Captured Aircrafts: EEUU

Popularly known as the '"Volksjager" (People's Fighter) but best remembered by the name Salamander, the He 162 turbojet-powered single-seat fighter was designed to employ as little strategic material as possible, which by 1944 was in short supply. Design work on the fighter started on 23 September 1944 and the first prototype flew on 6 December 1944. On the second flight the leading edge of the wing collapsed and the prototype broke up in the air. This did not seriously hinder the development programme and, after modifications were made to the wings, the He 162 went into large-scale production in widely dispersed assembly plants, many underground. However only 116 He 162A had been completed by Germany's capitulation and few were operational.

The Tachikawa Ki-9 (九五式一型練習機 Kyūgo-shiki ichigata renshuki) was an intermediate training aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force built by Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd in the 1930s. It was known to the Allies under the nickname of "Spruce" during World War II.

When the armistice was declared on 8 September 1943, only nine aircraft remained. Eight were sabotaged so as not to fall into German hands, the last one was flown to southern Italy, where it was involved in a landing accident. P.108Bs ended their activities with a total of about 15 missions over Gibraltar, 28 over North Africa, 12 over Sicily and some other reconnaissance and anti-shipping sorties (of which only one is known).

The Kyūshū Q1W Tokai (東海 "Eastern Sea"), was a land-based anti-submarine patrol bomber aircraft developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The Allied reporting name was Lorna. Although similar in appearance to the German Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber, the Q1W was a much smaller aircraft with significantly different design details.

Great pics and info again mate, thanks!

Interesting shots!

Yep, some good stuff, and thanks for taking the time to assemble all these pics.

The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was the main personnel transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War, and was developed from the Ki-21 twin engined heavy bomber. Work on the Ki-57 began early in 1939 at the request of Nippon Koku K.K. (Japan Air Lines). The company had been impressed by the performance of the Ki-21 in China, and asked Mitsubishi to produce a design for a civil version of the same aircraft. This was completed by the summer of 1939, by which time the airline had been reorganised as Dai Nippon Koku K.K. (Great Japan Airlines Co.), with 37.25% of the company owned by the Japanese government. The new design interested the Imperial Japanese Army, which gave it the designation Ki-57 and ordered it into production. The civil version was given the designation MC-20. While the Ki-57 was being developed a number of spare Ki-21-Ias, replaced in front line service by more recent versions of the aircraft, were converted into transport aircraft as the MC-21.

The prototype Ki-57 made its maiden flight in July 1940. It used the wings, engines, tail and cockpit of the Ki-21-I, but with a new fuselage that contained a cabin that could carry eleven passengers. The wings were moved down from the middle of the fuselage on the bomber to the base on the transport aircraft. Despite a fatal crash involving the fourth prototype the Ki-57 was ordered into production as the Army Type 100 Transport Model 1, or Ki-57-I. A small number went to the Navy, where they were known as the Mitsubishi L4M1. One hundred Ki-57-Is were produced. They were followed by 406 Ki-57-IIs. These were given two 1,080hp Mitsubishi Ha-102 radial engines and the revised engine nacelles adopted on the Ki-21-II, and were 25mph faster than the -I, and had a higher service ceiling. Production began in May 1942 and continued until January 1945.

The Ki-57 was used as a communications aircraft, for logistical transport and as a paratroop transport, and served on every front where the Japanese Army was involved. Its biggest success came on 14 February 1942 when aircraft from the 1st Raiding Air Regiment were used to transport paratroops to attack the oil refineries at Palembang on Sumatra, preventing the Allies from destroying them before they fell into Japanese hands.

The Tachikawa Ki-36 (codenamed Ida in allied code) was a Japanese army-cooperation aircraft of the Second World War. The Ki-36 was a two-seat, low-wing monoplane with a single piston-engine and a fixed, tailwheel-type undercarriage. The prototype, fitted with a 450hp (336kW) Hitachi Ha13 engine, first flew on 20th April 1938. Having outperformed the Mitsubishi Ki-35 in comparative trials, the Ki-36 was designated the Army Type 98 Direct Co-operation Aircraft and ordered into production in November 1938. Production ended in January 1944 after a total of 1,334 had been built. The Ki-36 first saw action in China where it saw success. Later, in the Pacific, it proved excessively vulnerable to opposing fighters. It was redeployed to the safer theatre of China. Towards the end of the war, the Ki-36 was employed as a kamikaze with a bomb of 500-kg (1,102-lb) fitted internally. The type was also operated by the PRC, who used two captured aircraft as trainers, Thailand and Indonesia.

The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (強風 "strong wind", Allied reporting name "Rex") was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (紫電 "Violet Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service land-based version of the N1K. Assigned the Allied codename "George", the N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II. The N1K possessed a heavy armament and, unusual for a Japanese fighter, could absorb considerable battle damage. The N1K-J evenly matched the F6F Hellcat and was a better match than the A6M Zero for such aircraft as the F4U Corsair and P-51 Mustang. Despite such capability, it was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to affect the outcome of the war.

The first significant Nakajima fighter was the Ki-27, a much more traditional Japanese fighter, with manoeuvrability emphasised over speed, protection and firepower. This was followed by the Ki-43, the most common Japanese army fighter of the Second World War. This too was a manoeuvrable but lightly armed aircraft, and after a successful period after the Japanese entry into the war would prove to be vulnerable to more modern Allied fighters.Work on the Ki-44 began in 1938, at almost the same time as the Ki-43. The Japanese Army Air Force decided that it needed two types of fighters - the manoeuvrable dog-fighter for normal use and a defensive interceptor for use against high flying enemy bombers. As a result Nakajima were asked to design a fighter that could reach 13,120ft in 5 minutes, with a top speed of 373mph at that altitude, and armed with two 12.7mm and two 7.7mm machine guns.

The Nakajima design team, led by Toro Koyama, were faced with an immediate problem. None of the 'fighter' engines available in Japan provided enough power to achieve this level of performance, and so they decided to use the Nakajima Ha-41, a two-row 14-cylinder radial engine capable of providing 1,250hp. This was seen as a 'bomber' engine, and was used in Nakajima's own Ki-49 heavy bomber, but twin-row radials would go on to power some of the most successful American fighters of the war. The Ki-44 was a low-wing monoplane, with short stubby wings. The wings had a straight leading edge but a tapering trailing edge. The fuselage was circular near the engine but narrow and flat-sided near the tail, a design that helped to improve its stability in the air. The aircraft carried two guns in the wings and two in the upper fuselage.

The first prototype Ki-44 (serial number 4401) was completed in the summer of 1940, and was rather heavier than expected. The new aircraft handled well, but its performance was not quite good enough. A series of modifications were tried out on the three prototypes, and eventually a top speed of 389mph at 13,120ft was achieved (although with all guns removed). With the guns installed the aircraft was expected to reach 360mph, and the new design was accepted by the Japanese army. Compared to the Ki-43 the new aircraft was heavier, slightly shorter and had a 4ft narrower wingspan. As a result the Ki-44 had a higher wing loading than the Ki-43, and was thus less manoeuvrable, but its top speed and rate of climb were both better. The Ki-44 entered production as the Army Type 2 Single-Seat Fighter Model 1, and a total of 1,225 were built by the time production ended late in 1944.

More info: Pacific Wrecks - Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo

Developed as the Experimental 18-Shi Heavy Bomber Renzan (Nakajima G8N1), this was a very advanced long-range bomber powered by four 1491kW Nakajima Homare 24 radials which gave it a maximum speed of 592km/h at 8000m. Maximum range was 7465km. Armament consisted of six 20mm cannon in twin power-operated dorsal, ventral and tail turrets, two 13mm machine-guns jn a power-operated nose turret, and single machine-guns of similar calibre in port and starboard beam positions. A maximum bombload of 4000kg could be carried over short ranges.

Four prototypes were built up to June 1945, but the proposed production programme was disrupted by Allied bomb- ing and was abandoned when the navy's role became defensive rather than offensive. These prototypes were allocated the Allied codename 'Rita'.

The Nakajima L2D and Showa L2D, given the designations: Nakajima Navy Type 0 Transport and Showa Navy Type 0 Transport, were license-built versions of the Douglas DC-3. The L2D series, numerically, was the most important Japanese transport in World War II. The L2D was given the Allied code name Tabby. The original DC-3s operated by Dai Nippon Koku were impressed into Imperial service during the war, serving alongside the license-built L2Ds. The L2Ds served in the Southern Phillipines Kokutai in squadrons (Butais) attached to the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Air Fleets (Koku Kantais) as well as the Combined Fleet (Rengo Kantai) and to the China Area and Southwest Area Fleets. With the large load capacity inherent in all L2D variants, the types were used in all Japanese theaters, as both a passenger and cargo transport, playing an important role in supply of the distant garrisons on the islands of Pacific Ocean and new Guinea. They were also adapted to serve as staff and communications aircraft as well as in the maritime surveillance role.

Relatively few of the Showa/Nakajima L2Ds survived the war, although at least one captured example was in service with the National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) during 1945, serving along with DC-3s acquired pre-war. In 1946, another captured L2D2 was used by the French VVS in military operations in Indochina. Postwar, other L2Ds were located in the Pacific as either crashed or abandoned aircraft, and none exist today.

Though already conceived in 1939 as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft capable of reaching west of Lake Baikal when operating from bases in Manchukuo (Manchuria), the prototype Ki-74 (designated as A-26 by Tachikawa) only first flew as late as in March 1944; it was powered by two 1,641 kW (2,200 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-211-I radial engines. The following two prototypes were powered by the turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-211-I Ru, but as these experienced teething troubles, the following thirteen pre-production machines substituted the Ha-211 Ru engine for the lower powered, but more reliable, turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-104 Ru.The Ki-74 did not see operational service. Nevertheless, the Allies knew of its existence and assigned the type the codename "Patsy" after it was discovered that is was a bomber, not a fighter. Previously it had the code name "Pat" in Allied Intelligence.

More good stuff - thanks for posting.

Very nice.


Wheels

Great stuff, cheers mate!

The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing",[3][4] it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, though its actual purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber. United States Army Air Force operated several captured aircraft after the war. One pictured H-20 - 23, may be the aircraft currently on display at the RAF Museum Hendon, minus the Drehlafette DL 131 turret.

Love all those captured planes! It's just too bad we didn't save all of them for future generations.

The Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" was a single-seat fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Frank"; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter. Featuring excellent performance and high maneuverability, the Ki-84 was considered to be the best Japanese fighter to see large scale operations during World War II. It was able to match any Allied fighter, and to intercept the high-flying B-29 Superfortresses.[2] Its powerful armament (that could include two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon) increased its lethality. Though hampered by poor production quality in later models, a high-maintenance engine, a landing gear prone to buckle, and lack of experienced pilots above all else, Hayates proved to be fearsome opponents; 3,514 aircraft were built.

After the war a number of aircraft were tested by the allied forces, two at the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South-West Pacific Area (ATAIU-SWPA) as S10 and S17 and a further two in the United States as FE-301 and FE-302 (Later T2-301 and T2-302). One aircraft was operated and flown by the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, before being returned to Japan for display at the Arashiyama Museum in Kyoto. This aircraft is now exhibited at the Tokko Heiwa Kinen-kan Museum at Chiran, Japan. It is the only surviving Ki-84.

Source: Nakajima Ki-84 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia