Von Tonner
05-26-07, 03:08 AM
Just imagine if these two Jap pilots could have been interrogated - who knows, the course of history could have been very, very different. Go here for the full story and pics, its well worth the read.
http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/WarPrizes.htm
Introduction
It has long been believed that the first example of Japan’s vaunted Mitsubishi A6M2 Type Zero carrier fighter to be captured by the Allies in World War II was the one salvaged the United States Navy from an Aleutian island in July of 1942. However, interviews with surviving witnesses and the discovery of pertinent documents in the national and military archives of the United States, Japan, and the Peoples Republic of China have confirmed that the recovery of the very first intact Zero fighter occurred prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor! The following account traces the events leading to the acquisition of the first Japanese Zero by the Chinese government on 26 November 1941 and its subsequent history. Prologue
It was obvious that they were lost! Low lying fog made it impossible for the two Japanese naval pilots to make out any of the coastal features below them. Only a few hours earlier, they had taken off in their Mitsubishi A6M2 Type Zero carrier fighters from Tainan air base on Taiwan bound for Saigon. En route they had become separated from and lost sight of the rest of their formation. Now, nothing below was clear. Short on fuel and unable to communicate because the radios had been removed to increase the flying range of their fighters, the two pilots continued to fly their last compass bearing. Then, good fortune appeared to smile on them as the clouds parted and a broad expanse of beach adjacent to a town welcomed them. The two pilots circled and prepared to land.
http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/WarPrizes.htm
Introduction
It has long been believed that the first example of Japan’s vaunted Mitsubishi A6M2 Type Zero carrier fighter to be captured by the Allies in World War II was the one salvaged the United States Navy from an Aleutian island in July of 1942. However, interviews with surviving witnesses and the discovery of pertinent documents in the national and military archives of the United States, Japan, and the Peoples Republic of China have confirmed that the recovery of the very first intact Zero fighter occurred prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor! The following account traces the events leading to the acquisition of the first Japanese Zero by the Chinese government on 26 November 1941 and its subsequent history. Prologue
It was obvious that they were lost! Low lying fog made it impossible for the two Japanese naval pilots to make out any of the coastal features below them. Only a few hours earlier, they had taken off in their Mitsubishi A6M2 Type Zero carrier fighters from Tainan air base on Taiwan bound for Saigon. En route they had become separated from and lost sight of the rest of their formation. Now, nothing below was clear. Short on fuel and unable to communicate because the radios had been removed to increase the flying range of their fighters, the two pilots continued to fly their last compass bearing. Then, good fortune appeared to smile on them as the clouds parted and a broad expanse of beach adjacent to a town welcomed them. The two pilots circled and prepared to land.