The Oscars of John Haas

John Haas, inspired by Stefan Sjöberg's Otaki Oscar model, kindly sent these images of his own Otaki Oscars built several years ago together with images of a Nichimo Oscar - all in 1/48 scale.

Above, the well-known Ki-43-II s/n 5640 of Major Toshio Sakagawa, 25 Hiko Sentai commander in China, here in its original presentation of markings. In recent years the tail stripes have been re-interpreted as white, yellow and red from the leading edge of the fin, supposedly to represent each Chutai, but the white and blue markings are as illustrated by Rikyu Watanabe for an article on the 25 Hiko Sentai and its predecessor the 10 Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai by Dr Yasuho Izawa which appeared in Aireview magazine circa 1973. That article acknowledges the co-operation of a number of ex-25th Sentai veterans as well as Major Sakagawa's widow, Mrs Kozen Sakagawa, and included profiles of individual aircraft. In 2001 Dr Izawa very kindly sent me a full translation of the article together with its original profiles, a treasured possession. For this reason I have always had a preference for the markings as presented on John's model. 

Major Sakagawa commanded the 47 Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai which trialled the Ki-44 in operational conditions at the outbreak of the Pacific War. Later as commander of the 25 Hiko Sentai in China he frequently led combat sorties, claiming a B-24 on 21 August 1943 and two P-51 Mustangs on 6 May 1944. In July 1944 he was transferred to Akeno where he became the Executive Officer of 200 Hiko Sentai, the Hayate-equipped reinforcement unit deployed to the Philippines and drawn from Akeno instructors and students. On 1 December 1944 he was appointed to command 22 Hiko Sentai but was killed in a transport plane crash on 19 December. 

John also converted the Otaki kit to represent a Ki-43-III Ko from 48 Hiko Sentai, another China-based Oscar unit (above). The 48th was formed in July 1943 from a cadre of 77 Hiko Sentai and 204 Kyodo Hiko Sentai personnel at Jindao, Manchuria, with just two chutai (squadrons) as a component of the newly formed 15th Air Brigade of the 2nd Air Army and activated at Anshan in November 1943. The 15th Air Brigade also contained the somewhat mysterious 30 Hiko Sentai formed as an Assault (ground attack) unit with the Ki-43 at the same time*. The 48th adopted hikotai organisation in February 1944 with a separate seibitai (整備隊) or maintenance unit, but retained its original two chutai strength. 

In April 1944 the 48th moved into China to Wuchang near Hankow and from May began staging to an advanced landing ground at Bailuqi (Pailochi, also known as Sheumatow) just north of Tung Ting (Dongting) Lake from where it flew combat operations. Three successive hikotai leaders and three chutai leaders were killed in action during operations in China as well as at least 10 pilots. The 48th ended the war at Taihsien, near Nanking with approximately 20 Oscars as the planned escort unit for no less than seven newly formed special attack units.  

 

John's third Otaki Oscar represents an instructor's Homeland Defence aircraft from the Kumagaya Army Flying School. In mid-1944 the school was re-organised as a Flying Training Division with instructors and test pilots also assigned as secondary provisional units - Tônigo Butai (東二号部隊 - literally "Eastern No.2 force" as the units were first conceived in Eastern Army Command) - to be sortied in emergencies to augment the strength of the 10th and 11th Air Divisions in their air defence operations against B-29 raids. 

 

The subsequent performance of these units was disappointing due to issues with air ground communications as the units could not operate effectively within the air defence structure of the regular divisions and the training regime also suffered as a result of the dual roles. In December 1944 the force was increased when the 22 Hiko Sentai at Sagami and the 16th Air Brigade at Shimodate consisting of 51 and 52 Hiko Sentai, all newly withdrawn from the Philippines, were also designated as Tô units. However, those additional units, still in the process of reforming and under strength, were unable to achieve any quantitative or qualitative improvements so the secondary provisional system was officially abandoned in April 1945.

John's final model (above) is the fine Nichimo Ki-43-I, completed to represent the aircraft of the famous 64 Hiko Sentai commander Major Tateo Kato at the time of his death in May 1942. 

With special thanks to John for sharing these images of his Oscar models.

* 30 Hiko Sentai was subsequently transferred to the Philippines in mid-1944 as part of the 13th Air Brigade with 29 and 31 Hiko Sentai by which time it had been re-designated as a fighter unit. The Brigade move began in May 1944 and was completed by July. 29 Hiko Sentai, at that time equipped with the Ki-44, was diverted to Formosa (Taiwan).

Image credit: All © 2017 John Haas