The original AWM photo caption mentions:
"A Japanese A6M3 Model 22 Zero fighter aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This Zero, serial number 3844, was found intact by Allied forces at Kara airstrip near Buin after the surrender. On 15 September a Wirraway of 5 Squadron RAAF arrived with personnel to make an inspection. The aircraft was clearly airworthy, and had been repainted overall white with green crosses for identification as required under the surrender terms. Wing Commander William Kofoed RNZAF decided to ferry it to the RNZAF airstrip at Bougainville. The Zero remained there until mid-October, when it departed by ship for New Zealand. It is now in the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, NZ."
A non-Japanese online source adds:
"Assigned to an unknown Kōkūtai (Air Group) with tail code 2-152....
"In 1945, as a morale boosting exercise for roughly sixty to seventy Japanese Navy maintenance personnel stationed at Kara Airfield, this Zero was repaired to flying condition using parts from several other Zeros including including A6M3 Zero 3616, A6M3 Model 32 Zero 3278 and A6M3 Model 32 Zero 3217. The repaired Zero retained the identity of A6M3 Zero 3844 including the manufacture number stencil on the rear fuselage.
"By July 1945, the repaired Zero was restored to flyable condition and was reported by radio to headquarters at Rabaul. Soon afterwards, Petty Officer Sekizen Shibayama was flown as a passenger aboard E13A1 Jake that took off from Rabaul and landed off Buin (Kahili) where he went ashore and was taken to Kara Airfield. Shibayama planned to test fly the Zero then fly it to Rabaul, but the Pacific War ended before this was accomplished."
A more detailed account with more photos can be found here.
Nevertheless FAOW Special #6 mentions on page 136:
"One of the Zeros built in Rabaul [we saw in part #14 of this series] with parts from various aircraft. The front of the aircraft including the engine has serial number 3835. The rear s/n 3844. The cowling s/n 3616, the machine gun and pannel s/n 3278 and 3217. Note that the spinner is clearly a Mitsubishi built for a Model 21.
The tail marking of the aircraft was "2-182"."
More photos of the aircraft from here
1 comment:
This particular Zero is quite interesting, why did they choose to leave the upper section of nose with original colorway? Even stranger only the canopy framing on the left side has been painted white...the right side retains the original green...this can be confirmed by closely examining the pic 2nd from the bottom.
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