"Combat History of the 96 Rikko"

The absolutely best history book on the Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" is entitled "96 Rikko Senshi" (Combat History of the 96 Rikko), authored by Kobayashi Noboru. Kobayashi-san's exhaustive research and personal interviews with surviving veterans make this book an essential gem in the library of Japanese aviation history buffs. It's a Japanese publication, so naturally it's all in Japanese.

Title: "96 Rikko Senshi" (Combat History of the 96 Rikko)

Author: Kobayashi Noboru

Pages: 628

Photos: 385 b/w

Size: 14X20cm

Published by: Kojinsha 2022, h/b

The publication is in print and available.

Price: $US 27.00 (Postage NOT included)

Send over an email if interested with your name and delivery address (to calculate postage): arawasiorder@gmail.com

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" + In Action - video

Today's video warrants two posts; thus, this one will focus on the historical context and the ensuing events. In the upcoming post tomorrow, we will explore the different details, including an extremely rare IJNAF X bomber.

On July 11, 1937, immediately after the start of the Sino-Japanese War, in preparation for the expansion of hostilities, the Japanese Navy General Staff issued an Immediate Readiness Order and formed the First Combined Air Fleet (Rengo Koku Kantai) with the main medium bomber forces from Kisarazu and Kanoya Kokutai. As of August 1, the Kisarazu main force incorporated medium bombers from the Tateyama Kokutai, totaling 20 medium bombers while the Kanoya Kokutai consisted of 18 medium bombers. On August 8, the main Kisarazu force completed its deployment to Omura Air Base, while the headquarters and the KanoyaKu completed their deployment to Matsuyama Air Base in Taipei.

The attached video features the departure of Kisarazu Ku bombers on August 8, 1937, en route to Omura.

Then, with the aim of preemptively destroying the Chinese Air Force, on August 14, orders were issued for KisarazuKu to attack Nanjing Airfield and its associated facilities, and for KanoyaKu to attack the same targets in Nanchang. However, shortly after, orders were issued to cancel the attack due to bad weather caused by a typhoon. At 11:40, KanoyaKu received orders to sortie, while KisarazuKu was placed on standby. KanoyaKu changed its targets to Hangzhou and Guangde Airfields, bombing and damaging hangars at each airfield and destroying more than ten Chinese aircraft (two Japanese aircraft did not return). 

On August 15, an unprecedented trans-oceanic bombing campaign began.

The main Kisarazu force departed from Omura Airfield, advanced toward the mainland at extremely low altitude, and carried out a bombing run at an altitude of 500 meters near Nanjing. The Chinese side counterattacked with ground artillery fire, and after engaging in aerial combat with interceptor fighters, the Kisarazu bombers returned to Jeju Island Airfield. With four aircraft lost in crashes and 30 casualties—including two killed in action—the KisarazuKu suffered significant losses, as many aircraft were also hit. Since the only precedent for transoceanic bombing was Germany’s raid on London during World War I, the Japanese Navy Ministry’s description of this as an “unprecedented transoceanic bombing” was not entirely untrue. However, the newspapers did not report in detail on these friendly casualties; instead, only the damage inflicted on the Chinese side was emphasized, and the mission was touted as a “brave and daring air raid by the Navy and Air Force.” 

Meanwhile, the KanoyaKu set out for Nanchang with 14 operational aircraft, but was hampered by heavy rain, resulting in few achievements or casualties.

Håkans Aviation page has the following more detailed description focusing on the Chinese side:

At 13:30 on the same day [August 15, 1937] the Nanking Air Defence Command received a report that 16 Japanese aircraft had flown past Soochow towards Nanking. The alarm was sounded, and Chinese Air Force fighters took off to meet them. The Japanese aircraft were 20 G3Ms from the Kisarazu Kokutai. The Japanese aircraft had flown in directly from Ohmura in Japan and landed back at Cheju-Do. 

From Chu Yung, squadrons of the 3rd PG scrambled their aircraft. Wong Pan-Yang led eight Boeing 281s from the 17th PS. Chen Yau-Wei, Commander of the 8th PS, led five Fiat CR.32 fighters. Scrambled were also seven Hawk IIs from the 28th PS, 5th PG, and one Hawk III and five Hawk II from the 34th Provisional PS. 

In the ensuing melee, four G3Ms were shot down and six damaged. Claims were confused but it is generally acknowledged that Captain Wong Sun-Shui (in no. 1703) downed the first G3M to fall in the Battle of Nanking when the eight Boeings from the 17th PS attacked a flight of six Mitsubishi G3M bombers over Nanking and claimed to have shot them all down without losses. This was the No.4 aircraft in a Shotai that bombed the Ta Hsiao-Chang Airfield, most likely the no. 5 Shotai led by Lieutenant Yoshida. 17th PS’ Wong Pan-Yang and Su Ying-Hsien shared one victory at Chu-Yung while Chun Chia-Chu claimed another which crashed south-east of Nanking. Chin Shui-Tin also took part in this interception but didn't claim any aircraft. 

The Japanese aircraft fled and the 8th PS went after them. Chen Yau-Wei and Huang Chu-Ku shared a victory near Chu-Yung while Shen Tse-Liu and Liu Chi-Wei together shot down an enemy plane west of Lui Shui. 

Captain Chow Ting-Fong, commander of the 34th PS led six Hawks from Chia Hsiang and followed eight Japanese aircraft to Nanking. Captain Chow attacked one of these and shot it down over Fang Shan. 

4th PG’s Captain Lee Kuei-Tan led three Hawk IIIs of the 21st PS and Captain Huang Kuang-Han, C.O. of the 22nd PS, led eight Hawk IIIs from Hangchou to Nanking to help in this interception and they also attacked the bombers. Lee Kuei-Tan claimed a shared bomber together with three other pilots. Tan Won and Yuan Chin-Han shared a victory. Cheng Hsiao-Yu, Pa Ching-Cheng and Wu Ting-Chun each claimed one shot down. Wu Ting-Chun’s aircraft was damaged in this combat and he was forced to make an emergency landing. Liang Tian-Cheng claimed two victories. Huang Kuang-Han claimed a Japanese G3M halfway between Nanking and Lui Shui. 

Because of low clouds, each group fought on it’s own with little co-ordination. A total of 14 Japanese aircraft were claimed shot down. Five Chinese aircraft were damaged.

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell", 901 Kokutai, Okinawa - video

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

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" in 1/48 by Dan Salamone

I spent the past 4 months working on the Koster Nell kit. I bought it brand new in 2006, started it in 2021 and made a little progress, but restarted in late December 2025.

Tamiya acrylics, weathered with oils and AK pencils. Kit is vacform, with white metal and resin parts. I used a 500kg bomb from Ushi and the dorsal cannon is from Quinta, both 3D printed. Kit hinomaru, tail codes from generic sheets and the 901st Ku tail stripes were painted.

Main reference was FAOW #109, but also found online images of the actual aircraft in a wrecked state at Okinawa.

The kit itself was superb, and is my first full vacform kit completion.

- Dan Salamone -

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #41 - revised

IJNAF ground crew uniforms - video

A September 14, 1943 video clip from the NHK collection offering a very nice view of the maintenance of Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" and ground crew uniforms. The unit is the Oppama Kokutai as indicated by the "オヒ" (OHI) in katakana on the tail.

According to the narration: "On August 24, headmasters of Technical Schools from all over the country joined the Navy for one day to experience first-hand the training of the maintenance crews, who are behind the brilliant Navy "Sea Eagles"."

In this short clip from a video dated February 16, 1944, the US bombers are approaching Rabaul for yet another raid, and the Zero-sen are taking off to intercept them. Note the various summer clothes and headgear worn by the ground crews.

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #23 - revised

Various activities at the airfield (IJNAF version).

Removing cowling panels to gain access and service the engine(s). Thank you Pavel Vincenc for contributing the photo in the middle right.

Setting up a whole workshop for the engine. Note all the interesting details mentioned in previous posts in this series, like the maintenance platforms, the big crane and more.

Changing tyres; Zero on the left, "Nell" on the right.

Pushing the aircraft around the airfield. Note the not-often-seen in Navy airfields tail wheel towbar on the tail of the Kasumigaura Kokutai Nakajima B5N "Kate" on the left. Note also the camouflage of the Zero on the right; if only the tail marking was visible...

Last but certainly not least, one of my most favourite Japanese aircraft photos...ever. One Mitsubishi G5M "Betty" bomber crashed during landing against a parked one and the ground crews unload their equipment. Note all the boxes, the bicycle, the "riyaka" and everything. This accident happened in Tinian's Hagoi Airfield later known to the US Forces as North Airfield from where "Enola Gay" and "Bockscar" flew their missions against Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. The two "Betty" bombers belonged to the 705 Kokutai and the accident happened on July 10, 1942.

You've seen Japanese aircraft some with perfectly applied white surrounds to their hinomaru and some with very thin and not so well-done, right? Now you know why this happened. Note also the scaffold lifting the whole Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bomber and the engine crane.

Shooting training set-up

While the camera and the viewers naturally focus on the scrambling pilots, note an interesting detail; the model of a four-engine US bomber on a pole in front of the building.

It's similar to this...

Also, note the plane without engine and tail in the background. It is an old A6M2 with folded wing tips. Together with the two poles, the whole set-up was used to train new, less-experienced pilots in aerial shooting, with the pilot sitting in the Zero cockpit aiming and someone moving the bomber model between the two poles simulating combat conditions.

Unlike the Army "Shoki" pilot we saw in a previous post, greeted with some beverages, this Navy Zero pilot just arriving at Rabaul's East airfield, a.k.a. Lakunai airfield in 1944, has first and foremost a couple ground crew members climbing beside the cockpit to ask him if he and the aircraft are unharmed.

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #12 - revised

IJAAF & IJNAF crank engine starter or inertia starter
To be honest, I can't remember ever seeing a Japanese aircraft model with a crank starter sticking out or even placed on the ground. A very small detail that would make any model a little bit more realistic.

Wiki says: 
"An aero engine inertia starter uses a pre-rotated flywheel to transfer kinetic energy to the crankshaft, normally through reduction gears and a clutch to prevent over-torque conditions. Three variations have been used, hand driven, electrically driven and a combination of both. When the flywheel is fully energised either a manual cable is pulled or a solenoid is used to engage the starter."

Ground crew using a crank starter on a Tachikawa Ki-36 "Ida" ground attack and liaison aircraft.

Same scene but this time the aircraft is a Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah".

I bet you didn't know that the Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) had the crank starter hole inside the starboard wheel well.

One more "Hayabusa" photo, this time a 64 Sentai fighter.

This photo of a Kawasaki Ki-100 gives a very clear image of an IJAAF crank starter.

With the IJNAF fighters, very often, the crank starter was placed in the undercarriage leg as depicted by illustrator Sato Kunihiko in Model Art #857 or Profile #13.

This practice was not uncommon with the Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden" (Jack) too.

Or it was casually placed on the tarmac, like in this photo of a Zero.

A Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" and a Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" have their engines started by crank starters.

A short clip showing a Navy Type 90 Crew-trainer or Mitsubishi K3M "Pine" having its engine started. This is the only video I could spot where the sounds of the flywheel and the starter can be clearly heard.

The girls we saw in a previous post, here, start the engine of a Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah".

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #8 - revised

Engine cranes
IJNAF and IJAAF used improvised cranes to hoist and change the engines of their aircraft. Usually comprised of two or three wooden poles or tree logs, they actually came in a variety of configurations.

Two photos featuring Nakajima Ki-27 "Nates" having their engine removed. The crane configuration on the right was quite uncommon and to be honest, doesn't look very trustworthy, while the one on the left was more frequently used.

This photo from a January 1943 magazine features a completely different engine crane design.

The vintage article is about the IJAAF fighting from Burma, over the India border, so, although the tail marking is not visible, this Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) very possibly belonged to the 50th Sentai.

The classic engine crane configuration is seen in this photo featuring Nakajima A2N fighters and Nakajima E4N3 reconnaissance of the Sasebo Kokutai. Note the work platforms, mentioned in previous posts and work tables.

Another rather unusual crane comprising four wooden poles lifting the engine of a Mitsubishi A5M "Claude".

In this short clip, Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers are being serviced in mainland Japan. Of interest is the crane used to replace the engine of one of the bombers.

An even more interesting clip shows the port engine of a Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" getting replaced using a two-pole crane, somewhere in the South Pacific.

Although seaplanes are beyond the scope of this series, as they don't operate from an airfield, we can't help but include this photo, which we first posted on our blog in 2012, featuring an engine crane. Here is the original caption:

This is a photo from a vintage December 1942 magazine showing a Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" on the beach of a Southern Pacific island with its crew walking away after returning from a mission. Note that the floatplane is resting on its trestle in front of a scaffold usually used for propeller or engine changes.

And an epic comment our friend Jean Barby from France made:

"This island is nothing but the shore opposite of Lakunai airfield in Rabaul. In the middle the "brothers" can be seen, they appeared during the volcano eruption in the early 30's. A long time ago I did a couple of dives there, and there are many wrecked barges at the bottom of the two rocks. There are about 40 shipwrecks in Simpson harbor, the bridge of the closest is 120 feet from the surface, the others are further down. Keep in mind that I was there in 1979, and that there were no decompression chamber in case of bends or decompression troubles. Only single tanks were available thus limiting the length and stay at such a depth. Nevertheless, one Pete is accessible from the shore and is in fairly good condition (probably less now!) Some pretty good wrecks were still in the bush around Lakunai. A Ki-21, remnants of some Ki-43 and of a twin-engine which could be anything from a Ki-46 or a J1N1, and even an in-line engine from a Ki-61 or a D3Y2; all those treasures are now buried under heavy ashes as Rabaul was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano close to Lakunai, the Mother, in 1994. The new capital is now Vopopo; I also went to Tobera and Vanukanau but had little time to investigate."

And a short clip featuring a Nakajima E8N "Dave" floatplane having its engine replaced perhaps in the same location as the previous post.

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell", Oppama Kokutai - video

A September 14, 1943 video clip from the NHK collection offering a very nice view of the maintenance of Mitsubishi G3M "Nell".

 

"Tip the top of the rudder to place first the lever at the bottom"

On August 24, headmasters of Technical Schools from all over the country joined the Navy for one day to experience first-hand the training of the maintenance crews, who are behind the brilliant Navy "Sea Eagles".

 

 

The unit is the Oppama Kokutai as indicated by the "オヒ" (OHI) in katakana on the tail.

The bottom says "The Navy saw this and gave the approval number 103"

Mitsubishi L3Y2 "Nell" transport - Navy Paratroopers - video

A quite rare video today from the NHK collection featuring Navy paratroopers during training. They fly with Mitsubishi L3Y2 transports belonging to the "1 Tokusetsu Koku Kichi-tai" (1st Special Air Base unit) as indicated by the tail marking of "1キ-XXX".

  According to Akimoto, the unit was organized on June 10, 1942 in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture to safekeep, maintain and transport material and provisions for air bases. A support unit for Naval units operating from land bases. The unit was first disbanded on October 1, 1942 but was reactivated as "11 Tokusetsu Koku Kichi-tai" on September 1, 1943 in Katori, Chiba Prefecture but was again disbanded on February 1, 1944. They also used the letter "T" in red for their marking. 

 

  

I'm sure you enjoy the "Ride of the Valkyries" in the background. I wonder who else had the idea to use this music in a scene featuring airborne troops :) 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" - video

Another video from the NHK collection dated April 23, 1941. Admiral Shimada Shigetaro, Commander-in-Chief of the China Area Fleet is visiting the base of "Umi no Arawasi" (Sea Wild Eagles) during operations against the cities of Kaihua and Jiangshan.

The interesting "Nell" bombers in the video and the stills below belong to the GenzanKu which together with MihoroKu constituted the 22 Koku Sentai. On April 10 they came under the China Area Fleet and participated in the "Operation F1", attack against the railway line that passed through the above mentioned cities and was transporting supplies to the coastal cities of Zhejiang Province which were under attack at the time. 

The tail marking of the Model 21 "Nell" above with the two retractable turrets, is most probably "G-141" or "G-341". Note the two- or three-tone camouflage, in contrast to the NMF bomber in the still above this one, and how "white" the wing hinomaru look. Finally note the difference in the pattern of the white lines on the tail compared to the plane in the third still from the top. These variations indicated the chutai and shotai in the unit.