Kamikaze IJA Special Attack Squadron Hayabusa Oscar

World War 2 IJA Special Attack Squadron Unit Kamikaze Hayabusa Type 3 Fighter Ki-43 III Oscar Koh

Design and development
The Oscar was designed to a set of similar specifications as those of the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more lightweight and was even less rugged than its naval counterpart. Known for its nimble handling and legendary for its performance in East Asia in the early years of the war, the Ki-43 was designed by Hideo Itokawa, who would later become famous as a pioneer of Japanese rocketry. Although the maneuverability of the prototype was quite good, some Japanese pilots complained that it was less maneuverable than the Ki-27 "Nate". This was remedied by Itokawa's addition of a unique 'butterfly' maneuvering aileron in the wings, which helped performance in tight turns, although some pilots still complained. The initial production version was given the designation Ki-43-I. In addition to outstanding maneuverability, the Ki-43-I had a very impressive rate of climb due to its light weight, with a top speed of 308 mph (495 km/h) at 13,160 feet (4000 m).

The Ki-43 was equipped with two cowling machine guns in various configurations, with either two 7.7 mm machine guns, one 12.7 mm Ho-103 heavy machine gun (machine cannon) and one 7.7 mm gun, or two Ho-103 12.7 mm guns; the aircraft was given various sub-designations to reflect these differences. However, the configuration that appears to have been most prevalent at the outset of the war was the latter configuration with two Ho-103 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, sometimes given the official designation Ki-43-I (Mark Ic).[1] The Ho-103 was often loaded with explosive ammunition to increase target effect; its penetrative effect against later Allied aircraft armour appears to have been marginal.[2]

Total production of the Ki-43 was 5,919 aircraft.

Operational history
The Ki-43 was the most widely-used Army fighter, and equipped 30 sentai (groups) and 12 chutais (squadrons). The first version, Mark I, entered service in 1941, the Mark II in December 1942, the II-Kai in June 1943, and the Mark IIIa in summer 1944.

Like the Zero, the Ki-43 initially enjoyed air superiority in the skies of Malaya, Netherlands East Indies, Burma and New Guinea. This was partly to do with the better performance of the Oscar[3] and partly due to the relatively small numbers of combat-ready Allied fighters, mostly the P-36, P-40, Brewster Buffalo, Hawker Hurricane and Curtiss-Wright CW-21 in Asia and the Pacific during the first months of the war. However, as the war progressed, the fighter suffered from the same weaknesses as the Ki-27 and the Mitsubishi Zero; light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of two machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armoured Allied aircraft. As newer Allied aircraft were introduced, such as the Vought Corsair, Hellcat and Seafire Mk III, the Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most aircraft were flown by inexperienced pilots.

The Ki-43 also served in an air defense role over Formosa, Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. Some examples were supplied to the pro-Japanese countries of Thailand, Manchukuo and Wang Jingwei Government as well. The Thai units sometimes fought against the USAAF in southern China.
Hayabusas were well liked in the JAAF because of the pleasant flight characteristics and excellent manouevreability, and almost all JAAF fighter aces claimed victories with Hayabusa in some part of their career. At the end of the war most Hayabusa units received Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate ("Frank") fighters, but some units flew the Hayabusa to the end of the war. The top scorer with Hayabusa was Sgt. Satoshi Anabuki with 59 victories.

After the war some examples served in limited numbers in the French Air Force in Indochina against communist rebels.

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (隼, "Peregrine Falcon") was a single-engined land-based fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. The army designation was "Type 1 Fighter" (一式戦闘機); the Allied codename was Oscar

Any of the Japanese pilots in World War II who made deliberate suicidal crashes into enemy targets, usually ships. The word means "divine wind," a reference to a typhoon that dispersed a Mongol invasion fleet threatening Japan from the west in 1281. The practice was most prevalent in the final year of the war. Most kamikaze planes were ordinary fighter aircraft or light bombers, usually loaded with bombs or extra gasoline tanks before their suicidal dive. Such attacks sank 34 ships and damaged hundreds of others; at Okinawa they inflicted the greatest losses ever suffered by the U.S. Navy in a single battle, killing almost 5,000 men. See also Zero.


Fine Molds 1/48 Ki-43 III Koh Oscar Kits Review Cockpit Interior Color Tutorial Learn practice exercise

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[makokun9]

@tonuzoba2 Nothing "holy" about those who were forced to do it in order to please the majority, through peer pressure. During the last part of the war, most kamikaze pilots were nothing but victims of the Japanese group mentality.

[tonuzoba2]

glory and honor to the holy heroes!

[christof139]

During all of WWII only ~47 USA ships of all types were sunk, & not one was a capital warship such as a fleet carrier, battleship, or heavy cruiser. Over 400 ships of all types suffered light to sever damage & some had to return to Allied or USA ports for repairs. Only 20-25% of the ~8,000+ Jap. aircraft available in the Okinawan Campaing were kamikaze. Japan lost ~7,800 & the USA & Britain ~800 aircrfat from all causes during the ~3-month Okinawan campaign.

[maxinpains]

@grantourismo0109

Nah. All the resources are cut off by the U.S. that's all. It was just an necessity .

[grantourismo0109]

@jsarkar339 japan build zero with an underpower engine, to achieve speed armour and unecessary equipement on zero is removed. Structure is lightened to achieve speed but make the plane very weak when hitten by US airplane.

[ColaWhiski]

fantastic pictures. my respect to all these wonderful airplanes receive, maintain and fly. You make a great job... loves You

warbirds-power.de

[jsarkar339]

@Manongjojo, indeed but that was after the Battle of Midway when the US Navy captured an intact A6M2 Zero, unbeknown to the Japanese, the US turned their own technology against them.

By building aircraft such as the Hellcat and the Corsair

[SPETNAZKIJ]

nice music...

[mtw56or]

Are they real aircraft on out day display ?

[LockheedF22Superstar]

一式戦が積んでいるのは25番でしょうか？

戦闘機が爆装は泣けます。空の狙撃手が鈍重になるなど、残念です­。

後半の「アレ」ですが人目をはばからず泣いたのは昭和大帝がお隠­れになられた皇居以来です・・・いつか鹿屋、知覧にお参りに行こ­うと思っています。

英霊よ、英霊よ！君達の命を捧げた国は見るも無残になってしまい­ましたが、高度成長に末席を置く身であるがゆえにもう一度日の昇­る国に一層奮励努力致します。