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Post by alanw on Jul 25, 2012 23:08:09 GMT 12
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Post by Luther Moore on Jul 26, 2012 1:57:49 GMT 12
 Is this the plane you think could be a RNZAF P-40? |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2012 10:17:17 GMT 12
Very interesting to see this from the other side.
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Post by Luther Moore on Jul 26, 2012 13:42:27 GMT 12
I showed this to Justin Taylan (Pacific Wrecks) and he mentioned he had studied these videos.... He wrote- This footage is from "Nippon News" now it is defunct. Postwar, all their news release were acquired by NHK, Japan TV. I have studied these clips, as they are a unique view of the Japanese side of the war, with some amazing footage including wrecked Allied planes, prisoners and other interesting sites. The first clip is about Japanese Army operations on New Britain. It is probably posed footage, filmed in theater or on a patrol. The second clip (3:25) is filmed at Rabaul, January 17, 1944 at Lakunai Airfield. The Zeros are from the 204 Kokutai. The aircraft are a mix of A6M5 and A6M3 Zeros. That mission, they intercepted attacking Allied aircraft from the 13th Air Force and US Navy. The formation of bombers are B-24s and heavy anti-aircraft batteries are seen firing. The flaming plane is unknown, several American planes were lost that mission. The low-level bombers are B-25 Mitchells. This clip is very interesting, because it is very late in the war. Although the Japanese withdrew from Rabaul, aircraft were defending strongly until then and late model Zeros in use. www.pacificwrecks.com/60th/1944/1-44.html#17 |
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Post by alanw on Jul 26, 2012 21:07:13 GMT 12
Is this the plane you think could be a RNZAF P-40? Hi Luther Yes that is the aircraft, going by the white tail feathers and white strips on the upper wings- Pacific roundels are a little hard to make out though. Regards Alan |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2012 21:21:59 GMT 12
The date on the website is 1944, I think by then only the RNZAF would have been using P-40's to attack Rabaul (and only in the first half of that year). So it's almost certainly RNZAF.
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Post by Luther Moore on Jul 26, 2012 21:32:17 GMT 12
I didn't know they were still using P-40's in 44.The only other plane I can think of that would have a similar white tail,white stripes on the wings and the same sort of shape would be a P-39, but it's not American because it has has a roundel on each wing.
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Post by davidd on Jul 28, 2012 12:58:20 GMT 12
From the United States Navy's report "The Reduction of Rabaul" dated 8th June 1944 (as prepared by "South Pacific Force of the United States Pacific Fleet, HQ of the Commander, Office of Naval Air Combat Intelligence", it would appear that Board members are correct in supposing that the only P-40s operating with South Pacific Forces in February 1944 were those of the RNZAF.
According to this report, on 19th February, SOPAC (or, strictly speaking, COMAIRNORSOLS, Commander, Air, Northern Solomons) had the following fighter units in the forward area. Furthest forward, at Piva Yoke on Bougainville, were 6 squadrons of F4Us (228 assigned, 219 available) and one of F6Fs (respective figures 18, 16), and two squadrons of P-40s (RNZAF, 32, 25) and one of P-39s (38, 31) at Torokina. Further south, at Stirling (Treasury Islands) was one squadron of P-38s (21, 16).
On 15th March this strength had increased as follows: Green Island: one squadron of F4Us (21, 21). There were nil aircraft permanently located at Piva Yoke due to enemy shelling (dispersed to south, but regularly transitted through Bougainville on missions); at Torokina: two squadrons of P-40s (RNZAF, 33, 29), part of one squadron of P-39s (14, 13), one squadron of F4Us (20, 11), part of one squadron of F6Fs (4, 0). Further south at Barakoma were 2 squadrons of F4Us (37, 35) and one of F6Fs (25, 25). At Ondonga (New Georgia) was one squadron of F4Us (18, 18). In the rear at Stirling was part of an F6F squadron (12, 12), part of a P-39 squadron (22, 22), and one squadron of P-38s (21, 12). There are further tables of strengths for 15th April and 15th May, but these are not of relevance in this discussion. Noteworthy in the above is the relatively poor availability of the P-38s, a problem which was actually improving with the passage of time. However what is NOT evident from these tables is the presence of Allied fighter aircraft from the South West Pacific Area (under General Douglas McArthur) which included several P-40 squadrons (USAAF, RAAF, NEIF), some of which were probably based on western tip of New Britain where the Americans landed in December 1943. However I am not aware of their employment over Rabaul, which was left chiefly to the NORSOLS forces because if their proximity. The SWPA fighters were probably more involved in attacking the Japanese ground forces impeding the way of their own troops' advance, although I am only guessing here. However the photo still of the P-40 looks every bit the typical RNZAF P-40N to me, although USAAF P-40s used identical theatre markings, but with American stars of course. SWPA (including RAAF) aircraft also used similar theatre markings on single-engine aircraft (including P-39s, P-40s, P-47s, Spitfire Boomerang, Wirraway, and even Vengeances) because of identification confusion worries with Japanese aircraft.
David D
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Post by flyjoe180 on Jul 30, 2012 16:43:58 GMT 12
A very interesting video indeed, and what must be a rare film to be documented from the Japanese side.
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