TROTSKIY is up

[shrike]

Not really sure about the bands as my Japanese refs are slim, but I'm finding photos and profiles of aircraft in the same Chutai with different coloured bands. Maybe a Shotai marking? I'm not seeing any of the consistency that would indicate a theatre-wide marking like the white bands and yellow extremities of the axis et c. As colourfully marked as some IJA aircraft were, and as elaborate, yet elegant, as Japanese heraldry can be a flight specific marking wouldn't surprise me any.

[Don Boose]

Ash - Good eye. I might have missed this one if you hadn't flagged it. The caption of hayabusa25_v18) reads: “Army Type One Fighter [Rikugun Reishiki Sentōki], Hayabusa [Peregrine Falcon], 25th Air Regiment [Hiko 25 Sentai], 2d Company [Chutai], 1944 [Showa Year 19], Hankow Airfield [Hikojō].”

Mark - You are correct that there was no universal "combat stripe" on IJAAF aircraft, as there was on RAF and Reggia aircraft in WWII. But Thorpe says such a stripe was "common practice throughout the war years . . . to identify aircraft or assignment/operational status, although all aircraft did not follow this practice."

And, as you point out, the same kind of stripe was frequently used, often in the chutai color, to identify shotai within a chutai. In some cases, especially Ki-44s, there were multiple fuselage stripes in various colors identifying shotai position.

I tentatively conclude that the white stripe on 64th Sentai Ki-43s was a combat stripe and not a shotai marking, but I am certainly not on firm ground here.

To make it more confusing, there may have been some variations in chutai colors for the sentai tail markings. The "normal" pattern was blue for the headquarters chutai, white for the 1st, red for the 2d, and yellow for the 3d chutai. BUT, the 64th Sentai Ki-43 depicted in the previous Trotskiy offering has a red sentai tail marking, but is identified in the caption as a 3d Chutai aircraft. All of the paintings of Ki-43s in my references with red tail markings are identified as 2d Chutai aircraft. Could Trotskiy have made an error?

Incidentally, Trotskiy previous issued at least two more Ki-43s, of the 63d Sentai and of the Hitachi Flying Training Division. I wonder if they will appear over the next few days? Please keep an eye out, as I go back to the exercise tomorrow and will be decisively engaged through Wednesday evening.

Don (The picture is of a couple of Ki-43s built a couple fo years ago, soon after I discovered the Trotskiy site. Pretty crude, but they helped get me started in paper modeling.)

[Stev0]

is it just me? None of these models open proper in Acrobat 8.

[Don Boose]

At present, they are opening okay for me, but I have had problems in the past. It's usually a sign that I have to update my Adobe Acrobat. I think you also need to have downloaded the Japanese language capability.

Beyond that small amount of information, I cannot go, but I am sure others can help.

Don

[shrike]

Trostkiy tends to be one of the first to jump on new versions of Acrobat

[Edi]

since using Foxit-Reader I haven`t had any problems

[member_3]

Hayabusa01_v18 is up.

[Don Boose]

Thanks, Ron.

The caption to Trotskiy Nakajima Ki-43-II version 1.801 (hayabusa01_v18) reads: ““Army Type One Fighter [Rikugun Reishiki Sentōki], Hayabusa [Peregrine Falcon], Hitachi Flying Training Division [Hitachi Kyodo Hiko Shidan], 1944 [Showa Year 19], Mito Airfield [Mitō Hikojo].”

The Hitachi Flying Training Division was one of two operational training units formed in 1944 from the former Akeno Army Flying School. The other was the Akeno Flying Training Division. They had both training and air defense responsibilities.

Don

[Don Boose]

I must have been tired and typing too fast, as I left out part of the translation in my previous posting.

The caption to Trotskiy Nakajima Ki-43-II version 1.8 01 (hayabusa01_v18) should read: ““Army Type One Fighter [Rikugun Reishiki Sentōki], Hayabusa [Peregrine Falcon], Hitachi Flying Training Division [Hitachi Kyodo Hiko Shidan], 1st Flying Unit [1 Hikotai], 1944 [Showa Year 19], East Mito Airfield [Mitō Higashi Hikojo].”

Gomennasai and mianhamnida,

Don

[member_3]

Another Hayabusa heard from! hayabusa63_v18 is available for download.