However, it lacked armour and other protective features and was not allowed to fly at speeds greater than 600 km/h due to structural stability.

The machine was inducted into the armament in 1940 and received the

official designation Rei shiki Kanjō sentōki (Type 0 carrier fighter), with

the “zero” being derived from the imperial year 2600 (1940). Japanese pilots usually abbreviated it as “Rei-Sen”. This is also the origin of the name

“Zero” often used by Allied pilots instead of the official code name, derived from the male name “Zeke”. As part of the Navy's aircraft designation

system, the new machine was given the type designation A6M, where A6

meant that it was the sixth type of carrier fighter to enter service, and M

stood for the Mitsubishi company name.

Zeros, specifically the A6M2 Model 11, had been successfully deployed on

the Chinese battlefield since the summer of 1940, but their existence eluded Western intelligence because no one wanted to believe reports from

China that suggested the Japanese had a world-class fighter. Further

modifications were made during 1941, the main one being folding wing tips

to enable easier handling on aircraft carriers. With the A6M2 Model 21

fighter modified in this way, Japan entered the war with the US and other

Western nations. Mitsubishi needed to produce other aircraft in addition

to the Zero, so the Nakajima company also began licensed production in

late 1941.

Zeros from the attack on Pearl Harbor

The colors of Japanese aircraft from the Second World War, and especially Zero fighters, has been the subject of long and complex research both

in Japan and abroad. Our main guide to the selection of decal colors and

recommended modeling paint shades is Nicholas Millman's publication

“Painting the Early Zero-Sen, A Primer for Modellers & Artists”. We highly

recommend everyone to read it. For example, it is a great guide to explaining the use of the J3 Ameirō paint that Zera was painted with, as well as

understanding its appearance in quite different shades.

For the shade of the hinomaru we chose a lighter variant of red than is

usual among kit manufacturers. The color did darken over time, but the

Zeros attacking Pearl Harbor were relatively new machines. We based

this on Millman's publication and also on the shade of red on parts of the

B5N bomber in the Arizona Memorial collections.

It is believed that the Zeroes involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor came

only from Mitsubishi production. The Nakajima company did not produce

its first licensed Zeros until November 1941, and the company's machines

did not reach combat units until the spring of 1942. Therefore, the colour

details are based on the specifics of the Mitsubishi Zeros as explained

by N. Millman. Nevertheless, we recommend that photographs of specific machines are also used, for example with regard to the design of

the warning stripes on the main landing gear covers. According to the

photographs of several machines involved in the Pearl Harbor raid (AI156, AII-159 and AII-168), it cannot be ruled out that the inner surface of the

main landing gear cover was painted with Aotake paint, not the grey paint

typical of Mitsubishi machines.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Zero fighters were marked with

colored stripes on the fuselage and code markings on the vertical tail surfaces. The letter in the code identified the order of the respective Kōkū

Sentai, while the Roman numeral indicated the order of the aircraft carrier

within that Kōkū Sentai.

Aircraft of the 1st Kōkū Sentai:

- Akagi: one red stripe on the fuselage, red AI code

- Kaga: two red stripes on the fuselage, red code AII

Aircraft of the 2. Kōkū Sentai

- Soryu: one blue stripe on the fuselage, red BI code

- Hiryū: two blue stripes on the fuselage, red BII code

Aircraft of the 5. Kōkū Sentai

- Shōkaku: one white stripe on fuselage, red EI code

- Zuikaku: two white stripes on fuselage, red EII code

For all Zeroes of aircraft carrier Shōkaku, it is likely that the white stripe

on the fuselage and the command stripes on the tail surfaces were outlined in red. Some photographs taken from a distance are not sharp enough to show the outlines clearly. The images are often from newsreels.

The command stripes on the tail surfaces depicted this functional classification:

- Three stripes: the Hikōtaichō, the Group Leader of the Air Group on

the aircraft carrier, under whom all squadrons with different types on

board could fall. Organizationally, he commanded all aviation personnel.

In combat action, he led the formation of the various types of aircraft of

the respective Kōkū Sentai. However, at the time of the attack on Pearl

INFO Eduard - December 2021

Photo: Shizuo Fukui

HISTORY

The Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers Zuikaku (in front), Kaga (on the right) and Akagi are heading

for Pearl Harbor in November 1941 before the official declaration of war with American forces.

Harbor, for example, the Akagi had its own Hikōtaichō for each of its three

squadrons.

- Two stripes: the Buntaichō, the Division Officer leading formation of six to

nine aircraft (Chútai). Larger aircraft carriers usually had two officers with

the Buntaichō function for one type of aircraft, senior and junior.

- One stripe: Shōtaichō, leader of the three-plane formation.

Conclusion

During the two waves of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, 21 US Navy

ships were sunk or damaged, but 18 were recovered or repaired and returned to service. For example, the badly damaged battleship USS Nevada

was combat deployed in October 1942.

The USS Enterprise, as one of the carriers that escaped the raid on Pearl

Harbor, fought in the Battle of Midway six months later and participated

in the sinking of four of the six carriers that participated in the attack on

Pearl Harbor.

In the early months of the war in the Pacific, the Americans and their allies

realized how much they had underestimated their Japanese adversaries.

One of the main symbols of this sobering realization was the Zero fighter,

which had developed a reputation as a nearly invincible adversary early

in the war.

Although many in the US feared that war with Japan might occur in late

1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise. As a result, the majority of

the population came to support U.S. involvement in the war, and American

soldiers fighting in the Pacific heard the words “Remember Pearl Harbor”

many times in the years to come.

Acknowledgement

Author would like to thank to Jan Kaše, Nick Millman and Ron Werneth for

their help in preparing this article.

Sources

FUCHIDA M.: Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's

Story

HATA I., IZAWA Y.: Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II

LUNDSTROM J. B.: The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl

Harbor to Midway

LUNDSTROM J. B.: First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942

MIKESH R.: Zero: Combat and Development History of Japan's Legendary

Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter

MILLMAN N.: A6M Zero-sen Aces 1940-42

MILLMAN N.: Painting the Early Zero-Sen

Model Art No 378: Pearl Harbor

SMITH C., LAURIER J.: Pearl Harbor 1941: The day of infamy

WERNETH R.: Beyond Pearl Harbor: The Untold Stories of Japan's Naval

Airmen

YOSHIMURA A.: Zero Fighter

jacar.go.jp

j-aircraft.com

pacificwrecks.com

eduard

5