Into a Rising Storm
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  1. #1
    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    Into a Rising Storm

    Flying the Mitsubishi A6M2-21 in a livery representing its best days – when the pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy dominated the skies of the South Pacific. This livery represents the 3rd Air Group out of Takao, Formosa (of Imperial Japan) which, on December 8, 1941, attacked and helped to eliminate much of the American air forces based at Clark Field in the Philippines.



    As even the engineer Jiro Hirokoshi understood, the Japanese attack on the United States, with its industrial might, carried ominous forebodings. It was flying into a rising storm.
    -Mike

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    The similar Tainan Air Group (also flying mostly A6M2s in 1941-1942) was more famous. It also attacked the Philippines and later fought in the Dutch East Indies, over Lae and Port Moresby, and finally out of Rabaul over the Slot and Guadalcanal in 1942. Most of the original supremely-well-trained pilots were lost during these campaigns, especially the four month air battle over Guadalcanal. When the unit was disbanded, the surviving 10 pilots were sent back to Japan to constitute new fighter units.


    Pilots of the Tainan Air Group pose at Lae in June 1942. Several of these aviators would be among the top Japanese aces, including Saburō Sakai (middle row, second from left), and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (standing, first on left).

    Some the very best pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service flew for the famous Tainan Air Group Included were Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Saburo Saki, and Toshio Ota. Here is a story of these three pilots when they flew out of Lae in the Port Moresby campaign, as told by Wikipedia.

    Hiroyoshi Nishizawa was a member of the famed "Cleanup Trio" with Saburō Sakai and Toshio Ōta. In the night of 16 May, Nishizawa, Sakai and Ōta were listening at the lounge room to a broadcast of an Australian radio program, when Nishizawa recognized the eerie Danse Macabre of the French composer, pianist and organist Camille Saint-Saëns. Nishizawa, thinking about this mysterious skeleton dance, now suddenly had a crazy idea: "you know the mission tomorrow at Port Moresby? Why don't we perform a little show, a dance of death of our own? We do a few demonstration loops right over the enemy airfield, this should drive them crazy on the ground."
    On 17 May 1942, Lieutenant Commander Tadashi "Shosa" Nakajima led the Tainan Ku on a mission to Port Moresby, with Sakai and Nishizawa as his wingmen. As the Japanese formation re-formed for the return flight, Sakai signaled Nakajima, that he was going after an enemy aircraft and peeled off. Minutes later, Sakai was over Port Moresby again, to keep his rendezvous with Nishizawa and Ōta. The trio now performed aerobatics, three tight loops in close formation. After that, a jubilant Nishizawa indicated that he wanted to repeat the performance. Diving to 6,000 ft (1,800 m), the three Zeros did three more loops, still without any AA fire from the ground. They headed then back to Lae, arriving 20 minutes after the rest of the Kōkūtai.
    At about 21:00, Lieutenant Junichi Sasai wanted them in his office, immediately. When they arrived, Sasai held up a letter. "Do you know where I got this thing?" he shouted. "No? I'll tell you, you fools; it was dropped on this base a few minutes ago, by an enemy intruder!" The letter, written in English, said:
    To the Lae Commander: "We were much impressed with those three pilots who visited us today, and we all liked the loops they flew over our field. It was quite an exhibition. We would appreciate it if the same pilots returned here once again, each wearing a green muffler around his neck. We're sorry we could not give them better attention on their last trip, but we will see to it that the next time they will receive an all-out welcome from us."
    Nishizawa, Sakai and Ōta stood at stiff attention and tried to suppress laughing out loud, while Lieutenant Sasai dressed them down over their "idiotic behavior" and prohibited them from staging any more aerobatic shows over enemy airfields. The Tainan Kōkūtai's three leading aces secretly agreed, that the aerial choreography had been worth it.

    These were three of Japan's greatest IJN aces. Ōta was killed in the Guadalcanal campaign. Sakai was severely wounded, having been shot through the skull, but nursed his Zero the 450nm back to Rabaul. He underwent surgery and then, after a long homeland recuperation, returned to air combat over Iwo Jima. He survived the war. (Sakai was one of the consultants for Microsoft's CFS2.) Nishizawa lasted through the campaign and was sent back to Japan. Bored in a training mission, he talked his way back to the front to fly the A6M5 over the Philippines. He was eventually killed, in 1944, while a passenger in an air transport.
    -Mike

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    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    Departing for Naha. (RP17-WAMH)
    -Mike

  4. #4
    Grest lead in post!

    I read Samurai written by Saburo Saki many years ago & would recommend it to anyone interested in hearing what the war was like as viewed by the Japanese
    Regards, Bob

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    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    And safely down.
    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...wqzBRTsT0N85U0
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails FlightLog_23-22-08.JPG  
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    -Mike

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    Thanks, Bob. Doing these flights is a good excuse for all of us to do some reading. (I got started from the other end, reading Jiro Hiroshoki's account of designing the A6M. Different ways to get into a complex multifaceted story.)
    -Mike

  7. #7
    Wow! Mike. Very interesting. Thanks enjoyed reading your lead in.

    Jim

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    Senior Administrator PRB's Avatar
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    That's good stuff Mike. I remember reading that book about the design of the A6M. The contrast in technologies, at the turn of the century, is illustrated wonderfully by the image of the A6M wing assemblies being hauled down the street to the factory by ox carts...
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  9. #9
    Very few things one can count on in this fine hobby of ours ....

    One I can count on is an interesting, very well researched and bang on the nail (accurate) pertinent dialog in your thread(s) at ALL (italics indicates 100%) of the events that I can remember your participation.

    Thanks Mike!




    Oh yeah, and Good Luck along your way!
    salt_air

  10. #10
    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    Thanks, Austin.

    Heading out from Naha to Sorong. (WAMH-WA1A)
    -Mike

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by MM View Post
    Thanks, Austin.

    Heading out from Naha to Sorong. (WAMH-WA1A)
    Where we'll meet you as you swap back to the P38. Sheesh! You're a busy b...

  12. #12
    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    Safely down in an on-field thunderstorm (sideways with an 11 kts crosswind) at Sorong. Glorious ride over the Celebes and then a wake up call on finals.

    Now to find that big Lockheed twin parked around here somewheres...

    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...1Rv28rHT9KDcjw
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    -Mike

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    Calm before the Storm over New Guinea. On the flight from Naha to Sorong, the first hour was a beautiful cruise over the Celebes and Molucca Seas. Here the bright sunshine and high skies make for a beautiful departure from the airstrip at Naha.



    Then, rather quickly, the clouds began to form as the Type 0 Carrier Fighter crossed Halmahera near the Morotai Strait. While visual navigation remained an option, things started to look more ominous.



    The clouds thinned only to change into spotty thunderheads in the distance above Sorong's airfield on New Guinea's Bird's Head Peninsula. (Think of the island as a Bird of Paradise…with its head on the left and long tail on the right.) The lightning strikes started to sparkle all along the flightpath.



    On arrival, a thunderstorm was in session with intermittent heavy rains, rumbling lightning, and a 12 knots crosswind on the field. Made for a turbulent circling approach and required a dramatic slip onto the rain-soaked runway.

    -Mike

  14. #14
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    Setting up for Biak. (WA1A-WABB)
    -Mike

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    Relatively uneventful flight over the Bird's Head Peninsula to Biak.

    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...ZSHb3Mkb2FUrsY
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    -Mike

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    Heading out for Hayfield from Biak.
    -Mike

  17. #17
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    Had a cloud bank sitting right on the field which made it impossible to see anything at all. But happily everything came clear at the last moment. A quick circle to land and all hands were safe.
    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...UGuYzQWH6yRp3s
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    -Mike

  18. #18
    SOH-CM-2019 MM's Avatar
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    And next is Gusap (HFD-GSP) for Team Ronson.
    -Mike

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    Clearing weather made for scenic approach down the Ramu Valley.
    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...ZsGtxFJ32LbOGc
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    -Mike

  20. #20
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    Pressing on to Jacquinot Bay. GSP-JCB.
    -Mike

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    Safely over New Britain into Jacquinot Bay. Pretty late afternoon sunshine.
    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...S2FRPs0seRDG2E
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    -Mike

  22. #22
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    A few snaps of the flights to Gusap and Jacquinot Bay. Fairly routine flying.

    First, a view of the twists and turns of the grand Sepik River, a landmark now so very familiar to SWPAC pilots.



    Then the required quick climb out to surmount the cloudy peaks of the Finisterre Range.



    A shot of the beautiful afternoon light over New Britain.



    Then a quick turn into finals at Jacquinot Bay (JCB).

    -Mike

  23. #23
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    Recommencing. Jacquinot Bay to Rabaul. (JCB-AYTK)
    -Mike

  24. #24
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    Crabbed into a 16kts crosswind for safe landing (JCB-AYTK).
    http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...IRxKlr8skf6fe0
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails FlightLog_23-27-04.JPG  
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    -Mike

  25. #25
    Nice! Hope you had a great weekend.
    Roman

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