The N1K2-J Shiden-Kai proved to be one of the best dogfighting aircraft produced by either side.
Posted on 01/07/2019 2:06:39 PM PST by Snickering Hound
It has recently come to light that a number of significant Japanese aircraft wrecks are currently being disassembled for recovery in the South Pacific.
Located at the old Imperial Japanese Navy airfield on Balalae Island, part of the Shortland Island Group in the western province of the Solomon Islands, the collection of airframes and components importantly includes two Mitsubishi G4M attack bombers, along with the rear fuselage of another example.
The G4M, better known in the west by its Allied code name, Betty, was a mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s land-based aerial bombing fleet.
They possessed incredible range, although this came with the significant sacrifice of armor, self-sealing fuel tanks and structural toughness.
They served many purposes during the war, from medium altitude bomber to torpedo bomber, to transport, including their use as a launch platform for the rocket-propelled Yokosuka Ohka kamikaze planes.
Famously, it was while flying in a Mitsubishi G4M that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect for the attack on Pearl Harbor, lost his life when U.S. Army Air Force P-38 Lightnings intercepted and shot him down on April 18th, 1943 — coincidentally as he was on his way to Balalae.
There are currently no complete examples of the Betty in preservation in the world save for a rather fragile, belly-landed example (G4M1 Model 11 m/n 1280) recovered by Bruce Fenstermaker from Babo Airfield in Indonesia during 1991.
This Betty was on display for many years at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum acquired this airframe in November, 2015, and it has been out of public view since that time.
The rarity of this significant aircraft type makes the recovery of the two, far more intact G4Ms on Balalae of great importance.
According to PacificWrecks.com, these airframes are G4M1 Model 11 (m/n 2806) and G4M1 Model 11 (m/n 1800) with the rear fuselage coming from a so far unidentified early-model G4M1.
Reportedly both No.2806 and No.1800 rolled off the line at Mitsubishi’s Nagoya factory No.3 in Nagoya, Japan during May, 1943. 2806 served as tail code U-321 in the Imperial Japanese Navy with 705 Kokutai (air group). No.1800 is believed to have served with 702 Kokutai, although her tail code is so far unknown.
When WWII ended, dozens of aircraft lay abandoned on Balalae. Given the island’s remoteness, and lack of permanent human settlement, these aircraft remained, pretty much where they sat for decades until the late 1960s when warbird salvagers began surveying the aircraft for possible recovery.
Canadian, Bob Diemert was the first in 1968, when he recovered some of the smaller types; a couple of Aichi D3A2 Val dive bombers, and three Mitsubishi A6M Zeros. Others have returned over the years, with a number of Zeros being among the types recovered in a 2007 effort.
Now a decade on, the last of the major, relatively intact wrecks remaining on the island are being recovered.
The first rumors of the recovery came in April this year, and obviously stirred up quite a bit of controversy in the Solomons as many islanders are justifiably concerned about being taken advantage of – as has happened previously.
There are strict rules regarding the export of war relics from the island archipelago, but from the reporting so far, it appears that the salvagers have been working with the government and the Solomon Islands National Museum to formally negotiate the release of these airframes.
There is reportedly a Memorandum of Understanding which includes the refurbishment and return of two aircraft back to the Museum for display. Such agreements have occurred in the past, of course, but once something leaves the islands, enforcing the terms is very difficult to police….
Airframe disassembly began in August this year in the revetments where they had lain since the end of WWII. The recovery team had a pathway cut through the trees leading from the airfield down to the beach. They rigged up crudely fashioned sleds made from tree branches to haul items such as the wings, engines and fuselage sections to the shore for shipment off-island.
The forward fuselage and center wing section for one of the Betty bombers had a pair of wheels attached to the landing gear legs so that it could be wheeled along. As of mid-October, everything was sitting by the water’s edge awaiting the transport to the Solomon Islands major port at the nation’s capital city, Honiara on Guadalcanal Island.
Images of these artifacts were posted on Facebook a few days ago by Australian, Michael Holmesby; full permission was obtained for re-using them here. We thank him for that privilege. He also uploaded some video of the site at Balalae, which might prove as interesting as the still images presented earlier…
Mitsubihsi made the Betty. And the Zero fighter. Both were about the only two good aircraft the Japs made.
Kermit at it again???
Looks like all they need to fly is some penetrating oil, some paint, and new ball bearings (it’s all ball bearings these days), and they’ll be ready to fly.
My guess would be New Zealand or Australia. They both have significant warbird restoration operations.
I don’t know how they do it. It would be like digging up a grave, pulling out the skeleton, making a Frankenstein, and then animating it. Almost like 90% new manufacture, 10% ghost in the shell.
It will take millions to restore one of these to flying condition, but I can just imagine of these screaming low down the line at Oshkosh, Being chased by a pair of P-38’s.
The Japs made many fine aircraft but they came too late to make a difference.
I had that discussion with a docent at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans several years ago. They were “restoring” a Higgins PT-Boat. It’s now operable and currently berthed on Lake Pontchartrain.
They were replacing all the hull planking, among other things. I asked when does “restoration” become “replica?”
He didn’t have an answer.
Definite air show desirable
The Zero, the Betty and the B5 N “Kate’’ were their really only best aircraft. In China they were using bi-planes. By the end of the war what they were making were crap and being shot out of the sky or crashed into ships.
The Zero, the Betty and the B5 N “Kate’’ were their really only best aircraft. In China they were using bi-planes. By the end of the war what they were making were crap and being shot out of the sky or crashed into ships.
The Zero, the Betty and the B5 N “Kate’’ were their really only best aircraft. In China they were using bi-planes. By the end of the war what they were making were crap and being shot out of the sky or crashed into ships.
A huge problem was engines.
For example, by 44' they only had enough gas to bench test 10% of the Homare engines coming off the line for 30 minutes that went into the Ki-84 Frank.
Very hot aircraft on paper. If you had a working engine. And experienced crews, both in short supply.
The N1K2-J Shiden-Kai proved to be one of the best dogfighting aircraft produced by either side.
A tanker truck or two of Metal Rescue might help.
They were replacing all the hull planking, among other things. I asked when does “restoration” become “replica?”
He didn’t have an answer.
It's a restoration when they keep the original data plate...:^)
The wreck of the Betty in which Yamamoto died still lies where it crashed.
Too bad the Betty’s that carried the Jap surrender delegation (white with green crosses) weren’t preserved. One later crashed, the other was incinerated. A Marine who boarded one after the Japs were flown to Manila recalled the cabin floor was strewn with official papers.
Bet he kicked himself for the rest of his life for not scooping up all he could find. Intel would have confiscated it anyway I suppose.
The Smithsonian collection had an intact Betty after the war. When Korea flared up, and the vacant Douglas Aircraft plant in Chicago that stored the collection was needed again, it was scrapped, with only the cockpit/nose section being sent east with the rest of the planes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.