...Or "Captured Japanese Aircraft".
So, this series of posts will be about the Japanese aircraft that were captured by the US forces at the end of the war and were send to the States for evaluation. There are many photos on the net, so this is my attempt to gather them all together in one place.
Most of the photos are from the
San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives but from other sources as well. According to SDASM this first set features photos "...
of the aircraft being prepared for shipments at Yokosuka, Japan in late October and early November, 1945. ....Also included are photos of experimental Japanese wooden props, ...and a group of Japanese naval maintenance personnel that presumably assisted in preparing the aircraft for shipment."
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| photo #1 |
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| photo #2 |
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| photo #3 |
In the photo below a Mitsubishi Ki-109 with her 75mm Type 88 cannon is being registered by a US officer. The plate under the white "30" number reads "kinzoku toryo - dai nishu" (metal paint - type 2) and further to rear it reads "koko ateru" (attach here). Note the cerial number "10910". In the two photo further below the aircraft receives a protective black coating for the journey to the US.
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| photo #4 |
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| photo #5 |
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| photo #6 |
4 comments:
Absolute beauty, it is a joy to go to your blog!
navsource.org has these photos of USS Bogue transporting captured a/c from Japan to the USA.
Here is a Ki-77; note also IJN Nagato anchored nearby:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/0300921a.jpg
Other photos show a G8N1 and a Ki-74. Then there is this one:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/0300903.jpg
Could the a/c obscured by the island be this Ki-109?
Little by little Harold. Little by little.
Thanks.
Thank you for the reference to the images Harold.
Looking at another photo, listed below, I believe that I can provide a little more information.
https://www.navsource.org/archives/03/0300921.jpg
In photo 0300903.jpg there appear to be four aircraft on the flight deck of USS Bogue.
The rear aircraft (I'll call it No.4) is a G8N1.
The front aircraft (No.1) is the Ki-77.
The second to rear aircraft (No.3) is, as you mention, a Ki-74.
Looking at photo, 0300921, the tail fin is visible for aircraft No.2.
Unfortunately, it is not a Ki-109, but another Ki-74..I believe.
In the book Broken Wings of the Samurai, page 111, mentions that 2 Ki-74's were prepared for transport to the USA from the Yokota Test Bureau at the Fussa Air Base. In the same book, page 130, one can be seen being lowered on the quayside at "Newark, New Jersey".
Hope this helps...
Richard
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