01-2014 MIKROLOTNICTWO - 04 - PEARL HARBOR 1941

The Aichi D3A (Allied code name - Val) is a Japanese low-wing dive-board dive bomber. The D3A was the standard dive bomber of the Japanese Navy in the early stages of the Pacific War. The prototype first flew in 1938. Despite the fact that already at the time of the beginning of hostilities, it was an obsolete aircraft, it proved to be very effective both during the attack on Pearl Harbor and during subsequent operations. The Aichi D3A1 Val sank the largest number of Allied ships of any aircraft in the Empire of Japan during World War II. In 1943, they were replaced on board aircraft carriers by more modern designs. The kamikazes used by pilots returned at the end of the war. The Aichi D3A was produced in relatively small numbers - 478 D3A1s and 816 of the more modern D3A2. The more modern version had a more powerful engine and larger fuel tanks. Technical data (D3A1 version): length: 10.2m, wingspan: 14.37m, height: 3.85m, maximum speed: 389km / h, rate of climb: 8.6m / s, maximum range: 1560km, maximum ceiling 10900m armament: fixed-3 machine guns cal.7.7mm, pendant-up to 370 kg of bombs.The Nakajima B5N is a Japanese three-man bomber-torpedo aircraft in the low wing configuration of the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place in 1937, and it was put into service a year later. The B5N was a response to the requirements of the Imperial Navy for the new on-board torpedo plane. Work on the construction, led by Katsuji Nakamura, continued in the years 1935-1937. When the war in the Pacific broke out, the B5N was an aircraft better than competing Allied machines, especially the TBD Devastator. The most widely produced version of the aircraft was the B5N2 Model 12, which was created in December 1939 and which used a new engine - Nakajima NK1A Sakae 11 with a power of 970KM. B5N planes took part in many battles in the Pacific and performed very well in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. From around 1943/1944, these aircraft were transferred to aviation schools and served as kamikaze aircraft. About 1150 copies of all versions were produced. Technical data (version B5N2): length: 10.3m, wingspan: 15.52m, height: 3.7m, maximum speed: 378km / h, rate of climb: 6.5m / s, maximum range: 1992km, maximum ceiling 8260m , armament: fixed-1 Type 92 machine gun cal.7.7mm, underslung-1 Type 91 torpedo weighing 800 kg or the same bomb load.The Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (also known as Zero or Zeke) is a Japanese single-engine, full-metal low-wing fighter aircraft from the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place on April 1, 1939, and it was put into service in the summer of 1940. The first prototypes were powered by a Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine, but from the A6M2 Model 11 onwards, the Nakajima NK1B Sakae 12 engine with 950 HP was used, which made the aircraft one of the best fighters early war period. New versions were created just before and during the war. One of the most famous was the A6M2 Model 21, a special version with folding wings designed for aircraft carriers, prepared at the beginning of the Pacific War, which became the basic Japanese on-board fighter. The next versions are A6M3 and A6M5, each of which had several versions. The first one used the 1130 HP Nakajima Sakae 21 engine with a compressor, which, however, meant an increase in weight and a decrease in range and maneuverability. Attempts were made to solve this problem in the A6M5 version by changing the exhaust system, changing the shape of the wings and resigning from folding them, which increased the top speed. The flight of this version took place in 1943 and was in production until the end of the war. It is worth noting that one of the most widely produced versions of the A6M5 was the A6M5C Model 52C Hei aircraft, of which nearly 5,000 were produced. "Zero" planes took part in the entire war in the Pacific, serving primarily as deck fighters, but also to a large extent as Army fighters. The "father" of this famous aircraft was the engineer Jiro Horikoshi, who relied on the experience gained from working on the M5A aircraft. He managed to develop a very maneuverable plane, with excellent aerodynamic properties, perfect for combat and with a large range. However, this was achieved at the expense of armor and the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks. What's more, due to the lack of aircraft engines with a power comparable to American machines, every year of the war, "Zero" from the "supercar", from 1943, evolved towards the weaker rival P-51, P-47 or F-4 or F- 6. It also turned out to be a machine vulnerable to damage and very vulnerable to fire. However, this does not change the fact that the Allies, until 1943, did not have an aircraft that would be able to compete with the A6M Zero. Technical data (A6M2 model 21 version): length: 9.06m, wingspan: 12m, height: 3.05m, maximum speed: 533km / h, rate of climb: 15.7m / s, maximum range: 3105km, maximum ceiling 10000m , armament: fixed - 2 20mm Type 99-1 cannons and 2 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns, suspended - up to 250 kg of bombs.The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American, single-engine, metal fighter-attack aircraft in a low wing configuration with a classic tail. The flight of the prototype took place in 1938, and serial production was carried out in the years 1938-1944. The last of the Hawk family of planes - the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was, apart from the Republic P-47 and the North American P-51 Mustang, the most widely built American fighter. At the end of production in December 1944, the number of machines exceeded 15,000. The development of the design began in 1937, when the prototype airframe of version 75 was adapted to the installation of the 1167HP Allison V-1710-11 in-line engine. The plane became the first American construction capable of flying at speeds over 483 km / h. The version for the RAF was called the Tomahawk Mk IIA. The planes had self-sealing fuel tanks and two wing-mounted 7.7mm machine guns. The Tomahawk MkIIB were equipped with American radio hardware and armed with six 7.7mm machine guns. Some American P-40s were modernized in 1941 for reconnaissance tasks. They received the designation RP-40. Meanwhile, work on the Hawk 81-A was underway at the Curtiss facility. The changes included the installation of the Allison V-1710-39 engine with a capacity of 1167KM, providing constant power up to a height of 3563 meters, adaptation for installation in the wing of four 12.7mm machine guns and the installation of a fuselage node that could carry one bomb weighing 227 kg or thrown back additional fuel tank. The US Army placed an order for these machines in September 1940, awarding them the designation P-40D. Over the next three years, Curtiss made every effort to expand the application possibilities of the P-40, creating numerous new versions of the aircraft. Despite these efforts, Warhawk's performance was lower than that of contemporary Allied and Axis fighters. Technical data (P-40E version): length: 9.66m, wingspan: 11.38m, height: 3.76m, maximum speed: 580km / h, rate of climb: 11m / s, maximum range: 1100km, practical ceiling: 8800m, armament: fixed - 6 M2 machine guns, caliber 12.7 mm, suspended - up to 900 kg of cargo.