Mitsubishi G3M Nell

The Mitsubishi G3M was a Japanese bomber used during World War II. In terms of the latter, the G3M was originally designed as a model without any form of defensive weaponry or machine guns, but purely as a bomber craft, with its high-altitude performance being regarded sufficient to evade enemy anti-aircraft guns and its high speed in combination with the planned high performance Mitsubishi A5M fighter envisaged as an armed escort being considered sufficient to counter any form of enemy fighters. Even in the low-speed, low-level role of torpedo bomber, the superior fighter escort - combined with the G3M's high speed - was considered sufficient against any form of ship-based AA guns or carrier-based fighters.

The G3M first saw combat in Japan's expansionist campaigns on the Chinese mainland in what became known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, where the G3M was able to exploit its long-range capability. When the Pacific War erupted in 1941, after the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, the G3M was by this time considered to be antiquated but still 3 front-line units (the 22nd to 24th Koku Sentai) were operating a total of 204 G3M2s in four Kokutai (Naval Air Corps) in the central Pacific and of these 54 aircraft from the Takao Kokutai were deployed from Formosa in the opening of the Battle of the Philippines.

The G3M was famous for taking part in the sinking of two British capital ships with the more advanced Mitsubishi G4M "Betty", on 10 December 1941. "Nells" from the Genzan Kokutai provided important support during the attack on the HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse (Force Z) near the Malayan coast. Prince of Wales and Repulse were the first two battleships ships ever sunk exclusively by air attack while at sea during war. A G3M of the Mihoro Air Group was involved in a dogfight with a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat of No. 205 Squadron RAF near the Anambas Islands on 25 December 1941, in which the Catalina was shot down.




From 1943, the majority of "Nells" served as glider tugs, aircrew and paratroop trainers and for transporting high-ranking officers and VIPs between metropolitan islands, occupied territories and combat fronts until the end of the war.


General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Length: 16.45 m (53 ft 11½ in)
• Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
• Height: 3.68 m (12 ft ⅞in)
• Wing area: 75 m² (807 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4,965 kg (10,923 lb)
• Loaded weight: 8,000 kg (17,600 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Mitsubishi Ha-45 Kinsei radial engine, 1,075 hp (791 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 375 km/h (203 kn, 233 mph)
• Cruise speed: 280 km/h (151 kn, 174 mph)
• Range: 4,400 km (2,730 mi)
• Service ceiling: 9,200 m (30,200 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6 m/s (1180 ft/min)

Armament

• 1× 20 mm Type 99 cannon in rear dorsal turret
• 4× 7.7 (.303 in) Type 92 machine gun
• 800 kg (1,764 lb) bombs or
• 1× aerial torpedo

** Mitsubishi G3M Nell - Warbird Fare

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Junkers Ju 52

The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. The Ju 52 was similar to the company's previous Junkers W33, although larger. In 1930, Ernst Zindel and his team designed the Ju 52 at the Junkers works at Dessau. The aircraft's unusual corrugated duralumin metal skin, pioneered by Junkers during World War I, strengthened the whole structure.

The Ju 52 had a low cantilever wing, the mid-section of which was built into the fuselage, forming its underside. It was formed around four pairs of circular cross section duralumin spars with a corrugated surface that provided torsional stiffening. A narrow control surface, with its outer section functioning as the aileron, and the inner section functioning as a flap, ran along the whole trailing edge of each wing panel, well separated from it. The inner flap section lowered the stalling speed and the arrangement became known as the Doppelflügel, or "double wing".

In 1934, Junkers received orders to produce a bomber version of the Ju 52/3m to serve as interim equipment for the bomber units of the still secret Luftwaffe until it could be replaced by the purpose designed Dornier Do 11. Two bomb-bays were fitted, capable of holding up to 1,500 kg (3,300 ) of bombs, while defensive armament consisted of two 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns, one in an open dorsal position, and one in a retractable "dustbin" ventral position, which could be manually winched down from the fuselage to protect the aircraft from attacks from below. The bomber could be easily converted to serve in the transport role. The Dornier Do 11 was a failure, however, and the Junkers ended up being acquired in much larger numbers than at first expected, with the type being the Luftwaffe's main bomber until more modern aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 86 and Dornier Do 17 entered into service.

The Ju 52 first saw military service in the Spanish Civil War against the Spanish Republic. It was one of the first aircraft delivered to the fraction of the army in revolt in July 1936 as both a bomber and transport. In the former role, it participated in the bombing of Guernica. No more of the bomber variant were built after this war, though it was again used as a bomber during the bombing of Warsaw during the Invasion of Poland of September 1939. The Luftwaffe then relied on the Ju 52 for transport roles during World War II, including paratroop drops.


General characteristics

• Crew: 3 (two pilots, radio operator)
• Capacity: 18 troops or 12 litter patients
• Length: 18.90 m (62 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 29.25 m (95 ft 10 in)
• Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 110.5 m² (1,190 ft²)
• Empty weight: 6,510 kg (14,325 lb)
• Loaded weight: 9,200 kg (20,270 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 10,990 kg (24,200 lb)
• Powerplant: 3× BMW 132T radial engines, 533 kW (715 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 265 km/h (165 mph) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 211 km/h (132 mph)
• Range: 870 km (540 mi)
• Service ceiling: 5,490 m (18,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 17 minutes to 3,050 m (10,000 ft)

Armament

• 1 × 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun in a dorsal position
• 2 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns
• 454 kg (1,000 lb) of bombs

** Junkers Ju 52 - Warbird Fare

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Mitsubishi G4M Betty

The Mitsubishi G4M was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name of Betty. The Allies usually gave Japanese fighters and floatplanes "male" names, while giving "female" names to bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. These did not come into general use until mid-1943.

The G4M had a range of over 3,700 miles achieved by structural lightness and an almost total disregard for armor protection. This proved to be its weakness when Allied opposition increased in the later stages of World War II.

As a torpedo bomber, the G4M's most notable use was in the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse off the coast of Malaya on 10 December 1941. They carried out the attacks alongside the older Japanese bombers, the Mitsubishi G3M "Nells" which were doing high-level bombing runs. The battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse were the first two capital ships ever to be sunk exclusively by air attack during a war, while at sea.




When used for medium to high-altitude bombing against stationary land targets like a supply depots, seaports, or airfields, "ease of interception" was another matter entirely. Using its long range and high speed, the G4M could appear from any direction, and then be gone before many fighters could intercept them. The 20 mm cannon in the tail turret was much heavier armament than commonly installed in bombers, making dead astern attacks very dangerous for the attacking enemy fighters. Sometimes, assuming they did not catch fire in the first place after being hit in the wings by flak from the ground or machine gun bullets from enemy fighter planes, G4Ms also proved to be able to remain airborne despite being badly shot up. For example, after 751 Kokutai's attack during the Battle of Rennell Island, three out of four survivors (of 11 aircraft that went to attack) returned flying on one engine only. Near the end of the war, the "Betty" was used as a common kamikaze-carrying and launching platform, and was the usual aircraft for carrying the Ohka kamikaze rocket aircraft.


General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Length: 19.97 m (65 ft 6¼ in)
• Wingspan: 24.89 m (81 ft 7¾ in)
• Height: 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 78.13 m² (840.9 ft²)
• Airfoil: Mitsubishi type
• Empty weight: 6,741 kg (14,860 lb)
• Loaded weight: 9,500 kg (20,944 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,860 kg (28,350 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Mitsubishi MK4A-11 "Kasei" 14 cyls radial engines, 1,141 kW each
• Propellers: 4-bladed Hamilton Standard licensed Sumitomo constant speed variable-pitch

Performance

• Maximum speed: 428 km/h (230 kn, 265 mph)
• Cruise speed: 315 km/h (175 kn, 196 mph)
• Stall speed: 120 km (75 mph)
• Range: 2,852 km
• Service ceiling: 8,500 m (27,890 ft)
• Rate of climb: 550 m/min (1,800 ft/min)

Armament

• 1× 20 mm Type 99 cannon (tail turret),
• 4× 7.7 mm Type 92 machine gun
• 1× 858 kg (1,892 lb) Type 91 Kai-3 aerial torpedo or
• 1× 800 kg (1,764 lb) bomb or 4× 250 kg (551 lb) bombs

** Mitsubishi G4M Betty - Warbird Fare

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Armstrong Whitworth

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War while the others were the Vickers Wellington and the Handley Page Hampden. It took part in the first RAF bombing raid on German territory, and remained an integral part of the early British bomber offensive until the introduction of four-engined "heavies". Its front line service included performing maritime reconnaissance duties with Coastal Command, while also being employed in the second line roles of glider-tug, trainer and transport aircraft.

Designed by John Lloyd, the Chief Designer of Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft to meet Air Ministry Specification issued in 1934 for a heavy night bomber. The AW.38 design was a development of the Armstrong Whitworth AW.23 bomber-transport design that had lost out to the Bristol Bombay for specification C.26/31 partly due to its Armstrong Siddeley Tiger engines.

As Lloyd was unfamiliar with the use of flaps on a large heavy monoplane, they were initially omitted. To compensate, the mid-set wings were set at a high angle of incidence (8.5°) to confer good takeoff and landing performance. Although flaps were included late in the design stage, the wing remained unaltered. As a result, the Whitley flew with a pronounced nose-down attitude, resulting in considerable drag. This "nose down" attitude was also seen in the design of the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign pre-war airliner.

The Mk.III introduced hydraulically actuated doors which greatly improved bombing accuracy. To aim bombs, the bombardier ("Bomb Aimer" in RAF terminology) opened a hatch in the nose of the aircraft which extended the bombsight out of the fuselage, but to everyone's comfort, the Mk IV replaced this hatch with a slightly extended transparency.

The Whitley first entered service with No. 10 Squadron in March 1937, replacing Handley Page Heyford biplanes, and by the outbreak of the Second World War, seven squadrons were operational with the Whitley. The majority were flying Whitley IIIs or IVs as the Whitley V had only just been introduced.

With Bomber Command, Whitleys flew 8,996 operations, dropped 9,845 tons of bombs with 269 aircraft lost in action. The Whitley was retired from all front line service in late 1942 but it continued to operate as a transport for troops and freight, as well as for paratroop training and towing gliders.


General characteristics

• Crew: 5
• Length: 70 ft 6 in (21.49 m)
• Wingspan: 84 ft (25.60 m)
• Height: 15 ft (4.57 m)
• Wing area: 1,137 ft² (106 m²)
• Empty weight: 19,300 lb (8,768 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 33,500 lb (15,196 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Merlin X liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,145 hp (855 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 200 kn (230 mph, 370 km/h) at 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
• Range: 1,430 nmi (1,650 mi, 2,650 km)
• Ferry range: 2,100 nmi (2,400 mi, 3,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 26,000 ft (7,900 m)
• Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
• Max wing loading: 29.5 lb/ft² (143 kg/m²)
• Minimum power/mass: 0.684 hp/lb (112 W/kg)

Armament

• 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in nose turret
• 4 × .303 in Browning machine guns in tail turret
• 12 × 250 lb (113 kg) bombs and
• 2 × 500 lb (227 kg) bombs or
• 1 × 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb could be carried
  

** Armstrong Whitworth - Warbird Fare

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