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.

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" - 1st Kokutai - video

A short part from the 1942 documentary "Umiwashi" (Sea Eagles) featuring Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers getting maintained and their pilots just before leaving for another mission.

 

 

Of particular interest is the ground crew member painting the white outline on the fuselage hinomaru by hand.

While another one is painting the tail marking which is probably "Z-335". This means that the unit can be identified as the 1st Ku. The kokutai was organized in Kanoya on April 10, 1941 with one "rikko" (field attack) and one "kansen" (carrier fighter) unit. The 1st Ku relocated to Hankou on July 23 1941 from where they launched attacks against Chongqing and Chengdu until they returned to Japan on September 2, 1941. The documentary was shot during their Hankow days.

According to the narrator the ground crew is applying "make up" on the aircraft before departing for yet another mission.

Refueling the plane. Unfortunately the fuel track is not visible.

  

Gunners are cleaning and oiling their Type 92 Lewis machine guns. Note the Type 98 Reconnaissance Aircraft or Mitsubishi C5M in the background!

 

Today's "bento" (lunch box) for the crew includes:

1. "makizushi" with "asakusa nori", rice, shiitake mushrooms, kanpyo, oboro (mince fish and shrimps), greens and takenoko.

2. Japanese omelette

3. takuan

4. energy drink (milk, coffee, canned pineapple) and "energy candy". The "energy candy" had: glucose, butter, sugar, starch, yeast, flour, milk, lecithin, green tea and others.

5. Drink to be served upon return: fruit punch. 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" - video

Another short clip from the NHK collection featuring Mitsubishi G3M2-a Model 21 "Nell" bombers, similar to the previous posting, here. While in the previous posting the bombings of Chonqguing took place on July, the Japanese bombers in this video are taking part in bombings against the city in August 1941. In the beginning of the video we see the briefing of the crew members regarding their targets within the city. From 0:22 we see two high ranking officers. The one mentioned in the video, next to the unknown one with the white uniform, is Admiral Shimada Shigetaro, who as Wiki correctly mentions, was serving as "commander in chief of the IJN 2nd Fleet and China Area Fleet."

Note the G3M2-b at 0:58 and the G3M2-a at 1:05 and the green/brown camouflage pattern of the latter which has the code number "K-357" on the tail. The "K" would indicate that it belonged to Kanoya-ku which used this marking from November 1940 until September 1942.    

 

 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell"

A photo from a vintage publication of a Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" taking off from a forward base in the Pacific. 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" - video

A short news clip from the NHK collection featuring Mitsubishi G3M2-a Model 21 "Nell" bombers.

 

  

The commentator says:

"On July 7, 1941, exactly on the fourth anniversary of the China Incident, our Navy Wild Eagles flew through the clouds over Sichuan and bombed Chonqging. Thus achieved the feat of bombing the city for the 20th time. The enemy panicked during our attack and their anti-aircraft guns fired desperately but to no avail. Our Navy Wild Eagles bombed the enemy headquarters and other important targets with great success."     

 

Although the June raids against Chonqging and their horrible results against the civilian population are fairly well documented, unfortunately we have great difficulty to pinpoint the Navy bomber units that were involved.

The still below shows the tail marking of the "Nell" but only the "406" or "408" part is visible. Before the number there is probably a katakana but it's not clear at all. 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell"

A bunch of Type 96 Land-based Attack Aircraft or Mitsubishi G3M “Nell” photos today from a vintage publication. Most aircraft appear to be G3M2 Model 22. Note that although the tail markings are censored the armament of the 20mm cannon in the dorsal turret position and the 7.7 machine guns in the dorsal turret and side blisters are not.  

 

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" and fuel track

Photo from a vintage publication of  Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" getting re-fuelled. The "Kinsei" engine used 92 octane gasoline. The fuel track was painted dark blue (navy blue).

Mitsubishi G3M "Nell"

A photo from a vintage publication today featuring a forward view inside a "Nell's" cockpit. The reconnaissance observer, on the left and the co-pilot, in front of him, are having a bento during the long and arduous flight. We discussed the bento and the in-flight provisions in a previous posting HERE.

What is more visible in this photo are a number of instruments including the Mk.2 Model 2 Tachometer right next to the stick on the left, the Type 0 Autopilot above it and clockwise on the instrument panel the Model 3 Airspeed Indicator, the Model 2 Turn-and-bank Indicator, the Mk.2 Model 1 Oil Pressure Gauge and the Model 5 Oil Temperature Gauge.

Mitsubishi G3M2b "Rikko" by István Tekler

I'm sending some photos of my Hasegawa G3M2b "Rikko", built using some scratch items, Eduard PE and Miniworld Type 99 cannon.
István Tekler - Hungary

Excelent model István. Thank you very much for your contribution to our blog.