Felixstowe F.5 flying boat. Again, this is a delightful and incredibly rare video featuring an F.5 from the Yokosuka Kokutai (maybe "Y-53, the full tail marking is not visible).

According to the Japanese Wiki:

In 1919, the Japanese Navy planned to domestically produce this aircraft as a bomber flying boat, and in September 1920, they signed a license agreement with Short and purchased eight completed aircraft. Later, in April 1921, 21 people from Short, including engineers Dodds and Flesher, were invited to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal's Ordnance Department to conduct a course on the manufacturing techniques of this aircraft using equipment from six aircraft. In addition to military personnel from the Yokosuka Arsenal, engineers from Hiro Naval Arsenal and Aichi also participated in this course. In June, the Sempill Mission from the Royal Navy came to Japan, and in the flight course that began in July, Major Blackley conducted a flight course on the newly completed aircraft. Four additional aircraft were purchased in conjunction with this flight course. On November 22, 1923, the F.5 was officially adopted as the "F" No. 5 flying boat (F-5 flying boat). Sixty were produced at Yokosuka Arsenal, Hiro Naval Arsenal, and Aichi and remained in service until around 1930.

Hiroshima Arsenal also produced prototypes with Lorraine 400 hp and 450 hp engines, the former of which was called the F-1 flying boat and the latter the F-2 flying boat. Several other prototypes with modified engines and airframes were also produced.

This was the first official flying boat for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the first flying boat to be fully manufactured in Japan. Taking advantage of its long flight range, it was used for various training purposes, such as anti-ship bombing experiments conducted on the battleship Iwami on July 9, 1921. The successor, the Type 15 flying boat, was based on the design of the F-5.

Avro 536 in Japan - video

An exquisite and extremely rare clip in three parts, dated 1923, features Prince Yamashina Takehiko (Check the guy's tragic history here) visiting Yokosuka and going for a ride on an Avro seaplane. 

It is one of those brought to Japan by the Sempill Mission, note the "JN751" on the fuselage side.

According to the Japanese Wiki:
The Japanese Navy signed a contract with Avro in 1920 to purchase a number of completed aircraft and acquire the manufacturing rights. At the same time dispatched engineers to Avro to study manufacturing techniques. In 1921, the Sempill Training Mission came to Japan from the UK, bringing with them 68 land-based (504K) and 10 sea-based (504L) aircraft. Aircraft pilot training was conducted using these aircraft. Domestic production began at Hiro Arsenal in 1922, and in November 1923, it was officially adopted as the Avro trainer due to its high performance and ease of use. The land-based models were mainly produced by Nakajima, and the sea-based models were mainly produced in Aichi, and a total of 222 aircraft (some say 280) were produced under license. It was used as the Navy's main trainer until the early Showa period, and was gradually retired when the Type 3 land-based basic trainer was adopted. After that, many of the aircraft were sold off and used by civilian aviation schools.

The brilliant article in "Cross & Cockade" magazine, Vol.39 No.1 2008, features a photo of seaplane "JN752" and identifies it as an Avro 536. I suppose "JN751" is also an Avro 536 but since I'm not proficient in British aircraft, leave a comment confirming or correcting the designation.

Heads Up! - JUNKERS-LARSEN JL.6. in Japan

A new kit, in 1/48, by Mini Art is "coming soon" and one of the decal options is for "Imperial Japanese Army Air Service".

Very interesting indeed!