SI 2009–12443
In 1938, the Imperial Japanese Navy issued a specification for a new, state-of-the-art fighter that would combine maneuverability, range, and endurance. New alloys and construction techniques resulted in a light, but highly maneuverable aircraft, well armed with two 7.7 mm machine guns in the fuselage and a 20 mm cannon in each wing.
The prototype was accepted as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Borne Fighter. The Type 0 designation came from the Japanese calendar year 2600 (1940) in which the A6M entered service. In Japanese, the official title was shortened to Reisen (Zero Fighter). The A6M debuted in China where it faced little modern opposition. The Zero’s superior performance quickly earned it a reputation of near invincibility. Its low wing loading gave it an exceptionally small turning radius and made it a deadly opponent for inexperienced pilots.
The Zero’s kill tally grew rapidly in the first six months after Pearl Harbor, as did its fearsome reputation. Soon, American pilots began to hold their own against the Zero by avoiding turning fights and using advantages in speed and acceleration. With the introduction of models such as the Hellcat and Corsair, American planes decidedly outclassed the Zero in all but turning radius. While the Zero never had an engine over 1,200 horsepower, the newer American fighters were operating with 2,000 horsepower power plants. A significant liability for early Zeros was their lack of armor protection and self-sealing fuel tanks. Japanese doctrine saw the fighter as a light offensive weapon and defensive measures were seen as unnecessary.
This aircraft is an A6M5 model, introduced in 1943 in an attempt to match the performance of new American fighters. A shorter wingspan with a heavier gauge skin increased diving speed and a modified engine exhaust system increased maximum speed. The A6M5 was the most-produced model of the Zero. It could challenge midwar American fighters when flown by an experienced pilot, but Japan had very few of them left in the last years of the war.
A distinctive feature of Zero fighters was the protrusion of the nose-mounted machine guns past the instrument panel into the cockpit. In this position, the pilot could reach the cocking handles on the inboard sides of the guns and manually charge them. This eliminated the requirement for remote charging mechanisms, thus saving weight. The compass in the center of the panel has a recessed mounting so that in flight it sits level in the angled instrument panel.
A CAPTURED A6M5 UNDERGOING AMERICAN EVALUATION.
SI 2009–12010