1/48th scale Mitsubishi Ki-83 Scratchbuild by John Haas

Here is another beautiful 1/48th scratchbuilt model by John Haas featuring the elegant Mitsubishi Ki-83. This one is a 'delayed action' feature presented here long after John sent me the photographs due to an extended senior moment. It has been lurking behind the scenes as a draft article awaiting some Japanese documentation with your host 'dumb and happy' in believing that he had already posted it. 

The fuselage and wings are made of solid woodblock, whilst the empenage and smaller parts are made of plastic rod and sheet material. The upper surface was painted in Humbrol Authentics HJ3 A3 Green (see here for an explanation of the origin of this paint colour not to be confused with Thorpe's A3) whilst for the under surface John used Polly-S Acryl Light Grey A/N 2 based on the light appearance seen in photographs. John estimates that his models take an average of about 2 months to  complete, spending 2 hours each evening and longer at the weekends.

Mitsubishi's Ki-83 was developed in response to a 1943 Army specification for a two seater fighter capable of operating at high altitude and long range. Although sometimes described as a 'heavy fighter' or 'long-range escort fighter' in English the Japanese designation was 'experimental long-range fighter' (試作遠距離戦闘機). The design had a troubled development and its first flight did not take place until November 1944.  It was the fastest of all wartime Army fighters achieving 686 kph (426 mph) at 8,000 m (26,000 ft) with remarkable agility for a twin-engined design. Post-war American testing with high octane fuel pushed the speed to 762 kph (473 mph) at 7,000 m (23,000 ft). Some ambiguity persists as to how its envisaged role was gradually modified during development and especially the role of the second crew member 'buried' in the rear fuselage, originally tasked as a navigator. Armament consisted of two 20mm Ho-5 and two 30mm Ho-105 cannon  installed in the nose. 

In total four prototype aircraft  were constructed but production plans were never realised and the original concept had been overtaken by events. Further development as a long range attack aircraft with a bombing capability was planned as the Ki-103 and a camera-equipped reconnaissance version intended to replace the Ki-46 as the Ki-95 but neither concept progressed beyond the design stage.

I'm not aware of any injection moulded kits of this type in 1/48th scale but a 1/72nd kit was issued by MPM in 2000 and then re-issued under the Special Hobby label with spurious 'what if' box art and markings. Calin Ungureanu's build of the MPM kit can be found here.

Image credits: All photos © 2014 John Haas; box art © MPM/Special Hobby

Belligerent Dinah ~ The 17th Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai

The 17th Independent Air (or Flying/Flight) Squadron (in Japanese Dokuritsu Hiko Dai 17 Chutai - 独立飛行第17中隊 - literally Independent Air No.17 Squadron) had its origin in the 101st Independent Air Squadron established in Japan in July 1941. The unit was originally equipped with the Type 97 Headquarters Reconnaissance Aeroplane (97 Shiki Shireibu Teisatsu-ki - 九七式司令部偵察機) known as the 97 Shi-tei (九七司偵) and usually referred to in the West as the Ki-15 'Babs'. The unit marking was a stylised bird silhouette in black or red superimposed on a broad white  horizontal band across the fin and rudder. The Flight (Shotai - 小隊 - usually three aircraft) and aircraft number within the Flight were indicated by a coloured star on the rudder for the Flight leader and one or two diagonal stripes painted on the fin for the second and third aircraft in the flight.

Following the Doolittle raid on Japan in April 1942 the air defence capability of the homeland was urgently reviewed. The 17th Air Brigade (Hiko Dan - 飛行団) was established  on 30 April 1942 to provide air defence of the Kanto sector, which included the Imperial Palace, the Tokyo-Yokohama area, Tachikawa and other vital points. The new Air Brigade comprised the 244th and 5th Air Regiments (Hiko Sentai - 飛行戦隊) both initially equipped with Type 97 fighters (Ki-27 ‘Nate’), the 4th Independent Air Squadron equipped with Type 2 two-seat fighters (Ki-45 ‘Nick’) and a Brigade Headquarters Reconnaissance Squadron which was to be the 101st.

In August 1942, following assignment to the HQ of the 17th Air Brigade, the 101st was formally re-designated as the No.17 Air Brigade Headquarters Reconnaissance Squadron  (Dai 17 Hikodan Shireibu Teisatsu Chutai - 第17 飛行団 司令部 偵察 中隊) and began operating a mix of 97 Shi-tei  aircraft together with the elegant twin-engined Type 100 Headquarters Reconnaissance Aeroplane (100 Shiki Shireibu Teisatsu-ki - 百式司部偵察機)  known as the 100 Shi-tei (百式司偵) and usually referred to in the West as the Ki-46 ‘Dinah’. The role of the unit, based at Chofu and under the command of Capt Takahiko Yasuda, was long range air defence reconnaissance for the Kanto sector, conducting continuous sector patrols of the approaches air space, reporting incursions in co-operation with coastal radar units and then tracking enemy formations to provide a running commentary on their type, number, altitude and heading to facilitate  interception by fighter units. Each sector patrol was usually flown by a flight of three aircraft, one of which would be assigned to track any observed incursion by an enemy bomber formation whilst the others continued to patrol. Although an organic part of 1st Air Army the 17th Air Brigade was under the operational control of Eastern Army Command for air defence purposes. In January 1943 Capt Kitagawa who had previously served with the 81st Sentai took over command of the reconnaissance unit. 

With re-assignment as a brigade HQ squadron the marking of the unit changed to a stylised ’17’ in red laid over a horizontal bar in cobalt blue symbolising the coastline and the headquarters status of the unit (cobalt or sky blue was the arm of service colour for Army Air and was usually used to denote command status).  Stars and diagonal stripes continued to be used to indicate aircraft within Flights but this system was later simplified to display one to three coloured horizontal stripes painted on the rudder.

    

On 10th March 1944 the 17th Air Brigade was re-organised and expanded to become the 10th Air Division (Hiko Shidan - 飛行師団) under the temporary command of Maj Gen Shoichi Sato, with a strength of six fighter regiments and one independent air squadron. At the end of March the 17th Air Brigade’s former HQ reconnaissance unit was re-designated as the 17th Independent Air Squadron (Dokuritsu Hiko Dai 17 Chutai - 独立飛行第17中隊), the title by which it is best known in Western documentation and depictions. In May 1944 the 10th Air Division Division was transferred from 1st Air Army to the direct command of the C-in-C of the General Defence Command (GDC) but with operational control remaining with Eastern Army Command.

At that time the 17th was rated as a unit of average ability and listed as having no less than fifty 100 Shi-tei aircraft of which about half were capable of Ta-Dan air-to-air bombing, as well as a few fighters of an unspecified type. The strength of the squadron was remarkable, on a par with that of a fighter sentai, and it was formed into two sections, a reconnaissance section and a fighter section equipped with the Ta-Dan capable Ki-46 aircraft. The selection of the Ki-46 to pioneer the Ta-Dan bombing  technique against the expected B-29 formations was based mainly on its status as the fastest climber and best high altitude performer in the Army’s air arsenal, a performance proven in competing trials and tests with fighter types. The Ta-Dan tactic involved dropping canisters of small cluster-type bombs in the path of the B-29 formations.

Diagram illustrating the Ta-dan bombing technique against a B-29 in a frontal attack

Once the B-29 raids got under way the fighter strand to the 17th’s story expanded and developed. Whilst the Ta-Dan tactic proved ultimately disappointing, the speed, climb and altitude capability of the Ki-46 continued to be exploited by adapting officially sanctioned cannon armed variants to conduct the preliminary interceptions in an attempt to break up the intruding bomber boxes. However, unlike other units within the 10th Air Division, the 17th was not required to establish air-to-air ramming flights. The first armed versions of the Ki-46 flown by the 17th had the fuselage fuel tank removed and either one or two 20mm machine cannon installed in its place to fire obliquely from a position below and behind the target bomber. In the fall of 1944 the engineering section of the 17th managed to install a 37mm cannon in the oblique firing position and subsequently six Ki-46-II and a single Ki-46-III were converted to this heavier armament. 

Successful experimentation with armed variants of the Ki-46 culminated in development of the purpose-built Ki-46-III interceptor, which was far from being just an expedient stop-gap fighter as so often asserted. This aircraft had a long formal title - Hyakushiki San-gata Shireibu Teisatsu-ki Kaizô Bôkû Sentô-ki (百式 三型 司令部偵 察機 改造 防空 戦闘機 - Type 100 Model 3 Headquarters Reconnaissance Plane Remodelled Air Defence Fighter) sometimes abbreviated to Hyakushiki San-gata Bôkû Sentô-ki (Type 100 Model 3 Air Defence Fighter). The original version armed with just two Ho-5 20mm cannon in the nose intended to augment the Ta-dan capability was projected as the Ki-46-III Otsu whilst the addition of the oblique Ho-204 37mm cannon was projected as Ki-46-III Otsu + Hei.  The 17th claimed victories against the B-29 in the new interceptor with cannon and Ta-Dan attacks but the promise of the fighter Ki-46 was largely overtaken by events as the B-29 offensive switched to low altitude night bombing and long range and naval task force deployed American fighters began daylight incursions over Japan. 

In March 1945 the 17th were assigned to the newly established 30th Fighter Group (not to be confused with the 30th Sentai), a late war composite group (first formed to augment fighter capability in the Philippines campaign) consisting of 47th (Ki-84) and 244th Air Regiments (Ki-100), Shimoshizu Air Unit and 17th Independent Air Squadron, plus three heavy bombers from the Utsunomiya Air Instruction Division and two navigation air squads to provide navigational assistance. This second incarnation of the 30th was to provide escort capability to the 18th, 19th, 25th, 45th and 47th Shimbu tai special attack units and to take over the duties of 6th Air Army in defending the Kanto Sector when the 6th Air Army was re-deployed to oversee the Ryuku Islands defence operations. In July 1945 the 17th Independent Air Squadron was re-designated the 17th Independent Air Group (Dai 17 Dokuritsu Hikotai -  第17独立飛行隊).

Yatagarasu - the three-legged crow that inspired the insignia for Dai 17 Dokuritsu Hikotai  

The 30th Fighter Group was considered part of the mobile air defence forces required to respond to an invasion attempt against the homeland but after the implementation of the Sei Go (Control) operation in July 1945 its composition changed and by August 1945 it consisted of 59th and 244th fighter, 62nd bomber and 17th Independent Air Group,  reverting under the command of the 6th Air Army and deployed in the Western Sector of Japan. With assignment to the new unit the 17th changed its tail marking to a black three-legged crow - Yatagarasu - set against an orange disc representing the sun. The marking was designed for the unit by the artist Fumino but was applied to only a few aircraft, the majority retaining the former unit insignia or none at all. In Japanese mythology the three-legged crow was associated with divine guidance of the Emperor Jimmu on his journey from Kumano to Yamato but a full exploration of the whys and wherefores of this mythical bird would require another article in its own right.

Yatagarasu guides Emperor Jimmu on his journey from Kumano toYamato

For further details and data regarding Ta-dan equipped Ki-46 interceptors and units please refer also to this series at j-aircraft.com by Jim Lansdale.

This is an enhanced version of an article by the author first published in The Flak Sheet, the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas - with thanks to Mark Smith for suggesting and inspiring it; Model photographs courtesy of Mark Smith; Ta-dan schematic from Japanese Air Weapons and Tactics, USSBS, Miiltary Analysis Division, 1947; Image of carved Yatagarasu via Green Shinto; 

Mark Smith's 1/72 LS Ki-15-II 'Babs'

The focus on Babs continues with another set of excellent images and a build report kindly contributed by Mark Smith, this time representing an Army Ki-15-II  (97 Shiki Shireibu Teisatsu-ki - 九七式司令部偵察機 - Type 97 Command Reconnaissance Plane, often abbreviated to 97 Shi-tei - 九七司偵) of the 17th Independent Air (or Flying/Flight) Squadron (in Japanese Dokuritsu Hiko Dai 17 Chutai - 独立飛行第17中隊 - literally Independent Air No.17 Squadron) of which unit more anon, in more ways than one. Again Mark used an original LS kit from their venerable 'family of four' to excellent effect. In his own words then:-

LS Ki-15-II “Babs”

"With its more powerful engine, this last Army of the Mitsubishi Karigane / Ki-15 very briefly maintained the necessary performance edge for the Type 98 in its recon role.  There is a fascinating three-minute wartime feature that can be viewed here that shows what a nimble airplane it was; it features a Ki-15-II of the 8th clearly showing its distinctive “Octopus 8” tail marking.  The last few seconds show the aircraft landing and the observer handing a ground crewman what appear to be the camera and two film magazines.  I believe that two different aircraft may have been shown in the clip, but in any case the camouflage is very careful, of flat finish, and extremely clean.  One can observe that the radio-compass directly in front of the pilot was so large as to block his forward vision to a surprising degree, and there is a brief flash of a very large light-colored camera being used by the observer as he shoots through the large side window.  This film also nicely demonstrates how the canopies opened; it wouldn’t have been much fun trying to get out of this airplane in an emergency. 

"I was inspired to build this particular model after seeing Kikuo Hashimoto’s artwork showing the white home defense bands and striking tail markings of the 17th Independent Chutai.  Besides its beauty, it was a good candidate to avoid decals, all its markings being pretty straightforward geometrically for making stencils and spraying paint.  I used clear cellophane tape for the landing light lens and for the fuselage side windows.  

"As to further details, the engine is the kit’s weakest point, and unfortunately Vector hasn’t gotten to the Ha-25 yet.  Yet another reason Rob Taurus should tackle this model with an upgrade set!  One can use the superior cockpit parts from the Mania / Hasegawa “Babs” kit, with a little fiddling – as well as extrapolation from other Japanese recon and communication types of the period, and the much-traveled cockpit drawings made in England after ‘Kamikaze’ landed at Croydon.  Those drawings are good general guides but having said that, besides camera equipment, it’s hard to say what went where.  The Ki-51 Sonia, a Mitsubishi contemporary which is better documented internally, might be worth a look for ideas.  The Ki-15-II apparently had different equipment from the military –I version for the RDF / radio-compass equipment, and the LS kit reflects that, but the later generation equipment and military configuration with reconnaissance cameras and radio gear were bound to make for a quite different setup.  The best source to try to reproduce camera and radio equipment would be Robert Mikesh’s Japanese Aircraft Equipment 1940-1945 (Schiffer), which is a very fine companion to his earlier Japanese Aircraft Interiors (Monogram, long OOP) – and easier to find now.  I mentioned in the earlier article that the Ki-15 – any version – is not even in the index of the massive Interiors book; sadly that’s the same case in Equipment.  The fact that Mr. Mikesh has always been scrupulous to make no claims without documentation that he found convincing has only made his work more credible, and in the same way he avoids guesses.  But in the case of the Ki-15 / C5M aircraft, a modeler might need to do so, especially if the rear canopy is opened.  That could begin with the great coverage of Japanese aerial cameras in the Equipment volume.  The best Japanese camera may have been the Konica copy of the American Fairchild F-8!  Is that the one to choose?  In the Mikesh tradition, I can only offer the words of Francis Urquhart, the original “F.U.” of the original House of Cards: "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment."

"I cut the front canopy section of the model with in order to pose it open, scribing its cathedral fold down the middle until it could be gently folded.  I missed a key detail here, however, something I learned of only when Ed Esposito saw the model and pointed out that the bottom corners of the opening section travel on tracks on the inside edges of the stationary canopy sections, instead of appearing freely suspended as on the model.  I had searched in vain for clear photos showing this back then.  

"Only the final C5M2 version had a more traditional canopy with a sliding section, the rear edge of which rested against the antenna post when opened.  Visibility was a notable problem in the earliest Ki-15 design, and the canopy sill was deepened early in production of the -I series, and even further on the later versions, with retrofits confusing the issue even more for modelers.  Another matter of 20/20 hindsight on this model involves the overall color.  I would choose a darker shade of light grey-green, with the olive tone, a color now associated with the Zero.  The Ki-15-II was produced by Mitsubishi during the time it was making the Zero fighter, and several existing relics that are clearly identified as being from Ki-46 “Dinah” airframes (the Mitsubishi aircraft that replaced the “Babs”) have been tested with modern methods that indicate that the same light olive-grey was used as an overall color; it makes sense to me that the same color would have been used for the Ki-15.  An excellent post on this color, and how it was corroborated through relics from a crashed Ki-46-II airframe brought down over Coomalie, Australia in July 1943, is found here.

"The Chinese reportedly operated several Ki-15s captured at Harbin after the war, not retiring the last one until 1951.  But none remain.  What a great subject it would be for a replica.  I would like to see the looks on their faces at Oshkosh when this one emerged from the distance and floated into the pattern.    

Original LS box art for the Ki-15-II

"Thanks again to Mike Quan, who kindly provided these photographs – as well as “covered parking” for the model over the last thirty years."

Thanks Mark! And a useful demonstration to those forum pundits who like to believe that wartime colour photographs are reliable evidence of paint colour and argue long and hard (and sometimes quite rudely) about what they think they are seeing. The model here is painted in one measurable colour but photographed in two sessions. Which colour in the images is the "right" one? Bah, humbug!

Zbyszek Malicki's model of the earlier Ki-15-I also made from the LS kit can be seen here. And there were a couple more excellent 'Babs' models by Michael Driskill and Jeff Groves featured here. Marian Holly's model of the Ki-15-I built from the Mania kit (now Hasegawa) can be seen here. One thing that should have been mentioned in this Babsfest is that AZ Model had announced a new 1/48th scale kit of the Ki-15 in 2010 but it has not so far been released and seems to have disappeared from their website!

Image credits: All model photographs © 2014 Mike Quan via Mark Smith; LS box art via Scalemates

Mark Smith's 1/72 LS C5M2 'Babs'

More, but not the last, of all things Babsery. Mark Smith, inspired by recently shown models here, has very kindly contributed these images and build notes for his 1/72nd scale LS Mitsubishi C5M2 or Type 98 Reconnaissance Plane Model 2 (九八式陸上偵察機 - 98 Shiki Rikujoh Teisatsu-ki, often abbreviated to 98 Riku-tei - 九八陸偵), the IJN variant of the be-spatted recce bird. This veteran product, now nearly 50 years old and still intermittently available under the Arii label for about £3, is a neat little kit and builds into a charming model, as Mark's images amply demonstrate.

An Oldie But Goodie - LS C5M2 “Babs”

"In the mid or late 1980s I built a model for Mike Quan.  As an engineer, aviation was his livelihood and it remains a passion; since retirement he may be in more danger than ever in a vendor room at a model show.  He possesses a critical eye and an extensive general knowledge of airplanes, but also a spirit of encouragement for modelers and their projects, always welcome in our often-solitary hobby.  

"I chose the LS 1/72 C5M2 Type 98 “Babs” for its sleek lines, a selfish gift really, since I love the plane.  The C5M2 had no equivalent JAAF variant, as the superlative Ki-46 had entered Army service by then.   As the final variant of the Ki-15 design that first garnered world attention in 1937 when it flew to Croydon Airport in London, it was no longer a cutting-edge performer.  But in 1941 and 1942 it was still a fairly elusive aircraft, and one operated by experienced and savvy pilots.  It did yeoman service early in the Pacific War, assigned in small numbers to Japanese fighter units at the point of the spear, scouting potential targets, serving as pathfinders for strikes, and returning to evaluate damage.

"Mitsubishi’s final production version of “Babs” was built around an engine upgrade to the reliable 950 Nakajima Sakae.  Since arrangements for its mounting, cooling, and exhaust systems had been mastered so impressively in the A6M Zero’s design, it looks as if Mitsubishi engineers decided there was little reason to reinvent the wheel; forward of the firewall the aircraft looks very much like a Zero, especially with the similar 3-blade prop.  The adaptation proved worthy of the original beauty of the Babs design.  But with the required cameras and radios on board, operational examples using low-octane Japanese fuel probably barely exceeded 300 mph, a performance its crews would find non-habit forming as new Allied fighters in their greater numbers began to dominate.  The type was withdrawn from first-line reconnaissance, serving in utility, training, and liaison roles.  While the aircraft’s original design has too easily been written off in Western circles as being largely derivative, I can only think that Jack Northrop must have been a little jealous upon first seeing those London photos of Kamikaze in 1937.       

"The venerable LS kit was built from the box as best I can remember, and painted with what was then a new product, Tamiya acrylic paint.  The hinomarus were stenciled and airbrushed, and this is how I imagined 251st NAG tail codes might have looked, using Woodland Scenics dry transfers I found in the railroad section of the hobby shop.  In retrospect a “U1” prefix would have been likelier, I believe, but getting any info on the C5M2 back then was pretty much a washout.  This is Tamiya’s original shade of JNAF Green (Tamiya’s 1/32 Zero led to a second slightly darker shade issued many years later, but both are still in the line).  Thirty-five years after its release the LS kit, now marketed by ARII, is still a little gem with its delicate scribing, thin-section flying surfaces and sharp trailing edges.  With a vac-formed canopy and resin cockpit by, say, Rob Taurus (ahem) it would sparkle.  But the info for that cockpit is still going to be tough to find; the type is not even listed in the index of Mikesh’s four lb. book on Japanese Aircraft Interiors – which, along with a lack of survivors, speaks to the airplane’s continuing mystique.  In fact, the best single source for information on the type might be hiding in plain sight, if one searches the archives of this blog.  Over many years Nick’s posts and several beautiful models have gradually made up a rich file – check it out.  Most of these models are from the LS kits and all are notably different for their technique and camouflage schemes.  The most recent, John Haas’s build of the ancient 1/50 Marusan kit, is the first built example of this model I’ve ever seen and truly inspiring.  I was told long ago by the late Jay Dial that Kikuo Hashimoto did the Marusan masters for both the Ki-46 and this one."

"Thanks to Mike Quan for pulling the model out of the display case after all these years and taking these photos."  

Arii Plastic Model re-issue box art

Image credits: All model photos © 2014 Mike Quan via Mark Smith; Arii Plastic Model C5M2 box art © Arii via HLJ

The Attack on Hong Kong ~ Ki-27 Aces Extra 2

This original (enhanced) text prepared for Ki-27 'Nate' Aces but unfortunately excluded due to publishing constraints should be read in conjunction with the "disembodied" photographs that appear on pages 56-58 of the published book.

Air Attacks Against Hong Kong

With the Japanese occupation of Canton in October 1938 units of the Japanese 23rd Army moved up to close the border of China with the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Tensions arose when Japanese aircraft from Canton began attacking Hong Kong registered fishing vessels in Chinese and international waters. The Japanese claimed that the vessels were being used to smuggle war provisions from Hong Kong to Nationalist China which in some cases was true enough. The land border road bridge at Man Kam To between Hong Kong's New Territories and China was closed on 13th October 1938 and two days later the railway schedule to Canton was suspended. Hong Kong was one of the main ports of entry for imported medical supplies and armaments into South China and following the border closure it became more difficult to transport heavy cargo into China. Fighting between the Japanese and Chinese along the border area continued until December 1938 when the Japanese withdrew. Then in June 1940 the Japanese re-took the border town of Sha Tau Kok and effectively closed the border again.

On 5 September 1940 a Junkers Ju 86 airliner of the Manchukuo Airlines (MKK) with the registration M-213 force landed on the race course near Fanling in the New Territories. The aircraft carried no passengers and the injured crew of three were taken to the Majima Japanese hospital on Hong Kong island. Far from its scheduled airline routes it had been engaged on unspecified IJA service, one of a flight of three such aircraft that were being flown to Canton, and there was speculation in Hong Kong that the crew had been involved in some type of clandestine aerial surveillance.

Deliberate over flights of Hong Kong were made in November 1941, fortifications and batteries on the island being studied and photographed from 7,000 feet by the crew of an unmarked Mitsubishi G3M. But the supposedly omnipotent pre-hostilities intelligence gathering by the Japanese Army has been  exaggerated and the 23rd Army staff later admitted that the extent of their information about actual military installations and defences was poor and incomplete.

The 23rd Army plan for the invasion of the Colony by its 38th Division (supported by the 23rd's artillery units) and the central agreement between the Army and Navy in China had directed that “At the outset of the operation, Army and Navy air units will attack Hong Kong. They will neutralise enemy air power and destroy enemy vessels in the harbour as well as important military installations.” Whilst the 38th Division attacked Hong Kong the 66th Infantry Regiment supported by an artillery battery would cover the Division's rear against possible Chinese counter attacks. In November 1941 the 10th Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai (DHC - Independent Air Squadron) had moved to Canton from Taiyuan with its Nakajima Ki-27 fighters to form part of the 1st Air Brigade, together with the Kawasaki Ki-32 'Mary' light bombers of the 45th Sentai and a reconnaissance squadron, in preparation to directly support the 38th Division operation. The 10th DHC had converted from the Ki-10 to the Ki-27 in the autumn of 1938 after a distinguished record flying the biplane fighter against Chinese SB bombers and until the end of 1940 had been engaged mainly in the air defence of Taiyuan and Yuncheng. In March 1941 in order to participate in the Zhejiang Operation the unit moved to Daichangzhen east of Shanghai and then in May 1941 to participate in the Zhongyuan Operation it returned to Taiyuan.

The total air assets available to the 1st Air Brigade at Canton at the time of the attack in addition to those mentioned above included the 18th DHC with the Mitsubishi Ki-46 'Dinah', the 44th Sentai consisting of one 'Guntei' (Mitsubishi Ki-51 'Sonia') Chutai and three 'Chokkyo'* (Tachikawa Ki-36 'Ida') Chutai, the 83rd and 87th DHC equipped with 'reconnaissance planes' (Minoru Akimoto records the 87th as equipped with Miysubishi Ki-30 'Ann' light bombers at this time), the 66th DHC (Ki-36) and the 8th Chokkyo Hikotai (Ki-36). The 54th Sentai (Ki-27) was also under command but did not complete its move to Canton until February 1942. According to Tony Banham** IJN forces supporting the attack against Hong Kong included three Mitsubishi G3M  'Nell' of the 1st Kokutai. That some IJN air assets were involved seems to be confirmed by at least one report of a Japanese floatplane being downed during the battle.

* Chokkyo is an abbreviation for Chokusetsu (or Chokusai) Kyou dou (直截協働) meaning 'direct co-operation'. Chokkyo Chutai were independent air squadrons like Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai (DHC) whilst Chokkyo Hikotai were larger three-Chutai units equivalent to a Hiko Sentai (Air Regiment).

** in 'Not The Slightest Chance - The Defence of Hong Kong, 1941' (Hong Kong University Press, 2003)

Matchbox art for a FAA Walrus from HMS Sheffield at Hong Kong in 1938

By contrast and with an astonishing absence of foresight at the time and in hindsight now, British air assets in Hong Kong were woefully inadequate. There was no fighter air defence whatsoever and only a  trio of RAF Vickers Vildebeest biplane bombers (K2924, K2818 and K6370) and a pair of FAA Walrus biplane amphibians on station (L2259 and L2819). The Vildebeeste had already been declared obsolete and were due to be replaced with more modern fighters. To that end an Australian pilot had already arrived at Kai Tak to set up a fighter operations room there and the runway was to be extended by 500 yards with the work due to commence on 9th December 1941. The Vildebeeste were relegated to reconnaissance sorties, without torpedo racks, but carrying two 500 lb bombs to use against maritime targets of opportunity.

Vickers Vildebeeste K2818 when serving pre-war with 100 Sqn at Kuala Lumpur, Malaya

No attempt had been made to facilitate dispersal airfields on Hong Kong island or the outlying islands, although there were several potentially viable sites. No serious attempt to co-ordinate defence with Nationalist Chinese forces in South China had been undertaken. The inadequacy of defence preparations can be gauged from the fact that after the surrender the occupying Japanese forces were never able to fully occupy or control the rugged Saikung peninsula (to the East of Kowloon) where Chinese communist guerilla forces held sway until the end of the war, a situation for which many escaping POWs and evading Allied aircrew were to give thanks.

On Friday 5th December RAF Kai Tak was brought to readiness, the personnel confined to station, defences manned and the Vildebeestes bombed up and dispersed. On 7th December Flt Lt (later Sqn Ldr) D S “Sammy” Hill recorded flight testing one of the Vildebeestes in his diary:-

"I take a Vildebeeste with full bomb load on a test climb during which I try to imagine where would be the best place to drop them and what would be my chances if attacked by fighters."*

* from 'The Code of Love' by Andrew Linklater, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2000

Vickers Vildebeest at Seletar, Singapore in 1937

The squadron commander of the IJAAF's 10th DHC was Capt Hikaru (or Akira) Kozuki who on arrival in August 1940 had changed the unit marking from a distinctive black tail to red painted wheel spats with coloured rudders denoting each Shotai (Flight) in red, yellow, blue and green. Amongst the Ki-27 pilots participating in the Hong Kong operation was a new arrival, Sgt Maj Iwataro Hazawa, who would go on to become a leading ace over China after the 10th was expanded to become the 25th Sentai. The 26 year old Sgt Maj was a graduate of the  81st NCO Cadet intake of 1940 and had attended courses at Tachiarai and Akeno before joining the 10th. In August 1944 whilst serving with the 25th Sentai he was promoted to Warrant Officer and received a citation from the 5th Air Army commander. By the time of his death over Hankow on 14 January 1945, when his parachute failed after bailing out of his stricken aircraft during combat, he had personally claimed a total of 40 enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged in combat whilst his record of confirmed victories has been reported as 15. 

Another notable pilot in the unit was the 19 year old Sgt Kyushiro Ohtake, an enlisted graduate of the Tokyo Army Flying School. In the 10th DHC and later in the 25th Sentai  Sgt Ohtake gained a reputation for his exceptional eyesight and marksmanship to become a respected veteran of four years air combat over China. He survived in the rank of Sgt Maj although he was seriously wounded in combat over Korea on 13 August 1945, two days before the end of the war. He was never to fully recover from these wounds and finally died as a result of them in 1951. At least ten victories were attributed to him. Also flying in the attack against Hong Kong was newly arrived Eiji Seino, a 30 year old pilot who as an NCO reservist had already served in the 5th and 13th Sentai and as an instructor at Tachiarai Flying School. Although he would participate in the strafing attacks which destroyed aircraft on the ground and in the water at Kai Tak aerodrome on the Kowloon penisular of Hong Kong, he would not score his first aerial victory until the summer of 1942 when he claimed a P-40 over Paliuchi, China (Bailuqi in Japanese accounts). By that time the 10th IFC had been re-organised as the 25th Sentai and WO Seino would go on to become another leading ace of that unit claiming at least two B-24s, three P-40s, a P-43 and a P-51 to bring his score to more than ten before being wounded in air combat on 18 December 1944. After recovery from his wound he continued to fly operationally over China and Korea until the end of the war.

Ki-32  'Mary' light bombers of the 2nd Chutai of the 45th Sentai over South China

In the early hours of 8 December 1941 nine 10th DHC Ki-27 fighters took off from their airfield at Canton to escort a  single Chutai of 12 light bombers of the 45th Sentai in the first strike against Hong Kong intended to neutralise Kai Tak aerodrome. Flying one of the 45th’s light bombers was another pilot who would eventually become a fighter Gekitsui-oh (literally 'Shoot Down King' - ace) and the famed leader of the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien 'Tony' equipped 244th Sentai during the air defence of Japan with ten B-29s claimed shot down or damaged - Teruhiko Kobayashi. The Japanese formation arrived over their target at 0700 hrs and without any aerial opposition the Ki-27 fighters began strafing attacks against the aircraft on the ground using incendiary ammunition whilst the bombers peeled off in dive bombing attacks against  the airfield installations and other targets. The dive bombing attacks and the appearance of the Ki-32 with its inline engine and spatted undercarriage gave understandable rise to the impression that the Japanese were flying German 'Stukas'. The attacks against Hong Kong would mark the last operational use of the Ki-32 in Japanese Army service.

Pre-war photo of Kai Tak Aerodrome looking Eastwards. The Pan-Am Clipper jetty is at right centre with the large civilian hangar and control tower to the left.
(Shirley Wilke Mosley collection)

One of three RAF Vickers Vildebeest biplane bombers was quickly set on fire and another damaged. The Japanese fighters then attacked two Fleet Air Arm Walrus amphibian patrol aircraft  moored on the water, destroying them both. Flt Lt D Hill's diary:-

"Both Walrus are gone, one Beeste is ablaze, another badly damaged, leaving one plane intact. We attempt to put out the fire praying that the bombs won't explode. The blaze is too fierce and she is completely burned with two red hot heavy bombs amongst the ruins."

Civilian aircraft in the open at Kai Tak fared no better. Pan American Airways clipper Captain Fred Ralph watched from the cover of a drainage ditch as the Ki-27 fighters made repeated strafing passes on his Sikorsky S-42B flying boat (NC 16735) which erupted into flames on the sixth pass.

Sikorsy S-42 Pan Am Clipper

The impressed flying school aircraft of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), including Avro Cadets, Avro Tutors, and a De Havilland Hornet Moth were all strafed and burned on the ground in these attacks. Two Curtiss T-32 Condor biplane airliners of the China National Airways Corporation (CNAC) and three Junkers 52/3m tri-motor airliners of the Eurasia Air Corporation (XIX, XXII, and XXIV) were also destroyed. Aircraft in the civilian hangar were spared when a single bomb entering through the roof failed to explode. A Junkers 52 survived the attack in this way, together with a Eurasia Junkers W.34 (II) and another CNAC Condor. Two CNAC DC-3’s and a DC-2 also escaped undamaged. Elsewhere the other two Chutai of the 45th Sentai attacked various targets in Kowloon in successive waves, including the Shamshuipo military camp.

Kai Tak Aerodrome showing the Pan-Am Clipper jetty 

and large civilian hangar at the South-West corner of the airfield
(Shirley Wilke Mosley collection)

The CNAC Curtiss Condor biplane transports were three of five former American Airways T-32s and AT-32Ds sold to the Chinese government by Charles H Babb in 1939 and allocated to CNAC in 1940. They had been stored in Mexico after detention during an attempted sale to the Spanish Republic and went to California in 1939 to be re-built as freighters. They were delivered to China in December 1940 and leased to CNAC by the Chinese Ministry of Finance. The CNAC plan was to use them for freight duties between Lashio or Hanoi and Kunming but they ended up transporting tungsten ore and tin from Namyung (aka Nanshiung or Namyang) to Hong Kong (200 miles) with imported Red Cross supplies freighted on the return trips. That service began in March 1941 with initially ten round trips a month increasing to 105 by July. The Condors carried white alpha-numeric codes on their tails F2, F3 and F5 ('F' for freight), with only those three aircraft reported in operation by CNAC at the time of the attack. The other two Condors are variously reported as having been broken down for spares or issued to the airline Eurasia which never used them. Condor F-3 was later captured intact by the Japanese and re-painted with Japanese Hinomaru and a white senchi hiyoshiki fuselage band (the so-called 'combat stripe') but retained its original CNAC tail code 'F-3'.

Eurasia Junkers Ju 52 

As the Japanese aircraft departed after the first raid the Kai Tak perimeter fence was bulldozed flat and the surviving civil aircraft were manhandled across the main road and hastily camouflaged within the vegetable patches opposite the airfield. Civilian airport officials, standing amongst the blazing destruction wrought by the Japanese, bizarrely objected to the flattening of the fence as destruction of government property and had to be kept talking while it proceeded. Over the next two days the surviving civilian aircraft and others flown in from China would run the gauntlet of continuous Japanese raids to make 16 trips and successfully evacuate a total of 275 people from Hong Kong.

Destroyed DC-2 at Kai Tak

(Shirley Wilke Mosley collection)

By the evening of 8 December the damaged RAF Vildebeest had been repaired and Flt Lt D Hill and F/O H B “Dolly” Gray sought permission to use the two surviving aircraft to conduct a retaliatory night bombing attack against the Japanese airfields at Canton. Their request was endorsed by the RAF station commander Wg Cdr H C “Ginger” Sullivan but refused by the GOC Hong Kong, Maj Gen C M Maltby. Maltby ordered Kai Tak to be evacuated whereupon Sullivan requested permission to fly the Vildebeests out to Kweilin, bombing Nam Tan on the way. Again Maltby refused permission and ordered Sullivan to have both aircraft destroyed. CNAC’s first native-born aircraft captain Hugh Chen volunteered to successfully fly a single-engined Vultee trainer out of Kai Tak to Namyung with an unserviceable radio and compass, using a pocket compass to navigate.

Map showing the defended areas of the mainland. Note position of Stonecutters Island mentioned in the text. RN gunboats were active in support  along the West coast above Stonecutters and came under continuous air attack. 

During that first day vessels in the harbour had also come under air attack. At 1100 hrs HMS Cicala, an Insect (or Aphis) class river gunboat known for its triple rudder manouevrability, which had replaced HMS Tern (T65) on station in Castle Peak Bay, was attacked by a pair of Japanese seaplanes, the first of a series of air attacks made against her throughout the day. They failed to hit the wildly twisting gunboat which was under the command of Lt Cdr John Boldero DSC, a WW1 veteran recalled to service in 1939, who had lost his right arm in an accident barely two months before. Tern, a Bird class river gunboat armed with two 3 in AA guns and eight .303 machine guns had been ordered to Kai Tak to provide additional anti-aircraft defence that in the circumstances would be largely redundant.  Marine police launches 1 and 3 evacuating police families and civilians from Cheung Chau island were also attacked by strafing Japanese aircraft, No.1 launch in the West Lamma channel and No.3 launch off Un Kok at the north end of Lamma island. Each launch was armed with a Hotchkiss 3-pounder quick-firing gun and Vickers machine guns, and both were able to beat off the air attacks with the latter. The attacks were not pressed home because they were made by aircraft withdrawing from other raids and returning to Canton.

HMS Cicala, Insect Class Gunboat

At 0850 hrs  on  9 December the harbour at Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island was attacked twice  with 'severe bombing' and bombs straddling HMS Cornflower (an Arabis class sloop equipped as a minesweeper) at 0935 hrs. HMS Cornflower was the HQ vessel of the Hong Kong Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (HKRNVR).

HMS Cornflower, Arabis Class minesweeping sloop and HKRNVR HQ vessel

On 10 December according to Japanese records the air unit supporting 38th Division disabled two gunboats. HMS Cicala, which had evaded constant air attacks for two days, had sailed to a point between Castle Peak Bay and Brothers Point to engage Japanese working parties attempting to clear obstructions on the Castle Peak Road with its 6 in guns. The Japanese were on a spur to the north of Rambler Channel, a narrow strait between Tsun Wan and Tsing Yi Island so Cicala entered the channel to bring its guns to bear. By this time Japanese aircraft were appearing approximately every two hours to conduct their raids and a sequence of dive bombing attacks were then made against Cicala which had limited room to manoeuvre. She also came under fire from Japanese artillery on shore. A total of 17 air attacks were successfully evaded with claims for two Japanese aircraft damaged. Then at 1615 hours nine 'dive bombers' (probably Ki-32) attacked and a near miss from the last aircraft damaged the stern of the vessel whilst another bomb that failed to explode went through the stern. The gunboat then withdrew to Taikoo for repairs and was replaced by HMS Tern returning from Kai Tak.

Another view of an Insect Class gunboat (HMS Ladybird at Port Said)

HMS Moth, another Bird class river gunboat, was in the graveling dock at Taikoo for a major re-fit with her hull plates removed when the Japanese attack began. Moth's gunners had been serving in static action in the anti-aircraft role from the dry dock but on 11 December some of her ratings were transferred to HMS Cicala to replace Chinese crew members who had deserted and her guns were dismounted. The following day as Japanese artillery began firing on the dockyard the dock was flooded and Moth submerged.

On 11 December the air unit was reported to be heavily engaged in direct support of the 38th Division. However the HK Official Communiqué reported that air activity had been slight except for some dive-bombing attacks on Stonecutters Island.

On 12 December the air unit reportedly attacked Stonecutters Island with most of its strength, the remainder attacking Kweilin airfield. The following day the coastal batteries on the island (which had been firing on targets on the mainland in support of the garrison) were reported to have been neutralised as a result of the air attacks.  In fact Stonecutters Island had been heavily dive-bombed and shelled on 10 December and the battery personnel and RA stores had been evacuated from it on the night of 11/12 December so there may be some confusion over these reported dates.

Stonecutters Island  in the 1930's

On 15 December the Auxiliary Patrol Vessel HMS Indira was sunk during a bombing raid on Aberdeen. 

Mitsubishi Ki-21 'Sally' heavy bomber of the type that attacked Mount Davis on 16 December

On 16 December the 14th Sentai (Mitsubishi Ki-21 'Sally'), part of the 5th Air Brigade supporting the Philippines operation from Formosa, launched a raid against the Mount Davis Fortress and Belcher Battery. The Ki-21, although classified in the IJAAF as a 'heavy' bomber (式重爆撃機 - juu baku geki ki) was closer to an Allied medium bomber in capability, similar to an RAF Wellington. On the same day the IJNAF also conducted heavy bomber attacks against the Island with 18 G4M 'Betty' of the Kanoya Ku and 26 G3M 'Nell' of the 1st Ku, bombing the Mount Davis Fortress, Sai Wan battery, Lyemun Barracks, Shau Kei Wan and Aberdeen, which was being used as a safe haven for RN vessels and the MTB flotilla. At Aberdeen the RN Destroyer HMS Thracian was being repaired in dry dock from damage received during an attack against Japanese landing vessels in Kowloon Bay the previous night.  The Japanese aircraft bombed accurately from high altitude* causing many casualties, damaging the RN armament tug Gatling and HMT Alliance and destroying MTB 08 which caught fire after being hit by splinters. After this attack HMS Thracian was deemed too badly damaged for repairs to be completed and was towed out of dry dock and beached as a decoy in Repulse Bay where she continued to come under repeated air attacks that failed to hit her. After dropping their bombs the 14th Sentai flew straight on to Canton to refuel and re-arm. The unit returned to Formosa two days later, bombing installations at North Point on Hong Kong Island on the way back in preparation for landing operations there.

* As reported by direct eyewitness observation by Lt Cmdr Alexander Kennedy, VRD, RNVR of MTB-09 ('Hong Kong Full Circle 1939-45', Privately published, 1969)

HK Island under Japanese Air Attack - possibly staged after the battle

The historic photograph above, taken from a Japanese aircraft during attacks against Hong Kong Island, appears to be looking West from over Wong Nei Chung Road. On the left hand side is the Aberdeen Reservoir with the road snaking up from it towards Wanchai Gap. In the right middle ground, shrouded in mist or smoke, is Victoria Peak and beyond it Mount Davis.  In the distance beyond Mount Davis is the island of Heilingchau, then behind that Ping Chau Island and then the larger Lantau Island.

On 19 December the gunboat HMS Tern which had claimed an aircraft shot down over Aberdeen on 13 December was scuttled in Deep Water Bay after being damaged by successive dive bombing attacks. According to A Cecil Hampshire ('Armed With Stings', William Kimber, 1958) this was the result of a mistaken signal.

On 21 December HMS Cicala which had so far survived sixty dive bombing attacks and almost continuous shelling from Japanese shore batteries and mortars was again attacked by dive bombers after sailing close to Deep Water Bay to shell Japanese mortar positions on Shouson Hill and Bennet's Hill. Once again after eight unsuccessful attacks the ninth Ki-32 managed to drop three bombs along the centre line of the ship, one smashing the starboard skiff on its davits and blowing a hole in the hull, one passing through the ship's company mess deck to explode beneath the hull and the third going straight through the aft compartment without exploding. The gunboat began to flood uncontrollably and settled slowly in the East Lamma Channel. Lt Cdr Kennedy witnessing her end from MTB-09:-

"Nine planes circled high above her and one by one peeled off leisurely into a dive. Eight times the water rose up like a curtain round the ship, and eight times it fell to reveal the "Cicala" still sitting there firing at the land. It was agonising to watch, but after the bombs had gone from the last aircraft and the fountains of spray subsided, her guns were silent and smoke was coming from the ship."

MTB-10 took off her survivors and because she was settling slowly MTB-09 was ordered to sink her with depth charges in case she drifted ashore and into Japanese hands.

On 22 December the Bird class river gunboat HMS Robin was dive bombed and damaged. She was subsequently scuttled in the south-east channel of Aberdeen Harbour on 25 December.

During the battle the 10th DHC had continued to fly low level strafing sorties over Hong Kong in support of the Army, attacking vessels in the harbour and any transport seen on the roads. They suffered no losses in those operations.   The Ki-36 army co-operation Chokkyo operated at low-level, spotting for artillery and attacking targets of opportunity with anti-personnel bombs. The observer gunners were seen leaning from the rear cockpits to strafe and even throwing down hand grenades. After the main fighting was over a single Shotai of the 10th was detached to operate from Kai Tak aerodrome and the unit continued to fly the Ki-27 against the American Volunteer Group (AVG - Flying Tigers) over South China until June 1942. From May 1942 the 10th began to re-equip with the Nakajima Ki-43-I Hayabusa 'Oscar' and at Hankow on 25 October 1942 the unit was expanded and re-organised to become the 25th Sentai, initially with two Chutai only. It would spend the whole of its war service in China, only withdrawing to Korea towards the very end in June 1945.

Note 1 ~ Royal Navy Vessels in Hong Kong

At the time of the attack RN vessels in Hong Kong consisted of four river gunboats, Tern (1927), Robin (1934), Cicala (1916) and Moth (1915), three S Class Destroyers of WW1 vintage, 'Scout', 'Thanet' and 'Thracian', a Minesweeper 'Redstart' and 14 auxiliary patrol vessels. There were also 16 smaller and minor vessels used for boom service, tugs and minelaying/sweeping. The 21st Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) Flotilla consisted of six British Power Boat (Hythe) boats (MTB 07-12) and two of Thorneycroft type (MTB 26 & 27). The Hong Kong Marine Police operated 15 armed launches of various sizes. The police launches were variously equipped with combinations of Hotchkiss 3-pounder quick firing guns or Oerlikons, mounted Vickers machine guns and/or Bren guns as well as various small arms.

The armament of HMS Cicala is variously reported as two QF 6-inch guns, one fore and aft, and one or two 12 pounder (3-inch) QF guns on the bridge . The Osprey book on Yangtze River gunboats reports that the aft 12 pounder was often replaced by a 2 pounder 'pom-pom' but the diagram in the book shows a 2 pounder forward and a 12 pounder aft of the bridge!  In addition to the main armament there were six mounted and shielded .303 machine guns on the bridge deck.

After the surrender HMS Moth was salvaged by the Japanese, re-armed and from July 1942 put to work as the IJN Suma (須磨). She survived several direct air attacks by US planes whilst at Hong Kong with damage and losses to her crew and after repairs at Shanghai was re-deployed on Yangtse river patrols. On 19th March 1945 she collided with a US air-dropped mine on the river which destroyed her.

The Royal Navy's conduct in the defence of Hong Kong was exemplary, invaluable and sustained. In addition to supporting ground forces by shelling Japanese troops and positions, conducting gallant surface actions against attempted landings and in the general provision of anti-aircraft defence, the vessels assisted in essential evacuations and logistics right until the end. Despite the fact that the IJAAF held air supremacy over the territory from the first day of the attack they were unable to neutralise  Royal Navy maritime operations around Hong Kong and most vessels survived prolonged exposure to air attacks to be scuttled shortly before or after the surrender. Only the following vessels were sunk as a direct result of air attacks:-

HMS Cicala

MTB-08

HMS Indira (Auxiliary Patrol Vessel)

HMS Cornflower (various dates are given for the sinking of this vessel including 9, 13, 15 and 19 December, also variously reporting as being scuttled in Deep Water Bay following damage from air attack or directly sunk).

HMS Taitam (J210 - formerly HMS Portland) and Waglan (J211) were Bangor class minesweepers captured on the stocks at the Taikoo Dockyard whilst still under construction. Both were launched and completed by the Japanese. Taitam, which had been 60% complete, was launched in February 1943 and completed and commissioned into the IJN as W-101 in April 1944. She was sunk by US aircraft off Cape Padaran on 12 January 1945. Waglan, which had been 30% complete when captured was launched in March 1943 and completed and commissioned into the IJN as W-102 in September 1944. She was damaged by US aircraft off Keelung on 3 February 1945, but eventually returned to the RN in November 1947 and finally scrapped at Tokyo in March 1948.

HMS Lyemun (J209) and Lantau (J208) were minesweepers still under construction in the Whampoa dockyard since July 1941. Lyemun was commissioned as the IJN gunboat Nanyo and was sunk in December 1943. Lantau, commissioned in 1942, became the Japanese cargo ship Gyosei Maru, was later re-named Kagoshima Maru and survived the war to be broken up in 1950.

HMS Scout was ordered to Singapore on 8 December and subsequently served with the Perak Flotilla 'Rose Force' engaged in clandestine operations from Port Swettenham. She survived the fall of Singapore to continue distinguished service with the Eastern Fleet, finally returning to the UK to be broken up in 1946.

HMS Thanet also evacuated Hong Kong for Singapore but was sunk by surface action during the attempt to disrupt the Japanese landings at Endau, Malaya on 27 January 1942. 

HMS Thracian was also salvaged from Repulse Bay by the IJN 2nd Construction unit and on 1 October 1942 registered in the Yokosuka Naval District as Patrol Boat PB-101, repairs being completed on 25 November 1942. More images and facts about the RN during the Battle for Hong Kong are here.

Dokuritsu Hiko Dai 10 Chutai Ki-27 on the landing ground at Kai Tak after the surrender - remains of Eurasia Junkers Ju 52 in foreground. Note the wing camera-gun

Note 2 ~ 10th DHC Colours and Markings

Special thanks to Ronnie Olsthoorn for providing the exclusive heading profile of a Ki-27 of the 1st Shotai leader, 10th DHC. Although some of the 10th's Ki-27's were camouflaged with dark green paint prior to the commencement of hostilities (see Osprey Aces 103 'Ki-27 Nate Aces' page 57 and profile # 21) the photograph above taken after the surrender shows a Ki-27 of similar appearance to the heading profile on the ground at Kai Tak and equipped with a wing mounted camera. This aircraft filmed a number of gun camera "attack" images of damage at Kai Tak for inclusion in Japanese propaganda magazines. It is in the factory applied overall finish of grey-green colour (灰緑色 - Hai Ryoku Shoku). Ronnie has added examples of his Aces 103 Ki-27 artwork, including close-up images, to his web gallery here.

The previous Ki-27 Aces Extra is here. On completion the three Ki-27 Aces Extra features will be consolidated and made available as a pdf.

Photographs from the Shirley Wilke Mosley collection via Greg Crouch with permission; with thanks to G M N Ure for additional assistance in identifying landmarks