Table Of ContentAuthors Illustrator
Mark Chambers is an avid WW2 aviation enthusiast Profile artist Jim Laurier is a native of New Hampshire.
and aviation history author. He has studied WW2 He graduated with honours from the Paiers School of
military aviation and has a keen interest in the air war Art, Connecticut, in 1978 and has worked as a freelance
in the Pacific. The author of three volumes on NASA illustrator ever since, completing assignments in a wide
airmen and aircraft, he works as a government contractor variety of fields. Jim has a keen interest in military
technical editor for the NASA Langley Research Center subjects, both aviation and armour, and is a Fellow
in Hampton, Virginia. member of the American Society of Aviation Artists,
the New York Society of Illustrators and the American
Osprey Aviation Editor since 1989, Tony Holmes is a
Fighter Aces Association. He has been a key contributor
native of Fremantle, Western Australia. Responsible
to the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time
for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft,
he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in
Aviation Elite Units, Duel and X-Planes series, Tony has
these volumes.
also written more than 30 books for Osprey over the past
30 years.
.
Other titles in the series
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COMBAT AIRCRAFT
119 NAKAJIMA B5N ‘KATE’
AND B6N ‘JILL’ UNITS
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119
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SERIES EDITOR TONY HOLMES
119 COMBAT
Mark Chambers
AIRCRAFT with Tony Holmes
NAKAJIMA B5N ‘KATE’
AND B6N ‘JILL’ UNITS
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This electronic edition published in 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Osprey Publishing
PO Box 883, Oxford, OX1 9PL, UK
1385 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
E-mail: [email protected]
OSPREY is a trademark of Osprey Publishing, a division of Bloomsbury
Publishing Plc.
Osprey Publishing, part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
© 2017 Osprey Publishing
All rights reserved Front Cover
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available At 1028 hrs on 26 October 1942, during
the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands,
this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including
a formation of 16 Nakajima B5N2 ‘Kate’
without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, torpedo-bombers from the Imperial
printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the Japanese Navy fleet carrier Zuikaku
commenced torpedo runs on the US
publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
Navy fleet carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Although the ‘Kates’ had split up before
starting their attacks, F4F Wildcats from
Enterprise managed to down three of the
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
torpedo-bombers and severely damaged
a fourth, causing it to dive into the
ISBN: 978 1 4728 1874 4 forecastle of the destroyer USS Smith
PDF e-book ISBN: 978 1 4728 1875 1 (DD-378). The ship was set ablaze and
57 sailors were killed as a result, many
ePub ISBN: 978 1 4728 1876 8
of them perishing when a delayed
detonation from the aircraft’s Type 91
Edited by Tony Holmes and Philip Jarrett torpedo resulted in additional damage
Cover Artwork by Mark Postlethwaite being inflicted on the destroyer. Thanks
to effective firefighting and damage
Aircraft Profiles by Jim Laurier
control Smith, nevertheless, survived.
Index by Sandra Shotter Indeed, the ship’s gunners were credited
Originated by PDQ Digital Media Solutions, UK with downing six of the torpedo-bombers
that attacked the US Navy task force.
Designed by Myriam Bell
The remaining ‘Kates’ launched attacks
against Enterprise, the battleship USS
Osprey Publishing supports the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland South Dakota (BB-57) and the cruiser
conservation charity. Between 2014 and 2018 our donations will be spent on their USS Portland (CA-33). However, no
torpedo hits were registered. A total
Centenary Woods project in the UK.
of nine out of the original 16 aircraft
were lost during this attack.
To find out more about our authors and books visit www.ospreypublishing.com. That same day, two ‘Kates’ from the
Here you will find our full range of publications, as well as exclusive online IJN fleet carrier Shokaku and one from
the IJN fleet carrier Junyo scored torpedo
content, details of forthcoming events and the option to sign up for our
hits on USS Hornet (CV-8), leaving it
newsletters. You can also sign up for Osprey membership, which entitles you to a immobilised and listless in the water.
discount on purchases made through the Osprey site and access to our extensive Hornet was subsequently abandoned and
sunk by torpedoes launched from two
online image archive.
Japanese destroyers on 27 October 1942
(Cover artwork by Mark Postlethwaite)
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C O N T E N T S
INTRODUCTION 6
CHAPTER ONE
B5N ‘KATE’ DEVELOPMENT AND EARLY SUCCESSES 8
CHAPTER TWO
MIDWAY, THE ALEUTIANS AND THE SOLOMONS 38
CHAPTER THREE
LAND ATTACK OPERATIONS AND OTHER ROLES 70
CHAPTER FOUR
B6N ‘JILL’ AND THE KAMIKAZE 78
COLOUR PLATE COMMENTARY 92
INDEX 96
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INTRODUCTION
D
uring the Sino-Japanese War of the late 1930s the Imperial
Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) introduced into service a
revolutionary new torpedo/attack aeroplane, the Nakajima
B5N1. It was eventually given the codename ‘Kate’ by the Allies, who
gave all Japanese bombers female names and all Japanese fighters male
names. Although the aircraft excelled in the combat arena, Japanese
naval planners eventually became aware of several shortcomings in its
design – particularly the inadequate armour protection for the crew and
the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks. It duly authorised Nakajima to pursue
the design and development of a more advanced replacement.
The IJNAF instructed Nakajima to replace the aeroplane’s original
Nakajima Hikari 3 radial engine, rated at 770 hp, with a more
advanced Nakajima NK 1B Sakae 11 unit that produced 1000 hp. It
was now hoped that the torpedo/attack aircraft would be fast enough
to outpace Allied fighters. The new version of the ‘Kate’, designated
B5N2, achieved surprising and dramatic successes in the IJNAF’s
attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941,
and subsequently contributed to the sinking of the aircraft carriers
USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942,
USS Yorktown (CV-5) at the Battle of Midway the following month
and USS Hornet (CV-8) at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in late
October 1942.
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7
Later-war-period versions of the ‘Kate’ were equipped with air-to-
surface vessel radar and performed antisubmarine warfare (ASW) duty,
while others continued to serve as bombers and trainers. Ultimately, the
IJNAF’s remaining ‘Kates’ were expended in the kamikaze role in a last-
ditch measure to defend Japan’s dwindling territorial possessions from
Allied conquest.
The ‘Kate’s’ replacement, the Nakajima B6N Tenzan (‘Heavenly
Mountain’), codenamed ‘Jill’ by the Allies, was a marked improvement
over its predecessor. However, by the time it was deployed in combat in
late 1943, the US Navy was already fielding the Grumman F6F Hellcat
in large numbers aboard its carriers, and the fighter soon gained aerial
supremacy in Pacific skies. The ‘Jill’ was never really able to achieve its full
potential in combat and, like most other IJNAF aeroplanes, was relegated
to the kamikaze role during 1945.
This book covers the history of the ‘Kate’ and ‘Jill’ torpedo/attack
bombers, including their design and development, as well as the aeroplanes’
action-packed combat record.
INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Numerous individuals deserve great thanks for providing crucial support
during the writing of this book. First and foremost, Mark Chambers would
like to thank his loving family, his wife Lesa, daughter Caitlyn and sons
Patrick and Ryan, for tolerating his ceaseless words of enthusiasm and
providing encouragement and support for this project. Thanks also go
to David Pfeiffer (Civil Records Archivist), Nate Patch (Military Records
Archivist) and the staff of the Textual Reference Branch of the US National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at College Park, Maryland.
Thank you also to Holly Reed and the staff of the Still Pictures Branch of
the US NARA at College Park, Maryland. In addition, thanks to Archie
DiFante and Tammy T Horton of the Air Force Historical Research Agency
(AFHRA) at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, for providing additional research
assistance and materials. Thanks also go to Mark Eite (AFLO, The Manichi
Archives, Tokyo, Japan) for providing rare, authentic Japanese-sourced
aircraft photographs. Tony Holmes would like to express his profound
thanks to Osamu Tagaya (Osprey Combat Aircraft 63 – Aichi 99 Kanbaku
‘Val’ Units), Mark Stille (Osprey Duel 76 – US Navy Ships vs Kamikazes
1944–45 and Osprey Campaign 247 – Santa Cruz 1942), Edward M Young
(Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 109 – American Aces against the Kamikaze)
and Dr Tom Lewis and Peter Ingman (Carrier Attack – Darwin 1942) for
allowing material – text and photographs – from their various books to be
used in this volume. Finally, thank you again to Osamu Tagaya for taking
the time to provide new information for inclusion in this volume and to
fact check the edited manuscript.
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CHAPTER ONE
B5N ‘KATE’ DEVELOPMENT
AND EARLY SUCCESSES
I
n 1934 the Naval Air Arsenal at Yokosuka devised the IJNAF’s last The Yokosuka B4Y1 (Navy Type 96 Carrier
Attack Aircraft), codenamed ‘Jean’ by the
biplane bomber in response to the Service’s 9Shi requirement, which
Allies, was the IJNAF’s last biplane attack
called for the development of a more advanced carrier attack aircraft. aircraft and precursor to the more
Known as the Yokosuka B4Y1 (Navy Type 96 Carrier Attack Aircraft), advanced, and famous, Nakajima B5N
‘Kate’ monoplane attack aircraft. Marked
it was codenamed ‘Jean’ by the Allies following Japan’s entry into World
with a ‘K’ code on its tail, denoting its
War 2. The aircraft’s designer was Sanae Kawasaki of the First Naval Air assignment to the carrier Kaga, this B4Y1
Technical Arsenal, located at Yokosuka, and it was intended to offer a is armed with four 60 kg bombs and
may have been photographed during
performance capability matching that of the Mitsubishi A5M ‘Claude’
a mission over China in 1937-38. Kaga’s
monoplane fighter. The ‘Jean’ had a fixed undercarriage and an all-metal 32 B4Y1s saw considerable combat in
airframe, and was the first IJNAF carrier strike aircraft to have an air- the Sino-Japanese War between October
cooled radial engine. It was operated by a crew of three, with the pilot 1937 and December 1938 (PD-Japan-old
photo)
seated in the front cockpit, a navigator in the middle and a radio operator/
gunner in the rear cockpit. The ‘Jean’ prototype made its maiden flight
in late 1935.
The first of 205 B4Y1s to see service with the IJNAF reached the
frontline in early 1937. On 12 December that same year, during the Panay
Incident, three examples gave the aeroplane its combat debut when they
dropped 18 60 kg bombs on the USS Panay (PR-5), a US Navy gunboat
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