Japanese Army Navy

Did the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and the Imperial Japanese Navy Air
Force operate any of the same make of aircraft?

As a rule, no. The requirements were quite different up to 1941, when
they sudden moved closer together. (That's why the Nakjima Ki-43
Hayabusa was suddenly yanked off the shelf and put into service: the
army was told that it required a 500-mile-range fighter for the Malaya
invasion.)

I think both services operated Japan-built DC-2s and 3s, but even here
I think of the Douglases as navy planes. The army used a Japan-built
Lockheed Super Electra for dropping paratroops, and used bombers for
heavy cargo.

Army planes had French throttles: you pulled the throttle toward you
for full power; the navy followed English-American style. So it would
take some retraining before a pilot could fly an airplane from the
other service.

Army and navy radios couldn't communicate with one another. An army
machine-gun bullet wouldn't fit a navy machine gun nominally of the
same caliber. They made the famously contentious U.S. army and navy
look like models of interservice cooperation.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

Well, there was the Zero for one.

The A6M Zero wasn't in service with the Japanese army air force.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa 'oscar' was very similar in shape, and also used
the same engines

In fairness to the army plane, the Hayabusa came first. The army
turned it down because of its perceived weaknesses in dogfighting.

Then the Zero was having trouble meeting specifications. So Mitsubishi
ditched its engine and borrowed the one Nakajima had developed for the
Hayabusa, and which of course was available since the Ki-43 wasn't
going into production.

Then came 1941 and the Malaya invasion plans. The army dusted off the
Ki-43, solved its slow-speed maneuver problem with "butterfly" flaps,
and put it into production. Only 100 had been built by Dec 7/8, and
only two fighter groups had been equipped with it.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

Something fairly close to it. Right-wing Japanese nationalists aligned
with
parts of the Imperial Japanese Army had been using assasination and
threats
of violence against political leaders thoughout the 1930s. In roughly
1940-41, Admiral Yamamoto was rumored to be a target of assasination
efforts for arguing against war with the United States. In some versions
of
the story, that's how he ended up in command of the Japanese fleet in
December 1941; his bosses decided he was safer at sea than in a Tokyo
office.


To be precise. safer on the Battleship Yamato, which he used as his HQ



--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"If brave men and women never died, there would be nothing
special about bravery." -- Andy Rooney (attributed)

"av8r" wrote in message
...


The IJN and the Japanese Army were deadly rivals in the power
struggles that characterised Japanese politcs of the 20's, 30's and
40's its unlikley they would ever co-operate on anything.

Hi Keith

The J.N.A.F. and J.A.A.F. did in fact co-operate out of necessity. The
Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui (Rigorous Sword) short-range interceptor was a
prime example. The rocket propelled aircraft was based broadly on the
Messerschmitt Me-163B Komet design, as the Japanese only had one simple
instruction manual to use as a guide.

The J.A.A.F. recieved a samll number of MXY7 Akigusa (Autumn Grass)
gliders that had been built by the Maeda Koku Kenkyusho company to be
used as trainers for the J8M1.

The J.A.A.F. designation for their development of the J8M1 was Ki.200.
After the Army Aero-Technical Research Institue (Rikugan Kokugijutsu
Kenkyujo)got involved, it was developed as the Ki.202.

There were five prototypes of the J8M1 built, but only the first one
built flew. It made its maiden flight at Yokosuka Naval Aeronautical
Engineering Arsenal on the 7th of July 1945. It crashed after reaching
an altitude of 1,300 feet in a steep climb. It was determined that the
accident was a result of the rocket motor failing. The hydrogen
peroxide shifted to the rear of the partially empty tank which in turn
cut off the fuel supply, and owing to air entering a fuel pipe and
causing a blockage.

Although the J.A.A.F. chose the aircraft as the priority interceptor
project, no prototype was completed by the time Japan surrendered.

Cheers...Chris


Right but that was at the end of the war when all else had failed
for most of the time they were deadly rivals. Yamamoto had to
be sent back to sea in 1941 to avoid assassination by the army !

Keith

"Eric Moore" wrote in message
om...
"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...
"JDupre5762" wrote in message
...
Did the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and the Imperial Japanese
Navy
Air
Force operate any of the same make of aircraft? It seems to me that
that
at
least with some combat aircraft the two services might have
economically
ordered from the same production lines and saved some money and opened
up
some
factories for producing more of other types of aircraft?

John Dupre'

The IJN and the Japanese Army were deadly rivals in the power
struggles that characterised Japanese politcs of the 20's, 30's and
40's its unlikley they would ever co-operate on anything.

That said the requirements of shipborne aircraft tend to vary from those
of land based aircraft and the USN and USAAF used different aircraft
too as did the RAF and FAA.

Keith


"Deadly rivals"? Did the Army and IJN do assassinations on each
other
or something?

Yes indeed they did, assassination was a prime tool of Japanese
politics of the time. Here are just a few incidents

May 15 "May Incident" (5.15)Assassination of Prime Minister
Inukai Tsuyoshi by Navy-inspired extremists.

1934 Nov. "Military Academy Incident"assassination and coup plot by cadets
discovered

1935 August General Nagata Tetsuzan cut down by a young army officer
1936 Feb. "February 26th Incident" (2.26)led by junior field grade officers
in capital area with strong civilian inspiration seize area around Imperial
Palace and downtown Tokyo. PM Okada escaped, Grand Chamberlain Suzuki
wounded, Lord Privy Seal and former-PM Saitô and Finance Min. Takahashi
killed. Collapses after the Emperor demands they be labeled rebels and loyal
army units and the navy's big guns are arrayed against them. Most rebels
executed without public trial.

Keith

"Leadfoot" wrote in message
news:qHOUa.18168$u51.6146@fed1read05...

Something fairly close to it. Right-wing Japanese nationalists aligned
with
parts of the Imperial Japanese Army had been using assasination and
threats
of violence against political leaders thoughout the 1930s. In roughly
1940-41, Admiral Yamamoto was rumored to be a target of assasination
efforts for arguing against war with the United States. In some
versions
of
the story, that's how he ended up in command of the Japanese fleet in
December 1941; his bosses decided he was safer at sea than in a Tokyo
office.


To be precise. safer on the Battleship Yamato, which he used as his HQ


IRC his first flagship on returning to sea was the Nagato as the Yamato
was still fitting out.

Keith

Hi Keith

I realize this was a last ditch effort but it counters your claim that
they did not co-operate on anything.

Cheers...Chris

"av8r" wrote in message
...
Hi Keith

I realize this was a last ditch effort but it counters your claim that
they did not co-operate on anything.

Cheers...Chris


There are exceptions to every rule.

Keith

There are exceptions to every rule.

Keith

"Absolutely!!!"