Can anyone identify the unit of this Japanese aircraft

[Musec04]

Hi,

Can anyone identify the unit of this Japanese aircraft with a three bladed propeller imposed on a star?

Original WW2 Japan Photo NLF Pilot Aircraft Airport Japanese Army WWII China | eBay

Here is one WW2 Japanese army photo(1930/40s, original). We are from an art family in Beijing, we love art and do collection.

www.ebay.com

Regards,

Clint

 

[Wurger]

It is the Mitsubishi Ki-30 Ann and the marking on the tail belonged to the unidentified unit in China in 40'. Perhaps Shinpachi can shed some light.

 

[Viking1066]

29th Squadron, 2nd company.

 

[bf109xxl]

Hi,

Can anyone identify the unit of this Japanese aircraft with a three bladed propeller imposed on a star?

Original WW2 Japan Photo NLF Pilot Aircraft Airport Japanese Army WWII China | eBay

Here is one WW2 Japanese army photo(1930/40s, original). We are from an art family in Beijing, we love art and do collection.

www.ebay.com

Regards,

Clint

Mitsubishi Type 97 single-engine light bomber [Ki30], dark green on top, green earth cloud camouflage/gray-green on bottom
Example: Ki30 unit unknown
Hamamatsu Airfield, Shizuoka Prefecture, 1943

 

[bf109xxl]

29th Squadron, 2nd company.

What is "29th Squadron"? 29th Sentai flew Ki.44, Ki.30 were used by 6, 16, 31, 32, 35, 90, (82, 87) Sentai according to the "Japanese Army Air Force Camouflage and Markings World War II" by Thorpe et al., Aero Publishers, 1968. The independent Chutai with the number 29 is not mentioned in the book.

 

[Viking1066]

What is "29th Squadron"? 29th Sentai flew Ki.44, Ki.30 were used by 6, 16, 31, 32, 35, 90, (82, 87) Sentai according to the "Japanese Army Air Force Camouflage and Markings World War II" by Thorpe et al., Aero Publishers, 1968. The independent Chutai with the number 29 is not mentioned in the book.

It's in the Hikoki book, Emblems of the Rising Sun IJAAF Unit Markings. The 29th flew Babs and Ida (1939-1940), Ida (1940-1941), Anna and Ida (1941) and Ki-44s (1944) as well as Franks (1944-1945). On the Ki-44 you are absolutely correct.

 

[Viking1066]

Shinpachi can put this to rest for all of us since he can most certainly read the text without the use of a translator.

 

[bf109xxl]

It's in the Hikoki book, Emblems of the Rising Sun IJAAF Unit Markings. The 29th flew Babs and Ida (1939-1940), Ida (1940-1941), Anna and Ida (1941) and Ki-44s (1944) as well as Franks (1944-1945). On the Ki-44 you are absolutely correct.

 

[Viking1066]

It's also in the Aj Press Publication AJ Press Kampanie Lotnicze Chiny 1931-1941 Preludium Do Pearl Harbor POLISH (1995) which dates it from 1940, not 1943.

 

[Viking1066]

View attachment 773205

Notice there is no.3 chutai marking displayed. With these units, the markings are not consistent. If it's one thing with IJA and IJN, there were changes all of the time. I was just upstairs looking through the Cea books and I came across unit markings I have never seen before. It's a nightmare. I didn't see this one in any of the army unit books. As stated before, Shinpachi has more knowledge and language skills. I am sure Wurger (who has tremendous knowledge I have seen displayed), can also shed some light on this.

 

[bf109xxl]

It's also in the Aj Press Publication AJ Press Kampanie Lotnicze Chiny 1931-1941 Preludium Do Pearl Harbor POLISH (1995) which dates it from 1940, not 1943.
View attachment 773206

It is just a repainting from the book I referred to. 29th sentai flew Ki-55 in 1940.

 

[Viking1066]

It is just a repainting from the book I referred to. 29th sentai flew Ki-55 in 1940.

Where did the 1943 come from? Was that printed somewhere?

 

[Viking1066]

29th Sentai also flew Ki-15, Ki-36 and Ki-51s 1939-1941. This is from Ceske Tiskarny Japanese Army Air Force Units Jadnotky Japonského Armádního Letectva Nihon Rikugun Hikō Tai part 1 (2003). As stated before, nothing is certain.

 

[Viking1066]

But don't worry, I posed the quandary to Shinpachi regarding the identity.

 

[bf109xxl]

As stated before, nothing is certain.

If so, than why claim so confidently that it's the 29th sentai?

 

[Viking1066]

If so, than why claim so confidently that it's the 29th sentai?

Best guess at this point. If I am wrong, then that's fine. We both learn something new and cool at the same time. It's the whole point of why we are on here. To learn new things and dig for new facts. I tell my students all the time I don't know everything and that by constantly striving to learn, that makes it worth spending time on. I learnt new information today because you got me thinking. As far as I am concerned, that's a good thing. I uncovered new units I have never heard of. It's wild how many independent companies they had. Thanks for that. Shinpachi will have something. He's into this as much as we are.

 

[bf109xxl]

If you learn, you ask. Learning by making of unsubstantiated asserts looks a bit strange. Perhaps, it is a modern way of learning, which I do not understand...

 

[Shinpachi]

That is a Ki-30 at the Nanjing Outer City Airfield circa 1943.
Unit is unknown but estimated belonging to an independent unit or the headquarters in Nanjing.

In the case of 29th Sentai -

Source: Camouflage & Markings of IJA Bombers - Model Art(March 1999)

 

[bf109xxl]

Where did the 1943 come from? Was that printed somewhere?

This is the automatic translation of the inscription on the picture. The probability of error is quite high - you are right, a native speaker's opinion would be highly desirable in this case.

 

[bf109xxl]

That is a Ki-30 at the Nanjing Outer City Airfield circa 1943.
Unit is unknown but estimated belonging to an independent unit or the headquarters in Nanjing.

View attachment 773233

Seems, that the same illustration travels from book to book - I copied it from this edition:

Could you please check the accuracy of the automatic translation of the caption in the picture I posted above?