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military, which had little effective anti-aircraft weaponry, suffered immense damage. Gun cameras were installed on the wings of U.S. fighter planes to record their combat achievements, with recording starting simultaneously when the trigger was pulled. The footage of machine-gun strafing captured at various locations in Japan is preserved in the U.S. National
Archives. A portion of the footage was featured in a special program by Tokyo Broadcasting Station commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on August 15, 2015. "
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the war. Furthermore: 1) Attacking a downed aircraft from the air would have been technically difficult, even for highly skilled pilots. 2) Even if they managed to hit it, completely destroying an already downed aircraft would have been extremely challenging. 3) This suggests that to truly prevent a Zero from falling into enemy hands for analysis, it would need to be shot down while still in flight. 4) In military contexts, including Japan’s, even if accidental, shooting a comrade during combat would result in a court-martial.
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Japanese records contradict his claims; there were no PBYs in the bay that day. However, his claims do match
American records from the attack against Dutch Harbor the previous day (June 3). Rearden noted, "It seems likely that in the near half-century after the event Shikada's memory confused the raids of June 3 and June 4 ... It also seems likely that in his interview, Shikada employed selective memory in not mentioning shooting down Mitchell's PBY and then machine-gunning the crew on the water".
393:, he reoriented his plane and began to return to Dutch Harbor by the most direct course: over Akutan Island. Machinist Mate Albert Knack, who was the plane captain (note: the term "plane captain" in US Navy usage refers to an aircraft's assigned maintenance crew chief, not the pilot-in-command), spotted Koga's wreck. Thies's plane circled the crash site for several minutes, noted its position on the map, and returned to Dutch Harbor to report it. Thies persuaded his commanding officer,
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550:, the Anacostia Naval Air Station director of flight testing. He flew the Akutan Zero in performance maneuvers while Sanders simultaneously flew American planes performing identical maneuvers, simulating aerial combat. Following these, USN test pilot Lieutenant Melvin C. "Boogey" Hoffman conducted more dogfighting tests between himself flying the Akutan Zero and recently commissioned USN pilots flying newer Navy aircraft.
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170:, "The Zero was probably the easiest fighter of any in World War II to bring down when hit ... The Japanese ... were not prepared to or weren't capable of building more advanced fighters in the numbers needed to cope with increasing numbers and quality of American fighters". The Zero was the primary Japanese Navy fighter throughout the war. During the war, the Japanese manufactured roughly 10,500 Zeros.
22:
69:. It was found intact by the Americans in July 1942 and became the first Zero acquired by the United States during the war that could be restored to airworthy condition. It was repaired and flown by American test pilots. As a result of information gained from these tests, American tacticians were able to devise ways to defeat the Zero, which was the
512:. We now had the answer for our pilots who were being outmaneuvered and unable to escape a pursuing Zero: Go into a vertical power dive, using negative acceleration if possible to open the range while the Zero's engine was stopped by the acceleration. At about 200 knots, roll hard right before the Zero pilot could get his sights lined up.
739:, further down the Aleutian chain. The team, unaware of Koga's identity, marked his body as unidentified. The Adak cemetery was excavated in 1953, and 236 bodies were returned to Japan. The body buried next to Koga (Shigeyoshi Shindo) was one of 13 identified; the remaining 223 unidentified remains were cremated and interred in
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when a native
English speaker interviews a native Japanese speaker through an interpreter, it can sometimes occur that the English-speaking interviewer unconsciously constructs their own interpretation based on subjective views, rather than accurately reflecting what the interviewee intended to convey.
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Japanese is a language that is highly context-dependent compared to
English, particularly in conversation, where subjects, complements, and objects are often omitted. As a result, when a native English speaker, such as Rearden, interviews a native Japanese speaker through an interpreter, it sometimes
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The claim that the
Japanese Zero fighter pilots were ordered to destroy their wingmen if they fell into enemy territory has NOT been confirmed by Japanese researchers or supported by Japanese records, including the memoirs of Zero fighter pilots published in succession in Japanese several years after
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Please keep in mind that testimonies from fighter pilots of this era often differ, not only in Japan. Additionally, Japanese is a language that is highly context-dependent compared to
English, particularly in conversation, where subjects, complements, and objects are frequently omitted. As a result,
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Oxford Guide, "Air power" entry, p. 17. "It was largely thanks to these blows, and the superiority of the
Japanese Navy's Zero fighter to anything that it was to meet for two years to come, that the Japanese were able to sweep through the ill-defended British and Dutch possessions in South-East Asia
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Thies's team extracted Koga's body from the plane by having Knack (the smallest crew member) crawl up inside the plane and cut his safety harness with a knife. They searched it for anything with intelligence value, and buried Koga in a shallow grave near the crash site. Thies returned with his team
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Oxford guide, "Fighters" entry, pp. 278–79. The Zero's supremacy in flight range is given in table 2, sourced to W. Green, Warplanes of the Second World War, 1961. Maneuverability is described as "excellent ... Of the early Allied fighters, only the F4F Wildcat could oppose it on anything like
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propeller. With this combination, Grumman estimated the XF6F-3's performance would surpass that of the XF6F-1 by 25%. This first Double Wasp-equipped
Hellcat airframe, bearing BuAer serial number 02982, first flew on 30 July 1942. The F6F-3 subtype had been designed with specific "Wildcat vs Zero"
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in a nearby knoll and set about recovering the plane, but the lack of heavy equipment (which they had been unable to unload after the delivery ship lost two anchors) frustrated their efforts. On July 15, a third recovery team was dispatched. This time, with proper heavy equipment, the team was able
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without the benefit of test reports would beg to differ with the contention that it took dissection of Koga's Zero to create tactics that beat the fabled airplane. To them the Zero did not long remain a mystery plane. Word quickly circulated among the combat pilots as to its particular attributes.
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The U.S. military actively conducted air-to-ground attacks against
Japanese forces using aircraft machine-gun fire during the Pacific War. As a result of repeated assaults on poorly defended vessels, such as transport ships and their crews, as well as soldiers deployed on the ground, the Japanese
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The capture and flight tests of Koga's Zero is usually described as a tremendous coup for the Allies as it revealed the secrets of that mysterious aircraft and led directly to its downfall. According to this viewpoint, only then did Allied pilots learn how to deal with their nimble opponents. The
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The three Zeros flew to Akutan Island, 25 miles east of Dutch Harbor, which had been designated for emergency landings. Waiting near the island was a
Japanese submarine assigned to pick up downed pilots. At Akutan, the three Zeros circled a grassy flat half a mile inland from Broad Bight. Shikada
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or a blunt-force blow to his head. Koga's wingmen, circling above, had orders to destroy any Zeros that crash-landed in enemy territory, but as they did not know if Koga was still alive, they could not bring themselves to strafe his plane. They decided to leave without firing on it. The Japanese
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Tsuguo Shikada, one of Koga's wingmen, published an account in 1984 in which he claimed the damage to Koga's plane occurred while his section was making an attack against two American Catalinas anchored in the bay. This account omits any mention of shooting down Mitchell's PBY. Both American and
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analysts rejected the Chennault report as "arrant nonsense" and concluded the performance attributed to the Zero was an aerodynamic impossibility. With the coming of war, the U.S. fighting services learned better; the Zero's maneuverability outperformed any Allied fighter it encountered for the
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on 23 June 1942. The first production F6F-3 made its first flight just over three months later, on October 3, 1942. While the captured Zero's tests did not drastically influence the Hellcat's design, they did impart knowledge of the Zero's handling characteristics, including its limitations in
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The crash site, which was out of sight of standard flight lanes and not visible by ship, remained undetected and undisturbed for over a month. On July 10, 1942, an American PBY Catalina piloted by Lieutenant William "Bill" Thies spotted the wreckage. Thies's Catalina had been patrolling by
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radial engine—already powering Chance Vought's Corsair design since its beginnings in 1940—in the second XF6F-1 prototype. Grumman complied by redesigning and strengthening the F6F airframe to incorporate the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) R-2800-10 engine, driving a three-bladed
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reconstructed a working aircraft from a partly intact Zero (serial number 3372) that had landed in Chinese territory plus salvaged pieces from other downed Zeros. Neumann's aircraft did not reach the United States for testing until after the recovery of the Akutan Zero.
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American author Jim Rearden led a search on Akutan in 1988 in an attempt to repatriate Koga's body. He located Koga's grave, but found it empty. Rearden and Japanese businessman Minoru Kawamoto conducted a records search. They found that Koga's body had been
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14-cylinder, two-row radial engine on 26 June 1942. Shortly before the XF6F-1's first flight, and based on combat accounts of encounters between the F4F Wildcat and A6M Zero, on 26 April 1942, BuAer directed Grumman to install the more powerful 18-cylinder
279:, which had both 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and .50-caliber machine guns in position defending Dutch Harbor, claimed credit, in addition to claims made by United States Navy ships that were present. Physical inspection of the plane revealed it was hit with
177:. From these wrecks, the Allies learned that the Zero lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, but little else about its capabilities. The Zero's flight performance characteristics—crucial to devising tactics and machinery to combat it—remained a mystery.
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near San Diego where repairs were carefully carried out. These repairs "consisted mostly of straightening the vertical stabilizer, rudder, wing tips, flaps, and canopy. The sheared-off landing struts needed more extensive work. The three-blade Sumitomo
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These flights covered performance tests such as we do on planes undergoing Navy tests. The very first flight exposed weaknesses of the Zero which our pilots could exploit with proper tactics ... immediately apparent was the fact that the
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Indeed on 6 October while testing the Zero, Akutan Zero test pilot Frederick M. Trapnell made a highly revealing statement: 'The general impression of the airplane is exactly as originally created by intelligence—including the performance'.
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Later in 1943, the aircraft was displayed at Washington National Airport as a war prize. In 1944, it was recalled to North Island for use as a training plane for rookie pilots being sent to the Pacific. A model 52 Zero, captured during the
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The plane's landing gear mired in the water and mud, causing the plane to flip upside down and skid to a stop. Although the aircraft survived the landing nearly intact, Petty Officer Koga died instantly on impact, probably from a
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so that rolling maneuvers at those speeds were slow and required much force on the control stick. It rolled to the left much easier than to the right. Also, its engine cut out under negative acceleration due to its float-type
92:, and that it "did much to hasten Japan's final defeat". Nonetheless, historian John Lundstrom and others challenge "the contention that it took dissection of Koga's Zero to create tactics that beat the fabled airplane".
659:, a tactic created by John Thach and used with great success by American airmen against the Zero, was devised by Thach before the attack on Pearl Harbor, based on intelligence reports on the Zero's performance in China.
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decided that he could design an aircraft that could match or surpass the Zero in most respects, except range, without sacrificing pilot armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and a sturdy fuselage structure. The new
275:
It is not known who fired the shot that brought down Koga's plane, although numerous individuals have claimed credit. Photographic evidence strongly suggests it was hit by ground fire. Members of the
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under conditions of strict secrecy. This work included wake surveys to determine the drag of aircraft components; tunnel scale measurements of lift, drag, control effectiveness; and sideslip tests.
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happens that the English-speaking interviewer unconsciously constructs their own interpretation based on subjective views, rather than accurately reflecting what the interviewee intended to convey.
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rolling right and diving. That information, together with the improved capabilities of the Hellcat, were credited with helping American pilots "tip the balance in the Pacific". American aces
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were Chief Petty Officer Makoto Endo and Petty Officer Tsuguo Shikada. Koga and his comrades attacked Dutch Harbor, and are believed to be the three Zeroes that shot down an American
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to Dutch Harbor, where he reported the plane as salvageable. The next day (July 12), a salvage team under Lieutenant Robert Kirmse was dispatched to Akutan. This team gave Koga a
397:, to let him return with a salvage team. The next day (July 11), the team flew out to inspect the wreck. Navy photographer's mate Arthur W. Bauman took pictures as they worked.
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lost control and rammed into it. The Helldiver's propeller sliced the Zero into pieces. From the wreckage, William N. Leonard salvaged several gauges, which he donated to the
648:, who commanded the PBY Catalina squadron that discovered the Zero and later rose to the rank of admiral, said that Koga's Zero was "of tremendous historical significance".
139:
The Zero, which first flew in 1939, was exceedingly agile and lightweight, with maneuverability and range superior to any other fighter in the world at that time. In 1940
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in flight instrumentation, and it was flown to Langley on March 5, 1943, for the installation of the instrumentation. While there, it underwent aerodynamic tests in the
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The fatal shot severed the return oil line, and Koga's plane immediately began trailing oil. Koga reduced speed to keep the engine from seizing for as long as possible.
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Grumman XF6F-1s then undergoing testing in June 1942 and the Zero had "wings integrated with the fuselage," an unusual design feature in American aircraft of the day.
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concurred: "The captured Zero was a treasure. To my knowledge, no other captured machine has ever unlocked so many secrets at a time when the need was so great."
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Eddie R. Sanders took the Akutan Zero up for its first test flight. He made 24 test flights between September 20 and October 15. According to Sanders' report:
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its survivors in the water, killing Mitchell and all six of his crewmen. In the process, Koga's plane (serial number 4593) was damaged by small arms fire.
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Three other downed Zeros were available to the Allies before the Akutan Zero was recovered. In February 1942, a Zero (serial number 5349) piloted by
162:
To achieve this dogfighting agility, however, Japanese engineers had traded off durability. The Zero was very lightly built; it had no armor and no
167:
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1815:
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thought the ground was firm beneath the grass, but in his second pass he noticed water glistening. He suddenly realized Koga should make a
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The Akutan Zero has been described as "a prize almost beyond value to the United States", and "probably one of the greatest prizes of the
533:
352:
1079:
Never Give Up! A History of the 206th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard in the Second World War
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1777:. James F. Lansdale. j-aircraft.com, December 3, 1999. A second article describing the capture and repair of Gerhard Neumann's Zero.
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Some historians dispute the degree to which the Akutan Zero influenced the outcome of the air war in the Pacific. For example, the
95:
The Akutan Zero was destroyed in a training accident in 1945. Parts of it are preserved in several museums in the United States.
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submarine stationed off Akutan Island to pick up pilots searched for Koga in vain before being driven off by the destroyer
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guard in order to deter would-be souvenir hunters from damaging the plane. The Zero was fit to fly again on September 20.
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The Akutan Zero was destroyed during a training accident in February 1945. While the Zero was taxiing for a take-off, a
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was repainted with the American blue-circle-white-star insignia. The whole time, the plane was kept under 24-hour
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began in 1937. Attacks by Chinese fighter planes on Japanese bombers led the Japanese to develop the concept of
429:
276:
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Lone Sentry's "Akutan Zero" report, from U.S. Military Intelligence Service, first published August 13, 1942
1689:, second edition. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1995. Originally published as
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81:
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and R. Robert Porter, among others, credited tactics derived from this knowledge with saving their lives.
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247:
410:, without further damaging it. The Zero was taken to Dutch Harbor, turned right-side up, and cleaned.
159:, "In these early encounters and on our own we were learning the folly of dogfighting with the Zero".
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stated that the acquisition of the Akutan Zero "was no less serious" than the Japanese defeat at the
697:, along with BuAer had them studied, and then shipped to the Experimental Engineering Department at
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1767:. Ben Schapiro. The Warbird's Forum, May 2008 – An article describing the capture and repair of
334:: The description above is solely based on "Koga's Zero" by American author Jim Rearden. See .)
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192:; it was heavily damaged. Another Zero, piloted by Yoshimitsu Maeda, crashed near Cape Rodney,
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The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942
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were recovered from Pearl Harbor shortly after the attack in December 1941, and United States
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and transported to Seattle, arriving on August 1. From there, it was transported by barge to
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Cracking the Zero Mystery: How the U.S. Learned to Beat Japan's Vaunted WWII Fighter Plane
601:, was tested in its first experimental mode as the XF6F-1 prototype with an under-powered
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196:. The team sent to recover the plane erred when they chopped off the wings, severing the
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by Donald Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, 1992, University of Arkansas Press, p. 188.
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832:
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to commission the Mitsubishi A6M Zero as a long-range land- and carrier-based fighter.
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Nicholas, William H.; Edwards, Walter Meayers (September 1943). "Wartime Washington".
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998:"Lemelson-MIT program – Inventor of the Week Archive profile of Gerhard Neumann"
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In early 1943, the Zero was transferred from Naval Air Station North Island to
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Cave of the Winds: the remarkable history of the Langley full-scale wind tunnel
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Japanese could not agree more... Yet those naval pilots who fought the Zero at
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147:, wrote a report to warn his home country of the Zero's performance. However,
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Williwaw War: The Arkansas National Guard in the Aleutians in World War II
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Tadayoshi Koga (September 10, 1922 – June 4, 1942), a 19-year-old flight
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631:; their input was obtained during a meeting with Grumman Vice President
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as part of the June 4 raid. Koga was part of a three-plane section; his
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577:. These results tend to somewhat understate the Zero's capabilities.
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In June 1942, as part of the Japanese Midway operation, the Japanese
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Data from the captured Zero had been transmitted to the U.S. Navy's
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A Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Model 21 takes off from the aircraft carrier
793:"War Prize: The Capture of the First Japanese Zero Fighter in 1941"
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and rendering the hulk unflyable. The third came from China, where
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War Prize: The Capture Of The First Japanese Zero Fighter In 1941
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without the Allies being able to interrupt their communications".
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Data from the captured aircraft were submitted to the BuAer and
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to free the Zero from the mud and haul it overland to a nearby
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21:
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would compensate for the extra weight with additional power.
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1198:, p. 72. Appendix II contains an exhaustive list of repairs.
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On September 20, 1942, two months after the Zero's capture,
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Tadayoshi Koga (1922–1942) was the pilot of the Akutan Zero.
1707:
Koga's Zero – An Enemy Plane That Saved American Lives
1714:. Volume 13, Issue 2, Fall 1997. Retrieved on 2008-12-09.
1321:"Zero Model 21: unraveling the performance data (part 1)"
1045:
70 Years After the War: My Town Was Also a Battlefield II
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the plane after its first test flight, September 20, 1942
1664:. Edited by I.C.B. Dear. Oxford University Press, 1995.
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Data and conclusions from these tests were published in
132:"Claude" fighter used to escort the bombers caused the
1645:
United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action
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After its return to the Navy, it was flight tested by
532:. The Navy wished to make use of the expertise of the
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The ashes of Tadayoshi Koga are probably interred in
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bullet holes and smaller, from both above and below.
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The Akutan Zero is inspected by US Navy personnel on
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in Japan. It is probable that Koga was one of them.
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243:twice, once on June 3 and again the following day.
152:first two years of the war. According to American
1678:Koga's Zero: The Fighter That Changed World War II
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250:, was launched from the Japanese aircraft carrier
1518:Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific
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524:, just after its wind-tunnel tests, March 8, 1943
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573:(published prior to the first test flight), and
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864:
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53:piloted by Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga, that
73:'s primary fighter plane throughout the war.
1648:. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1980.
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1781:Article on Yoshimitsu Maeda's crashed Zero
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1801:20th-century aircraft shootdown incidents
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714:National Museum of the United States Navy
437:was dressed and re-used." The Zero's red
1552:Reaper Leader, The Life of Jimmy Flatley
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619:input from F4F pilots who fought in the
593:-borne fighter plane that succeeded the
567:Technical Aviation Intelligence Brief #3
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376:Pilot Bill Thies (left) in front of his
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1377:Ewing and Lundstrom 2004, pp. 155, 156.
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417:Loading of the Akutan Zero onto a barge
229:. A Japanese task force led by Admiral
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1639:New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1956.
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611:Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp
1570:Thach Weave, The Life of Jimmie Thach
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1142:
835:. The Aviation History On-Line Museum
716:. The Alaska Heritage Museum and the
575:Informational Intelligence Summary 85
563:Informational Intelligence Summary 59
389:and had become lost. On spotting the
173:Nine Zeros were shot down during the
1661:The Oxford Companion to World War II
1395:Ewing (Thach Weave) pp. 86, 182, 308
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1123:
1020:
977:
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723:also have small pieces of the Zero.
627:, and the Battle of Midway, such as
421:The Akutan Zero was loaded onto the
1816:Individual aircraft of World War II
304:. But by then Koga had lowered his
13:
1404:Ewing (Reaper Leader) pp. 106, 172
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520:The Zero while temporarily at the
209:Petty Officer Koga's final mission
14:
1827:
1753:
1712:Invention and Technology Magazine
833:"Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen – Japan"
1720:Flattop Fighting in World War II
1081:by William E. Maxwell, Jr. 1992
753:
741:Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery
668:Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery
571:Tactical and Technical Trends #5
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1535:War, Strategy, and Intelligence
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735:team in 1947, and re-buried on
701:in 1942. It was noted that the
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380:that discovered the Akutan Zero
166:. According to American author
149:United States Department of War
897:
887:
811:
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430:Naval Air Station North Island
277:206th Coast Artillery Regiment
1:
721:National Air and Space Museum
503:froze up at speeds above 200
264:piloted by Bud Mitchell, and
223:attacked the Aleutian islands
1585:Francillon, Rene J. (1989).
695:Office of Naval Intelligence
589:for study in 1942. The U.S.
346:Location of Akutan in Alaska
7:
1765:Zeros over China, 1941–1942
1734:Thruelsen, Richard (1976).
1588:Grumman Aircraft Since 1929
1258:Chambers, Joseph R (2014).
733:Graves Registration Service
530:Anacostia Naval Air Station
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367:
358:The Zero trailing oil over
262:PBY-5A Catalina flying boat
128:. The limited range of the
99:Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter
10:
1832:
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791:James F. Lansdale (1999).
558:, was later used as well.
80:". Japanese historian and
1811:Aleutian Islands campaign
1771:'s Zero in China in 1941.
1220:Ewing (Thach Weave) p. 84
362:, moments after being hit
248:petty officer first class
225:, off the south coast of
16:Japanese fighter aircraft
1574:Naval Institute Press.
1556:Naval Institute Press.
1521:. Westview Press, 2001,
1319:Richard L. Dunn (2004).
746:
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122:Second Sino-Japanese War
45:, was a type 0 model 21
1592:Naval Institute Press.
621:Battle of the Coral Sea
537:Langley Research Center
522:Langley Research Center
478:. After careful study,
188:in Australia after the
164:self-sealing fuel tanks
134:Japanese Navy Air staff
1004:. 1998. Archived from
710:Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
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541:Full-Scale Wind Tunnel
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467:
418:
381:
310:
218:
175:attack on Pearl Harbor
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71:Imperial Japanese Navy
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1611:Naval Institute Press
1567:Ewing, Steve (2004).
1549:Ewing, Steve (2002).
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646:James Sargent Russell
548:Frederick M. Trapnell
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472:Bureau of Aeronautics
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297:
216:
106:
24:
1760:Bill Thies's website
1741:Praeger Publishers,
1386:Sullivan 1979, p. 4.
831:Larry Dwyer (2003).
691:Mitsubishi A6M Zeros
492:Lieutenant Commander
308:and was almost down.
141:Claire Lee Chennault
1723:. McFarland, 2003.
1603:Lundstrom, John B.
1538:. Routledge, 1989.
1532:Handel, Michael I.
1368:O'Leary, pp. 67–74.
1293:National Geographic
1262:. pp. 151–52.
856:Okumiya, pp. 160–63
595:Grumman F4F Wildcat
115:attack Pearl Harbor
84:lieutenant general
47:Mitsubishi A6M Zero
1642:O'Leary, Michael.
1515:Bergerud, Eric M.
868:Lundstrom, p. 535.
799:on January 6, 2010
672:
650:William N. Leonard
556:liberation of Guam
526:
468:
419:
382:
219:
157:William N. Leonard
118:
31:
1737:The Grumman Story
1729:978-0-7864-1451-2
1699:978-0-8117-2235-3
1670:978-0-19-534096-9
1625:Okumiya, Masatake
1477:Ewing 2004 p. 102
1356:Francillon p. 198
1008:on April 15, 2003
616:Hamilton Standard
190:bombing of Darwin
29:on July 11, 1942.
1823:
1504:
1497:
1491:
1484:
1478:
1475:
1469:
1462:
1456:
1449:
1443:
1436:
1427:
1420:
1414:
1413:Thruelsen p. 166
1411:
1405:
1402:
1396:
1393:
1387:
1384:
1378:
1375:
1369:
1366:
1357:
1354:
1348:
1341:
1332:
1331:
1329:
1327:
1316:
1310:
1303:
1297:
1296:
1288:
1282:
1281:
1255:
1246:
1239:
1233:
1232:Thruelsen p. 178
1230:
1221:
1218:
1212:
1205:
1199:
1192:
1186:
1179:
1173:
1166:
1160:
1156:
1150:
1146:
1137:
1130:
1121:
1114:
1108:
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1095:
1088:
1082:
1064:
1058:
1054:
1048:
1040:
1034:
1027:
1018:
1017:
1015:
1013:
994:
988:
981:
975:
968:
962:
955:
949:
948:Bergerud, p. 205
946:
940:
933:
927:
920:
914:
910:
904:
901:
895:
891:
885:
878:
869:
866:
857:
854:
845:
844:
842:
840:
828:
822:
815:
809:
808:
806:
804:
795:. Archived from
788:
779:
772:
763:
758:
757:
756:
642:Kenneth A. Walsh
476:Grumman Aircraft
403:Christian burial
391:Shumagin Islands
355:
343:
182:Hajime Toyoshima
143:, leader of the
90:Battle of Midway
86:Masatake Okumiya
63:Alaska Territory
51:fighter aircraft
41:(古賀のゼロ) and the
37:, also known as
1831:
1830:
1826:
1825:
1824:
1822:
1821:
1820:
1791:
1790:
1769:Gerhard Neumann
1756:
1717:Degan, Patrick
1512:
1507:
1498:
1494:
1485:
1481:
1476:
1472:
1463:
1459:
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1412:
1408:
1403:
1399:
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1367:
1360:
1355:
1351:
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1335:
1325:
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1313:
1304:
1300:
1289:
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1270:
1256:
1249:
1240:
1236:
1231:
1224:
1219:
1215:
1206:
1202:
1193:
1189:
1180:
1176:
1167:
1163:
1157:
1153:
1147:
1140:
1131:
1124:
1115:
1111:
1102:
1098:
1089:
1085:
1065:
1061:
1055:
1051:
1041:
1037:
1028:
1021:
1011:
1009:
996:
995:
991:
982:
978:
969:
965:
956:
952:
947:
943:
934:
930:
921:
917:
911:
907:
903:Handel, p. 139.
902:
898:
892:
888:
879:
872:
867:
860:
855:
848:
838:
836:
829:
825:
816:
812:
802:
800:
789:
782:
773:
769:
759:
754:
752:
749:
731:by an American
583:
456:
448:military police
370:
363:
356:
347:
344:
332:
293:
241:Unalaska Island
211:
202:Gerhard Neumann
186:Melville Island
126:fighter escorts
101:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1829:
1819:
1818:
1813:
1808:
1803:
1789:
1788:
1783:
1778:
1772:
1762:
1755:
1754:External links
1752:
1751:
1750:
1732:
1715:
1704:Rearden, Jim.
1702:
1675:Rearden, Jim.
1673:
1657:
1640:
1629:Jiro Horikoshi
1622:
1601:
1583:
1565:
1547:
1530:
1511:
1508:
1506:
1505:
1492:
1479:
1470:
1457:
1444:
1428:
1415:
1406:
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1358:
1349:
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1311:
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1283:
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1234:
1222:
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1138:
1122:
1109:
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1059:
1049:
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989:
976:
963:
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941:
928:
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905:
896:
886:
870:
858:
846:
823:
810:
780:
766:
765:
764:
748:
745:
680:, Midway, and
582:
579:
462:Eddie Sanders
455:
452:
387:dead reckoning
369:
366:
365:
364:
357:
350:
348:
345:
338:
330:
292:
289:
210:
207:
130:Mitsubishi A5M
100:
97:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1828:
1817:
1814:
1812:
1809:
1807:
1806:Akutan Island
1804:
1802:
1799:
1798:
1796:
1787:
1784:
1782:
1779:
1776:
1773:
1770:
1766:
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1748:
1747:0-275-54260-2
1744:
1740:
1738:
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1726:
1722:
1721:
1716:
1713:
1709:
1708:
1703:
1700:
1696:
1692:
1688:
1687:0-929521-56-0
1684:
1680:
1679:
1674:
1671:
1667:
1663:
1662:
1658:
1655:
1654:0-7137-0956-1
1651:
1647:
1646:
1641:
1638:
1634:
1633:Martin Caidin
1630:
1626:
1623:
1620:
1619:1-59114-472-8
1616:
1612:
1608:
1607:
1602:
1599:
1598:0-87021-246-X
1595:
1591:
1589:
1584:
1581:
1580:1-59114-248-2
1577:
1573:
1571:
1566:
1563:
1562:1-55750-205-6
1559:
1555:
1553:
1548:
1545:
1544:0-7146-3311-9
1541:
1537:
1536:
1531:
1528:
1527:0-8133-3869-7
1524:
1520:
1519:
1514:
1513:
1502:
1496:
1489:
1483:
1474:
1467:
1461:
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1401:
1392:
1383:
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1346:
1340:
1338:
1322:
1315:
1308:
1302:
1294:
1287:
1279:
1275:
1271:
1269:9781626830165
1265:
1261:
1254:
1252:
1244:
1238:
1229:
1227:
1217:
1210:
1204:
1197:
1191:
1184:
1178:
1171:
1165:
1155:
1145:
1143:
1135:
1129:
1127:
1119:
1113:
1106:
1100:
1093:
1087:
1080:
1076:
1075:9781557282422
1072:
1068:
1063:
1053:
1046:
1039:
1032:
1026:
1024:
1007:
1003:
999:
993:
986:
980:
973:
967:
960:
954:
945:
938:
932:
925:
919:
909:
900:
894:equal terms".
890:
883:
877:
875:
865:
863:
853:
851:
834:
827:
820:
814:
798:
794:
787:
785:
777:
771:
767:
762:
761:Alaska portal
751:
744:
742:
738:
734:
730:
724:
722:
719:
715:
711:
706:
704:
700:
696:
692:
689:Nine wrecked
686:
683:
679:
669:
664:
660:
658:
653:
651:
647:
643:
638:
634:
630:
626:
622:
617:
612:
607:
604:
603:Wright R-2600
600:
596:
592:
588:
578:
576:
572:
568:
564:
559:
557:
551:
549:
544:
542:
538:
535:
531:
523:
518:
513:
511:
506:
502:
495:
493:
488:
486:
481:
477:
473:
465:
460:
451:
449:
445:
442:
441:
436:
431:
427:
426:
415:
411:
409:
404:
398:
396:
392:
388:
379:
374:
361:
354:
349:
342:
337:
336:
335:
333:
326:
324:
323:
316:
309:
307:
303:
302:belly landing
296:
288:
286:
282:
278:
273:
269:
267:
263:
259:
255:
254:
249:
244:
242:
238:
235:
232:
231:Kakuji Kakuta
228:
224:
215:
206:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
178:
176:
171:
169:
165:
160:
158:
155:
150:
146:
145:Flying Tigers
142:
137:
135:
131:
127:
123:
116:
112:
111:
105:
96:
93:
91:
87:
83:
79:
74:
72:
68:
64:
60:
59:Akutan Island
56:
52:
48:
44:
43:Aleutian Zero
40:
36:
28:
27:Akutan Island
23:
19:
1735:
1718:
1711:
1705:
1690:
1676:
1659:
1643:
1636:
1604:
1586:
1568:
1550:
1533:
1516:
1503:, pp. 95–98.
1500:
1495:
1487:
1482:
1473:
1465:
1460:
1455:, pp. 86–88.
1452:
1447:
1439:
1423:
1418:
1409:
1400:
1391:
1382:
1373:
1352:
1344:
1324:. Retrieved
1314:
1309:, pp. 78–84.
1306:
1301:
1292:
1286:
1259:
1242:
1237:
1216:
1208:
1203:
1195:
1190:
1185:, pp. 66–70.
1182:
1177:
1172:, pp. 61–62.
1169:
1164:
1154:
1133:
1117:
1112:
1107:, pp. 67–68.
1104:
1099:
1091:
1086:
1078:
1077:. See also,
1066:
1062:
1052:
1038:
1030:
1010:. Retrieved
1006:the original
992:
984:
979:
971:
966:
958:
953:
944:
936:
931:
923:
918:
908:
899:
889:
881:
837:. Retrieved
826:
818:
813:
801:. Retrieved
797:the original
775:
770:
725:
707:
703:experimental
702:
699:Dayton, Ohio
688:
674:
654:
637:Pearl Harbor
633:Jake Swirbul
606:Twin Cyclone
605:
584:
581:Consequences
574:
570:
566:
562:
560:
552:
545:
527:
497:
489:
474:(BuAer) and
469:
438:
424:
420:
399:
383:
360:Dutch Harbor
329:
327:
321:
311:
306:landing gear
298:
294:
274:
270:
252:
245:
237:Dutch Harbor
220:
179:
172:
161:
138:
119:
109:
94:
75:
67:World War II
55:crash-landed
42:
38:
34:
32:
18:
1326:December 9,
1012:December 9,
839:December 9,
737:Adak Island
718:Smithsonian
682:Guadalcanal
657:Thach Weave
629:Jimmy Thach
625:Jim Flatley
599:F6F Hellcat
485:F6F Hellcat
480:Roy Grumman
315:broken neck
285:.50 caliber
184:crashed on
168:Jim Rearden
78:Pacific War
39:Koga's Zero
35:Akutan Zero
1795:Categories
1468:, pp. 4–5.
884:, pp. 1–3.
803:August 13,
623:, such as
510:carburetor
425:St. Mihiel
395:Paul Foley
322:Williamson
281:small arms
198:wing spars
194:New Guinea
154:flying ace
1499:Rearden,
1486:Rearden,
1464:Rearden,
1451:Rearden,
1438:Rearden,
1422:Rearden,
1347:, p. 103.
1305:Rearden,
1278:871536711
1241:Rearden,
1207:Rearden,
1194:Rearden,
1181:Rearden,
1168:Rearden,
1132:Rearden,
1116:Rearden,
1103:Rearden,
1090:Rearden,
1029:Rearden,
983:Rearden,
970:Rearden,
957:Rearden,
935:Rearden,
922:Rearden,
880:Rearden,
817:Rearden,
774:Rearden,
678:Coral Sea
435:propeller
423:USS
320:USS
65:, during
49:Japanese
1613:, 2005.
1490:, p. 91.
1442:, p. 88.
1426:, p. 86.
1245:, p. 73.
1211:, p. 72.
1136:, p. 58.
1120:, p. 57.
1033:, p. 54.
987:, p. 30.
974:, p. 29.
961:, p. 28.
939:, p. 10.
926:, p. 14.
501:ailerons
454:Analysis
440:Hinomaru
378:Catalina
368:Recovery
1510:Sources
1501:Fighter
1488:Fighter
1466:Fighter
1453:Fighter
1440:Fighter
1424:Fighter
1345:Flattop
1343:Degan,
1307:Fighter
1243:Fighter
1209:Fighter
1196:Fighter
1183:Fighter
1170:Fighter
1134:Fighter
1118:Fighter
1105:Fighter
1094:, p. 56
1092:Fighter
1031:Fighter
985:Fighter
972:Fighter
959:Fighter
937:Fighter
924:Fighter
882:Fighter
821:, p. x.
819:Fighter
729:exhumed
591:carrier
587:Grumman
464:taxiing
444:roundel
266:strafed
258:wingmen
1745:
1727:
1697:
1685:
1668:
1652:
1631:, and
1617:
1596:
1578:
1560:
1542:
1525:
1276:
1266:
1073:
597:, the
283:fire:
234:bombed
227:Alaska
1637:Zero!
776:Enemy
747:Notes
505:knots
408:barge
291:Crash
253:Ryūjō
110:Akagi
82:JASDF
1743:ISBN
1725:ISBN
1695:ISBN
1683:ISBN
1666:ISBN
1650:ISBN
1615:ISBN
1594:ISBN
1576:ISBN
1558:ISBN
1540:ISBN
1523:ISBN
1328:2008
1274:OCLC
1264:ISBN
1071:ISBN
1014:2008
841:2008
805:2014
534:NACA
331:Note
120:The
33:The
1002:MIT
635:at
239:on
113:to
57:on
1797::
1710:.
1693:.
1681:.
1635:.
1627:,
1609:.
1431:^
1361:^
1336:^
1272:.
1250:^
1225:^
1141:^
1125:^
1022:^
1000:.
873:^
861:^
849:^
783:^
569:,
565:,
325:.
61:,
1749:.
1739:.
1731:.
1701:.
1672:.
1656:.
1621:.
1600:.
1590:.
1582:.
1572:.
1564:.
1554:.
1546:.
1529:.
1330:.
1295:.
1280:.
1047:"
1016:.
843:.
807:.
778:.
670:.
328:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
