Summary The Zero, a Japanese WWII fighter, was an IJN asset, often confused with the IJAAS's "Oscar." During Pearl Harbor, Zeros shot down 8 American military planes and 3 American civilian planes, killed civilian firefighters, and exhibited deadly weaponry. Nine Zeros were lost in the Pearl Harbor attack, destroyed by US forces, with some remnants preserved in museums and private collections.
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero (Allied reporting name "Zeke") was Imperial Japan's most famous and iconic fighter plane of the Second World War. As I noted in a recent previous Simple flying article, "Zero" practically became a generic label for WWII Japanese fighter planes in general, even though the actual Zero was strictly an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; 大日本帝国海軍/ Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun ) asset as opposed to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS; 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊/ Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai ). Japan's post-WWII naval and air forces are known as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ; 海上自衛隊/ Kaijō Jieitai ) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force ( JASDF ; 航空自衛隊, Kōkū Jieitai ) respectively.
The IJAAF's "Oscar" was ofttimes mistaken for the Imperial Japanese Navy's Zero. But the Oscar was a distinctive fighter plane in its own right. The Zero was first "blooded" in combat in the skies over Nationalist China in September 1940, but it was during the " Day of Infamy ," i.
e. the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that Americans -- military and civilian alike -- first experienced the brunt of the Zero's deadly capabilities. Although the majority of the American matériel losses at Pearl Harbor -- including the sinking of five US Navy battleships -- were inflicted by bombers, namely the Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers and Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers.
" However, the Zeke certainly inflicted its own fair of death and destruction that day as well. Simple Flying now examines the Zero's role at Pearl. A6M's Pearl participation stats and operational performance Out of the 353 warbirds that launched from six IJN aircraft carriers -- Akagi , Kaga , Sōryū , Hiryū (these first four carriers would all end up being sunk at the Battle of Midway six months later), Shōkaku , and Zuikaku -- that fateful Sunday morning, 79 of them were Zeros, with 43 participating in the first attack wave (two failed to launch) and 36 taking part in the second wave (one aborted.
The Zero pilots were tasked with the following: Providing fighter escort to the "Kates" and "Vals;" Strafing American warplanes, hangars, and any personnel at Ford Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Barber's Point, and Kaneohe The Japanese started the Pacific War with some of the best-in-class aircraft but ended the war building crude, disposable Kamikaze aircraft. Learn more about WWII aircraft carriers and their planes (Allied and Axis alike). Thus, the Zeros accounted for at least some of the 151 American warplanes that were destroyed on the ground during the attack.
In addition, they accounted for three American fighter planes and two Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in air-to-air combat (one of the SBDs may have been the victim of a mid-air collision with its opponent near Ewa Field). In addition, out of nine civilian aircraft that happened to be flying in the vicinity of Pearl during the time of the attack, three suffered the misfortune of being shot down by the Zero drivers. In addition, at least one civilian firefighter, Fireman Harry Tuck Lee Pang of Honolulu Fire Department Engine 6, was killed by aerial machine gun fire (most likely a Zero, though a Val or a Kate could've conceivably been the culprit).
In short, the A6M used its two cowling-mounted .7 mm (0.303 caliber) Type 97 aircraft machine guns and two wing-mounted 20 mm (0.
787 in) Type 99-1 Mk.3 cannon to deadly effect that day. Zeros downed over Pearl Though the Pearl Harbor raid was a smashing victory for Imperial Japan, it wasn't a completely one-sided affair.
The Japanese lost 29 planes shot down, five midget submarines sunk or grounded, and, depending upon which source you consult, anywhere from 55 to 129 men killed in action (the higher KIA estimate comes from the National WWII Museum via the US Census Bureau ). Out of those 29 IJN planes shot down, nine of them were Zeros. According to the J-Aircraft.
Com website in a section titled The Lost Pearl Harbor Attack Aircraft and authored by James F. Lansdale: " Three pilots were lost during the first wave attack, PO1c Takashi HIRANO, from the carrier AKAGI along with KAGA-based pilots PO2c Seinoshin SANO and PO2c Toru HANEDA, did not return. Six Zero fighter pilots were lost in the second wave attack, including Lt.
Fusata IIDA, PO1c Shun-Ichi ATSUMI, and PO2c Saburo ISHII, all members of the same hiko shotai (element) from the carrier SORYU and all three were reported killed in combat. In addition, PO1c Shigenori NISHIKAICHI, from the carrier HIRYU, crash-landed and was killed on the island of NI’IHAU. Warrant Officer Ippei GOTO, along with his companion from the carrier KAGA, PO1c Tomio INENAGA, went missing in action.
" The majority of those nine dead Zekes were killed by naval and ground-based antiaircraft fire (AKA "ack-ack," "triple-A"), as was true of the Japanese dive bombers and torpedo bomber losses. However, at least one of them was bagged in air-to-air combat by US Army Air Forces (USAAF) P-40B Tomahwk pilot 2nd Lieutenant (later Major) George Schwartz Welch (May 10, 1918 – October 12, 1954). Where are they now? There is indeed an intact Zero on static display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (formerly known as the Pacific Aviation Museum) on Ford Island; however, according to Maka Tours LLC's Pearl Harbor blog : "Although its paint scheme is identical to the plane that crash landed on the island of Niihau after the Pearl Harbor attack, this particular craft fought in the Solomon Islands in 1943.
" Though nowhere near as famous s the Mitsubishi Zero, the Kawasaki "Frank" might've been Imperial Japan's best WW2 fighter plane. As for remnants of Zeros that actually fought at Pearl Harbor, Mr. Lansdale adds this regarding the so-called "HIRANO Zero": "Today only four artifacts from the HIRANO Zero are known.
Two are in private collections and two are in museums. The oval piece below is from the Todd PEDERSON collection and is believed to have been cut from the cockpit area, probably one of the upper deck M/G service panels..
." "The external color has been analyzed with at least three colors being discernible in different places on the surface. These are 5 Y 6/2, 7.
5 Y 5.5/3, and 7.5 Y 5/2.
The interior surface is 5 GY 4/3...
The top line of the data stencil, shown below, was souvenired by Charles P. JONES when he was stationed at Fort Kamehameha ." The pictures alluded to in the above-quoted passage are not included herein due to copyright concerns; however, they can be viewed via the hyperlink to Mr.
Lansdale's article included under the " Zeros lost at Pearl " subheading. "It is remarkably well preserved and pristine! It was donated by Col. JONES after the war to the Lee County Historical Society Museum in Loachapoka, Alabama, were [sic] it is now on display.
..The interior color is aotake and the exterior has been reported to be Munsell 7.
5 Y 5/2.5. Verification of this color reading and further studies are planned for this item.
.." "The NMUSAF in Dayton during the 1990's [sic] had a piece of the HIRANO rudder fabric on display along with the tuxedo pants worn by Ken TAYLOR in air combat on 7 December 1941 over Oahu.
The color of the rudder fabric was reported to have been 10 Y 5/1.5. Another piece of rudder fabric with the stenciled serial number is contained in another private collection, however the color analysis of this piece is still pending.
" Mitsubishi's Ki-51 "Sonia" wasn't as famous as their Zero. But the Ki-51 performed a variety of missions for the entirely of WW2..
