BII-181 was flown by a buntaicho, Lt. Masaji Suganami, and was part of the attack force on Midway island.
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-182 was flown by a wingman, PO1c Iwao Mita
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-183 was flown by a wingman, F1c Yoshio Iwabuchi.
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-184 was flown by a shotaicho, Ens. Hira Tanaka
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-185 was flown by a wingman, PO2c Kyoichiro Ogino
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-186 was flown by a wingman, PO3c Nobutoshi Furukawa
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BI-306 was flown by a buntaicho. The crew was Lt. Rokurõ Kikuchi (pilot and buntaicho), WO Noriyoshi Yumoto (navigator/observer) and PO1c Hironori Narasaki (gunner/radioman).
During Pearl Harbor raid, Lt. Kikuchi Rokurõ was a spare pilot. He had flown his first Pacific war combat mission
during Wake island attack, with two Pearl Harbor veterans: WO Yumoto Noriyoshi and PO1c Narasaki Hironori.
During the Battle of Midway, this Hiryu’s Nakajima B5N "Kate" bomber had been involved in the initial Japanese attack
on Midway's US installations. It was so badly hit by American fighters and disappeared en route home.
It was crash-landed near Kure Island. The crew refused capture and was killed, or else committed suicide when
an American landing party tried to capture them.
INFO CREDIT: Book SHATTERED SWORD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY,
by Jonathan B. Parshall and Anthony P. Tully, pages 200, 204, 517 and 553.
Book A MAGNIFICENT FIGHT: THE BATTLE FOR WAKE ISLAND, by Robert Cressman, page 232.
TAIL CODE CREDIT: Mr. David Aiken.
BI-310 was flown by a hikotaicho of carrier IJN Hiryu. To the raid on Midway Island the crew was
Lt. Jõichi Tomonaga (pilot), Lt. Toshio Hashimoto (observer) and PO1c Sadamu Murai (radioman/gunner).
This plane was recovered OOC, damaged by American fighters.
INFO CREDIT: book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway, by Parshall and Tully.
Lt. Hashimoto was a HIRYU Shotaicho (flight leader), who flew as observer on BII-310 a high-level bomber at Pearl Harbor.
When Lt. Joichi Tomonaga came aboard HIRYU in April 1942, as Hikotaicho (Air Group CO), he took over Hashimoto's plane
as pilot, keeping Hashimoto as observer. Tomonaga changed the blue command stripes on HIRYU to yellow.
INFO CREDIT #2: Mr. David Aiken
Lt. Joichi Tomonaga photo #1
Tomonaga was the Hiryu Air Group Commander during the Battle of Midway 1942. He led the attacks on
the Island of Midway itself and the subsequent attack on the carrier USS Yorktown in which he was shot down.
BI-330 was flown by a shotaicho of carrier IJN Hiryu. To the raid on Midway Island the crew was
PO1c Toshio Takahashi (pilot), Ens. Saku Akamatsu (observer) and PO3c Tomio Koyama (radioman/gunner).
This plane aborted shortly after takeoff and recovered OK.
INFO CREDIT: book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway, by Parshall and Tully.
The author for "Shinjuwan no 101 Ki (Pearl Harbor and 101 Aircraft)", REPLICA Jan 1990, was H. Yoshimura.
This author wrote to one vet who, at MIDWAY, was on the deck crew for Hiryu KATEs 330, 331, 332.
That vet recalled that 330 returned from the first wave initial launch for engine problems... and cited that the changes
in markings from BII to BI and the stripe changes from two to one stripe began in late April 1942. He noted
that they were still working on 330 when the Hiryu was bombed. Takeshi Maeda (Kaga KATE radioman) corresponded
with another Hiryu deck hand who confirms the date of the change was 27 May 1942 as the Soryu/Hiryu left port for Midway. Despite the uncertain date, the fact of the code and stripe change is certain.
INFO CREDIT #2: Mr. David Aiken
BI-331 was flown by a wingman of carrier IJN Hiryu.
Midway islands photo #1
BI-332 was flown by a wingman of carrier IJN Hiryu.
D3A1 Val photo #1
This photo shows a D3A1 flying over Midway islands.
Hasegawa's box art of AI-251
Hasegawa box art of AI-251 (hikotaicho's plane)
BII-187 was flown by a shotaicho, PO1c Takeo Sugiyama, and was part of the attack force on Midway island.
After this mission, Sugiyama was part of the CAP and engaged VT-3 torpedo bombers.
After Soryu destruction, was recovered by IJN Hiryu. He survived this battle.
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-188 was flown by a wingman, PO1c Mitsuomi Noda, and was part of the attack force on Midway island.
After this mission, Nodda was part of the CAP and engaged VT-3 torpedo bombers and VS-6 + VB-6 dive bombers.
After Soryu destruction, was recovered by IJN Hiryu. He was WIA but survived this battle.
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
BII-189 was flown by a wingman, PO2c Kaname Yoshimatsu, and was part of the attack force on Midway island.
After this mission, Yoshimatsu was part of the CAP and engaged VT-3 torpedo bombers.
After Soryu destruction, was recovered by IJN Hiryu. He survived this battle.
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
D3A1 attacking USS Yorktown photo #1
D3A1 attacking USS Yorktown photo #2
D3A1 attacking USS Yorktown photo #3
USS Yorktown under attack photo #1
USS Yorktown under attack photo #2
USS Yorktown under attack photo #3
BI-310 was flown by a hikotaicho of carrier IJN Hiryu. To the torpedo attack on Yorktown the crew was Lt. Jõichi Tomonaga (pilot), Ens. Saku Akamatsu (observer) and PO1c Sadamu Murai (radioman/gunner). This plane was shotdown by American fighters.
INFO CREDIT: book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway, by Parshall and Tully.
Hasegawa's box art of BI-310
Beginning with the Ceylon raid, April 1942, the white surround at hinomarus started to show on KATEs
and camouflaged VALs from carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku.
On June, 1942, during Aleutians attack is possible to see this white surround at hinomarus of B5N1s
and B5N2s Kates from carrier Ryujo and at hinomarus and tail codes of D3A1s from carrier Junyo.
After MIDWAY's loss, the Shokaku apparently overpainted the white surround
on its VALs and KATEs for the Battle of Eastern Solomons, Aug 1942:
INFO CREDIT: Mr. David Aiken
B5N2 Torpedo bomber attack photo #1
B5N2 photo detail
PHOTO CREDIT: National Archives. This photo was scanned by Mr. Mike Wenger and later posted at
http://www.j-aircraf.com
B5N2 torpedo bomber shot down
BI-330 was flown by a shotaicho of carrier IJN Hiryu. To the torpedo attack on Yorktown the crew was PO1c Toshio Takahashi (pilot), Lt. Toshio Hashimoto (observer) and PO3c Tomio Koyama (radioman/gunner). This plane was recovered.
INFO CREDIT: book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway, by Parshall and Tully.
The Japanese movie, Hawai Middouei daikaikusen: Taiheiyo no arashi (Hawaii-Midway Battle of Sea and Sky: Storm in the Pacific Ocean) (Toho Movie release: 1960, US dubbed in English: and released in 1961 as "I Bombed Pearl Harbor") is the fictionalized biography of Toshio Hashimoto. At Midway, Hashimoto participated in the first attack on Midway Island, but was replaced - for the final torpedo attack on US CVs - on "his" plane by another observer per Tomonaga's order, thus saving his life (shown in the I BOMBED PEARL HARBOR movie).
INFO CREDIT #2: Mr. David Aiken.
B5N2 torpedo attack photo #2
B5N2 "Kate" photo #1
B5N2 "Kate" detail photo #2
BII-201 was flown by PO1c Masatada Iida (pilot) and WO Isamu Kondo (observer/gunner).
INFO CREDIT: “Senshi Sosho“, volume #43 and book Shattered Sword - The untold story of the battle off Midway,
by Parshall and Tully.
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