The use of P-40E's for Japanese

[Grimcall]

Greetings while I was surfing the web and reading up on history of the P-40 for my daily mission of learning I came across an interesting web page on teh P-40E's that were used against the US by the Japanese. the web page http://www.j-aircraft.com/captured/c...ptured_p40.htm was an interesting read on the subject of catured P-40E's. I do not know if anyone brought this up for dicusion here but I thought I would through it out to my fellow pilots. Maybe some games can be set up with the use of P-40E's on the japanese side and see how things go.


Grimcall

[Jager]

While it's certainly common for captured aircraft to be test flown, using them in combat was quite rare in WW2.
The few cases I know of were the German use of B-17s, and an Italian flying a captured P-38.
Karl

[Grimcall]

In the articale on the web they mention atlease one use of the P-40E by the Japanese from japanese documentation. I do not know how true reading stuff from the web is sometimes. When I read teh article it mentioned about the Japanese using it at lease ones on a strike on a electric power facility at Rangoon but were attacked by the defenting 3rd Pursuit Squadron. That is why I brought it up as a possible scenario for a game.

[Attila57]

There's this shor tvideo where Japanese soldiers look into cockpit of captured American Curtiss P-40 fighter plane at Atsugi Airdrome in Japan

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65...lars-on-tripod

"Various Activities at Atsugi Airdrome near the city of Yamato in Japan. Two Japanese soldiers look into cockpit of a captured American P-40 fighter plane, which has been repainted in Japanese markings.. Steel structure of hangar in the background. Enlisted man looks through binoculars on tripod near Base Operations headquarters. Sign seen reads, 'Atsugi Tokyo Airdrome, Base Operations, 3rd Airdrome Sqdn.'

I don't know if it's the Internet article you found:

http://www.j-aircraft.com/captured/c...ptured_p40.htm

[wargamer]

Interesting item. I would doubt it as what it is described. A piece of Japanese film, that has English writing in it? And here I thought the Japanese were very tight about using metals other than truly necessary. I would wonder if the film was taken at a captured field in the Philippines or in the southeast asia area, and those "hangers" are whats left of an allied field after the outer area was burned off in a strike.

There's this shor tvideo where Japanese soldiers look into cockpit of captured American Curtiss P-40 fighter plane at Atsugi Airdrome in Japan

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65...lars-on-tripod

"Various Activities at Atsugi Airdrome near the city of Yamato in Japan. Two Japanese soldiers look into cockpit of a captured American P-40 fighter plane, which has been repainted in Japanese markings.. Steel structure of hangar in the background. Enlisted man looks through binoculars on tripod near Base Operations headquarters. Sign seen reads, 'Atsugi Tokyo Airdrome, Base Operations, 3rd Airdrome Sqdn.'

I don't know if it's the Internet article you found:

http://www.j-aircraft.com/captured/c...ptured_p40.htm

[Attila57]

Uhmmm.... I agree.

If you look at the single frames (enlarging them) here is a coincidence with the last photo of the other link that I mentioned. It could be a propaganda film with people dressing japanes uniforms taken in a captured airfield. But the planes could be some of the original flyable japanes P-40E.

Attachment 99858

[Baldrick62]

I would doubt it as what it is described. A piece of Japanese film, that has English writing in it? And here I thought the Japanese were very tight about using metals other than truly necessary. I would wonder if the film was taken at a captured field in the Philippines or in the southeast asia area, and those "hangers" are whats left of an allied field after the outer area was burned off in a strike.

Well, from the description with the video it was taken in Sep 45 (post-VJ Day), so signs written in English for occupying Allied troops are quite possible, though the film could be a splice of 2 time-separated events with Japanese troops looking over the P40s and Allied troops doing the bino shot. Alternatively, the Japanese could be curious members of the IJA (Atsugi was an IJN Air Station): 'FEAF Arrives in Japan - On 28 August 1945, an advance team of communications specialists flew into Atsugi Airfield... . Protected only by units of the Imperial Japanese Army, Col Blake and this stalwart band set up the control tower and communications equipment necessary for the occupation forces to land.' http://www.3rdattackgroup.org/atsugi-air-base.php

Atsugi Air Base in 1945; if not metal those are some impressively large wooden/canvas hangars!



http://www.flyingknights.net/atsu/49fgatsu.htm



'This MYX6 was found by U.S. troops in a hangar at Atsugi Air Base, Japan in September 1945.'