World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
14 Oct 2011 05:41:46 PM

Ki-67,O-148 of 1st Chutai,74th Sentai based at Matsumoto Army Air Base Nagano, Prefecture 1945. Camouflage Dirty Brown uppersurface, with aluminium undersurfaces,
propellers and spinners dark brown, hinomaru
red disk.

2.  Bill says:
14 Oct 2011 06:38:12 PM

Japanese can be very confusing the photo of a
Ki-67, 74-148 tail number in photo, looked like a Q or O, the Sentai symbol was 74 that appeared in a much more simplified form, along with aircraft number 148 was assigned to Hiko Dai 1st Chutai, 74 Sentai.
If anyone understands Japanese and confirm
this number post it here at the ww2db.

3.  Bill says:
24 Oct 2011 07:51:55 PM

PEGGY REDUX:

Both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy used the Ki-67 "Peggy". The first combat use of the bomber was in October 1944 off the coast of Formosa.
By this stage of the war,Japan had lost many of the experienced veterans,the replacements were poorly trained and were unable to effectively use the new bomber by this time, the Allies had control of the air.

PEGGY FOR THE NAVY:

The Army released some Ki-67s for use by the Navy they were modified to carry torpedos
after successful tests, the Army also wanted
the Ki67 fitted out with torpedo racks both services flew the Peggy side by side as torpedo and attack bombers.

BOMBER KILLER:

Another version of the "Peggy" was the high-
altitude heavy fighter known as the Ki-109
to intercept attacking the B-29s, mounting a 75mm cannon w/15 rounds in the nose a total of 22 Ki-109s were built.
Another version was a night-fighter that carried airborne radar, that operated as a pair with the Ki-109 heavy fighter armed with the 75mm cannon.

4.  Bill says:
16 Aug 2013 02:36:02 PM

THE EMPEROR'S AIRBORNE SWORD:

During WWII Japan developed different types of advanced weapons, one was a concept experimental
ramjet interceptor, that never left the drawing board to see combat service.

RESEARCH:

Development of ramjet propulsion, went back to the 1930s the program was supported and funded by both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy.

OPERATIONAL THRORY:

The Katsuduori Ku-4, Kayaba single-seat rocket powered fighter. Powered by 4 x rocket motors and 1 x internal ramjet engine, was carried aloft by a Mitsubishi Ki-67 "Peggy" after release from the bomber the rocket motors were fired after reaching sufficient speed, the ramjet engine kicked in to achieve near supersonic speed.

THIS LITTLE PEGGY:

The Ki-67s were to be modified so the Ku-4 could be carried in the bomb bay much like the Mitsubishi G4M carried the "Special Attack" Okha
However, the Okha was a one way mission for its pilot, the Ku-4 would intercept American B-29s on their way to bomb targets over the Empire.
After its attack, it would return to its base to refuel, rearm and once again carried aloft by its Ki-67 Mother Ship.

THE LITTLE PLANE THAT DIDN'T:

The Ku-4 would have been armed with 4 x Ho301,
30mm cannons and powered by 4 x rocket motors and 1 x Kayaba Model,1 Ramjet that delivered 750kg(1,653lb)pounds of thrust.

5.  Bill says:
17 Aug 2013 12:50:06 PM

OOPS MADE A MISTAKE:
Misspelled the word Theory in comment #3 called OPERATIONAL THEORY. Gotta get more sleep and proof read more...

TECHNOLOGY WAR:

Both the United States and Nazi Germany are more famous for the development and use of special weapons during WWII, but Japan and the USSR to a lesser extent pursued and developed advanced weapons of its own. We'll look at some of the secret weapons that were developed, tested and planned by the Japanese...

WINDS OF WAR:

Secret projects Biological and Chemical weapons How could any country fool around with such weapons. What's the old saying, what kills your enemy, can very well kill you.
Advanced Conventional Weapons the Japanese also studied weapons that were also banned by the Geneva Convention, to the Japanese military such banned weapons must be effective against an enemy force.
Weapons that we hear about today, were developed, planned and tested during WWII.

MORE BANG FOR THE YEN:

Infra-red radiation, heat seeking missiles and
bombs, even low-tech balloon bombs designed to
be carried by the jet stream to the United States 9,000 were launched and 1,000 made it to the US
the weapons caused little damage and three people were killed by one.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ENEMY:

Weapons of mass destruction during WWII the Japanese investigated the use and development of nuclear weapons but progressed no further than laboratory experiments, that are known of at wars
end documents were destroyed to prevent being captured by US Forces.
Its my guess, that any surviving documents and other data are filed away and held as secret by the US Government decades after the end of WWII...

DEATH RAYS: THE STUFF SCIENCE-FICTION IS MADE OF

Infra-Red Rays, Microwaves, Ground-Based Radar,
Mobil-Anti-Aircraft Radar, Ship-Borne Anti-Surface Radar, Anti-Submarine and Electronic Warfare, Airborne Radar, Guided Missiles, Surface-to-Air, Surface-to-Ground and Air-to-Air even a primitive ECM Device.

The German supplied turbojet and rocket powered aircraft examples of the Fieseler Fi-103(V-1)and(V-2)Messerschmitt Me262 and Me163, even a small remote-controlled tank called "Goliath" was supplied by the Germans for use against ground targets plus engineers, technicians, blueprints and technicial data to the Japanese.

THE KAMIKAZE:

The Imperial Navy called such attacks Kamikaze or
Divine WIND. The Imperial Army called its attacks
Tokkatai or Special Attack Units. The navy also deployed the Kaitan manned-torpedo and Kamikaze frogmen and small surface speed boats for attacks, and other types of suicide units, that are generally unknown to many people.

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to share my knowledge of the Second World War...

6. Bill says:
18 Aug 2013 04:13:24 PM

In comment #5 More Bang For The Yen: 17 Aug 2013

I made error reporting that(3)people were killed by a Japanese balloon bomb, on May 5, 1945 when in fact it was(6)people one adult and(5)children.

MADE IN JAPAN:

The Japanese produced 9,000 balloon bombs that were carried by the jet stream across the pacific
with the idea, to start forest fires and destroy or damage other targets, along the pacific coast and as far inland as possible.

Some of the 1,000 balloon bombs that did make it across the Pacific landed as far inland as
Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Montana,
Oregon, Texas and other US States. Sightings have been reported as far away as Alaska, Canada and Mexico.
The balloon bombs were more of a psychological weapon that could have had an effect,if known by the US population during the war.

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: BLY,OREGON

The US strategy was not to let the Japanese know that the balloon bombs arrived traveling across the pacific, even the media kept it secret not to let any information leak out. The families did receive compensation from the US Government in the
sum of $5,000 dollars to the adult's family and $3,000 each to the families of the(5)children.
They were the only known casualties on US soil from enemy attack.

SILENT REMINDER:

Today a monument stands with the names of those killed by a Japanese balloon bomb that exploded on May 5,1945 Bly, Oregon


RELICTS OF A LONG AGO WAR:

The last known discovery of a Japanese balloon bomb, was in 1955, its payload still dangerous after ten years. Remnants of these bombs still exist and parts of one being found as late as 1992, it has been estimated, that as many as 300
bombs could still be scattered in remote areas of the Western United States.

7.  Bill says:
20 Aug 2013 09:00:34 PM

OOPS! Misspelled the word Relics. In comment #6 RELICS OF A LONG AGO WAR:

SILENT ASSASSINS:

More about those Japanese balloon bombs. Did you know that in 1940 the Japanese were mapping air currents, by launching balloons with instruments this research found strong winds that traveled
across the Pacific at altitudes of over 30,000ft.

FU-GO: BALLOON BOMBS

In 1944 the Japanese military started to plan and launch balloon bombs as primitive as it was, it was the world's first Intercontinental weapons system! carrying explosive devices that could be carried by the jet stream across the Pacific to the US Mainland.

ACROSS THE PACIFIC: FIRST OF THE MANY

The balloon bombs were launched at different sites in Japan, it took between 30-60 hours to reach the United States Pacific Coast.
The first launch of a bomb, was on Nov.3,1944 and
between then and April 1945 its been estimated that 1,000 were launched and reached the United States of the 9,000 built

JAPANESE VENGEANCE WEAPON:

Balloons were made of mulberry paper and glued together with potato type flour and filled with hydrogen. The balloon itself was 33ft.in diameter
could lift 1,000lbs. carried 33lb anti-personnel fragmentation bombs.
To reach an altitude of 38,000ft, the balloon carried three-dozen sand bags and programmed with instruments to be released during its trip, when the bags were depleted the bomb would descend over landfall.

MENACE TO SOCIETY:

The last bomb descended on March 10,1945 in the vicinity of the Manhattan Project with no damage however, it landed on local power lines that fed electricity to a building containing the nuclear reactor producing plutonium for the Nagasaki bomb
and shutdown the reactor.
This weapon codenamed "Fat Man" was dropped over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945 ending WWII...

During this time, the USAAF and the US Navy had (CAP)Combat Air Patrols along the US coast in the hope making air contact with the balloon bombs.
Some of the bombs were shotdown interception of balloon bombs were difficult due to bad weather, poor visibility, false alarms and the altitudes at which the bombs were at, between 30,000 to 37,000ft. In April 1945 operations against the balloon bombs came to an end...