Japanese WW2 aircraft
Discussion
Eyersey1234 said:
What aircraft did the Japanese use in WW2?
Google is amazing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_...Kawasakis and Mitsubishis it seems.
wormus said:
Google is amazing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_...
Kawasakis and Mitsubishis it seems.
That's incorrect spelling of kamikaze....Kawasakis and Mitsubishis it seems.
The Japanese had a vibrant and innovative aircraft industry in the lead up to World War 2 - and it was seriously underestimated by the Allied powers.
The main manufactures were -
Mitsubishi
Nakajima
Kawasaki
Kawanishi
The most famous aircraft to emerge in WW2 was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero which was arguably the best single engine fighter in the world in the period 1939 to 1942.
The main problem Japan had was its industry was unable to improve and advance their best designs to counter the increasingly more capable allied aircraft they came up against as the war progressed. Their industry was also incapable of matching the sheer volume and output that could be achieved by the US.
The main manufactures were -
Mitsubishi
Nakajima
Kawasaki
Kawanishi
The most famous aircraft to emerge in WW2 was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero which was arguably the best single engine fighter in the world in the period 1939 to 1942.
The main problem Japan had was its industry was unable to improve and advance their best designs to counter the increasingly more capable allied aircraft they came up against as the war progressed. Their industry was also incapable of matching the sheer volume and output that could be achieved by the US.
Eric Mc said:
The Japanese had a vibrant and innovative aircraft industry in the lead up to World War 2 - and it was seriously underestimated by the Allied powers.
The main manufactures were -
Mitsubishi
Nakajima
Kawasaki
Kawanishi
The most famous aircraft to emerge in WW2 was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero which was arguably the best single engine fighter in the world in the period 1939 to 1942.
The main problem Japan had was its industry was unable to improve and advance their best designs to counter the increasingly more capable allied aircraft they came up against as the war progressed. Their industry was also incapable of matching the sheer volume and output that could be achieved by the US.
The Zero was a superb Dog fighter able to out turn the Spitfire in initial combat and out climb US fighters. It's downfall was it's lighter firepower, armour and lack of a more powerful engine as the war progressed. After 1942 As the allies brought in new and more powerful fighters such as the Corsair and Hellcat its superiority waned. The main manufactures were -
Mitsubishi
Nakajima
Kawasaki
Kawanishi
The most famous aircraft to emerge in WW2 was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero which was arguably the best single engine fighter in the world in the period 1939 to 1942.
The main problem Japan had was its industry was unable to improve and advance their best designs to counter the increasingly more capable allied aircraft they came up against as the war progressed. Their industry was also incapable of matching the sheer volume and output that could be achieved by the US.
By that time many of the best Japanese fighter pilots were dead or otherwise out of action. The Zero remained a good aircraft but the quality of the pilots was markedly reduced as the war progressed.
The Zero had phenomenal range as well for its time. Its big drawbacks were a light structure (which was deliberate as it was this that gave it the excellent range and manoeuverability) and the lack of self sealing fuel tanks (which many Allied aircraft also lacked at the beginning of the war).
The Zero had phenomenal range as well for its time. Its big drawbacks were a light structure (which was deliberate as it was this that gave it the excellent range and manoeuverability) and the lack of self sealing fuel tanks (which many Allied aircraft also lacked at the beginning of the war).
telecat said:
The Zero was a superb Dog fighter able to out turn the Spitfire in initial combat and out climb US fighters.
That's not 100% true. The Spits used in the Far East were initially MkVs (primarily the MkVc) and later MkVIIIs.While the Zero could out turn the Spit at low speed, at high speed it suffered heavy aileron loading and even aileron reversal, meaning that at high speed it couldn't out turn a Spit.
Ergo if you were flying a Spit you would fight in the arena where your a/c performed best and not where the Zero performed best, ie keep the speed up, use the vertical, and make slashing attacks.
Dunno what it is about them, but the Japanese planes never looked particularly exciting.
I'm sure their appearance wasn't a priority, but as a kid looking through a big book of planes, they all looked a bit boring.
The Germans and the Americans had the best looking planes IMHO.
Anyway, as you were...
I'm sure their appearance wasn't a priority, but as a kid looking through a big book of planes, they all looked a bit boring.
The Germans and the Americans had the best looking planes IMHO.
Anyway, as you were...
Bizarrely out of American and British bomber crews and Japanese kamikaze pilots the kamikaze pilot had a higher percent chance of surviving the War! Mainly because the bomber crews would do twenty-five to thirty-five missions with a progressively higher chance of getting shot down and if the kamikaze pilot couldn't find a target they just returned to base. Mind you probably not if they were in one of the rocket propelled flying bombs carried to the targets by a larger aircraft as they pretty much all got shot down on the way!
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff