Mitsubishi Ki-30 "Ann", Army Aviation Maintenance School 九七式軽爆撃機, 陸軍航空整備学校 - video

A rare very clear video featuring Mitsubishi Ki-30 "Ann" light bombers, in overall IJAAF hairyokushoku (gray green), belonging to the Army Maintenance School brought out to the field.

According to the Japanese Wiki:

The Army Aviation Maintenance School (陸軍航空整備学校) was an educational institution (military academy) of the Imperial Japanese Army, established in what is now Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. 

On June 30, 1938, under Imperial Decree No. 470, the maintenance training for non-commissioned officers, officer candidates, and juvenile airmen was transferred from the Army Aviation Technical School to the newly founded Army Aviation Maintenance School at the Army Tokorozawa Airfield.

In August 1943, it was renamed the Tokorozawa Army Aviation Maintenance School. It provided training to young airmen and students who volunteered to become young airmen responsible for aircraft maintenance.

In February 1945, it was reorganised into the 3rd Air Education Group (3rd Koku Kyoikudan).

The school's tail marking is rather complicated and has not been properly documented. It consisted of a simple red (until recently it has been depicted as black) bar on the rudder and a hiragana character above it. This hiragana character represented the i-ro-ha system of numbering, in other words, every hiragana character on the tail of the school aircraft represented a number.

The school regularly received a few (about half a dozen or less) of all the latest in-service (i.e. not experimental) IJAAF aircraft types for the students to practice maintenance on. 

As a rule, one aircraft from each type received the hiragana "い" ("i"-1) on it's tail, therefore there are photos of different aircraft types with the "い" on their tails. 

Next, each aircraft from each type received a hiragana in sequence. 

Explain: if the school had, for example, five Ki-10 fighters, these received the hiragana (numbers) i-ro-ha-ni-ho (1-2-3-4-5). If the school had four Ki-1 bombers, these received the hiragana (numbers) i-he-to-chi (1-6-7-8). And if the school had three Ki-4 reconnaissance aircraft, these received the hiragana (numbers) i-ri-nu (1-9-10).

When the school decided to get rid of the older types that were not in service any more and replace them with the latest type, these aircraft received hiragana (number) characters that were available (not in sequence). 

Explain: In the example above the school had 12 aircraft of three different types with hiragana (numbers) reaching to number 10. If the school decided to replace all the old Ki-10 fighters with six new Ki-27 "Nates" and in the meantime one Ki-1 with hiragana "to" on its tail was lost due to an accident, then these "Nates" received the following hiragana (numbers) i-ro-ha-ni-ho-to (1-2-3-4-5-7).

So, if you see a "Hayabusa" with the hiragana "nu" (10) on its tail, this doesn't mean that the school had ten "Hayabusa" fighters.

Very simply put, the school had a fixed number of aircraft (about 50 or less) and gave each aircraft whatever number was available from 2 to 50.

Confusing? I know. It took me a while to figure their system out.

In the video, the "Ann" in the foreground on the left has the hiragana "い" ("i"-1) on the tail, while the one next to it has, I believe, the hiragana "う" ("u"-24) on the tail. Again, this does not mean that the school had 24 "Ann" bombers numbered from 1 to 24. They would be way too many for the school and if you look closely, you will notice in the video different types of aircraft next to them.

Mitsubishi C5M "Babs", 12th Kokutai 九八式陸上偵察機, 第十二海軍航空隊 - video

A small clip from the 1942 movie "Umiwashi" (Wild Sea Eagles) showcases a Mitsubishi C5M2 "Babs," the IJNAF version of the Army's Army Type 97 Command Reconnaissance aircraft Ki-15, flown by the 12th Kokutai as indicated by the number "3" on the tail, which operated a small number of this aircraft type for reconnaissance missions.

Brief unit history.

On 7 July 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident erupted, leading to military clashes between Japan and China and the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Just four days after the incident, on the 11th, the Navy decided to dispatch six aviation units to the continent. The First Combined Air Group, responsible for strategic bombing, was composed of the Kisarazu Naval Air Group and the Kagoshima Naval Air Group. Two air groups tasked with air superiority and two air groups responsible for reconnaissance were organised into the ‘Second Combined Air Group’ .

The 12th Kokutai was formed on July 11, 1937, by selecting 30 aircraft from the Saeki Naval Air Base as the attack and combat unit of the 2nd Combined Air Squadron and deployed to the Central China region. It was initially equipped with 12 Nakajima A4N fighters, 12 Aichi D1A dive bombers and 12 Kugisho B3Y torpedo bombers. In August it moved to Zhoushuizi airfield at Dalian and in September to Kunda airfield near Shanghai. Between October and November, it converted to new Mitsubishi A5M fighters. After the capture of Nanking the unit moved to Dajiaochang airfield at Nanking, where it conducted missions against Nanchang and Hankou.

In March 1938, it was designated as a fighter-only unit and assimilated fighters from the 13th Kokutai, which in turn became a medium-bomber unit. The strength of the 12th Kokutai then became 30 A5M fighters. 

After the capture of Hankou, the unit transferred to an airbase near Hankou. Nevertheless, due to the lack of range to escort the medium bombers into inland China, they did not see much action. This changed in the summer of 1940 when the first batch of new Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters arrived in the China theater. 

Until the summer of 1941, the 12th Kokutai in Central China and the 14th Kokutai in South China made a combined claim of 103 aircraft shot down and further 163 destroyed on the ground for the loss of three aircraft. Both naval units were disbanded on September 15, 1941, which left air operations in China entirely to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.

Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily Unit Identified! 九九式双発軽爆撃機 飛行部隊 発見！

Do you remember this Lily we first saw here?

Here are the stills from the clip again.

The stills show the tail marking and the most unusual for an Army aircraft "フ-29" (FU-29); note the repetition of the number 29 on the nose. 

One more photo of the aircraft.

ARAWASI has identified the unit and the correct form of the tail marking!!!

A Japanese POW Interogation Report of a member of the unit, that ARAWASI has spotted first, reveals all!

(Let's see if we'll get any credit when this post will be shared and copied.)

Here's the relative information from the Interogation Report but allow us not to include the name of the POW.

[POW Information]

Rank: Corporal (Flight engineer - ventral gunner)

Unit: 3 Flying Regiment (SENTAI), WATARI 19768 Force (1 Flight, 2 Squadron)

Type of Airplane: 2E-B LILY 2B

Operational Base: LIPA Airfield, LUZON (PHILIPPINE Islands)

Last mission: Skip-bombing attack on Allied shipping in LEYTE Gulf

Where Captured: In mountains, 10-20 km west of TACLOBAN

By whom Captured: Guerrillas, and handed over to American troops

How Captured: While resting and suffering from burns

When Captured: 24 Oct 44.

4. UNIT OR FORCE

3 Flying Regiment LIPA Airfield, LUZON, 23 Oct 44. 

Organization and Strength

Airplanes At OKINAWA unit had 36 2E-B LILY 2B, including three reserves per squadron. However, owing to lack of pilots, only 29 engaged in PHILIPPINES operations. Some pilots were hospitalized at that time, and a few had been killed in crashes. The 29 airplanes were allotted as follows:- 

1 Squadron 11 

2 Squadron 8 (1 Flight - 3, 2 Flight - 3, 3 Flight - 2) 

3 Squadron 10 

Duties of Maintenance Squad (2 Squadron) 1, 2 and 3 Sections Serviced airplanes or 1, 2 and 3 Flights respectively. 

Chain of Command Prisoner thought there were three or four flying divisions in an air army and about the same number of flying brigades in a flying division. 

While stationed on SHIMUSHU Island (KURILE Islands) the main force came under command of 20 Flying Brigade, Northern Expeditionary Army (KITA HAKEN GUN), 1 Flying Division, 1 Air Army. Prisoner thought the depot unit at KARAFUTO was under the control of 52 Training Flying Brigade. The Regiment's PHILIPPINE operational orders were issued by 8 Flying Division. 

Movements When prisoner joined the depot unit at OTANI Airfield in KARAFUTO, Apr 44, the main force was then located at MIYOSHINO Airfield on SHIMUSHU Island (KURILE Islands). There were approximately 100 men, including 65 recruits temporarily assigned for training. 

On 19 Aug 44 entire units of 3 and 67 Flying Regiments, with exception of 65 recruits, moved to OKINAWA North Airfield, thereby coming under command of 6 Flying Division. Unit was engaged in antisubmarine and convoy escort duties there.

While enroute to OKINAWA, unit stopped at GIFU to pick up 36 new LILY 2B. At the same time the tail marking was changed.

The 3rd Sentai with its "Lily" bombers and a different tail marking in Karafuto (South Sakhalin). Photo from the Kikuchi Collection.

Unit began moving to CLARK Field via TAICHU, FORMOSA around 14 Oct 44. Only those personnel necessary to carry out operations were brought to PHILIPPINE Islands, the rest remained in OKINAWA and FORMOSA. It was intended to send for them as well as the reserve airplanes, but none arrived prior to prisoner's last mission. He understood that the unit intended to station maintenance personnel from respective squadrons in OKINAWA, TAICHU (FORMOSA), and at CLARK Field in order to create a greater operational sphere. But while at CLARK Field he heard that due to the Allied landings on LEYTE, this intended plan was to be abandoned and that the balance of the unit was to be assembled in PHILIPPINE Islands. He believed that the entire unit was now assembled there. 

When prisoner arrived at CLARK Field 20 Oct 4h, the main force of approximately 20 LILYs had already left for NEGROS Island under 8 Flying Division orders stating that all units under the 8 Flying Division were to assemble there. Prisoner did not know the reason for this assembly. The main force arrived at LIPA Airfield on 23 Oct 44, and on the following morning left for strike on LEYTE shipping.

Tail Markings LILY 2:

LIPA Airfield: Oct 44. Each airplane was painted on the tail with KATAKANA symbol followed by a zigzag figure and the last two digits of the airplane serial number, as indicated by sketch. 1 Squadron was I (イ) for IIZUKA's Squadron; 2 Squadron FU (フ) for numeral two (FUTATSU) and 3 Squadron NA (ナ) for NAMBA's Squadron. Squadron commanding officer decided on the squadron KATAKANA symbols used.

The color of the zigzag figure, supposedly representing the numeral 3, was yellow for 1 Squadron, red for 2 Squadron and white for 3 Squadron. Background was usually green but some had pale green or a combination of colors. 

Prisoner's sketch of tail marking, of his airplane.

Other tail numbers: used by 2 Squadron were 17, 18, 22, 27 and 72 used by commanding officer 2 flight and 82 used by commanding officer of Squadron.

Other Identifications: Each airplane had its leading edge of wing painted yellow, and the color of spinner corresponded to that of the tail marking.

Prisoner's Last Mission: 

A formation of 24 LILYs, each carrying one 250-kg bomb, left LIPA Airfield at 0600 hours, 24 Oct 44, under orders from 8 Flying Division. No fighter cover was provided. Their prime target was a convoy of approximately 80 troop transports and freighters then approaching LEYTE Gulf. When briefed men were told to avoid the formation of four battleships and seven aircraft carriers which in all probability would form a protective screen east of SULUAN Island. It was understood that the Naval air units were to attack them. Formation arrived over LEYTE at 0805 hours and convoy was seen in the distance.

At 0810 hours, formation was attacked by Grumman fighters at 9,000 ft. Three attacked prisoner's airplane. On the first pass the port wing tank was set afire. On the second pass the pilot was shot through the head, and the airplane went into a steep dive, crashing into swampy jungle. The airplane was crumpled as far back as the rear of the wing roots, and the engines were thrown 50 m. All members of the crew, except prisoner, were killed instantly. He crawled from the tail section and managed to get away from the burning airplane. 

This was prisoner's only combat mission.

Formation on Last Mission 2 and 3 Squadron flew at an altitude of 9,000 ft with 1 Squadron approx 600 ft above the other two squadrons. 

However, soon after leaving the airfield, the airplanes of 3 Flight, 2 Squadron, dropped 1600-1900 ft behind 1 Flight. When the formation arrived over LEYTE, Grumman fighters dived in and attacked prisoner's airplane as shown below.

Signals used in Flight Formation Wireless telegraphy was seldom used. Airplanes of prisoner's unit were equipped with three plexiglass signal rods, painted red, yellow, and blue, each approximately 1 ft long and 3 in wide, which were built in diagonally between the antenna pole and the loop antenna. They had bulbs for night use. 

Pilot raised signal rods by a hand lever. The leading airplane gave the signal and the others acknowledged by following suit. 

Prisoner gave the following signals most frequently used by his unit. 

Red and Yellow "Prepare for action. Crew members assumed their battle positions."

Red "Assume position of attack." Airplanes took line abreast formation, or right or left echelon formation, depending upon the order given for that particular mission. 

Blue and Red "Attack -the target." 

Code Names and Numbers While at KARAFUTO it was NORTHERN 93 Force, but was changed to MAKOTO 19768 Force after arriving in OKINAWA. This was later changed to WATARI 19768 in PHILIPPINES. 

Our good friend Devlin Chouinard created beautiful artwork of the aircraft seen in the clip, with a correct rendition of the tail marking. 

After taking part in the battle of the Philippines, the unit returned to Japan and changed its aircraft and tail marking again. 

See here

Shizuoka 2025 - Oshiire Modeler's Club

The table of our friends "Oshiire Modeler's Club". All photos from Sayabu-chan.

This year's main theme was "Japanese aircraft with Green Crosses".

Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane "Kamikaze-Go" 九七式司令部偵察機 神風号 - video

The 25th episode, entitled "Suicide For Glory" from the 1952 documentary series "Victory at Sea" includes a variety of footage—some from entirely unrelated Japanese films, some notable ones depicting "Giretsu Kutetai" paratroopers getting ready for their Okinawa mission, and some authentic "tokkotai" segments. Included is a captivating, brief piece showcasing the renowned "Kamikaze-Go" Asahi Shimbun "Babs," which we initially saw in THIS series of posts.

This time, the airplane features what appears to be a thick green camouflage stripe on the fuselage and, interestingly, it doesn’t have its anti-glare panel, at least right in front of the cockpit! Also, It doesn't appear as glossy as in the other clip (HERE) of the reccord breaking flight, so maybe it was overcoated with IJAAF "hairyokushoku" (gray-green)? That would definitely create an intriguing modelling subject using the Fine Molds kit.

(Did you notice the Puss Moth in the background?)

"Toraware no Nihonki" #20 - Omura Base 紫電改 - video

After the end of the war, the US forces found a large number of Japanese aircraft at Omura Airfield, Nagasaki Prefecture. It was the base of the 343rd and the 352nd Kokutai, along with other units. There were 74 Kawanishi N1K-J "Shiden" and N1K2-J "Shiden-kai" (George), 14 Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden" (Jack), 24 Zero-sen fighters, 77 Yokosuka/Kawanishi K5Y1 "Akatonbo" (Willow) trainers, and more; 206 aircraft in total. 

Among them was a lone Showa L2D with Green Crosses, but unfortunately, we cannot determine if it flew any surrender or other special missions. 

In this video, we can see the US Forces, under the command of Major General Roscoe Barnett Woodruff , setting the Japanese aircraft on fire.

Here are some more photos from NARA of the event.

From the dozens of Japanese aircraft that were found in Omura Base, the six Kawanishi N1K2-J "Shiden-Kai" deemed to be in the best condition were selected by the occupying US forces for evaluation. They were maintained by Japanese ground crews and were flown from Omura to Yokohama, taking off on October 16, 1945.

The collection of images from different Japanese publications, plus one sourced from the web, showcases these six planes just prior to their departure from Omura Base.

Once in Yokosuka the six aircraft were to be shipped to the USA for testing and evaluation.

Note that the aircraft on the left side of the photo still has its 20mm wing cannons.

The six aircraft originally belonged to the 343 Kokutai and some members of the unit's maintenance and flight crew who had been demobilised were called back to work on them. Japanese sources mention that the ground crews were moved to tears by the aircraft's final flight.

As we can clearly see in this photo, in preparation for the long-distance flight, the aircraft were equipped with a 400L drop tank.

During the flight, the "Shiden-kai" were escorted by Grumman F6Fs. The Japanese pilots were warned that they would be shot down immediately if they flew suspiciously.

The Japanese fighters used high octane fuel provided by the US forces for this flight and it is said the engines performed excelently with the F6F barely able to catch up.

After arriving in Yokosuka, two "Shiden-kai" were removed from the shipping list and scrapped. The aircraft that were transported to the United States has serial numbers #71, #533, #5218 and #5341. There are currently no more than three "Shiden" planes left in museums across the United States.

"Toraware no Nihonki" #19 - Tachikawa Ki-54"Hickory" in White Crosses 一式双発高等練習機, ラブアン, ボルネオ島

From various AWM photo captions:

"As a result of leaflets dropped by RAAF over Sapong Estate on mainland of Borneo, contact was made with Lieutenant General Baba Masao, Supreme Commander of Japanese forces in Borneo, and Commander of the 37th Army. He was instructed to fly to Labuan and surrender to Major General George Frederick Wootten CB CBE DSO, General Officer Commanding the 9th Australian Division.

"The Japanese surrender delegation which included Major General Kuroda, Gen Baba's Chief of Staff, flew to Labuan, Borneo, in a Tachikawa Ki-54 Hei "Hickory" that belonged to the 10th Dokuritsu Hikodan Shireibu (10th Independence Air Brigade). In this case, instead of green crosses, the aircraft sported white crosses to indicate that it was assigned to a surrender mission.

"General Baba was tried as a war criminal on charges relating to the Sandakan death march and was sentenced to death. He was hanged at Rabaul at 0800 on 7 August 1947. 

While the aircraft was at Labuan 300276 Warrant Officer Leonard Anthony (Len) Pearce and his crew had the responsibility for servicing the aircraft. As a souvenir of the event he removed the engine plates from the aircraft, one of which is now in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

"The aircraft, was flown to Australia and was at RAAF Fairburn for many years. It is now at the RAAF museum at Point Cook, Victoria."

An interesting photo from the AWM collection. The caption says:

LABUAN ISLAND. 1945-09-10. MAJOR GENERAL G. F. WOOTTEN, GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING, 9TH DIVISION, ACCEPTED THE SURRENDER OF ALL JAPANESE FORCES FROM LIEUTENANT GENERAL MASAO BABA, SUPREME COMMANDER JAPANESE FORCES IN BORNEO AND COMMANDER 37TH JAPANESE ARMY, IN A SURRENDER CEREMONY HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 9TH DIVISION. SHOWN, UNITED STATES PERSONNEL (NISEI), JAPANESE MEMBERS OF ALLIED TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER SECTION, 9TH DIVISION, SPEAKING WITH THE JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CREW OUTSIDE THEIR QUARTERS AT 9TH DIVISION.

Two photographs from the Peter Kelly collection, the "Hickory"...

...the Japanese aircrew were given the task of refuelling their aircraft.

Another picture, forwarded by Dirk Broer, of the Ki-54 when in RAAF storage

This blog focuses on the history of Japanese aviation. Please refrain from making any comments regarding war crimes etc. There are other places to do so.

"Toraware no Nihonki" #18 - Hankow, China 漢口, 中国

A collection of Japanese aircraft types found at the end of the war at Hankow Airfield.

Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily" with Green crosses. Of interest are the areas that have been darkened out. On the fuselage, between the green cross and the tail, it would normaly be the place where an "aikoku" (patriotic donation) inscription would be placed.

The same "Lily" seen in the previous photo. It's rather interesting that there is no big tail marking that has been erased and that it has no camouflage. Could it be a newly arrived aircraft from the Hokkota school?

The same "Lily" in the foreground with more aircraft visible in the background.

In this not so famous photo, we can clearly see some of the aircraft next to the "Lily". A Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" (Frank) belonging to the 25th Sentai. The unit was organized in November 1942 and until 1945 it was equipped with Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) fighters. Starting from February 1945 and for a month, it was re-equipped with "Hayate". This one in the photo belonged to the 2nd Chutai.

In this photo we can clearly the aircraft next to the "Hayate" in the previous photo; it's a Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" that also belonged to the 25th Sentai but served with the 1st Chutai. Note the unusual uneven size of the tail number.

Next to the "Hayabusa" in the previous photo, is a Fokker Super Universal. Notice the cross under the starboard wing next to the hinomaru. It is not a green cross, it's a red cross. A number of Super Universals were modified and deployed as ambulance aircraft in the '30s. This is a really old aircraft but the camouflage shows that it was still active until the end of the war.

Another "Lily", this one with proper camouflage and the number "1096" on the nose. Unfortunately the tail marking is not visible so it's difficult to be sure about the unit.

Another Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" found at Hankow Airfield. There is something dark on the tail but can't see if it's a number or a tail marking.

A Nakajima Ki-49 "Helen". Unfrotunately the tail marking is not visible. Can you figure out the type of the aircraft on the left?

Tachikawa Ki-36 "Ida". But is it a Ki-36 "bomber" or a Ki-55 trainer. After all these years, a book and posts, people still can't tell the difference between the two. Simple stuff: the Ki-55 trainer did NOT have bomb attachments under the wings. This one does and therefore it is a Ki-36.

A well-known photo of a Tachikawa Ki-54 Hei transport "Hickory" that is usually found without a location. Note the huge overpainted tail marking. Note the lack of a green cross on the port wing and the missing propeller on the starboard. What is the aircraft next to it on the right? Could it be.....

A different photo of the same "Hickory" this time with green crosses on the wings and replaced propellers. It seems that this one was deemed airworthy and was put to service again. The caption of the photo confirms that the location is Hankow.

Fiat BR.20 "Cicogna" Italeri 1/72, by Kevin Bade

Started out correcting the cabin window issue and hence moving the windmill. Added photoetch seats and a few details to cockpit and detailed turrets and ventral hatch with various perks. The kit is of course covered with the classic rivets of my childhood and a good part of the BR-20s external surface is fabric covered so I sanded sections of the wing smooth. I masked fabric simulation and added layered coats of primer. I had an RCR Models detail set that thankfully included lovely cowlings,rudders and engines to which I added pushrods. Closed up wheel wells and added structure and polished all clear parts. Used  Aeromaster Grigorio mimetico, Models Master military brown and Vallejo Pale green and Yellow ochre. I patterned my camoflage on the profile in the Arawasi publication "Eagle Eye #3 - Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" & Fiat BR.20 "Cicogna" in hinomaru" with some modifications to the tail area based on photographs and some guesswork. Other items used were Eduard masks, Airone Hobby 7.7 mm & 12.7 mm guns & Kora decals. And I had to make that gun barrel groove behind the upper turret.