An extremely rare and very short video today showcases a Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" taking off at night on an interception mission. It features a rather fascinating tail marking that has not been included in any publication.
The source of the video about "anti-aircraft preparedness in Asia" is the Dutch collection of Indonesian/Japanese propaganda films.
Note that in the begining of the video we can see that the cowling lip of the "Nate" is painted red.
Some stills that reveal the tail marking in white. Note the absence of a fuselage hinomaru and the presence of a thin red band.
In 2000, 244 Sentai aficionado Sakurai-san, spotted a photo of a "Nate" with the same tail marking.
He mentions:
"This photo was probably taken at Chofu Airfield around the summer of 1942. The aircraft has white bands around the hinomaru signifying an air defense unit, so it is undoubtedly a plane from the 244th Sentai."
Note that the "Nate" in the video does not have any white bands.
Sakurai-san continues:
"As the design appears to depict the number ‘2’, it may have been an early unit marking for the 244th Sentai.
However, from autumn 1942 onwards, the markings became a simpler design combining a circle with the kanji “二” (two) and ‘四’ (four) [see image on the left]. This may be because, when the 3rd Chutai was added in autumn 1942 and the number of aircraft increased, such elaborate markings were deemed too time-consuming to apply, leading to them being used only briefly or on a limited number of aircraft."
The photo on the right shows the last and most famous tail marking adopted by the 244 Sentai.
From the Japanese Wikipedia we learn:
"In August 1941, [the unit] was formed as the 144th Sentai. In April 1942, following the formation of dedicated air defense units for the Western Japan area (the 246th Sentai for the Kinki region and the 248th Sentai for the Northern Kyushu region), it was redesignated as the 244th Sentai.
From its formation as the 144th Sentai, it was based at the Chofu Army Airfield in Tokyo. Initially equipped with the Type 97 Fighter [Nate], it underwent a type change when the Type 3 Fighter ‘Hien’ was formally adopted in July 1943.
So, taking the above into consideration, could the marking we see in the clip be of a 144 Sentai "Nate", i.e. before the air defense duties were assigned to the unit, then carried briefly the same marking with the addition of the air defense white bands, and then changing to the tail marking we see on the left? Or could it be the marking of a completely different small unit?
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