# Captured zeke 52 moved back to States



## Snautzer01 (Jul 8, 2010)

what would have become of them??


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## Shinpachi (Jul 8, 2010)

This is one of them, Snautzer01


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## timshatz (Jul 8, 2010)

Nice job Shin, pretty work. Ya' gotta admit that the Zero was one beautifully balanced design. It just looks right.


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## Snautzer01 (Jul 8, 2010)

Shinpachi,you must be able to do better then that.


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## Wayne Little (Jul 8, 2010)

have you got more on the Saipan Zeroes?


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## Snautzer01 (Jul 8, 2010)

Apparently they took the engines and planes back. As one picture above shows that they were loaded carefully on trucks (one picture shows them on the road) not bulldozed into a pit

there is another set of pic that speak of yet another batch of captured planes,including a B5N Kate with avs antennas 

Now i now of several japanese planes that were tested , but not 24 in a single batch with spares.


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## Shinpachi (Jul 8, 2010)

You are welcome, sirs


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## Wayne Little (Jul 8, 2010)

Snautzer01 said:


> Apparently they took the engines and planes back. As one picture above shows that they were loaded carefully on trucks (one picture shows them on the road) not bulldozed into a pit
> 
> there is another set of pic that speak of yet another batch of captured planes,including a B5N Kate with avs antennas
> 
> Now i now of several japanese planes that were tested , but not 24 in a single batch with spares.



Quite a few were loaded on USS Copahee from Saipan....there are a series of shots that show them on the carrier...


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## evangilder (Jul 8, 2010)

That's quite a few. I wonder what became of them.


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## timshatz (Jul 8, 2010)

evangilder said:


> That's quite a few. I wonder what became of them.



Good question. 20+ Zeroes would be noticeable.


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## T Bolt (Jul 8, 2010)

This one is at the Air Force Museum. Could be one of that group


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## diddyriddick (Jul 8, 2010)

timshatz said:


> Good question. 20+ Zeroes would be noticeable.



They would unless they ended up as just 20 more planes in a sea of them. Most civilians wouldn't have known the difference between allied and IJN planes-particularly if the rising sun was no longer on there. If they ended up in a boneyard, then they probably just disintegrated over time.


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## Micdrow (Jul 8, 2010)

Most were sold as scrap metal. Only through the efforts of a few people where the few remaining zero's left in the world that can fly. Most are junk as the main metal wing spar turns to dust due to a chemical imbalance. Its was stong then but now most have turned to power.


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## Gnomey (Jul 8, 2010)

Interesting shots, thanks for sharing.


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## Snautzer01 (Jul 8, 2010)

T Bolt said:


> This one is at the Air Force Museum. Could be one of that group



no canons think this is a A6M2


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 8, 2010)

Gees, that would have been so cool.


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## Wayne Little (Jul 9, 2010)

T Bolt said:


> This one is at the Air Force Museum. Could be one of that group



definitely an A6M2......most of the Saipan Zeroes were A6M5's

There were 14 Zeroes on Deck of the USS Copahee 13 - A6M5 and 1 - A6M2


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## skeeter (Jul 10, 2010)

Beautiful black and white photos, and color too. Love the historical stuff. The Zero was a ballet dancer in the sky, and in the hands of a masterful pilot, lethal indeed. It was also a flying Ronson.


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## daveT (Jul 30, 2010)

DISPOSITION OF FOREIGN EQUIPMENT 
In 1945, the enemy aircraft shipped to the US were divided between the Navy and the Army Air Forces. General Hap Arnold ordered the preservation of one of every type of aircraft used by the enemy forces. The Air Force brought their aircraft to Wright Field, and when the field could no longer handle additional aircraft, many were sent to Freeman Field, Seymour, Indiana. In the end, Operation LUSTY collectors had acquired 16,280 items (6,200 tons) to be examined by intelligence personnel who selected 2,398 separate items for technical analysis. Forty-seven personnel were engaged in the identification, inspection, and warehousing of captured foreign equipment. 
In 1946, when Freeman Field was scheduled to close, Air Technical Service Command (ATSC) had to move the aircraft. The larger aircraft were sent to Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona, and the fighter aircraft sent to the Special Depot, Park Ridge, Illinois (now O'hare airport) which was under the control of ATSC's Office of Intelligence. The Special Depot occupied buildings that Douglas Airplane Company had used to build C-54 aircraft. The aircraft were stored in these two locations until they could be disposed of in accordance with General Arnold's order. 
With the start of the Korean War in 1950, the Air Force needed the Special Depot; so the aircraft had to be moved outside. In 1953, some of the aircraft were moved to the National Air and Space Museum in Silver Hill, Maryland, and the remaining aircraft were scrapped. 
DaveT


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## daveT (Jul 30, 2010)

More detailed info about technical air intelligence 
By keeping a close check on the materials used in the construction of the enemy planes and engines, the technical air intelligence officers were able to piece together the overall picture of how the Japanese war effort progressed. Inspections of wrecked engines divulged secrets of their performance and manufacture. The aircraft were also a source of recognition data, performance and characteristic data such as fields of fire, vulnerability and exhaust patterns. The info was also used for targeting factories where the equipment was made. 
After the war General Hap Arnold ordered the preservation of four of every type of aircraft used by the enemy forces. One of each was to be for the USAAF, USN, RAF and Museum purposes. By the end of 1945 the TAIU’s had completed their search of the Japanese Mainland and other territories and gathered together the examples at Yokohama Naval Base. Approximately 115 aircraft were shipped to America by the end of December 1945. The aircraft were divided between the Navy and Army Air Force, with 73 going to Army bases and 42 to naval bases. All remaining war service equipment was ordered to be destroyed or scrapped, a task which, as far as aircraft were concerned, took until well into 1947.The Air Force brought their aircraft to Wright Field, and when the field could no longer handle additional aircraft, many were sent to Freeman Field, Seymour, Indiana. Funds, storage space and interest soon dried up and only six aircraft were restored and flown and evaluated by the Army and two by the Navy. During test flights many of the captured aircraft were involved in accidents. They also proved to be difficult to maintain. In addition to aircraft, collectors had acquired 16,280 items (6,200 tons) to be examined by intelligence personnel who selected 2,398 separate items for technical analysis. Of the 115 aircraft recovered after the war plus the eleven previously acquired during the war only 46 were eventually sent to museums. The final fate of most was to be scrapped. 
DaveT


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## Snautzer01 (Aug 9, 2010)

think this is one of them 

wright field 1945

bill larkin collection


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