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c/n 3305, Kōkūtai 204, Buin, Bougainville island, January 1943
This aircraft was manufactured by Mitsubishi,
probably on November 25, 1942. The radio
equipment has been dismantled due to weight
reduction. At the same time, it was equipped
with long-barrel guns and a later type rudder
trim that could be operated from the cockpit.
Previously known aircraft of this unit with
yellow fuselage markings had identification
numbers of values under 148. The wreckage of
this aircraft was recovered by the Allies in May
1944 off Kolombangara Island. The camouflage
and markings would indicate that its pilot was
leader of Chūtai of Kōkūtai 204 in early 1943. The
first candidate could be Lt. Tatenoshin Tanoue,
who was shot down in a dogfight with Wildcats
from VMF-121 on January 15, 1943, while covering
a convoy. However, the crash site is too far from
the area where combat took place. The pilot of the
aircraft may have been a Lt(jg) Kiyoharu Shibuya,
who was lost on January 23, 1943, in dogfight
with the Wildcats of VMO-251 while escorting
the cargo vessel Toa Maru 2 and the destroyer
Oshio.
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