#N1K2-J

[captain-price-unofficially]

Japanese N1K2-J of the 343th Kokutai, circa 1945.

[usafphantom2]

31 December 1943. First flight of the Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden 'George' Japanese fighter. Production version of the N1K1 prototype and the N1K1-J.

@ron_eisele via X

[usafphantom-2]

Shiden Kai (N1K2-J) Ehime Prefecture "Shiden Kai Exhibition Hall"

The aircraft on display is a restored aircraft belonging to the 343rd Air Group, which was salvaged from the seabed of Kura Bay, Gusuku-cho, Minamiuwa-gun, Ehime Prefecture in 1979.

@ikeama via X

[pinturas-sgm-aviacion]

1945 03 Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden Kai 'George' - Takayoshi Wada - box art Hasegawa

343 Naval Flying Group, 701 Sqn. 343-45 (Lt. Takashi Ochibushi)Matsuyama AB

[nebris]

A series of Kawanishi Shiden-kai fighters. The N1K2-J had a Nakajima Ha-45-21 engine, whereas the N1K4-J had a Ha-45-23 engine (2,000 hp), and modified airframe to remedy center of gravity issues. The N1K5-J would have had a Mitsubishi Ha-43-11 engine (2,200 hp) with a single stage two speed mechanical supercharger.

[bmachine-blog1]

Fighter N1K2-J Model 21 of the 343rd kokutai.

[sakaki2670]

第二次世界大戦で活躍した日本海軍の局地戦闘機・紫電改をデザインしたTシャツ。 水上戦闘機「強風」をベースに陸上戦闘機化した「紫電」を、更に低翼タイプに発展させたのが「紫電改」です。

紫電改Tシャツ https://www.sa-ka-ki.jp/?pid=165462721

紫電改国産Tシャツ https://www.sa-ka-ki.jp/?pid=165477465

紫電改長袖Tシャツ https://www.sa-ka-ki.jp/?pid=165477828

紫電改スウェット https://www.sa-ka-ki.jp/?pid=165478220

[distanceandvector]

[bookloversofbath]

Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai :: Henry Sakaida & Koji Takaki

Genda’s Blade: Japan’s Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai :: Henry Sakaida & Koji Takaki

[littleeyesofpallas]

Kawanishi 343[紫電改３４３] (Referring to the Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden[紫電]: "Purple + Lightning" (but a phrase that describes the "flash of a sword") and more specifically the 343rd Naval Air Squadron. The N1K1-J Shiden and N1K2-J Shiden-kai were some of Japan's few notably technologically competitive fighter planes left in operation by late WWII, and the 343rd was supposed to consolidate some of Japan's best pilots and hardware.)

[greatworldwar2]

• Consolidated B-32 Dominator

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was an American heavy strategic bomber built for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, which had the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during World War II.

The engineering development of the B-29 had been underway since mid-1938 when, in June 1940, the United States Army Air Corps requested a similar design from the Consolidated Aircraft Company in case of development difficulties with the B-29. The Model 33 on which Consolidated based its proposal was similar to the B-24 Liberator. Like the B-24 it was originally designed with a twin tail and a large Davis wing, but with a longer, rounder fuselage and a rounded nose. The powerplants were to be the same quartet of eighteen-cylinder, 2,200 horsepower (1,600 kW) Wright Duplex-Cyclones, as specified for B-29s. The aircraft was designed to be pressurized, and have remote-controlled retractable gun turrets with fourteen .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns. It was to have an estimated gross weight of 101,000 lb (46,000 kg). The first XB-32-CO, AAF s/n 41-141, was constructed next to the Army Air Forces (AAF) Base Tarrant Field Airdrome at the AAF Aircraft Plant No. 4 just west of Fort Worth, Texas along the south side of Lake Worth. The Consolidated Vultee Bomber Plant assembly line was six months behind schedule, the aircraft making its first flight on 7 September 1942. Due to problems with the pressurization system, the gun turrets and landing gear doors, these items were omitted on the first prototype. The aircraft had R-3350-13 engines inboard and R-3350-21s outboard, with all four powerplants driving three-bladed propellers. The XB-32 had persistent problems with engine oil leaks and poor cooling, but the B-29 also had similar engine problems. The first XB-32 was armed with eight .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in dorsal and ventral turrets, and an odd combination of two .50 caliber and one 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in each outboard engine nacelle firing rearwards, plus two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings outboard of the propellers. The turrets were remotely controlled from periscopic sights in aiming stations inside the aircraft. The sights were coordinated by a sophisticated analog computer system developed by Sperry Gyroscope Company.

On March 17th, 1943, the initial contract was signed for 300 B-32-CFs but development problems continued. On May 10th, 1943, the first XB-32 crashed on takeoff after making a total of 30 flights before the second XB-32, s/n 41-142, finally flew on July 2nd, 1943. This aircraft had a traditional stepped cockpit canopy. Upon examination and testing, the USAAF recommended a large number of changes that included more conventional gun stations. The pressurization system had problems which were never solved and so the role of the aircraft was changed to operating at low to medium altitude. This decision meant that the pressurization system was easily eliminated from production aircraft. Problems with the remote-controlled gun turrets were never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to 10 .50 caliber machine guns in manually operated turrets: Sperry A-17 turrets in the nose and tail, two Martin A-3F-A dorsal turrets, and one Sperry A-13-A ball turret. The bomb load was increased by 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) to 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg). The second XB-32 continued to have stability problems. In an attempt to resolve this a B-29 style tail was fitted to the aircraft after its 25th flight but this did not resolve the problem and a Consolidated-designed 19.5 ft (5.9 m) vertical tail was added and first flown on the third XB-32, s/n 41-18336 on November 3rd, 1943. The first production aircraft was fitted with a B-29 vertical tail until a new tail was substituted. By 1944 testing of the three prototypes permitted the AAF to place orders for over 1,500 B-32s. The first production aircraft was delivered on September 19th, 1944, by which time the B-29 was in combat in China. The first B-32 crashed on the same day it was delivered when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. Beginning on January 17th, 1945, 40 B-32A-5, -10 and -15 aircraft were delivered as unarmed TB-32-CF crew trainers.

Originally, the Army Air Forces intended the B-32 as a "fallback" design to be used only if the B-29 program fell significantly behind in its development schedule. As development of the B-32 became seriously delayed this plan became unnecessary due to the success of the B-29. Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force. The first assignment of the B-32 began when General George Kenney, the commander of Allied air forces in the South West Pacific Area and commander of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, traveled to Washington D.C. to request B-29s. Since priority had been given to strategic bombing by the B-29, Kenney's request was denied, after which he then requested the B-32. Following a demonstration, the Army General Staff agreed that Kenney could conduct a combat evaluation, and a test schedule of 11 missions was set up, followed by a plan to re-equip two of the 312th Bomb Group's four Douglas A-20 Havoc squadrons with the B-32. Project crews took three B-32s to Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands, in mid-May 1945 for a series of test flights completed on June 17th. The three test B-32s were assigned to the 312th BG's 386th Bombardment Squadron. On May 29th, 1945, the first of four combat missions by the B-32 was flown against a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines, followed by two B-32s dropping 16 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs on a sugar mill at Taito, Formosa, on June 15th. On June 22nd, a B-32 bombed an alcohol plant at Heito, Formosa, with 500 lb (230 kg) bombs, but a second B-32 missed flak positions with its 260 lb (120 kg) fragmentation bombs. The last mission was flown on June 25th, against bridges near Kiirun on Formosa.

The test crews were impressed with its unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing which gave it excellent landing performance. However, they found a number of faults: the cockpit was noisy and had a poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was limited, the aircraft was overweight, and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires (a deficiency shared with the B-29 Superfortress). However, the testing missions were mostly successful. In July 1945, the 386th Bomb Squadron completed its transition to the B-32, flying six more combat missions before the war ended. On August 13th, the 386th BS moved from Luzon to Yontan Airfield on Okinawa and flew mostly photographic reconnaissance missions. The missions were intended to monitor Japan's compliance with the ceasefire and to gather information such as possible routes occupation forces could take into Tokyo. On August 17th, the B-32s were intercepted by Japanese fighters. During the two-hour engagement, the Dominators suffered only minor damage and none of their crew were injured. "Though the B-32 gunners later claimed to have damaged one fighter and 'probably destroyed' two others, surviving Japanese records list no losses for that day or next." On August 18th, 1945, four Dominators were given the task of photographing many of the targets covered on the previous day; however, mechanical problems caused two to be pulled from the flight. Over Japan, a formation of 14 A6M Zeros and three N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (George) fighters attacked the remaining two U.S. aircraft. Saburō Sakai, a Japanese ace, said later that there was concern that the Dominators were attacking. The last B-32 combat photo reconnaissance mission was completed on August 28th, during which two B-32s were destroyed in separate accidents, with 15 of the 26 crewmen killed. On August 30th, the 386th Bomb Squadron stood down from operations.

Production contracts of the B-32 were cancelled on September 8th, 1945, with production ceased by October 12th. Many B-32s ended up being salvaged at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas with a total of 38 flown to Kingman Army Airfield for disposal. No examples of a B-32 remain today. The XB-32 (AAF Ser. No. 41-18336) was used as a ground instructional airframe for fire fighting training. Others were written off after suffering major damage in operational accidents. Excess inventories were flown either to Walnut Ridge Army Airfield, Arkansas, to be scrapped by the Texas Railway Equipment Company, or to Kingman Army Airfield, Arizona to be scrapped by the Wunderlich Construction Company. One of the few portions of a B-32 surviving is a wing panel removed from a static test model and erected at the Montgomery Memorial near San Diego, California as a monument to aviation pioneer John J. Montgomery.

[usafphantom2]

Ronnie Bell Following

US Captured Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden Kai, George, at NAS Norfolk Virginia, May 15th 1947.

Via Flickr

[sylveon-13]

Story: sylveon and her sqaudron of f6f-5 hellcats were on a mission to destroy aircraft that have been spotted, her sister wasnt here for this mission, sylveon then noticed the aircraft they were ordered to take out were not zeros, they were Kawanishi N1K2-J Shidenkai a powerful aircaft. In about 10 mins of the battle 8 hellcats were lost sylveon thought she took them all out, but another N1K2-J Shidenkai came outta no were and shot her. Sylveons plane was in flames, she couldn't bail out and her flaming belly crashed on the ground, she was knocked out.

[pinturas-sgm-aviacion]

1944 Philippines, Luzon, Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden Kai  201 Kokutai - Shigeo Koike - box art Hasegawa

[jwood719]

National Museum of the United States Air Force

As the museum covers so many many acres under the roofs of 4 immense hangers just chock-a-block with aircraft, I’ve elected to do something different for this “exploration.”  Instead of attempting a “not-quite-virtual tour” as I’ve done with other places and things, these posts will feature selections from throughout the displayed planes, across the eras, from early to later.

Details for these images:

The 1909 Wright Military features a 1955 museum staff-built aircraft, featuring original, donated mechanical pieces.

The Bleriot was built in the U.S. in 1911 from factory blueprints by a resident of Ohio who taught himself to fly with it; he donated it to the museum in 1969.

The Fokker Drei 1 is painted as the aircraft flown by Lt. Arthur Rahn in 1918; yes, this is the model of aircraft flown by the famous (or infamous) “Red Baron.”

The model of the S4C “Scout” was crafted by hand over the course of some 7,000 hours by Don Gentry of Indianapolis who donated it to the museum in 2014.

The P-26A was the last open cockpit, fixed landing gear fighter adopted by the Army Air Corps, and was the first to introduce flaps to reduce landing speeds.

The B-17F Memphis Belle had been in storage in Oklahoma before the city of Memphis took on its preservation in 1946; it was transfered to the museum in 2005, and underwent a 10+ year restoration.

The B-29 Bockscar dropped the second-ever used nuclear device, the atomic bomb that destroyed Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9th, 1945.  Replicas of the Fat Man and Little Boy can be seen in front of the plane.  (I knew the 29 was significantly larger than the 17, but walking around it more than confirmed its size: it’s big)

These photos have been processed, some to a greater degree than others.  The museum, for what-ever reason, has kept the “lights low” and the images “as shot” were damn dark.  I’ve also made some minor edits to make the most of the scene.  I don’t believe this detracts from the finished picture.

R. Jake Wood, 2018.

[bmachine-blog1]

Fighter N1K2-J at the Museum of aviation and space in San Diego.