Markings for A6M2-K 1/48
COL A
Kōkūtai 721 Jinrai, Kōnoike airbase, Japan, 1945
Kōkūtai 721 was preparing for the deployment of the MXY-7 Ōka rocket aircraft at Kōnoike airbase since autumn 1944. These aircraft were organized into four flights that briefly had their own escort flight. G4M Betty bombers from Hikōtai 708 and 711 served as the carriers of the rocket aircraft. Fighter escort was provided by Zero pilots from Hikōtai 305, 306, and 307. The principal base for combat operations became Kanoya, and part of the fighter units also operated from Tomitaka for a short time. Two-seat Zeros were assigned to various elements of Kōkūtai 721, including Ōka flights. Among them was Ōka pilot Lt.(jg) Hisayoshi Nakane, who also flew a two-seat Zero (KIA on board of Betty on April 14, 1945). The depicted aircraft, from a late production series, bears a lightning bolt emblem on its tail surfaces, associated with the unit’s combat name Jinrai (Divine Thunder). Aviators flying Ōka aircraft sank the destroyer USS Mannert L. Abele (DD-733) and damaged seven other vessels. During kamikaze operations, Zero pilots of Hikōtai 306 were also deployed. Within the ranks of Kōkūtai 721, 369 pilots of single-seat aircraft and 365 crew members of Betty bombers were killed.
COL B
Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
The two-seat trainer Mitsubishi A6M2-K Type 11 was derived from the Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 fighter, and its prototype was completed at the 21st Naval Air Arsenal at Ōmura Air Base in November 1942. To reduce weight, the cannons were removed from the wings. Some sources state that only the starboard machine gun was retained, while others mention armament consisting of two machine guns. The front cockpit for the student pilot was not equipped with canopy and had folding doors on the sides. Two fins were added to the rear fuselage to improve stability. Production of the A6M2-K at the 21st Naval Air Arsenal began in January 1943 using components from Mitsubishi and, primarily, Nakajima. A total of 218 units were produced there by July 1945. The A6M2-K was also manufactured by Hitachi, which delivered 279 units between May 1944 and July 1945. According to a painting regulation issued in September 1942, training aircraft were painted yellow-orange on all surfaces. Due to this, the national insignia on the underside of the wing were given a white border. The aircraft shown, from the Tsukuba Kōkūtai, was later repainted with a dark green finish on its upper surfaces.
COL C
Kōnoike Kōkūtai, Kōnoike airbase, Japan, 1944
The Kōnoike Kōkūtai was established in mid-February 1944 and conducted training activities until mid-December 1944. Among its instructors were, for example, Warrant Officer Shigeo Sugi-o, who had over 20 victories to his credit, Warrant Officer Momoto Matsumura (13 victories), and Lieutenant Sumio Fukuda (11 victories). The latter two perished in October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf as members of carrier-based fighter units. Already during the fighting in the Philippines, Kōnoike Kōkūtai selected a number of volunteers from its ranks for special attack (Kamikaze) missions. The final phase of training for these Kamikaze pilots was completed in Taiwan. The Kōnoike base had two main runways measuring 1,800 and 1,400 meters in length and also had a number of smaller runways. In mid-February 1945, the airfield was the target of a devastating air raid by U.S. Navy aircraft. Some concrete shelters still survive in the area around the base to this day.
COL D
Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
In July 1943, a regulation was issued that, among other things, mandated that training aircraft deployed in combat operations or based in areas where the enemy was active should be painted like combat aircraft. In practice, this led to the repainting of already-produced A6M2-K trainers. A6M2-K aircraft were also used for target towing during training. The use of numbers on the undersides of A6M2-K aircraft in the Tsukuba Kōkūtai is not photographically confirmed due to the angle on which the available images were taken. However, three-digit numbers on the wings on A6M2s of this unit are confirmed by photographic evidence. Therefore, their use on the A6M2-K is also possible. In February 1945, Tsukuba Kōkūtai was ordered to form Kamikaze units. The training program for these pilots included the following requirements: at least eight pattern flights, a minimum of seven formation flights, at least ten instrument flights, a minimum of ten special attack training flights, at least six flights in darkness, five flights to a designated target, and a minimum of five navigation flights.