Strana 50
Kōkūtai 721 Jinrai, Kōnoike airbase, Japan, 1945
Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
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.
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.
KITS 05/2026
INFO Eduard50
May 2026