Picture of the day.

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The 618th Bombardment Squadron was activated in 1943 as one of the four squadrons of the 477th Bombardment Group, the first (and only) bombardment group in the United States Army Air Forces to included black pilots. Members of the squadron participated in the Freeman Field Mutiny, protesting racial segregation in the military. The squadron was inactivated in 1945 after the 477th became a composite group that included bombardment and fighter squadrons.
 


With the arrival of the B-29 over the Japanese islands, the inability of the Japanese fighter force to intercept these high flying aircraft became painfully apparent. Nakajima had been investigating the the possibility of mating an exhaust-driven turbo-supercharger with a large radial engine as part of an official design study. With the appearance of the Superfortresses these studies took on a definate urgency.
The sole prototype flew in April of 1945 and plans for the production of 500 aircraft were laid down. The end of the war happened before any additional prototypes or production aircraft were built. No photo credit available.
 

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