Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun in Manchukuo service - 満航のタイフーン

A vintage colorized postcard from the Arawasi collection showing a Bf108 in the colors of national airline of Manchukuo (here); Manshu Koku Kabushiki Kaisha or MKKK.
The roundel of yellow, black, white and blue rings and red circle in the middle was based on the national flag of Manchukuo. The colors had various meanings at different times but basically represented the five races (red-Japanese, blue-Han Chinese, white-Mongol, black-Korean and yellow-Manchu) of the "country" where they were supposedly living in harmony.

The Bf108 was used by the MKKK mainly to transport the company executives and high ranking officers of the Kwantung Army.

For more on the history of the type in MKKK service, check our "The Eagles of Manchukuo, 1932-1945". We did not include the postcard in our book because the colors and the registration were highly suspect.

A question for the Luftwaffe color experts: what could the overall color be?

Kokusai Ki-86 "Cypress" by Bill Cronk

I wanted to build something different and in my area of interest, Japanese aircraft. There is lots of info on this little plane out there. I wanted to build it in 1/48th scale so I bought the MPM kit and started right away. This kit is basic but accurate and the fit is good. I thinned the sides and scratch built a complete interior out of evergreen plastic and Mike Grant instrument decals.

The engine block was built from plastic and scrap bits and pieces from the parts box.

The kit prop was modified and painted to look like wood. I had to build up the landing gear using steel wire coated with the black insulation stripped from copper wire. I used some tires from the parts box and added the fenders made from plastic. The hardest part of this build to say the least was the placement of the top wing. There are no locator marks on the wings, I had to measure and dry fit the wing using a wing jig. I made all the struts and added .04 steel wire as rigging. The turn buckles were made out of twisted copper wire and coated with super glue. 

I used Tamiya paints mixed and toned down because this color scheme could get too bright in a hurry. All the markings are hand painted and if my Japanese is right it should say Ki-86 on the tail. I used a thin oil wash and finished it off with a dull coat of Testors. - Bill Cronk

Yokosuka K4Y1

A photo from a vintage magazine with young Navy pilots waiting their turn to take off. The K4Y1s in the background belong to the Tsuchiura Kokutai indicated by the katakana ツ (tsu) and チ (chi) on the tail.

The Tsuchiura Kokutai split from the Kasumigaura Kokutai on 15 November, 1940 to focus exclusively on the training of yokaren (flight reserve enlistee training program or naval preparatory flight training program) pilots. It was located in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, at exactly the same place where the present JIETAI (JSDF) Ordnance School of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force currently is. The Yokaren Museum is appropriately inside the JIETAI base.  

Nakajima A2N - Hokoku 38, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50

A photo from a vintage magazine taken on October 21, 1933, in Haneda airport during the presentation ceremony of six IJNAF aircraft. 

These were: 

Nakajima A2N 

Hokoku 38 - Kawamura-go. Donated by Kawamura Tokutaro, owner of a geisha company, head of the geisha workers' union and also donator of the funds for a famous kabuki theatre in Shinbashi/Tokyo. 

Hokoku 45, 46, 47 - Dai1, dai2, dai3 Seito-go. Donated by 16 sugar manufacturing companies including one from Taiwan (a Japanese colony at the time). 

Hokoku 48 - Dai2 Rodo-go. Donated by industrial workers from all over Japan. 

Nakajima E4N3 (on the far right) 

Hokoku 50 - Dai2 Zenkoku Kokumin-go. Donated by citizens from all over Japan. 

Of interest is the mix of western and traditional clothes the crowd is wearing.

Nakajima E4N2

The Navy Type 90-2-2 Reconnaissance Seaplane (E4N2) was a modified version of the Vought O2U Corsair; a type Japan had acquired the manufacturing rights of. 

In this cover of the January 27, 1937 issue of "Asahi Graph" E4N2s belonging to the Kasumigaura Kokutai are flying in formation during the first massive flight of the year. More than one hundred seaplanes and carrier aircraft took to the skies and flew once around lake Kasumigaura, very close to Mt Tsukuba. The photo was taken by Asahi cameraman Shigeta from a Puss Moth flown by pilot Komata on January 9.

VIPs - Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3)

Jacob sent us the following:

About a month ago I saw on UTube a Dutch documentary about the Indonesian struggle for Independence.

This documentary had some footage about a "propaganda" trip of the first president of the Republik, Mr Soekarno (Sukarno). He travelled in May 1945 with a Japanese L2D2 in the archipelago. The last three digits of the unit code are XX- 200. The images below are stills  I took from that footage. 

My question is: can that Tabby unit be identified?

Jacob Terlouw / The Netherlands.

We asked leading authority on the subject of units and tail markings Akimoto Minoru-sensei and here's what he replied:

The DC-3 belonged to the Dai Nippon Koku with civilian registration J-BKOM and name "WAKASA"*. It was one of about 40 DC-3s that formed a unit by DNK called "Dai Nippon Koku Choyo Yusoki Tai" (DNK Commandeered Transport Unit) and operated for the IJNAF. The particular plane belonged to the 2nd Choyo Yusoki Tai. 

Tail number. The second katakana is the first "YU" of "YUsokitai" but the first katakana is difficult to discern. It could be "SE" or "NA" or "CHI" or even a "2". If the first is a "CHI" then it's the first katakana for "Choyo"**. If it's a number "2" then it could signify the 2nd Yusoki Tai.

I believe the photo was taken when Sukarno was visiting Singapore to discuss the details regarding the forthcoming independence of Indonesia.

*"Wakasa" probably refers to the gulf starting from Fukui prefecture and ending in Kyoto.

**"Choyo" is written as "CHIyoUYOU" in kana but it's pronounced as Choyo with stretched "o"s.

We are grateful to Jacob and Akimoto-sensei for their contribution to our blog.

Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3)

In the three photos below from the October 20, 1943 issue of "Asahi Graph" female maintenance crew members check a Showa L2D, the Japanese version of DC-3. The group was called "Joshi Gijutsu Yoin" (Female Technical Members) and they are working at the Fukuoka branch of the airline Dai Nippon Koku K.K. in Ganosu airfield.

VIPs - Mitsubishi Ki-57 "Topsy"

The cover of the March 31, 1943 issue of the magazine "Shashin Shuho". The leader of the Burmese Executive Administration Dr. Ba Maw is visiting Tokyo accompanied by a delegation of Burmese officials. The photo was taken during his arrival on a charter flight at Tokyo's Haneda airport on March 18 at 14:00. In the background is a heavily camouflaged Mitsubishi Ki-57 "Topsy" probably belonging to Dai Nippon Koku K.K.

Five months later, on August 1, 1943 the "independent" State of Burma was declared with Ba Maw as Head of State and Prime Minister.  

Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) - 248 Sentai

According to the caption of this NARA photo, this Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) was found "on an airstrip in the Korako area, three miles south of Aitape, New Guinea" on April 22, 1944. The location is probably Tadji airfield. 

D. Thorpe included this photo in his monumental "Japanese Army Air Force Camouflage and Markings WWII" and mentioned in the caption: "OSCAR III, 77th Fighter Sentai leader's aircraft. Entire tail is red." 

Model Art #395 says the aircraft is a Ki-43-II-Otsu and the unit is the 248th Sentai. 

The unit was organised on August 10, 1942 at Ganosu airfield in Kyushu from the 4th Sentai. In the beginning it was equipped with Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" fighters and was responsible for the defence of North Kyushu while undergoing training. In December 1942 it was re-equipped with Ki-43-I and in July 1943 changed these for Ki-43-II. The unit was sent to Papua-New Guinea in October 1943 but suffered badly in February 1944 while stationed in Wewak by Allied attacks and therefore relocated to Hollandia. At the end of March attacks against Hollandia intensified and on April 6, the 248th Sentai had 28 pilots but only three operational aircraft. 

On April 22, the US Army landed in Hollandia and the remaining members of the unit escaped in the jungle where they constantly suffered from malnutrition and disease. 

The unit was disbanded on July 23, 1944. 

The boomerang resembling tail marking was actually based on reed leaves and is broken down as 2 leaves in the front, 4 in the middle and 8 in the rear, representing the unit's sentai number.

The leaf colors changed according to chutai: 1st white, 2nd red, 3rd yellow.

According to Akimoto Minoru the airplane of the sentai leader had a red tail with white leaves while the overall color of the plane was dark green-top, silver-bottom.

Mitsubishi B1M2b

Pilots and ground crew members start this originally designed by Herbert Smith Mitsubishi B1M2b belonging to the Kasumigaura Kokutai. Photo from a vintage magazine.