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That tool would make you richer than ole Bill Gates himself....

JIM[/quote]

Man that would be boring. True: if I think back to the latest woman than analyzer would have spared me some pain, but always knowing everything takes the fun out of any relationship :)

Um, no.

The Zero could carry a centerline 250kg bomb, but this was only used on suicide planes. Any ersatz bombing up at 250kg or more was suicide planes (not counting oddball very late war variants that didn;t see combat). The wing hardpoints could each carry a single 60kg bomb, but they virtually never did for ground attack, instead, they sometimes carried small white phosphorous bombs to drop into bomber formations.

Zeros also almost always flew with a centerline drop tank---which they didn't drop.

The rockets were used as air to air weapons to try and break up bomber formations lik e the willy pete air to air bombs.

Cite some RL examples of Zeros being used as fighter bombers and I'll change my tune.

Here we go. The A6M7 (Model 63) differed from the A6M6c by virtue of actually having a bomb rack on the centerline (the first Zero to have this capability)---they had previously strapped the bombs to the drop tank rack for suicide attacks. Production began in May of 1945. Can't imagine they saw much use as fighter bombers, what would they have attacked?


tater[/quote]

I'm not trying to be a pain, but here are some examples and facts of the A6M2 Zeke ( zero sounded sexier to the americans so that's how it got the the un-official designation)

The Mitsubishi A6M2

# built: 3,432
Entered into service in 1940, top speed of 509 km/h, range of 3,110 km, ceiling of 10,300 meters. Armament: 2 x 20mm Type 99 Mk 1 wing canon, plus 2 x fuselage mounted 7.7mm Type 97 machink guns. BOMB LOAD: UP TO 120 KG'S ON FUESLAGE AND WING RACKS.

The Mitsubishi A6M5:

their were 5,704 built and were in service by September 1943. They had a rance of 1,920 km, with a max speed of 570 km/h, they're service ceiling was 11,740 meters. Their Armament was as follows 2 x 20mm Type 99 wing cannon and 2 x fuselage-mounted 13.2mm Type 3 machine guns. BOMB LOAD UP TO 500 kg, or 8 x 10 kg rockets ( air to air ) or 2 x 60 kg ( air to ground rockets )

As for real life examples, after midway when 247 zeros were lost, many with the carriers the IJN land-base many of it's fighters. The Tinan Air Group, took a steady toll of opposing aircraft and land vehicles while trying to maintain a foothold in New Guinea.

I will agree most of the time 97% the did carry that un-dropped droppable centre line fuel tank :damn:. To most not dropping them makes no sense. But they were made of steal, and during the war steal was something that the japense had to be very careful where they used it. So unless absoulutely necessary to bring the airplane or pilot back, they were ordered to keep them on if at all possible.

Admiral tater, not trying to dispute your knowledge sir, but I have extensive knowledge of and a bookcase dedicated to world war 1 and 2. I agree that more often then not, they were not used as bombers, except for the air to air bombing that refer too, but they did use air to ground bombs on few occasions.

Francillon disagrees. What does he know.

Zero was the japanese term. ZEKE was the allied code name, Zero because it was the Type 0 fighter. The "0" is the last digit of the year it was contracted according the the japanese calander, it was not applied because the US considered it "sexy" it was applied because that is what it was called by the japanese, the "Type zero fighter." The Navy alternated between calling them Type Zero Fighters (then a Model number), and A6M2---A=fighter, 6=6th fighter procured from manufacturer M=Mitsubishi. Follow on numbers were sub types.

I said the zero could carry 120kg of bombs. 60kg on each wing. The center rack was a drop tank rank ONLY. Your web source is wrong. None the less, while they were capable of doing so, they did not operationally. Show me a picture of a single A6M2 with bombs. Only the "Rufe" (A6M2-N) usually carried bombs.

The A6M5 didn't carry bombs except as a suicide plane. If they overloaded it with 500kg now and again, it didn't change the outcome for the pilot, only the range. Stress on the gear wouldn;t be a factor, the plane would never land.

Zeros did not carry bombs as bombers (not kamikazes) until the A6M7, so after May or June 1945. They would have during the invasion I guess, but they had no targets for bombers at that point so I find it hard to believe they used any.

What does Midway have to do with anything? CV based zeros NEVER carried bombs (CVLs might have done so, OTOH). I asked for an example of Zeros armed with BOMBs, not an example of Zeros existing, LOL. As for the Tainan irgroup, what's the example of them using the Zero as a fighter bomber? The book, please, and a page (I probably have it). If the web source isn't j-aircraft it's not trustworthy.

http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/zerofacts.htm

There, the only for sure accurate web page on the zero you are going to find (in english, anyway).

Regardless, we have no 30kg or 60kg bombs. So arming a Zero with bombs in SH4 means overloading it (the smallest bomb in SH4 is 100kg). Arming them means that we see loads of bomb armed Zeros, when in fact seeing such a use of any Zero would be extremely rare, a sub would be more likely to see Amelia Earhart waving from a deserted island. ;)

tater