72154 KAWASAKI KI-32 MARY JAPAN IIWW BOMBER

The Kawasaki Ki-32 Mary was a Japanese metal-structure light bomber from the interwar period and World War II. The drive was provided by a single engine Kawasaki Ha-9-IIb with a power of 850 hp. The flight of the prototype took place in March 1937, and serial production continued in the years 1938-1940, ending with the production of about 850 aircraft of this type. The deck armament consisted of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine could carry a load of bombs weighing up to 450 kilograms. The Kawasaki Ki-32 was commissioned by the Army Air Force Command as a successor to the Kawasaki Ki-3 aircraft. The new machine was characterized by a solid structure that allowed it to be operated from field airfields with unpaved surface. It also showed good maneuverability and volatile qualities. The plane's considerable drawback, however, was its sensitive engine, which required very careful and careful servicing. Kawasaki Ki-32 bombers were used very heavily during the initial period of the Japanese-Chinese War (1937-1945) and in the war with the Soviet Union in 1938-1939. He also fought in the first months of the Pacific War (1941-1945), including the bombing of Hong Kong. However, as early as 1942, Kawasaki Ki-32s began to be withdrawn from the line and used for training purposes. During World War II, aircraft of this type were also used in the Manchukuo air force, and after 1945 - in marginal numbers - in the Indonesian air force.