KI-43 ?

Clayton Magnet · Feb 22, 2022

VA5124 said:
Can you make a light 20mm cannon

The Berezin B-20 was probably the lightest 20mm cannon to see service in WWII, but it didn't appear until 1944.
It was an impressive gun, and a shame it didn't get into action earlier.

MikeMeech · Feb 22, 2022

buffnut453 said:
IIRC the Ki-43 wasn't recognized by the Allies as a discrete type, separate from the "Type 0", until late 1942 or perhaps even into 1943.

Hi
A Mitsubishi Navy S-97 was being 'identified', which appears that it was in reality an 'OSCAR', from December 1942:

From a February 1943 publication:

OSCAR appears in an April 1944 publication:

And also in TM-E 30-480 of 1 October 1944:

Others may have other material to add.

Mike

VA5124 · Feb 22, 2022

BiffF15 said:
Are you in the Ukraine?

No but he wont stop there

Dcazz7606 · Feb 22, 2022

VA5124 said:
Why no cannon though ? i dont understand that part the zero had them

The Ki-43 was about 800lbs. lighter than the zero. A cannon probably would shake it apart

nuuumannn · Feb 22, 2022

GrauGeist said:
I've known alot of gals in my time, but I met my Fiancee by accident, because I was out and doing stuff.

Which bird are you talking about? The one feeding the seagull or the seagull?

nuuumannn · Feb 22, 2022

Dcazz7606 said:
A cannon probably would shake it apart

Well, like evry Japanese fighter it was made out of rice paper...

SaparotRob · Feb 22, 2022

Intrically folded which provided unbelievable strength.

GrauGeist · Feb 22, 2022

Dcazz7606 said:
The Ki-43 was about 800lbs. lighter than the zero. A cannon probably would shake it apart

The KI-43 was at least 500 pounds heavier than the A6M.

And I don't recall hearing anything about a Zero coming apart when it fired it's cannon...

SaparotRob · Feb 22, 2022

Mitsubishi is the master of origami.

XBe02Drvr · Feb 28, 2022

GrauGeist said:
The KI-43 was at least 500 pounds heavier than the A6M.

And I don't recall hearing anything about a Zero coming apart when it fired it's cannon...

Mitsubishi wasn't interested in sharing Horikoshi with Nakajima. He was origami master.

sotaro · Mar 1, 2022

XBe02Drvr said:
Mitsubishi wasn't interested in sharing Horikoshi with Nakajima. He was origami master.

Well written cousin!

XBe02Drvr · Mar 1, 2022

sotaro said:
Well written cousin!

Welcome back! Long time no see.

MikeMeech · Mar 1, 2022

XBe02Drvr said:
Mitsubishi wasn't interested in sharing Horikoshi with Nakajima. He was origami master.

Hi
A lot was shared by Mitsubishi with Nakajima as the latter company also built 'Zeros', at least according to Jiro Horikoshi in his book 'Eagles of Mitsubishi, The Story of the Zero Fighter', page 101 last paragraph:

Mike

XBe02Drvr · Mar 2, 2022

MikeMeech said:
Hi
A lot was shared by Mitsubishi with Nakajima as the latter company also built 'Zeros', at least according to Jiro Horikoshi in his book 'Eagles of Mitsubishi, The Story of the Zero Fighter', page 101 last paragraph:
View attachment 659786

Mike

I have the book. Issuing a manufacturing license is not the same as offering up your chief designer. I don't have to tell you that, it's obvious. The comment was tongue in cheek.

MiTasol · Mar 2, 2022

And every companies chief designer believes they are one of, if not, the best and ignores much of what the licence could teach them.

GregP · Mar 5, 2022

Nakajima built more Type Zero fighters than Mitsubishi did.

Mitsubishi built 4,002.
Nakajima built 6,867.
Hitachi built 272.
Sasebo built 236.

A6M5 came in A6M5a (Kou - belt-feed, not drum-feed, cannons), A6M5b (Otsu - armored windscreen, fuel tank fire extinguishers1 x 7.7 mm and 1 x 13.2 mm cowl MG), and A6M5c (Hei - more armor on windscreen and pilot's seat, 3 x 13.2 mm MG + 2 * 20 mm cannons) models. A6M5 total is 5,703.

Total of 11,377 includes wheeled and A6M2-N Rufe seaplanes, A6M1 through A6M8. Total of A6M7 (490) and A6M8 (2) is 492.

Escuadrilla Azul · Mar 7, 2022

nuuumannn said:
Well, like evry Japanese fighter it was made out of rice paper...

It's interesting that japanese WW2 airplanes are regarded as flimsy (

nuuumannn I know not by you) when it seems that they could withstand more damage than they are credited (not saying that they were inmune or rugger than Allied aircraft).

This quote is from the Osprey book Spitfire Aces of Burma and the Pacific.

Flight Lieutenant 'Witt' Wittridge tells Andrew Thomas:

'Letting the speed fall back to near the stall whilst still about 2000 ft above him, I dropped down with a rush at low speed, turned well inside the Jap, fired my weapons and then banged on full throttle so as to re-establish my speed advantage. Moments later the "Oscar II" hit a hillside ten miles from Palel.

'We had a look at the wreck on the ground with some Gurkhas — it was riddled with holes, and it was a wonder that it stayed up as long as it did.'

nuuumannn · Mar 25, 2022

Escuadrilla Azul said:
It's interesting that japanese WW2 airplanes are regarded as flimsy

It's knee-jerk reaction to the Zero and Japanese policy in general by a particular segment of society who shall remain nameless for political reasons. Picking holes without context reveals nothing but insecurity.

MiTasol · Mar 25, 2022

It goes back to the war when all the allied aircrew were told that the Japanese were myopic and their aircraft flimsy etc.
In fact many of the skins on the A6M series are no lighter than the skins on most of the Spitfire. Due to a different type of construction the Spitfire has very heavy wing leading edge skins and the fuel tank cover is also heavy because it is frameless.

EDIT I worked on a couple of Ki-43s and they did not strike me as flimsy but I do not know how thick the skins and structure are as I had no need to know.

Just Schmidt · Mar 26, 2022

Escuadrilla Azul said:
It's interesting that japanese WW2 airplanes are regarded as flimsy ( nuuumannn I know not by you) when it seems that they could withstand more damage than they are credited (not saying that they were inmune or rugger than Allied aircraft).

It,s not the Ki-43, but Drachinifel,s latest wednesday video is interesting in this context:

The air attacks themselves begins around 40:40. While no detailed information on the heavily damaged aircraft is given, it is at least clear that very early pacific war G4Ms - and G3Ms - did not always light up or disintegrate at the first hit from AAA fire.

KI-43 ?

Staff Sergeant

Senior Airman

Senior Airman

Airman

Major

Major

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

2nd Lieutenant

Airman

2nd Lieutenant

Senior Airman

2nd Lieutenant

1st Lieutenant

Major

Tech Sergeant

Major

1st Lieutenant

Senior Airman

Users who are viewing this thread

Similar threads