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[1991.392.001] Aircraft - 'A6M2 Aircraft, Bureau Number 5450' |
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A6M2 Aircraft, Bureau Number 5450
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| Accession Number |
1991.392.001 |
| Accession Date |
01/12/1991 |
| Creator |
| Creator |
Creator Role |
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Manufacturer |
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| Date Created |
1942 |
| Object Desciption |
Introduced to Japanese Navy carrier duty in 1940, the Mitsubishi A6M-series (called ZEKE by allies and "Zero" by IJN for its service entry year) was first-line fighter throughout the war. Highly successful in early "dog fights". |
| Object Notes |
The story the museum's airplane begins in the late 1960s when Robert Diemert, fresh from restoring a Hawker Hurricane and flying it in the movie The Battle of Britain, went to the South Pacific in search of Japanese war birds. His travels took him to the island of Ballale located south of Bougainville, which during World War II was the site of an airfield from which operated a host of Imperial Japanese Navy and Army units. There he found a treasure trove of aircraft wrecks and parts, which he acquired and transported to Canada in 1969. Among them was the aircraft on display in the museum, which was restored by Diemert using components from more than one aircraft recovered from Ballale.
Acquired my the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum at Quantico, Virginia, in 1976, the A6M-2 "Zero" was displayed there and for a time at the Liberal Air Museum in Kansas before being placed on loan to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in 1991. It was transferred by the Marine Corps to the museum ten years later.
During its initial period of display at the museum, the Zero featured a light gray paint scheme like that on the aircraft that raided Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. In fact, when recovered, the aircraft was initially reported to have participated in the famous attack, which is untrue given the fact that the aircraft (including the components from other Zeros used in its restoration) was not constructed until late in 1942.
In December 2007 the aircraft completed a period of restoration that included replacement of pop rivets with flush rivets and application of an overall green paint scheme, yellow fuselage stripe and bright circular red hinomarus characteristic of the middle to late period of the Pacific War. |
| Notes |
Designed to 1937 specifications and first flown on 1 April 1939, the A6M was ordered into series production as the Imperial Japanese Navy's type "0" carrier fighter, thus the basis for the name "Zero". Possessing a deadly a combination of speed, range and maneuverability, the Zero made its combat debut in the skies over China in July 1940. While only 328 A6Ms were in operation at the beginning of World War II, some 11,283 Zeros were ultimately produced by war's end.
Credited with almost mystical powers of maneuverability, the Zero became a great combat aircraft during the early stages of World War II in part because of the high level of experience of Japanese pilots. In all other respects the A6M was rapidly out classed by newer Allied fighters as the war progressed. The lack of self-sealing fuel tanks and armor protection for the pilot as well as a tendency for the controls to stiffen at high speeds made it increasingly vulnerable to the heavy firepower of aircraft like the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair. Still, opposition fighter pilots made it a point to avoid a one-on-one confrontation, the escape from which was a steep dive. Converting altitude advantage to speed for a slashing attack and recovery coupled with other tactics such as the Thach Weave led to the high kill ratios against the Zero achieved by U.S. fighters during the war
Specifications
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Company and Nakajima Aircraft Company
Dimensions: Length: 29 ft., 8 11/16 in.; Height: 10 ft., 1/16 in.; Wingspan: 39 ft., 4 7/16 in.
Weights: Empty: 3,704 lb.; Gross: 6,164 lb.
Power Plant: One 950 horsepower Nakajima NK1C Sakae engine
Performance: Maximum Speed: 331 M.P.H. at 14,930 ft.; Service Ceiling: 32,810 ft.; Range: 1930 miles
Armament: Two fixed forward-firing 7.7mm guns and two 20mm forward-firing cannon
Crew: Pilot |
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