World War II Database

1. BILL says:
23 Feb 2009 10:17:39 AM

Info above photo: Ki-43-II Hayabusas of the 2nd.Chutai (red diagonal tail stripe) 25th.Sentai. The Oscar was operated by the Japanese Army Air Force. Operators: Japanese Army, Thailand, Indonesia, Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, Nationalist China,Communist China and France

2.  BILL says:
22 Mar 2009 04:24:32 PM

Oscars in Arizona! While operating his Air Museum in Mesa, Arizona. Mr.Doug Champlin learned about several Japanese Army fighters having been abandoned by the 54th Sentai in the Kurile Islands in 1945. In 1995 he imported the remains of four Nakajima fighter's. One fighter was flying in 2006. The Oscar is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R1830 that nearly duplicates the original Nakajima engine. The other Oscar's are up for sale.

3.  Bill says:
27 Dec 2009 05:07:03 PM

Information above photo:

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusas of the 2nd. Chutai,
25th. Sentai w/ Red Diagonal Stripe,on Tail. Location: Hankow,China Pilot Kyushiro Ohtake
December 1943.

4. Bill says:
30 Dec 2009 04:41:34 PM

The Nakajima Ki-43 (Oscar) shot down more Allied aircraft, than any other Japanese
fighter.
Nakajima built 5,919 aircraft. Post-War use
Communist China captured (5) aircraft and
used them until 1952.
Noth Korea also operated the aircraft into the 1950's.

5.  Bill says:
28 Oct 2010 09:14:17 AM

After World War II the Japanese abandoned
their airfields and other types of military equipment.
The aircraft that were left, sat inoperative for months the new owners of the newly formed
Countries, which had been under Japanese control, found themselves with an Air force
in name only.

After inspecting many of the aircraft,it was found, that many were in needed of extensive
refurbishing. Teams were formed to salvage
aircraft, spare-parts, support equipment,
maintenance and repair manuals anything that
was needed to rebuild the planes.

Sometimes one or two aircraft were rebuilt from salvaged parts of other planes many of
the experienced mechanics were Japanese, who
had returned home, but a few stayed behind
and were employed as instructors to teach and
train new machanics.

The pilots who flew these salvaged airplanes
didn't like or trust them, many had engine
failures, in the air pilots faced technical problems, pilots died in crashes, while others were luckly to land these airplanes.

As the years passed many of these aircraft
were used as long as possible, some into the
early 1950s others junked for lack of spare-parts. Most of these Countries started to
buy or were give post-war Western aircraft
pilots were trained to fly, along with the
mechanics to maintain them.

Did You Know...

Today even the smallest part of any Japanese
aircraft is worth its weight in gold.

A single aircraft instrument could sell for
$1,000 dollars, a gun-sight from a Zero sold
for $10,000 dollars.

A complete airplane today,is worth Millions!
r

6.  Bill says:
5 Jan 2012 06:57:56 PM

After the Japanese surrender in August 1945
the British turned over a number of Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscars" to the French.
The fighters were serviced by Japanese POWs and spares for the fighters were in short supply, many of the aircraft were taken out of service and cannibalized to keep the others flying. The French flew the fighters for familiarization and pilot proficiency.
The last Ki-43 survivors operated until March 1946. The French operated a number of different types of Japanese aircraft until
re-equipped with British and US aircraft.

7.  Bill says:
3 Oct 2013 05:57:38 AM

In 1943 the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force turned over 24 Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighters to the Royal Thai Air Force. The fighters were based
outside of Bangkok, Thailand, the Ki-43s added to the strength of the Thai Air Force, and operated along with the older Nakajima Ki-27s.

At the end of WWII camouflage was stripped off and pre-war Thai roundels markings were applied to the upper and lower wings along w/rudder stripes.
Most of the surviving Ki-43 Oscars soldiered on into the late 1940s, to keep them serviceable some aircraft were cannibalized to keep others flying. The Oscars, were later retired, being replaced by post-war U.S. and British aircraft in the 1950s