BUILT

Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943

This aircraft was among the new ones that

Kōkūtai 802 took over in Japan during December

1942. The top of the main float did not have purge

system cover. At the unit level, the aircraft

received a dark green paint, but the upper part

September 2023

of tail surfaces was left in original color. The

aircraft probably had a late production stencil

on the fuselage. The rudder sported a victory

mark and there was also a horizontal red stripe

on the vertical tail surfaces, which was probably

the unit’s identifying marking. It is likely that the

aircraft took part in the aerial combat on February

13 and 14 in the defense of the Shortland Islands

and Buin, in which the American units suffered

fairly significant losses.

INFO Eduard

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