Here's the material on Dan's exquisite "Nell" model featured in the previous post.
Inferior quality but color (NOT colorized) short video. The "KEA-395" indicates that it belonged to the 901 Kokutai.
The unit was organized on December 15, 1943, at Tateyama for patrol and ship escort missions. In the beginning it was equipped with 24 "Nell" and 12 "Mavis" flying boats. Later it received a variety of types and in May 1945 the unit had no less than 212 planes.
In the middle of June 1944 the 901Ku moved to Donggang, Pingtung County, Taiwan, and then to Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture where they sent various dispatch units to different locations. The main mission of the unit was sea patrol and the protection of the south-west ship routes.
On January 1, 1945, it merged with the 254Ku, 953Ku and 954Ku and on March 1, 1945, the unit had 24 carrier fighters, 24 interceptors, 24 carrier attackers, 24 "Nell" and "Betty" bombers, 64 "Jake" floatplanes, 40 Kyushu Q1W "Tokai" and 12 flying boats. On June 1, the unit had a mixed force of 12 carrier fighters, 12 "Nell" and "Betty", 80 "Jake" and 42 "Tokai".
Note the "letter" "C" on the fuselage side of the"Nell". It is actually not a letter but a marking to help the aircraft equipped with "Jikitanshiki" (MAD anti-submarine equipment) to align themselves in a submarine hunting formation.
A color, (NOT colorized) photo of the Mitsubishi G3M "Nell", 901 Kokutai, Okinawa
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