# Guess the Plane......?



## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 7, 2004)

This plane type if known as a Mitsubishi F1M 'Pete' and (as you may have guessed) was a Japanese aircraft used during World War Two - i have included a link to the best qualitiy photo of this model i can find - not everyone knows about this fairly modest biplane BUT can you guess what this aircraft was used for?

Try to do it without loading up a search engine or frantically looking through your books -impress me by guessing - thats the point of this exercise 8)


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## jj1982 (Mar 7, 2004)

that fin on the bottom of the plane(excuse me if it ahs a techinal name) looks as if it is designed for use in water....maybe as an anti submarine or possibly as a search patrol.....its a good one mate....got me wondering....


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## Samu (Mar 7, 2004)

If it's an anti-sub type, where can it carry torpedoes or depth charges? Don't seem that it had a big bomb load, so I think that it's a maritime observation plane  (without searching information).


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## aussie jim (Mar 7, 2004)

MITSUBISHI F1M2 'PETE' ... i only now this because we have one for EAW  Its an IJNAF job.


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## kiwimac (Mar 7, 2004)

Seaplane fighter

Kiwimac


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## aussie jim (Mar 7, 2004)

Well dumbass me  i thought you we had to guess what it was but i reread the post and you already had the name in it  .

I would think it was recon/observ/rescue myself and maybe even anti sub .


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## SINKA (Mar 8, 2004)




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## kiwimac (Mar 8, 2004)

<puts on fake German accent>

Of Courze, vot ve are seeink here is ze vell-known Japanese Esperanto Zociety's Fighter aircraft. Zis unuzual flugzeug .. umm.. aircraft, voz uzed to drop leaflets in Ezperanto on ze defenzlezz Chineze peazants. For zese und udder Var-crimez the JES voz zent to trial in 1945.

Kiwimac


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## GermansRGeniuses (Mar 8, 2004)

its an ob plane and i know that from memory btw


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 8, 2004)

i'm gonna put all my preverbail eggs in my preverbail basket and say one of the roles from the pole?


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## kiwimac (Mar 8, 2004)

Actually, I think it was a 'bitza' and that it did 'bits' of all the roles mentioned!

Kiwimac


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 8, 2004)

i have no idea and say it was a transporter


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 9, 2004)

C.C i think you and lanc should change the pictures you have on your signatures...either different planes or just different pictures of the same aircraft - its getting boring looking at the same pictures all the time  

whatdya think?


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 9, 2004)

im thinking of changing mine - ill do it when i have some time 8)


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 11, 2004)

In actual fact i started this thread as a bit of a trick simply to amuse myself - the Mitsubishi 'Pete' was actually used for all those things: Quite amazing really- i think only one person got the answer correct but to be honest i think they probably cheated and looked it up (you know who you are  )

I myself was so surprised to read that it was actually used as a sucessful dogfighter during the Pacific campaign that i thought it would be cool for you guys at the forum to try and guess - Apparently the only thing it wasn't very good at was dropping bombs accurately - its most bizare job was to fly over American coastal naval bases and fire its machine guns (not nessasarily at anything) in order to keep the Americans awake and disturb their sleep as much as possible to keep them on their toes all night - it earned the nickname 'washing machine charlie' cos it made alot of noise and kept everyone awake!  - all in all an amazing plane and although not everyone has heard of them i certainly think it could (and should) be considered by biplane enthusiasts as one of the most versatile biplanes of WW2


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 11, 2004)

Samu said:


> If it's an anti-sub type, where can it carry torpedoes or depth charges? Don't seem that it had a big bomb load, so I think that it's a maritime observation plane  (without searching information).



I don't think it was used to actually destroy enemy subs - probably just to detect them and radio their location back to HQ - although having said that it was capable of carrying a couple of 132lb bombs so maybe it could carry a depth charge under each wing...anyone here know how much a depth charge weighs??


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 11, 2004)




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## GermansRGeniuses (Mar 12, 2004)

it probably can because a sub was once sunk by autogyros.. so if an autogyro can a biplane should be able to too

Reichsmarschall Batista


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## kiwimac (Mar 12, 2004)

Hmmm,

Sunk by a Autogyro ....

Almost as bad as the british submariner who "sank" a train!

FVS Kiwimac


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 12, 2004)

train as in choo-choo?


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 12, 2004)

> train as in choo-choo



a very extensive use of vocabulary there C.C...............................


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 12, 2004)

yep 8)


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## kiwimac (Mar 12, 2004)

Yup puff-puff choo-choo! 

FVS Kiwimac


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## GermansRGeniuses (Mar 12, 2004)

how did that happen?

Reichsmarschall Batista


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 13, 2004)

good question.........................


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 14, 2004)

....


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 14, 2004)

if you've gotta spam can you atleast make it funny or so i can reply................


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## GermansRGeniuses (Mar 21, 2004)

well you just have so you've contradicted yourself!

Reichsmarschall Batista


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 21, 2004)




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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 21, 2004)

i can't think of what to spam, so I'll just say this is my landmark 928th post, yey!!


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 22, 2004)




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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 22, 2004)

kiwimac said:


> Hmmm,
> 
> Sunk by a Autogyro ....
> 
> ...



When did an Autogyro sink a sub? (did he crash into it??)
and when did a sub 'sink' a train...i'd be facinated if someone would tell me!!


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## jj1982 (Mar 22, 2004)

????


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## GermansRGeniuses (Mar 22, 2004)

> When did an Autogyro sink a sub? (did he crash into it??)


nope! this was done by means of depth charges in a japanese autogyro!
i cant be bothered to find the tape i recorded the program on so name for you as of yet! i do, however, have the story! in the 1930's there was an american autogyro used for spotting for the army and fun by rich people.
the japanese bought six of these recognizing how they would be good in a spotting and observation role. (the purchase was made in the '30s) it was originally a two seater jobby and yes it did see use as a spotter but as i said i cant be bothered to look where. later in the war the japs saw how this would be good for ASW so they got a mechant ship and turned it into a mini carrier like the brits did for Sea Hurri's. and although the carrier was eventually sunk by a US sub, the type was used to hunt and successfully (at least once) kill US subs.

Reichsmarschall Batista


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## jj1982 (Mar 22, 2004)

well thanks for that....i am now all so much clearer on the subject!


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## kiwimac (Mar 23, 2004)

During the war in the Med, a british submarine commander saw an Italian corvette at anchor. He decided this was a good op for a spot of mayhem and fired a fish at the cove at anchor.

The fish missed, went under the corvette. The sea bottom in the area was shingle and the torp ran up the shingle where it smashed into the pylon of a viaduct as a munitions train was going over. The torpedo exploded (as you would) and destroyed the span of the bridge that the pylon was supporting bringing down the whole mess.

Apparently much amusement was caused by the submarine with a train stenciled on the conning tower.

Kiwimac


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 23, 2004)

wow. that IS interesting, never heard of that before! still...trust the Italians!!


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## jj1982 (Mar 23, 2004)

Italians....<cough Splutter> treacherous bastards!


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 24, 2004)

jj1982 said:


> Italians....<cough Splutter> treacherous bastards!



No they weren't....they were just being controlled and influenced by that flaming Hitlers muppet musollini  


Most Italians didn't want to go to war at all - they didn't have an interest it was just that piss ant Mussolini that wanted to get involved...i mean look what they did to him and his wife when the Italian people rebelled against him at the end of the war? Mussolini had planned his escape by fleeing to the Italian Alps with thousands of his 'loyal' followers and keep the allies at bay until Hitler could save his arse

But only a handful turned up and he was captured - and executed along with his wife (who tried to stop the executioners from shooting her husband so got shot herself for her troubles) their bodies were hung up for all to see and angry people spent weeks spitting, kicking, hitting and even shooting at the corpses until they were eventually cut down... Mussolini was not a popular person...nor apparently his wife either! 8)


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 24, 2004)

As a footnote although the Italians defected to the Allies towards the ends of both wars (WW1 and WW2)

I think it is widely beleived (yes, please correct me if i'm wrong) that the Italians though not trecharous exactly...can be a tad cowardly simply becuase they don't want to fight....hence the joke

Did the hear the one about Italian tanks?

They're built with 2 forward gears and 6 in reverse


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## jj1982 (Mar 24, 2004)

Cowardly again is an understatement. I know you english are meant to be masters of the understatement but really Bronze....I have a dislike towards the italians....same as i do the french, german, american, and just about every other goddamn country on this earth (excepting Russia). Apparently I could be classed racist or even Nationalist....but its all lies! I just dont like the nations nor the way they try and govern us!


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 24, 2004)

masters of the spam more like ....................


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 24, 2004)

jj1982 said:


> Cowardly again is an understatement. I know you english are meant to be masters of the understatement but really Bronze....I have a dislike towards the italians....same as i do the french, german, american, and just about every other goddamn country on this earth (excepting Russia). Apparently I could be classed racist or even Nationalist....but its all lies! I just dont like the nations nor the way they try and govern us!



you don't half talk bollocks sometimes mate....


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## jj1982 (Mar 24, 2004)

> you don't half talk bollocks sometimes mate....



Bollocks!


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 24, 2004)

good save jj 8)


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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 25, 2004)

Only cos he's had years of practice cos people are always telling him hes talking bollocks!  

Besides I do wish you would cut it out with the 'you english' stuff - you consider yourself english when its convenient to you - any other time you're either welsh or cornish or a bloody martian!


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 25, 2004)




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## bronzewhaler82 (Mar 30, 2004)

Anyone else know of any float-planes that were actually good dogfighters...? anyone got any records of how good the 'Pete' was at dogfighting? I'd be interested to know 

cheers


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 31, 2004)

yes, the short sunderland was a superb dogfighter  no seriously though, i cant help you, sorry


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 11, 2004)

actually, the sunderland could defend it's self very well in the air, it's supprising the reputation they got....................


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## bronzewhaler82 (Apr 12, 2004)

It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"

I read a story once about a Sunderland flying boat that was attacked out at sea by two Ju88 bombers....one of the Ju88s was shot down and the other so badly damaged by the sunderlands guns that it was forced to flee leaving the Sunderland to get on with its business...seriously bad-arse plane  

8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 14, 2004)

i heard it managed to fight off 5 ME-110s !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## bronzewhaler82 (Apr 15, 2004)

Yeah i'd heard that one too - it was such a great plane - incredibly useful and tough - rescue and patrol plane as well as an effective Anti-submarine aircraft....the best of British 8)


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## cheddar cheese (Apr 15, 2004)

shame they only made 147 really  8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 15, 2004)

but they never really got shot down so they didn't ned anymore, it sirtainly was a welcome sight to naval convoys, you knoew you wete save when you saw on e of them flying overhead...............


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## GermansRGeniuses (Apr 15, 2004)

> It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"



it did but the positioning wasnt the best, four in front four in dorsal, four in rear and (occasionally) one in each waist position. but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters and the Germans didnt have the range for chasing it out usually. the other thing is that the guns were .303's, not .50's! i know someone has wondered why the brits didnt get .50's (bronze i think) already so i wont say it again


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## bronzewhaler82 (Apr 16, 2004)

GermansRGeniuses said:


> > It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"
> 
> 
> 
> it did but the positioning wasnt the best, four in front four in dorsal, four in rear and (occasionally) one in each waist position. but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters and the Germans didnt have the range for chasing it out usually. the other thing is that the guns were .303's, not .50's! i know someone has wondered why the brits didnt get .50's (bronze i think) already so i wont say it again



Slight correction needed here...though it varied in different Sunderland models the best weapon setup the Sunderland had was the following....

2 machine guns in the electric nose turret
4 fixed machine guns in the nose for the pilot to control so he could fire at surface targets such as Submarines etc
2 machine guns in the Top electric Turret
2 machine guns in the waist 
4 machine guns in the tail turret

I would argue that for an aircraft of this type that was the perfect weapon layout... the Sunderland also had a great deal of armament that was very effective...the Germans couldn't destroy them without a great deal of effort 8) 

There was a prototype Sunderland built which WAS armed with eight .50 calibre brownings and two 0.79in cannons but only two models were built and the idea was abandoned

The Sunderland didn't 'Lurk' anywhere, it was a patrol, rescue and anti-submarine plane - i wasn't comparing the B-17 and the Sunderland - they are both different planes BUT i was saying the Sunderland had a more effective defensive layout than the B-17 - more armour too 8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 16, 2004)

> but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters



not true, there's many stories of it fighting off oposition...........


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## cheddar cheese (Apr 19, 2004)

many stories eh?  name 5 different ones that aint been mentioned


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## Gemhorse (Apr 19, 2004)

To answer Whaler's query of other dogfighting seaplanes, one of the Zero's, A6M2-N was very similar,[ a monoplane tho',] and was the only other single-seat fighting seaplane. Nakajima produced 327 of them, they were quite a match earlier in the war; one of their 'aces' had two B.17E's as confirmed kills. Naturally they weren't up to the progressive Allied developments and were 2nd-lined, but the last few produced were equipped as nightfighter/interceptors, but they were an imaginative highly proficent design, the central float spar was it's extra fuel tank...


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## cheddar cheese (Apr 20, 2004)

cool, any chance of some pics? 8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 20, 2004)

i'll show you one tomorrow, i got one in a book..................


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## cheddar cheese (Jun 1, 2004)

he says over a month ago, still not having showed me


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jun 1, 2004)

you never asked.............


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## cheddar cheese (Jun 1, 2004)

but you said you would show me, leading me to think that was going to do it automatically


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jun 4, 2004)

you won't get if you don't ask..............


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## cheddar cheese (Jun 5, 2004)

dont want then if your gonna have that attitude


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jun 8, 2004)

good, cos i can't remember what i was gonna show you................


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## cheddar cheese (Jun 8, 2004)

me neither. find out


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jun 8, 2004)

your the one that wanted the info, find it your self.............


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## cheddar cheese (Dec 24, 2004)

Too lazy


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 24, 2004)

damn right, you were to lazy to reply for 6 months...............


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## cheddar cheese (Dec 28, 2004)




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## HealzDevo (Nov 6, 2005)

I had come across here and said fighter. Interestingly enough in 1941 it was considered to be the equivalent in dog-fighting ability of the Zero!! Amazing for a bi-plane sea-fighter huh?


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