Mitsubishi A6M2, IJN aircraft carriers "Jun'yo" and "Zuiho" - video

A nice clip today featuring Zeros and other aircraft types on the IJN aircraft carriers "Jun'yo" and "Zuiho". At first glance, it looks quite straightforward, but let's examine the various challenges regarding the date, place, and the depictions of the aircraft in the video.

We have identified the first aircraft carrier that appears in the video as "Jun'yo". She can't be "Jun'yo's" sister "Hiyo" because the aircraft tail markings don't indicate that as we will see in the following images. 

And the second as the carrier "Zuiho". The two carriers operated together in two instances: during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands and during Operation "KE" - The Evacuation of Guadalcanal .

She can't be "Zuiho's" sister "Shoho" as she was sunk by American carrier aircraft on her first combat operation during the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942.

The second Zero that takes off from "Jun'yo" has tail number "A2-2-157". Note the presence of the two red fuselage bands and that the fuselage hinomaru has a white border while the wing hinomaru don't. This detail indicates that it is a Nakajima-built Zero. Note the absence of IFF stripes.

Sidnei E. Maneta has depicted the aircraft like so (illustration from here) but unfortunately added IFF stripes.

The first A6M2 that takes off from "Jun'yo" also has some interesting features. The absence of a white border on the fuselage hinomaru indicates that it is a Mitsubishi-built A6M2. The tail marking is "A2-2-102", it has two red fuselage bands like the previously mentioned Zero and very importantly thick IFF stripes. As we saw in a post dedicated to them, all Japanese published sources agree that the official order to apply Identification Friendly or Foe (IFF) stripes on the wing leading edges of the Japanese aircraft, was given on October 5, 1942. Nevertheless, some aviation researcers/historians including Sidnei Maneta and the late David Aiken mention earlier dates like September 1942. According to "comninedfleet" "Jun'yo’s" air group was part of a major training exercise from September 14 until October 4, 1942 when it departed for Truk with a compliment of 21 A6M2s, 18 D3A1s and 9 B5N2s. In my opinion, if the IFF order was given in September, the crews would have plenty of time to apply IFF stripes to all their Zeros, not just to some.

HMM Ninomiya has included an illustration of that Zero in the 2010 Dai Nippon Kaiga book "The Imperial Japanese Navy Group" by Hata & Izawa but unfortunately he neglected to add the IFF stripes.

Akimoto and initially Hata & Izawa were not aware of the "A2-2-xxx" marking as having been adopted by the "Jun'yo" air group and the latter in their older publications (including the English version released by the "Naval Institute Press") mention only the tail marking "DII-xxx" as belonging to the carrier's group. As we saw, in the DNK publication above, Hata & Izawa have included the "A2-2-xxx" marking and mention that it was adopted in November 1942.

In his forum, Sidnei Maneta agrees and explains:

"On the 1st of November 1942 the tail codes and fuselage markings of 3rd Fleet were again revised.

Tail codes for the 1st Carrier Division were:

Shokaku A1-1-xxx with one white fuselage band with red edges.

Zuikaku A1-2-xxx with two white fuselage bands with red edges.

Zuiho A1-3-xxx without fuselage bands.

Tail codes for the 2nd Carrier Division were:

Hiyo A2-1-xxx with one red fuselage band.

Junyo A2-2-xxx with two red fuselage bands."

I'm afraid I have not found so far any other Japanese publication that mentions the November 1 date and the attached photo from Koku Fan Illustrated #53 complicates things. 

According to the caption, the pilot on the right is Ace PO2C Banno Takao (we can't read properly the name of the pilot on the left), the date is October 1942 and the location is Saeki. This fits perfectly with the previously mentioned date and place from the combined fleet, when "Jun'yo" took part in "a major training exercise" off Saeki before leaving for Truk. Therefore, based on this information, the conclusion is that the "Jun'yo" air group adopted the "A2-2-xxx" tail marking at least a month earlier, from October 1942.

Taking all into account, the video was shot either right before the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands October 25, and therefore the November 1 date for the marking change is questionable, or during Operation "KE" - The Evacuation of Guadalcanal January 14 which fits with the November 1 date but not with the photo caption and the fact that by then all Zeros would have IFF stripes.

Another possibility could be that the video was shot during the Naval exercise off Saeki. That would also put the November 1 date in doubt, would explain the IFF stripe applied only on some aircraft, although the exercise ended on October 4 and the IFF order was given the next day October 5. It also more possible the news crew to visit the ships during excercises than right before a major battle of which they shot nothing.

Finally, it could also have been shot in Truk. According to combinedfleet, "Jun'yo":

"9 October 1942: Arrives at Truk. Assigned to Main Unit Advance Force (CarDiv 2, Third Fleet).

11 October 1942: Departs Truk in the preliminaries to the Battle of Santa Cruz"

And so, the October 5 date for the application of IFF stripes can be explained and the setting of the video fits but then the November 1 date for the tail markings is in doubt.

Zbyszek Malicki noticed that the Zeros have small bombs under their wings.

Training bombs and further evidence for the Saeki exercise date?