The real combat history of the Ki-43

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

In several recent threads, including the big one still active on IJN vs RN, the issue of the merits of various Japanese aircraft have repeatedly come up. Most people here seem very dismissive of Japanese types in general. Of particular interest are their fighters, the A6M and the Ki-43.

The conventional wisdom is that both of these were good fighters in the very early months of the Pacific War, but quickly became obsolete as newer, faster Allied types became available.

We have some wartime data on the A6M, including both performance from captured types (somewhat questionable due to problems with maintenance and fuel at the time) and more recently, we can see some more accurate operational history data, which shows us for example that A6M fighter units were going about equal with F4F fighters in 1942, and somewhat surprisingly, with F4U Corsairs in 1943.

We have considerably less data available for the KI-43 Hayabusa / "Oscar". Conventional wisdom (including things I've seen posted in this forum repeatedly) says that Ki-43 was poorly armed, poorly protected, slow, fragile, and maybe of shoddy construction. And yet there are also some sound bytes that undermine this theory - Ki-43 has the highest number of victory claims for any Japanese types, Ki-43 was particularly lethal to Hurricane fighters in Burma, etc. But I could never find sources for these claims.

The only operational history I know a little bit for the Ki-43 was the history of the AVG and 23rd FG (mainly just from the US side), and the combat history on both sides in the New Guinea and Solomons areas. Ki-43s did pretty well in New Guinea and the Solomons, though it was in a secondary role to the Navy A6M units. I have been wanting to get the "Bloody Shambles" series but every time I have the money they seem to be vanishing or extremely overpriced, and I could never figure out which volume(s) I really needed to get.

But fortune occasionally does smile on the vague and confused, and the other day I was in my very nice local model shop, which also sells a few books, and they had several old Osprey titles on sale, and I snatched a couple to do with the "Oscar".

Of particular interest was this one, because it gets into a pretty thorough operational history, and was written by a Japanese author with access to some Japanese operational records. I've started reading this book and I've already noticed some very interesting data points which I think will be even more surprising to many people here than they were to me. This thread is going to be about discussing and further investigating some of the revelations from this book, and considering how they may apply to other related discussions.

One thing I want to circle back to after we discuss some of this data, is claim someone in here made that the Ki-43 was about equivalent to a Macchi MC.200. I'd love to go back and compare the operational histories of the two, often against the same aircraft types (Hurricane, P-40, P-38, Spitfire V etc.)

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

So the book is broken down into three sections - Burma (and a little bit in India), China, and "The Green Hell" of New Guinea. I have read through (rather hastily) the first two sections and already found some surprising revelations. I'll break this down by section, so starting with Burma.

Burma
Fighter opposition faced: Brewster "Buffalo" F2A, P-40B, Hurricane I, Mohawk IV, Hurricane IIC, P-40E, P-51A, Spitfire Mk V, P-38, P-40K, Spitfire VIII, P-51B, P-47, P-51D
Bombers faced: Blenheim, Hudson, B-25, B-24, Beaufighter, Mosquito

This part starts with a section on the fighting in Malaya etc., which I'm not going to get into except to note that the early Ki-43-1a (armed with two 7.7mm mg) and the Ki-43b (armed with one 7.7 and one 12.7mm mg) were having some teething problems with structural strength, cracks and wrinkles in the wings, premature detonation of 'cannon' (12.7mm) ammunition, and so on. These seem to have been somewhat hastily addressed with repairs and modifications done at depots. Periodically in the book he breaks down losses on both sides for a specific date range, allegedly these are checked against Allied records though obviously we should double check.

Burma - Early Phase
In Burma, the book focuses largely in the 64th Sentai, equivalent to a Fighter Group. In addition there was also 11th and 50th Sentai. In the begginning they had Ki-27s, these were quickly replaced by Ki-43s, of which seem to have been using mostly Ki-43-1b and Ki-43-1c, with a few left over Ki-27s. There were also some other JAAF units in the area flying K-45 and later Ki-44.

One thing I was told repeatedly in other threads, was that the reason the vague rumor about K-43s dominating Hurricanes was extant, was that Hurricanes in the China / Burma region were being used exclusively for ground attack, so they were being caught low and slow, and so this was the reason for the heavy losses they suffered. This does not appear to be the case. From 1942-late 1943, several Hurricane units were being used to fly escort for Blenheims and Hudsons, and were used to try to intercept Ki-21, Ki-48 and Ki-49 bombers which were escorted by Ki-43 fighters. This cannot have been a fun duty for the RAF. They finally replaced the Hurricanes with Spitfire V in later 1943.

Hurricane mentioned in Burma in this period included 17 Squadron RAF and 136 squadron RAF
AVG was flying mostly P-40B with new P-40E coming in.
RAF bomber units mentioned included 60 RAF (Blenheim IV), 62 RAF (Hudsons), 113 Sqn (Blenheim IV)
US 436 Bomber Squadron was flying B-17s

Dec 11 1941 - 7 March 1942 -
Japanese losses 28 x Ki-27 and 2 x Ki-43 and 26 pilots
Allied losses 7 Buffaloes, 4 Hurricanes, 9 P-40s, and 12 pilots

By early March 64th Sentai had mostly Ki-43s, but they were still suffering in engagements with the AVG. For example on 8 April, 64th Sentai neglected to put top cover over a strafing attack and were attacked by nine AVG P-40E and 4 x Hurricanes, losing four Ki-43s with their pilots, including a squadron leader, for no losses on the Allied side. On 10 April, the 64th attacked again, and were detected by radar or early warning. 9 x Ki-43-1c engaged with 4 x 17 Sqn Hurricanes and 4 x AVG P-40E. The 64th lost 2 more Ki-43s, with one badly damaged, for 1 Hurricane. On 28 April, the 64th was escorting Ki-21s on a raid to Loiwing and lost 2 more Ki-43s to AVG P-40Es. On 4 May they shot down one AVG P-40E.

Losses March - June 1942
Japanese 64th Sentai lost 11 Ki43s and 10 pilots, all but one to AVG P-40s (the one was shot down by defensive fire from a Blenheim).
Allied lost 1 x P-40E, 6 x Hurricanes, 2 x Hudson, 1 x Blenheim, and 1 x B-17E

There was a lull in combat during Monsoon season, which then resumed in September 1942.

In this period RAF fighter units included 135 Sqn (Hurricane), 136 Sqn (Hurricane), 607 Sqn (Hurricane), 615 Sqn (Hurricane IIC), 155 Sqn (Mohwak IV)
RAF bomber units included 113 Sqn (Blenheim IV), 60 Sqn (Blenheim IV), 62 Sqn (Hudson)
US fighter units included the (former AVG) 23rd FG and 51st FG, both with P-40E and P-40K
US bomber units included B-24s (I couldn't figure out what unit)

The 64th Sentai was at this time re-equipping with Ki-43-IIC (twin 12.7mm mg, better self sealing tanks and 13mm pilot armor, two stage supercharger, shorter wings, 3 blade prop, bomb racks, better exhaust stacks, 140 gallons more fuel) but also had Ki-43-1c
The 50th and 1st Sentai were also active, requipped from Ki-27 to Ki-43-Ib
The 64th had a captured B-17 that they practiced attacking.

RAF bomber units were suffering badly. For example, on 9 September they lost three Blenheims and one Hudson, with one more of each badly damaged. Then on Oct 14 they lost six Blenheims on another raid. These seemed to be without any escort.

Later they were being escorted by Mohawk IV, (possibly because these had better range than the Hurricane). The Mohawks did surprisingly well, in one engagement Mohawks of 155 Sqn were escorting 8 x Blenheims from 60 and 113 Sqn that were trying to bomb a troop transport ship. One Ki-43 was lost and two Mohawks, but no bombers. The author notes that "both JAAF and RAF pilots felt that the Curtiss fighter was almost as maneuverable as the Ki-43". In a second engagement the same day, 9 x Ki-43 engaged 4 x Mohawk IV escorting 11 Blenheim IVs, One Ki-43 was destroyed in a collision with a Mohawk (which survived to fly home), 2 Blenheims were destroyed by Ki-43s and one by flak. On 5 December they clashed again, with 1 Mohawk IV and one Ki-43 destroyed.

Hurricane units got into combat mainly while intercepting escorted bomber strikes, in which Ki-43s from 64th Sentai were escorting Ki-21 and Ki-51. It wasn't going well. On 15 Dec they tried to intercept a bomber raid over Chittagong, losing 2 Hurricanes to 64 Sentai, then on the same day 2 more to 50th Sentai, with one Ki-43 lost. No bombers hit in either attempt.

64th Sentai also destroyed their first B-24 on 26 November. 50th Sentai claimed four B-24s in January, but these were only damaged (with Ki-43s damaged in return). This would become an escalating conflict between the two types!

Toward the end of this period in December 1942 64th Sentai rotated out to Japan to finish reequipping with Ki-43-IIC, and 50th Sentai held the line.

Losses Dec 1942- February 1943
50th Sentai claimed 40 enemy fighters, for 3 losses. Allied records show 5 x Hurricanes and 2 x P-40s lost. Both sides were overclaiming very heavily.

That is enough for now, this is only the beginning!

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

Burma
Ok Feb 1943, now it's starting to get a bit more interesting. So far the story isn't so far from what you might expect, but that is about to change.

50th and 64th Sentai now have all Ki-43-II, which seem to be a lot better overall, although they don't have their armor plates added yet.

RAF Fighter units: 79 RAF (Hurricane II*), 135 RAF (Hurricane II*), 136 RAF (Hurricane II*), 261 Squadron (Hurricane II*), 607 RAF (Hurricane II*), 697 RAF (Hurricane IIc), 155 Sqn (Mohawk IV)
RAF Bomber units: 60 RAF Blenheim, 11 RAF Blenheim, + other bomber units I couldn't yet identify.
USAAF Fighter units: 51 FG (P-40E and later K)
USAAF Bomber units: 490th BS (B-25s), 9th BS (B-24s), 492 BS (B-24s)
USAAF Recon: 9th photographic squadron (light) (F-4)

*I looked up some of these units and they seemed to get a mix of Hurricane IIb and IIa, sometimes switching back from IIb to IIa. Wherever Hurricane IIc were mentioned I indicated.

The 64th Sentai lost two commanders in the same month. Maj Masami Yagi was killed by a Mohawk IV pilot with a single bullet to the head on 12 February, and Maj Akera was killed when shot down by P-40Es from 51 FG on Feb 25.

But their luck was good overall in spite of this. They shot down 3 Hurricanes from 136 Sqn on 3 March, for no loss (claimed 7), but on 5 March during two raids they lost 4 x Ki-43 in engagement with 135 Sqn. vs 1 Hurricane from 136 sqn shot down. On 14 March escorting Ki-48s over the battlefield, they shot down one Hurricane from 135 Sqn, then on 15 March engaged 136 and 607 sqn escorting Blenheims, shooting down 4 for no loss, with 2 more crash landing back at base.

RAF had some successes to, on March 27 the 64th Sentai failed to rendezvous with a unit of Ki-48s who were intercepted by Hurricanes from 79 and 135 Sqn shot down 5 Ki-48 for no loss. On March 31 the Japanese got revenge, when 8 Ki-43 pilots from 64 Sentai caught 10 Hurricane pilots from 135 Sqn. The Ki-43 pilots shot down 3 for no loss (claimed 11)

They also shot down a B-24 from the 9th BS, but Ki-43 pilot (Capt Hideo Miyabe) had to make a forced landing due to damage from defensive gunners.

Losses 14 March - 11 April 1943
RAF fighter units claimed 23 confirmed and 20 probable victories.
Actual JAAF losses were 9 planes - 5 x Ki-48, 3 x Ki-21, 1 x Ki-36. no Ki-43s were lost, except the forced landing caused by the B-24.
(they also lost 4 x Ki-43 in late February)
The JAAF overclaimed to an incredible extent, claiming 416 aircraft destroyed, which the author notes is more aircraft than the RAF had in the Bengal area.
Actual RAF losses to fighters were 17 x Hurricanes, 1 x Mohawk IV, 2 x Blenheims, 1 x Beaufighter (I couldn't figure out what unit). Which is still pretty bad.

On 21 April the 50th Sentai mixed it up with the USAAF 51st FG, shooting down 2 x P-40Ks, but losing 2 x Ki-43s
On 1 May 4 x Ki-43s from 64th Sentai intercepted 8 x B-24s from the 492nd BS. In the extraordinary engagement that followed, Sgt Miyoshi Watanabe used up all his ammunition on one B-24, which was damaged but not going down yet, meanwhile his own aircraft was damaged and vibrating, so he intentionally rammed it, cutting off the tail turret with his prop! Watanabe was then able to nurse his Ki-43-II back to base. The B-24 fell out of formation and was finished off by two other Ki-43s. The crew were captured. This will not be the last ramming attack!
On 6 May another extraordinary combat took place when Lt Hirao Yukimoto intercepted a Lockheed F-4, which he damaged an engine on, before his 'cannon' jammed, but he still managed to force the P-38 / F-4 to crash land in a rice paddy, and the pilot was captured. This would not be the last P-38 caught by Ki-43s! Yukimoto's fame was short lived though, as he was killed by B-24 gunners on 11 May.
There was a big raid against the Americans on 15 May, with both 64 and 50 Sentai joining to escort 30 x Ki-48. They claimed 9 x P-40Ks but none were actually lost, the JAAF lost 4 x Ki-43s, including 3rd Chutai leader Lt Takeshi Endo.
On 21 May they attacked the British, 30 x Ki-43 did a fighter sweep and destroyed 2 x Hurricanes from 79 sqn and 1 x Blenheim from 11 Sqn for no loss.

Losses 9 September 1942 - 29 May 1943
64th Sentai lost 19 Ki-43s and 15 pilots, while 50th Sentai lost 16 Ki-4s and 11 pilots (35 Ki -43 total)
RAF lost 36 x Hurricanes to Ki-43s with 25 pilots killed, 5 x Mohawk IVs, 1 x Beaufighter, 1 x Wellington, 5 x Blenheim IVs, 1 Hudson to Ki-43s (41 fighters and 8 bombers total)
USAAF lost 3 x P-40s, 2 x B-25, 1 x B-24, and 1 x F-4 /P-38 to Ki-43s (3 fighters, 3 bombers and 1 recon plane total)

Observations: The JAAF pilots were going out of their way to kill Allied pilots in their parachutes, in some cases colliding with chutes in their zeal. They also kept trying to do ramming attacks which cost at least 3 JAAF pilots their lives, and were taking heavy damage, (though not that many lost planes yet), to B-24 and B-25 gunners.

Overclaiming by the JAAF was so extreme here that it was certainly going to be a strategic problem vis a vis planning etc., if they believed them.

In the next period the P-38G, P-51A and Spitfire V arrive...

(I know these loss periods overlap, I'm just quoting the sections from the book)

 

[MikeMeech]

Burma


Losses 14 March - 11 April 1943
RAF fighter units claimed 23 confirmed and 20 probable victories.
Actual JAAF losses were 9 planes - 5 x Ki-48, 3 x Ki-21, 1 x Ki-36. no Ki-43s were lost, except the forced landing caused by the B-24.
(they also lost 4 x Ki-43 in late February)
The JAAF overclaimed to an incredible extent, claiming 416 aircraft destroyed, which the author notes is more aircraft than the RAF had in the Bengal area.
Actual RAF losses to fighters were 17 x Hurricanes, 1 x Mohawk IV, 2 x Blenheims, 1 x Beaufighter (I couldn't figure out what unit). Which is still pretty bad.

On 21 April the 50th Sentai mixed it up with the USAAF 51st FG, shooting down 2 x P-40Ks, but losing 2 x Ki-43s
On 1 May 4 x Ki-43s from 64th Sentai intercepted 8 x B-24s from the 492nd BS. In the extraordinary engagement that followed, Sgt Miyoshi Watanabe used up all his ammunition on one B-24, which was damaged but not going down yet, meanwhile his own aircraft was damaged and vibrating, so he intentionally rammed it, cutting off the tail turret with his prop! Watanabe was then able to nurse his Ki-43-II back to base. The B-24 fell out of formation and was finished off by two other Ki-43s. The crew were captured. This will not be the last ramming attack!
On 6 May another extraordinary combat took place when Lt Hirao Yukimoto intercepted a Lockheed F-4, which he damaged an engine on, before his 'cannon' jammed, but he still managed to force the P-38 / F-4 to crash land in a rice paddy, and the pilot was captured. This would not be the last P-38 caught by Ki-43s! Yukimoto's fame was short lived though, as he was killed by B-24 gunners on 11 May.
There was a big raid against the Americans on 15 May, with both 64 and 50 Sentai joining to escort 30 x Ki-48. They claimed 9 x P-40Ks but none were actually lost, the JAAF lost 4 x Ki-43s, including 3rd Chutai leader Lt Takeshi Endo.
On 21 May they attacked the British, 30 x Ki-43 did a fighter sweep and destroyed 2 x Hurricanes from 79 sqn and 1 x Blenheim from 11 Sqn for no loss.

Losses 9 September 1942 - 29 May 1943
64th Sentai lost 19 Ki-43s and 15 pilots, while 50th Sentai lost 16 Ki-4s and 11 pilots (35 Ki -43 total)
RAF lost 36 x Hurricanes to Ki-43s with 25 pilots killed, 5 x Mohawk IVs, 1 x Beaufighter, 1 x Wellington, 5 x Blenheim IVs, 1 Hudson to Ki-43s (41 fighters and 8 bombers total)
USAAF lost 3 x P-40s, 2 x B-25, 1 x B-24, and 1 x F-4 /P-38 to Ki-43s (3 fighters, 3 bombers and 1 recon plane total)

Observations: The JAAF pilots were going out of their way to kill Allied pilots in their parachutes, in some cases colliding with chutes in their zeal. They also kept trying to do ramming attacks which cost at least 3 JAAF pilots their lives, and were taking heavy damage, (though not that many lost planes yet), to B-24 and B-25 gunners.

Overclaiming by the JAAF was so extreme here that it was certainly going to be a strategic problem vis a vis planning etc., if they believed them.

In the next period the P-38G, P-51A and Spitfire V arrive...

(I know these loss periods overlap, I'm just quoting the sections from the book)

Hi

Reference the Beaufighter loss during this period. It appears to be EL286, 'U' of 27 Squadron on Friday, 26 March 1943 (page 73 of 'Air War for Burma' by Christopher Shores). it was one of four making a low level attack on Toungoo airfield, where at least one Ki 48 light bomber of the 64th Sentai was hit while taxying (mortally wounding Sqt Maj Toshimi Ishibashi).
The lost Beaufighter was last seen diving with a fighter on its tail near Shwebandaw, the pilot was Sqn Ldr I G Statham, AFC and observer Plt Off K C Briffett, both were KIA. The Japanese fighter was a Ki 43 flown by Lt Sanae Ishii of the 64th, who after failing to shoot it down rammed the tail of the Beaufighter with the wing of his aircraft to bring it down. Presumably he landed OK although his aircraft must have suffered damage.
I hope that is of interest.

Mike

 

[EwenS]

On the outbreak of war in the Far East only the 59th and 64th Sentais were equipped with the Ki 43 having 24 and 35 (+6 Ki-27) respectively. The 77th, 1st, 11th over Malaya/Burma and 24th, 50th Sentais plus 84th Independent Chutia over the Philippines all had the Ki 27. In addition 47th Independent Chutia had 9 Ki 44.

59th Sentai was the first unit to receive Ki 43-Ia (30 aircraft) in Japan between June & Aug 1941 after which it went to China. It lost 4 or 5 aircraft to wing failures and inspections revealed 20 aircraft with defects in wing construction which local attempts by its ground crews were not able to correct. So returned to Japan in Oct to re-equip with the Ki 43-Ib model which it took to Indochina in early Dec 1941.

64th Sentai received Ki 43-Ia in Aug 1941 in Japan before returning to China. Concerns about wing strength saw them return briefly to Japan in Sept/Oct 1941 to have the wings strengthened. It moved to Indochina atvtge beginning of Dec.

Other units noted above converted to the Ki 43 as follows:-
77th Sentai - Aug 1943 with the Ki 43-II version while in China. It left Burma in June 1942.
1st Sentai - July 1942 after returning to Japan. Then to Sumatra and on to Indochina in Oct 1942.
11th Sentai - Aug 1942 after returning to Japan. Then to Burma Oct/Nov 1942 and Rabaul in Dec 1942.
24th Sentai - April 1942 after it moved to China
50th Sentai - April 1942 after returning to Japan (HQ, 1st & 2nd Chutai were in Burma in Mar/Apr). Then to Sumatra / Singapore and Burma from Sept 1942.

Information from "Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units And Their Aces 1931-1945" by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa and Christopher Shores.

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

Thank you guys that's helpful. I'm only going to focus on the units specifically mentioned in this book, I've already noticed that he doesn't cover them all, although it's possible I missed some on my first hasty read-through.

I know Shores is considered the last word on this stuff, and I am a big fan of his Mediterranean Air War series, but we know Shores isn't free of mistakes and I have read some things about "Bloody Shambles" which gives me pause a bit. I'll still get it when / if i can get it (I'd also appreciate some help zeroing in on the ones which cover the fighting in 1942-1944 which I'm most interested in). It will also be very useful I think to compare what Shores has to say as you have done up above with the Beaufighter kill, as we keep going.

So back to the action!

Burma

Monsoon season 1943 lasted from late spring through late summer, with fighting beginning to resume in the fall . The Allies had been pushed out of most of Burma but were holding on to a small zone in the north. New units and new aircraft including P-38G and J, P-51A and Spitfire Mk V were brought in. More B-24s were added to the arsenal. Transport planes also became a major factor in the war as more and more aircraft were flying 'The Hump', bringing in supplies and troops from India. These became a major target for the JAAF.
The IJAAF including 50th, 33rd and 64th Sentai was now almost fully converted to Ki-43-II, and these were the later models with the 13mm armor plate. At least one squadron of 64 Sentai (3rd Chutai) also had some of the new fast Ki-44 fighters, and there was another unit, 21st Sentai of Ki-45 heavy fighters in the area. 204 Sentai (with Ki-43) was also fightin in this area briefly at this time. IJAAF was also flying Ki-46 recon aircraft.

RAF Fighter units: 79 RAF (Hurricane II), 135 RAF (Hurricane II), 136 RAF (Hurricane II), 261 Squadron (Hurricane II), 607 RAF (Hurricane II), 697 RAF (Hurricane IIc), 155 Sqn (Mohawk IV), 261 Sqn (Hurricane II)
RAF Bomber units: 60 RAF Blenheim, 11 RAF Blenheim, 215 RAF Wellington, + other bomber units I couldn't yet identify.
RAF Recon units: 684 Sqn PR (Mosquito)
USAAF Fighter units: 51 FG (P-40E and later K), 80th FG (P-40N), 459 FS P-38G and P-38J, 311 FBG (P-51A*), 530 FBS (P-51A)
USAAF Bomber units: 490th BS (B-25s), 9th BS (B-24Js), 492 BS** (B-24Js), 493 BS** (B-24J), 308 BG (B-24J)
USAAF Recon: 9th photographic squadron (light) (F-4)
USAAF Transport: Air Transport Command C-46, C-47, C-87 (cargo version of B-24)

*I think these included some A-36 dive bombers as well but I haven't double checked this yet
** part of 7th Bomber Group
80th FG was based in Assam valley India and included 88 FS, 90 FS, and 459 FS. Their job was to protect India and escort transport flights over "the Hump"

The first big engagement mentioned on 8 Oct 1943, is what appears to be an overclaiming incident. Ace Sgt Satoshi Anabuki claimed to have downed two P-38s and three B-24s before his own aircraft was disabled and forced to crash land. The claims were awarded, but there were no witnesses to the action and no corresponding Allied losses. The author Ichimura interviewed some pilots from the unit and concluded this was 'fake news'. The next night on Oct 9 however, Sgt Majo Daisuke Nishizawa was part of a flight of three Ki-43s sent to intercept B-24s on a night raid on Akyab. He saw a B-24 caught in a searchlight and attacked head on, ultimately destroying it. This one was real.

On 12 Oct 50th Sentai moved a squadron to northeastern Burma, and launched their first attempt to intercept a Hump flight, colorfully code-named Tsujigiri ("Street Murder"). Eight Ki-43s claimed thre transports, but their base was immediately attacked by P-40N fighter bombers from the 88th FS and they were forced to move back to Mingaladon. However they kept flying these missions, and scored victories. On 23 October they sot down three unescorted C-47s. On 27 Oct they shot down a C-46. Later that same day though ATC sent heavily armed (but not bomb laden) B-24s as a 'wolf in sheeps clothing' (i.e. as C-87s) and these shot down three Ki-43s, claiming 18.

IJAAF also continued to clash with the RAF, for example on 20 Oct two squadrons of Ki-21s, escorted by 14 x Ki-43 from 64th Sentai, and a fighter sweep by 50th Sentai leading the way, attacked British naval ships near Chittagong. They were intercepted by 261 Sqn Hurricanes, claiming three.

RAF had started sending Mosquitos on recon flights oer Rangoon, but these were not safe from the Ki-43. On 2 November two Ki-43s from 33d Sentai intercepted a Mosquito (type not given), diving from 30,000' to 29,000', and shot it down. Ki-43s from 64th Sentai also intercepted Wellingtons of 13 RAF on a night raid, and shot one down, another crash landed at home base.

The IJAAF was having more problems with the B-24s, which were smashing up all kinds of air bases and supply dumps, ports and troop positions all over Burma. There were some successes. One corporal rammed a 492 BS B-24 and knocked it down, though he had to parachute out. On 11 Nov, four Ki-43s intercepted a group of B-24s from 7th BG, claiming three damaged, but two B-24Js from 9th BS were forced to crash land with 3 crewmen killed. On 14 Nov eigtht Ki-43s from 50th Sentai intercepted 12 x B-24s near Shwebo. Attacking head on, they shot down three B-24s. The USAAF decided that they could no longer send in B-24s without escort.

On 25 November they sent 30 x B-24s from 7th and 308 BG on a raid against Rangoon, escorted by six P-51A from 311 FBG. They were intercepted by four Ki-43 of 64 Sentai. In the ensuing battle, one P-51 which was chased 125 miles before being caught and shot down. No bombers were lost. The same afternoon, another flight of P-51A did a sweep over Rangoon, facing ten Ki-43 and six Ki-45. One Mustang was shot down.

On Nov 27, 56 x B-24 raised Rangoon, escorted by 5 x P-51A from 311 FBG, adn 4 x P-38J from 459 FS. This was augmented by another raid by 9 x B-25 from 341 BG, escorted by 10 x P-51A from 530 FBS. These were intercepted by 8 x Ki-43 and 1 x Ki-44 from 64th Sentai, plus some Ki-45 from 21 Sentai (number not given). The Ki-43s immediately shot down two P-38Js, (Capt Armin Ottmeyer and Lt Jay Harlan bailing out), attacked the P-51s. The first flight turned into them and they moved on. The shot down one from the second flight which still had their drop tanks on. One Ki-43 (piloted by Hinoki) was badly shot up by a P-51 and the pilot's leg was nearly amputated by a .50 caliber bullet. He managed to land his fighter but his leg was later amputated. Another P-51A from the 530 FBS was chased down a long distance and then shot down. Then they went after the B-24s and apparently shot down three.

In the whole action, USAAF losses were steep: 311 FBG lost 4 x P-51A with pilots, 459 FS lost 2 x P-38J with pilots, 3 x B-24s were shot down and 5 others badly damaged. 6 fighters, 3 bombers.
64th Sentai lost 1 x Ki-44 to a P-51A, 1 x Ki-43 to B-24 defensive gunners, and one other Ki-43 returning home badly damaged with a maimed pilot. 3 Fighters.

There was another big fight on 1 December. Ki-43s from 64 and 204 Sentai, and Ki-45s from 21 Sentai (50 fighters in total) intercepted a strike by B-24s escorted by P-51A and P-38J. In the end the US lost 1 x P-51A and 6 x B-24s.

Losses 25 Nov - 1 Dec
The total bomber offensive against Rangoon from 25 Nov to 1 Dec resulted in 12 x B-24, 8 x P-51A, 1 x P-38, 3 x Wellingtons lost by the Allies. 4 fighters and 15 bombers.
The IJAAF lost 4 x Ki-43, 1 x Ki-44, and 1 x Ki-45. 6 fighters. (I think they also lost some bombers too though in raids)

Observations:
The author notes that at this point, the B-24 was their most feared opponent.
But the Ki-43s were able to shoot them down in fairly high numbers, much more so than you would guess with their two (allegedly very very bad) 12.7mm 'cannon'. Albeit with losses.
The P-51A did fairly poorly against the Ki-43
The P-38J did not turn out to be dominant vs the Ki-43 either, at least not so far.
Speed of the new fighters was obviously helpful, did not seem to be a silver bullet. P-51A and Mosquitos were chased down and caught.
The Ki-43s also proved capable of performing interceptions and shooting down bombers at night.
The Ki-43-II was clearly much more effective than the Ki-43-I
Transport flights over The Hump were highly vulnerable at this time.

Quotes:
Lt Savyri Bajanyra "When I'm in the Hayabusa, nothing can shoot me down, not even a dozen enemy fighters. I'll punch any pilot who takes hits from enemy fighters in a dogfight. I'll also punch any pilot who doesn't take hits while attacking enemy bombers."

Lt Yohei Hinoki "The new fighters [Mustang] are escorting the B-25s. They're much faster than our Hayabusas. When we attack them from above they just fly away right out of range. We're no problem at all for them."

 

[EwenS]

All volumes of Bloody Shambles cover elements of the air war in 1942.

Bloody Shambles Vol 1 Air war in SE Asia from Dec 1941 to Fall of Singapore in Feb 1942
Bloody Shambles Vol 2 Defence of Sumatra to Fall of Burma Feb-May 1942
Bloody Shambles Vol 3 The rest of the war in South East Asia June 1942 to Aug 1945.

 

[EwenS]

The South West Monsoon generally arrives in Burma in mid-May with a big bang of rainfall and lastscthrough to Octcwhen it gradually tapers off.

In 1945 Operation Dracula, the landing at Rangoon, was only just carried out in time on 2nd May as the monsoon broke early that same day.

The main fighting season lasted from Dec to May each year. 1944 was different. With the Japanese invasion of India in March, the Allies fought on through the monsoon season, pushing the Japanese back across the border into Burma, then following up with further offensives. Fighting was still going on in South eastern Burma in Aug 1945. Many army and RAF units were withdrawn to India to rest and re-equip after Dracula in preparation for Operation Zipper, the invasion of Malaya, planned for early Sept 1945.

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

All volumes of Bloody Shambles cover elements of the air war in 1942.

Bloody Shambles Vol 1 Air war in SE Asia from Dec 1941 to Fall of Singapore in Feb 1942
Bloody Shambles Vol 2 Defence of Sumatra to Fall of Burma Feb-May 1942
Bloody Shambles Vol 3 The rest of the war in South East Asia June 1942 to Aug 1945.

Looks like the one I'm interested in is Volume 3, but at the moment the price is a bit steep. I won't know why they don't just make these PoD..

 

[varsity07840]

So the book is broken down into three sections - Burma (and a little bit in India), China, and "The Green Hell" of New Guinea. I have read through (rather hastily) the first two sections and already found some surprising revelations. I'll break this down by section, so starting with Burma.

Burma
Fighter opposition faced: Brewster "Buffalo" F2A, P-40B, Hurricane I, Mohawk IV, Hurricane IIC, P-40E, P-51A, Spitfire Mk V, P-38, P-40K, Spitfire VIII, P-51B, P-47, P-51D
Bombers faced: Blenheim, Hudson, B-25, B-24, Beaufighter, Mosquito

This part starts with a section on the fighting in Malaya etc., which I'm not going to get into except to note that the early Ki-43-1a (armed with two 7.7mm mg) and the Ki-43b (armed with one 7.7 and one 12.7mm mg) were having some teething problems with structural strength, cracks and wrinkles in the wings, premature detonation of 'cannon' (12.7mm) ammunition, and so on. These seem to have been somewhat hastily addressed with repairs and modifications done at depots. Periodically in the book he breaks down losses on both sides for a specific date range, allegedly these are checked against Allied records though obviously we should double check.

Burma - Early Phase
In Burma, the book focuses largely in the 64th Sentai, equivalent to a Fighter Group. In addition there was also 11th and 50th Sentai. In the begginning they had Ki-27s, these were quickly replaced by Ki-43s, of which seem to have been using mostly Ki-43-1b and Ki-43-1c, with a few left over Ki-27s. There were also some other JAAF units in the area flying K-45 and later Ki-44.

One thing I was told repeatedly in other threads, was that the reason the vague rumor about K-43s dominating Hurricanes was extant, was that Hurricanes in the China / Burma region were being used exclusively for ground attack, so they were being caught low and slow, and so this was the reason for the heavy losses they suffered. This does not appear to be the case. From 1942-late 1943, several Hurricane units were being used to fly escort for Blenheims and Hudsons, and were used to try to intercept Ki-21, Ki-48 and Ki-49 bombers which were escorted by Ki-43 fighters. This cannot have been a fun duty for the RAF. They finally replaced the Hurricanes with Spitfire V in later 1943.

Hurricane mentioned in Burma in this period included 17 Squadron RAF and 136 squadron RAF
AVG was flying mostly P-40B with new P-40E coming in.
RAF bomber units mentioned included 60 RAF (Blenheim IV), 62 RAF (Hudsons), 113 Sqn (Blenheim IV)
US 436 Bomber Squadron was flying B-17s

Dec 11 1941 - 7 March 1942 -
Japanese losses 28 x Ki-27 and 2 x Ki-43 and 26 pilots
Allied losses 7 Buffaloes, 4 Hurricanes, 9 P-40s, and 12 pilots

By early March 64th Sentai had mostly Ki-43s, but they were still suffering in engagements with the AVG. For example on 8 April, 64th Sentai neglected to put top cover over a strafing attack and were attacked by nine AVG P-40E and 4 x Hurricanes, losing four Ki-43s with their pilots, including a squadron leader, for no losses on the Allied side. On 10 April, the 64th attacked again, and were detected by radar or early warning. 9 x Ki-43-1c engaged with 4 x 17 Sqn Hurricanes and 4 x AVG P-40E. The 64th lost 2 more Ki-43s, with one badly damaged, for 1 Hurricane. On 28 April, the 64th was escorting Ki-21s on a raid to Loiwing and lost 2 more Ki-43s to AVG P-40Es. On 4 May they shot down one AVG P-40E.

Losses March - June 1942
Japanese 64th Sentai lost 11 Ki43s and 10 pilots, all but one to AVG P-40s (the one was shot down by defensive fire from a Blenheim).
Allied lost 1 x P-40E, 6 x Hurricanes, 2 x Hudson, 1 x Blenheim, and 1 x B-17E

There was a lull in combat during Monsoon season, which then resumed in September 1942.

In this period RAF fighter units included 135 Sqn (Hurricane), 136 Sqn (Hurricane), 607 Sqn (Hurricane), 615 Sqn (Hurricane IIC), 155 Sqn (Mohwak IV)
RAF bomber units included 113 Sqn (Blenheim IV), 60 Sqn (Blenheim IV), 62 Sqn (Hudson)
US fighter units included the (former AVG) 23rd FG and 51st FG, both with P-40E and P-40K
US bomber units included B-24s (I couldn't figure out what unit)

The 64th Sentai was at this time re-equipping with Ki-43-IIC (twin 12.7mm mg, better self sealing tanks and 13mm pilot armor, two stage supercharger, shorter wings, 3 blade prop, bomb racks, better exhaust stacks, 140 gallons more fuel) but also had Ki-43-1c
The 50th and 1st Sentai were also active, requipped from Ki-27 to Ki-43-Ib
The 64th had a captured B-17 that they practiced attacking.

RAF bomber units were suffering badly. For example, on 9 September they lost three Blenheims and one Hudson, with one more of each badly damaged. Then on Oct 14 they lost six Blenheims on another raid. These seemed to be without any escort.

Later they were being escorted by Mohawk IV, (possibly because these had better range than the Hurricane). The Mohawks did surprisingly well, in one engagement Mohawks of 155 Sqn were escorting 8 x Blenheims from 60 and 113 Sqn that were trying to bomb a troop transport ship. One Ki-43 was lost and two Mohawks, but no bombers. The author notes that "both JAAF and RAF pilots felt that the Curtiss fighter was almost as maneuverable as the Ki-43". In a second engagement the same day, 9 x Ki-43 engaged 4 x Mohawk IV escorting 11 Blenheim IVs, One Ki-43 was destroyed in a collision with a Mohawk (which survived to fly home), 2 Blenheims were destroyed by Ki-43s and one by flak. On 5 December they clashed again, with 1 Mohawk IV and one Ki-43 destroyed.

Hurricane units got into combat mainly while intercepting escorted bomber strikes, in which Ki-43s from 64th Sentai were escorting Ki-21 and Ki-51. It wasn't going well. On 15 Dec they tried to intercept a bomber raid over Chittagong, losing 2 Hurricanes to 64 Sentai, then on the same day 2 more to 50th Sentai, with one Ki-43 lost. No bombers hit in either attempt.

64th Sentai also destroyed their first B-24 on 26 November. 50th Sentai claimed four B-24s in January, but these were only damaged (with Ki-43s damaged in return). This would become an escalating conflict between the two types!

Toward the end of this period in December 1942 64th Sentai rotated out to Japan to finish reequipping with Ki-43-IIC, and 50th Sentai held the line.

Losses Dec 1942- February 1943
50th Sentai claimed 40 enemy fighters, for 3 losses. Allied records show 5 x Hurricanes and 2 x P-40s lost. Both sides were overclaiming very heavily.

That is enough for now, this is only the beginning!

You're confusing two stage supercharging with two speed supercharging, or the author of your reference is. There were no B-17s captured in the CBI. If there was one used for practice, it would have had to be on of the three captured in the Philippines or Java, which given the time frame is highly doubtful.

 

[EwenS]

Story of the captured B-17 here.

The Surprising Story of Japan's B-17 Fleet

The Japanese rebuilt and tested three captured B-17s, but for the most part were unable to capitalize on the secrets the bombers revealed

www.historynet.com

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

Anyway to continue

BURMA

Dec 1943 starts with raids into India, with a mission on 5 Dec that combined IJAAF Ki-43s and IJN A6Ms escorting Ki-21 bombers against Calcutta. They were intercepted by Hurricane IIs (units not indicated) who lost 6 x Hurricanes for 1 x Ki-21 destroyed. On 10 Dec another 684 PR Mosquito was intercepted and shot up, and appeared to be surrendering (white cloth in window) when it crashed. Much of the fighting before the end of the year shifted to bomber strikes in northern China. 50th, 64th and 204th Sentai were active. By this time they had received Ki-43-IIc which had new external fuel tank braces that cost a loss in speed of 15 mph, which did not please the pilots. They also had poor radios. It was not until August that they got the new and improved Ki-43-III with 20mm cannon and improved exhaust stacks, and a more robust engine, among other boons. Other units would convert to the Ki-84 around the same time. It was at this time that some of the RAF fighter units finally started transitioning from the hapless Hurricane II to Spitfire Mk V and some of the much better Mk VIII. The IJAAF pilots were intimidated by the Spitfire, which showed much better climb performance than any other Allied fighters in the Theater, but they seem to have held their own after some initial problems.

RAF Fighter units: 136 RAF (Spitfire*), 607 RAF (Spitfire*), 81 RAF (Spitfire*), 20 Sqn RAF (Hurricane IID), 211 Sqn RAF (Beaufighters)
IAF Fighter units: 6 Sqn IAF (Hurricane**)
RAF Bomber units: 159 Sqn (Liberator III), 215 RAF Wellington, 335 Sqn Liberator III, + other bomber units I couldn't yet identify.
RAF Recon units: 684 Sqn PR (Mosquito)
USAAF Fighter units: 51 FG (P-40K and N), 80th FG (P-40N), 459 FS (P-38G and P-38J), 311 FBG (P-51A), 530 FBS (P-51A)
USAAF Bomber units: 490th BS (B-25s), 9th BS (B-24Js), 492 BS** (B-24Js), 493 BS** (B-24J), 308 BG (B-24J)
USAAF Recon: 9th photographic squadron (light) (F-4)
USAAF Transport: Air Transport Command, Troop Carrier Command C-46, C-47, C-87 (cargo version of B-24)

* Spitfires seem to have mostly been Spitfire Vc, but some Spitfire VIII were also in Theater.
** I assume IAF was flying Hurricane II but the book doesn't say. The Wiki says Hurricane IIb.
There were apparently some P-51B and some P-47s flying in this Burma / India area by mid 1944 but I could not determine which units. If i do figure it out I'll come back and edit this post.

The IJAAF was tangling with the British during the IJA invasion of India. On 14 Jan in three engagements with Spitfire units 64th Sentai lost 4 Ki-43s, shooting down only 1 IAF Hurricane. On 4-5 Feb 64th and 204 Sentai shot down 1 x Spitfire and 4 x Hurricanes with no losses. On 21 Feb they engaged with 136 Sqn RAF and 6 Sqn IAF and shot down 2 x Spitfires and 1 x Hurricane for no loss. Meanwhile 50th Sentai was engaging the Americans, claiming 2 x P-51A on 14 Feb.

Losses February 1944.
RAF / IAF lost 4 x Spitfires, 10 x Hurricanes
USAAF lost 2 x P-51A, 1 x C-47

On 1 March Hayabusa pilots proved once again they could make fairly effective night fighters, when with the aid of ground based search lights, they downed two Liberator IIIs from RAF 159 Sqn during a night attack. Ki-43s were also being used as fighter bombers at this point. On 7 March 1944 64th and 204th Sentais sent 40 (50 kg) bomb laden Ki-43s against the RAF base "Broadway". They shot down one 81 Sqn Spitfire that scrambled, another one, flown by Aussie Ace Larry Cronin, evaded all attacks and shot down an "Oscar". On 16 March during U-Go, 34 Ki-43-IIs from 50th, 64th and 204th Sentai attacked airfields around Imphal, engaging Spitfires from 136 Sqn. One Ki-43 was seriously damaged, pilot wounded, but managed to make it home.

Losses March 1944
USAAF claimed 177 JAAF planes destroyed.
Actual losses were 14 x Ki-43s, 2 x Ki-46, 1 x Ki-48, and 9 x Ki-49 (the latter all shot down by P-51s in one raid). Plus 30 more aircraft destroyed on the ground by bombers.
Allied losses wee 4 x P-51A, 3 x P-38, 3 x Spitfire, 2 x B-24, 1 x P-40, 1 x Hurricane, and 1 x Beaufighter all directly shot down by Ki-43s.

April continued to be bloody. On 2nd 15 x Ki-43s were destroyed on the ground in a bombing raid. On 17 April 50 x Hayabusa from all threeSentai were escorting Ki-21 bombers to Imphal and were intercepted by ten P-51A and 20 Spitfires, losing 4. On 25 April another big escort mission for Ki-48s ran into some C-47s being escorted by Spitfires from 81 Sqn. For once, the JAAF underclaimed, believing they got two transports, losing 1 x Ki-43. Troop Carrier command reported 5 x C-47s lost.

In May and June 64 Sentai clashed several times with USAAF P-38s before being withdrawn to Saigon for refit with the new Ki-43-IIIs. In one engagement on 6 June, a Ki-43 II pilot rammed a P-38 (buzzed the rudder with his prop) and took it down. Same pilot was later shot down by Spitfires. 50 and 204 Sentai continued to fight with the Allied units into the Monsoon season. At this time (May and June) they engaged with USAAF P-47s, claiming several victories. I couldn't figure out which unit this was or how many, if any of the victories were real. The 50th Sentai also shot down some B-25s.

Quotes:
Cpl Toswhimi Ikezawa (12 victory Ace) "When a "Spit" attacked from below, we would dive to attack it. When the enemy noticed that, he'd lower his nose, then zoom right up in no time, far above us. The Spitfires were so much better than our Ki-43s."

Cpl Masahiro Ikeda "A shorter takeoff run was one of Model III's benefits. it could also maintain full throttle combat power for 40 minutes. if I'd done that for only 30 minutes with the Model II, I'd have had an earful from the mechanics. he model II just couldn't handle that kind of load. Pitted against the Ki-44 and the new Ki-84, the Model III made the best start."

 

[EwenS]

The ref above to 335 squadron with Liberator III should be to 355 squadron. (335 was a Greek Hurricane squadron in the Med at the time.)

In Dec 1943 the medium / heavy bomber units in India were:-

USAAF - 7th BG with Liberators & 341st BG with B-25.
RAF - 99, & 215 with Wellington X & 159 & 355 with Liberator III. 356 with Liberator VI formed on 15 Jan 1944 but it was mid-1944 before it became operational.

Spitfire Vc began to arrive in Sept 1943 on 607 squadron in Sept 1943 followed by 136 & 615 in Oct.

In Nov 1943 2 Spitfire squadrons, 81 & 152 were withdrawn from Italy, and re-equipped with new Spitfire VIII in Egypt. They then flew these across the Middle East and India arriving in the Calcutta area 4-8 Dec 1943. 152 became operational on 19 Dec with 81 following at the beginning of Jan 1944. Spitfire VIII were then being shipped direct to India from Britain. Other Spitfire VIII units in India / Burma in the first half of 1944 were:-

136 - converted from Spitfire Vc between Jan & Mar 1944
155 - converted from Mohawk IV Jan 1944
67 - converted from Hurricane IIc Feb 1944 (disbanded 23 Aug 1945)
17 - converted from Hurricane IIc Mar-Jun 1944 (to Mk.XIV June 1945)
607 - converted from Spitfire Vc Mar 1944 (disbanded 19 Aug 1945)
273 - converted from Hurricane IIb/IIc Mar 1944
615 - converted from Spitfire Vc Jun-Aug 1944 (disbanded 10 June 1945. Numberplate adopted by 135 squadron with Thunderbolts the same day)
8 Indian Air Force - converted from the Vengeance to Spitfire VIII in July 1944.

Nos 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 IAF were all flying Hurricanes by the end of 1943 to be joined by the newly formed 9 & 10 in Jan & Feb 1944. 7 & 8 still had Vengeance dive bombers. 8 IAF got Spitfire VIII in July 1944 as noted above while 7 IAF received Hurricane IIc in Nov 1944. Between operational spells IAF units spent their time on the NW Frontier.

You will find the relevant Orders of Battle in the various official Campaign Narratives at the RAF Historical Branch. (Far East at the bottom of the page).

The Second World War: Campaign Narratives

The Second World War: Campaign Narratives

www.raf.mod.uk

 

[MikeMeech]

Anyway to continue

BURMA

Dec 1943 starts with raids into India, with a mission on 5 Dec that combined IJAAF Ki-43s and IJN A6Ms escorting Ki-21 bombers against Calcutta. They were intercepted by Hurricane IIs (units not indicated) who lost 6 x Hurricanes for 1 x Ki-21 destroyed. On 10 Dec another 684 PR Mosquito was intercepted and shot up, and appeared to be surrendering (white cloth in window) when it crashed. Much of the fighting before the end of the year shifted to bomber strikes in northern China. 50th, 64th and 204th Sentai were active. By this time they had received Ki-43-IIc which had new external fuel tank braces that cost a loss in speed of 15 mph, which did not please the pilots. They also had poor radios. It was not until August that they got the new and improved Ki-43-III with 20mm cannon and improved exhaust stacks, and a more robust engine, among other boons. Other units would convert to the Ki-84 around the same time. It was at this time that some of the RAF fighter units finally started transitioning from the hapless Hurricane II to Spitfire Mk V and some of the much better Mk VIII. The IJAAF pilots were intimidated by the Spitfire, which showed much better climb performance than any other Allied fighters in the Theater, but they seem to have held their own after some initial problems.

RAF Fighter units: 136 RAF (Spitfire*), 607 RAF (Spitfire*), 81 RAF (Spitfire*), 20 Sqn RAF (Hurricane IID), 211 Sqn RAF (Beaufighters)
IAF Fighter units: 6 Sqn IAF (Hurricane**)
RAF Bomber units: 159 Sqn (Liberator III), 215 RAF Wellington, 335 Sqn Liberator III, + other bomber units I couldn't yet identify.
RAF Recon units: 684 Sqn PR (Mosquito)
USAAF Fighter units: 51 FG (P-40K and N), 80th FG (P-40N), 459 FS (P-38G and P-38J), 311 FBG (P-51A), 530 FBS (P-51A)
USAAF Bomber units: 490th BS (B-25s), 9th BS (B-24Js), 492 BS** (B-24Js), 493 BS** (B-24J), 308 BG (B-24J)
USAAF Recon: 9th photographic squadron (light) (F-4)
USAAF Transport: Air Transport Command, Troop Carrier Command C-46, C-47, C-87 (cargo version of B-24)

* Spitfires seem to have mostly been Spitfire Vc, but some Spitfire VIII were also in Theater.
** I assume IAF was flying Hurricane II but the book doesn't say. The Wiki says Hurricane IIb.
There were apparently some P-51B and some P-47s flying in this Burma / India area by mid 1944 but I could not determine which units. If i do figure it out I'll come back and edit this post.

The IJAAF was tangling with the British during the IJA invasion of India. On 14 Jan in three engagements with Spitfire units 64th Sentai lost 4 Ki-43s, shooting down only 1 IAF Hurricane. On 4-5 Feb 64th and 204 Sentai shot down 1 x Spitfire and 4 x Hurricanes with no losses. On 21 Feb they engaged with 136 Sqn RAF and 6 Sqn IAF and shot down 2 x Spitfires and 1 x Hurricane for no loss. Meanwhile 50th Sentai was engaging the Americans, claiming 2 x P-51A on 14 Feb.

Losses February 1944.
RAF / IAF lost 4 x Spitfires, 10 x Hurricanes
USAAF lost 2 x P-51A, 1 x C-47

On 1 March Hayabusa pilots proved once again they could make fairly effective night fighters, when with the aid of ground based search lights, they downed two Liberator IIIs from RAF 159 Sqn during a night attack. Ki-43s were also being used as fighter bombers at this point. On 7 March 1944 64th and 204th Sentais sent 40 (50 kg) bomb laden Ki-43s against the RAF base "Broadway". They shot down one 81 Sqn Spitfire that scrambled, another one, flown by Aussie Ace Larry Cronin, evaded all attacks and shot down an "Oscar". On 16 March during U-Go, 34 Ki-43-IIs from 50th, 64th and 204th Sentai attacked airfields around Imphal, engaging Spitfires from 136 Sqn. One Ki-43 was seriously damaged, pilot wounded, but managed to make it home.

Losses March 1944
USAAF claimed 177 JAAF planes destroyed.
Actual losses were 14 x Ki-43s, 2 x Ki-46, 1 x Ki-48, and 9 x Ki-49 (the latter all shot down by P-51s in one raid). Plus 30 more aircraft destroyed on the ground by bombers.
Allied losses wee 4 x P-51A, 3 x P-38, 3 x Spitfire, 2 x B-24, 1 x P-40, 1 x Hurricane, and 1 x Beaufighter all directly shot down by Ki-43s.

April continued to be bloody. On 2nd 15 x Ki-43s were destroyed on the ground in a bombing raid. On 17 April 50 x Hayabusa from all threeSentai were escorting Ki-21 bombers to Imphal and were intercepted by ten P-51A and 20 Spitfires, losing 4. On 25 April another big escort mission for Ki-48s ran into some C-47s being escorted by Spitfires from 81 Sqn. For once, the JAAF underclaimed, believing they got two transports, losing 1 x Ki-43. Troop Carrier command reported 5 x C-47s lost.

In May and June 64 Sentai clashed several times with USAAF P-38s before being withdrawn to Saigon for refit with the new Ki-43-IIIs. In one engagement on 6 June, a Ki-43 II pilot rammed a P-38 (buzzed the rudder with his prop) and took it down. Same pilot was later shot down by Spitfires. 50 and 204 Sentai continued to fight with the Allied units into the Monsoon season. At this time (May and June) they engaged with USAAF P-47s, claiming several victories. I couldn't figure out which unit this was or how many, if any of the victories were real. The 50th Sentai also shot down some B-25s.

Quotes:
Cpl Toswhimi Ikezawa (12 victory Ace) "When a "Spit" attacked from below, we would dive to attack it. When the enemy noticed that, he'd lower his nose, then zoom right up in no time, far above us. The Spitfires were so much better than our Ki-43s."

Cpl Masahiro Ikeda "A shorter takeoff run was one of Model III's benefits. it could also maintain full throttle combat power for 40 minutes. if I'd done that for only 30 minutes with the Model II, I'd have had an earful from the mechanics. he model II just couldn't handle that kind of load. Pitted against the Ki-44 and the new Ki-84, the Model III made the best start."

Hi
'Air War for Burma' (the title of the third volume in the 'Bloody Shambles' series) by Christopher Shores mentions on page 239 that in June 1944 the US "80th Fighter Group begin supplementing its P-40Ns with some P-47D Thunderbolts." A quick look through has not turned up any losses, but I will try to have a closer look when I have time.

Mike

 

[Juanita]

"Ki-43 was poorly armed, poorly protected, slow, fragile, and maybe of shoddy construction."
I was around the Australian War Memorial's Oscar back in the 1970s, I don't recall seeing anthing that looked like 'shoddy construction' to me. The edges of the panels were all finished, no dodgy riveting, liberal use of the classic green or blue protective coating on internal parts (in this case the interior of the tailplane was in the blue). From memory with fuselage looked natural metal on the inside.
The wings had been cut off, so I can't comment on those.

Juanita

 

[Shortround6]

"Ki-43 was poorly armed, poorly protected, slow, fragile, and maybe of shoddy construction."

A lot depends on the word maybe.
Not all Spitfires in all years in all factories were well built.
And the US had the famous Brewster built Corsairs
There are other examples of varying construction quality in other nations depending on year, factory and conditions (bombing, raw material shortages, etc)

For the most part it would seem that the Ki-43s were well built. However there is also a difference between well built and over built.
Expecting a 3500-3800lb empty weight aircraft to absorb damage (either battle or crash) like a 5400-5700lb empty weight aircraft (Wildcat) is not being fair.

 

[Wild_Bill_Kelso]

I'll have some comments to make on that exact subject regarding the Ki-43 at the end of this.

 

[tyrodtom]

From what I've read, I've got the Osprey book on KI-43 aces too, and videos of veterans who flew the KI-43 there were a lot of differences in the early model KI-43 and the later models.
In the book it describes several instances of in flight breakups of Ki-43-I also there's a few videos of veterans pilots of Ki-43-I saying the same thing.
And when they started arming it with .50 caliber MG's that fired exploding bullets, they had a lot of occasions where bullets exploded either in the barrel, or just after leaving the barrel
But by the time Ki-43-II started being produced they had reinforced the airframe, and installed a more powerful engine.
By the time they started producing the Ki-43 III, with even more power ,1500 hp, two fifties, and even wing 20 mms, and even some with 40mm in the wings.
I'm trying to find the episode where the Ki-43 chased down the P 51 after a long chase, I remember it, just don't remember all the details.
The P 51 might have had damage and couldn't use full power, or maybe he didn't even know he was being chased.
Of course we'll never know all the details, because only one guy survived .

 

[tomo pauk]

By the time they started producing the Ki-43 III, with even more power ,1500 hp, two fifties, and even wing 20 mms, and even some with 40mm in the wings.

The described a/c is probably the Ki-44?

 

[tyrodtom]

The described a/c is probably the Ki-44?

Oops, I did go too high on the hp. The Ki-43-III had 1230 hp, but a few experimental ones had 1300hp.
There's a picture of the Ki-43-III with the 2x40mm cannons on this forum , within the last 2 weeks, miscellaneous pictures.