Nakajima Ki-49 ‘Helen’ Units

Author: George Eleftheriou
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472854470
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
A fully illustrated study of the Nakajima Ki49 'Helen', the twin-engined bomber of the Pacific War, from Japanese aviation expert George Eleftheriou. The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu ('Dragon Eater'), codenamed 'Helen' by the Allies, was a twin-engined Japanese bomber designed to undertake daylight attacks without the protection of escort fighters. Consequently, while it was officially known as the Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber, its formidable defensive armament and armour were so heavy that they restricted the Ki-49 to payloads comparable to those of smaller medium bombers. While only five heavy bomber sentai (regiments) were equipped with the 'Helen', the over 800 Ki-49s built between 1941 and 1944 saw extensive action in Burma, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, northern India and north Australia. In an act of desperation, a small number of 'Helens' were even employed, unsuccessfully, as kamikaze aircraft against US Navy warships operating off the Philippines and Okinawa. In this fascinating book, George Eleftheriou provides a comprehensive account of the units that saw action flying the 'Helen', based on original Japanese sources. Also featuring high-quality photographs never published before, specially commissioned colour profile artwork, official unit histories and veteran accounts, this title is a must-have for Japanese aircraft enthusiasts.

Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu in Japanese Army Air Force Service

Author: Richard M. Bueschel
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764303449
Category : Donryu (Bomber)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The JAAF Nakajima Ki-49 DONRYU (Helen) is presented in this volume. All variations, markings and units are covered in this, the seventh in a multi-volume series.

Nakajima Ki-49 ‘Helen’ Units

Author: George Eleftheriou
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472854500
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Pe-2 Guards Units of World War 2

Author: Dmitriy Khazanov
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780960670
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
Petlyakov's Pe-2 was the most numerous Soviet twin-engined bomber of World War 2, the aircraft being used as a dive-bomber, ground attack platform and dedicated reconnaissance type. The first examples entered service in August 1940, and by the time production came to end in late 1945, no fewer than 10,547 examples had been built. These equipped more than 80 bomber air regiments, and of the latter, two were accorded Guards Air Corps status, as were six air regiments. Amongst the former was the 2nd Guards Bomber Air Corps, which was commanded by the legendary General Polbin, who was twice made a Hero of the Soviet Union. Pe-2 bomber and reconnaissance versions (the latter in service with four Guards reconnaissance air regiments of the Air Force and one regiment of Naval Aviation) were extensively used from the frozen Arctic north to the balmy Crimea front. A number of Pe-2 also saw brief combat against Japan in the final weeks of World War 2.

Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko ‘Betty’ Units of World War 2

Author: Osamu Tagaya
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472800508
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
The most produced Japanese bomber of the war, the G4M saw action on every front from the first day of the Pacific conflict through to VJ-Day. The 'Betty's' very long range made it a key weapon during the opening year of the war. However, to achieve this, the aircraft was built with very little protective armour for its crew or fuel tanks, and Allied pilots soon exposed its extreme vulnerability. In the first in a series of volumes examining the key Japanese aircraft of WW2, Dr Osamu Tagaya details the G4M's extensive combat history, and lists all the units which operated the bomber.

The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II

Author: Chris Bishop
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 9781586637620
Category : Firearms
Languages : en
Pages : 558

Book Description
The encyclopedia of weapns of world war II is the most detailed and authoritative compendium of the weapons of mankind's greatesst conflict ever published. It is a must for the military, enthusiast, and all those interested in World War II.

Pacific Profiles Volume Two

Author: Michael Claringbould
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780648665991
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII aircraft profiles to date of Japanese & Allied aircraft in the Pacific theater.Volume Two illustrates, by unit, Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) bomber and other supporting aircraft types operating in New Guinea and the Solomons from December 1942 to April 1944. In this distant theater many different aircraft types and their variants were assigned to a variety of bomber, reconnaissance, command and transport units which together formed the 4th Air Army. Unit insignia, camouflage and command markings varied considerably from unit to unit, giving a wide variety of color, heraldry and markings. The profiles, based on photos, Japanese documents, Allied intelligence reports and post-war wreck investigations, are accompanied by brief histories of each relevant unit and explanations of their role in the theatre.The author, Michael Claringbould, is world-renown for his expertise in respect to wartime Japanese aviation. These profiles accurately portray JAAF bombers and support aircraft during this fascinating and esoteric timeframe of the Pacific air war.

Wings of the Rising Sun

Author: Mark Chambers
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472823710
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
A fascinating insight into how the Allies learned about the capabilities and limitations of the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force and Japanese Army Air Force through flight testing and evaluation of enemy equipment. In the Pacific War's early years, Japanese air power was dominant. The only way for the Allies to defeat their enemy was to know it. This made the task of maintaining productive intelligence gathering efforts on Japan imperative. Establishing Technical Air Intelligence Units in the Pacific Theatre and the Technical Air Intelligence Center in Washington DC, the Allies were able to begin to reveal the secrets of Japanese air power through extensive flight testing and evaluation of captured enemy aircraft and equipment. These provided an illuminating perspective on Japanese aircraft and aerial weapon design philosophy and manufacturing practice. Fully illustrated throughout with a wealth of previously unpublished photographs, Mark Chambers explores Allied efforts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese air power during the war years, and how this intelligence helped them achieve victory in the Pacific.

Air Pictorial and Air Reserve Gazette

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description

He 162 Volksjäger Units

Author: Robert Forsyth
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472814584
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100

Book Description
With the Third Reich on the brink of defeat Hitler's instructions to his designers were clear. He wanted a Volksjäger – a People's Fighter that was quick to produce and used minimal quantities of strategic materials. Heinkel rose to the challenge with the He 162, a fighter constructed of wood and metal that was designed, built and flown in the staggeringly short time of ten weeks. Professional pilots were in short supply, and so the Luftwaffe was ordered to man the He 162 with hastily trained members of the Hitler Youth – a flawed plan that fortunately never came to fruition. Detailed aircraft profiles and never before seen photographs perfectly complement the analysis of the revolutionary Heinkel He 162 as author Robert Forsyth traces its entire history, from the early design and production through to its limited combat experience.