Yokosuka P1Y Ginga
Template:Short description Template:Infobox aircraft
The Yokosuka P1Y Template:Nihongo is a twin-engine, land-based bomber developed for the Japanese Imperial Navy in World War II. It was the successor to the Mitsubishi G4M and given the Allied reporting name Frances.
Design and development
The P1Y was designed by the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal to Navy specification 15-Shi,<ref name="Francillon1979p462">Template:Harvnb</ref> calling for a fast bomber with speed matching the Zero, range matching the G4M, a 907 kg (2,000 lb) bombload, and the ability to dive-bomb as well as carry torpedoes. As the result, the construction suffered from excess complexity, difficulty of manufacture, and poor serviceability. Problems with the availability of enough reliable Nakajima Homare engines led to their replacement by the Mitsubishi Kasei in the P1Y2-S night-fighter version.
The streamlined design of the Ginga is attributed to Miki Tadanao, an engineer who, after World War II, went on to create a similar aerodynamic design for Japan's earliest bullet trains (Shinkansen) while working with the Japan National Railways (JNR).<ref name="Hood">Template:Cite book</ref>
Operational history
The first flight was in August 1943. Nakajima manufactured 1,002 examples, which were operated by five Kōkūtai (Air Groups), and acted as land-based medium and torpedo bombers from airfields in China, Taiwan, the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. During the last stages of the War, the P1Y was used as a kamikaze aircraft against the United States Navy during the Okinawa Campaign in Operation Tan No. 2.
A night fighter version, the P1Y2-S Template:Nihongo, with Mitsubishi Kasei engines was equipped with radar and a Schräge Musik-style upward-firing, as well as forward-firing, 20 mm cannon. A total of ninety-six were produced by Kawanishi,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> but, due to inadequate high-altitude performance against the B-29 Superfortress, many were converted back to Ginga bombers.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Variants
<ref name="TMM_P109">The Maru Mechanic (1984), pp. 109–110.</ref><ref name="FAW_P29">Famous Airplanes of the World (2000), pp. 29–31.</ref>
- P1Y1 Template:Nihongo
- 3 of prototypes and 9 of supplementary prototypes<ref name="FAW_P26">Famous Airplanes of the World (2000), p. 26.</ref> with Template:Convert NK9C Nakajima NK9B Homare 11 engines. Prototype #3 was later used for Ishikawajima Tsu-11 testbed.
- P1Y1 Template:Nihongo
- First model of the series. Mounted Homare 11 or Homare 12.
- P1Y1a Template:Nihongo
- Mounted Homare 12, and fitted 1 × Template:Convert Type 2 machine gun in the back defensive position.
- P1Y1b Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1a, mounted Homare 12, and fitted 2 × Template:Convert Type 2 machine guns in the back defensive position.
- P1Y1c Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1b, mounted Homare 12, and fitted 1 × Template:Convert Type 2 machine gun in the forward position, prototype only.
- P1Y1 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1. Armed with 2 × Template:Convert Type 99 cannons. Equipped 302nd Kōkūtai only. This is not a naval regulation equipment.
- P1Y1-S Template:Nihongo
- Night fighter variant. Armed with 4 × Template:Convert Type 99 cannons firing obliquely forward, and 1 × Template:Convert Type 2 machine gun in the back defensive position. Only a project.
- P1Y1 Ground attack variant
- Converted from P1Y1/P1Y1a, installed up to 20 × Template:Convert Type 99 cannons in the bomb bay for land strikes against B-29 bases in the Marianas. Approx. 30 rebuilt.
- P1Y2-S Template:Nihongo
- Night fighter variant. Initial named Template:Nihongo in October 1943, renamed Template:Nihongo in March 1944.<ref name="MA595_P50">Model Art (2001), p. 50–53</ref> Converted from P1Y1/P1Y1a. Fitted Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25 engines. Armed with 2 × Template:ConvertType 99 cannons and 1 × Template:Convert Type 5 cannon. Later, almost all were converted to P1Y2. 96 or 97 produced.<ref name="FAW_P31">Famous Airplanes of the World (2000), p. 31</ref>
- P1Y2 Template:Nihongo
- Land based bomber. Converted from P1Y2-S. Mounted Template:Convert Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25 Kō engines.
- P1Y2a Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1a. Mounted Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25 Kō engines.
- P1Y2b Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1b. Mounted Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25 Kō engines.
- P1Y2c Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1c. Mounted Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25 Kō engines.
- P1Y2 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y2. Armed with 2 × Template:Convert Type 99 machine guns or 1 × Template:Convert Type 5 cannon. Equipped 302nd Kōkūtai only. This is not a naval regulation equipment.
- P1Y3 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1. Mounted Homare 21 engines.
- P1Y4 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1. Mounted Homare 23 engines.
- P1Y5 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y1. Mounted Mitsubishi Ha-43 engines.
- P1Y6 Template:Nihongo
- Converted from P1Y2. Mounted Mitsubishi MK4T-C Kasei 25 Hei engines.
- Template:Nihongo
- Long-range bomber variant. Crew: 4, with up to Template:Convert bombs. Only a project.
- Template:Nihongo
- Proposed jet-powered bomber variant, mounted Ishikawajima Ne-30. Discontinued in 1945.
- MXY10 Yokosuka Navy Bomber Ginga
- Ground decoy non-flying replica of Yokosuka P1Y1.
Number built by Nakajima and Kawanishi
<ref name="FAW_P31" />
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Sub total | |
| 1943 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 45 | |||||||
| 1944 | 11 | 20 | 35 | 46 | 46 | 51 | 47 | 48 | 69 | 75 | 88 | 84 | 620 |
| 1945 | 90 | 52 | 52 | 63 | 64 | 53 | 40 | 20 | 434 | ||||
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="TMM_P110">The Maru Mechanic (1984), p. 110</ref><ref name="MA406_P110">Model Art (1993), p. 135</ref><ref name="FAW_P32">Famous Airplanes of the World (2000), p. 32–38</ref>
- 302nd Kōkūtai: Equipped night fighter variant only.
- 521st Kōkūtai
- 522nd Kōkūtai
- 523rd Kōkūtai
- 524th Kōkūtai
- 701st Kōkūtai
- 706th Kōkūtai
- 752nd Kōkūtai
- 761st Kōkūtai
- 762nd Kōkūtai
- 763rd Kōkūtai
- 765th Kōkūtai
- 1001st Kōkūtai
- 1081st Kōkūtai
- Miyazaki Kōkūtai
- Toyohashi Kōkūtai
- Yokosuka Kōkūtai
- Kogeki 262nd Hikōtai
- Kogeki 401st Hikōtai
- Kogeki 405th Hikōtai
- Kogeki 406th Hikōtai
- Kogeki 501st Hikōtai
- Kogeki 708th Hikōtai
Surviving aircraft
A P1Y1 survives at the Smithsonian's Paul Garber Facility of its National Air and Space Museum. While only the fuselage has been photographed several times and can be found on the internet, the wings and engines are confirmed to exist.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was one of three P1Ys that were brought back to the United States after World War II for evaluation.
Specifications (P1Y1a)
See also
References
Bibliography
Further reading
- The Maru Mechanic No. 46 Ginga and Type 1 Attack Bomber, Ushio Shobō (Japan), May 1984
- Famous Airplanes of the World, Special Edition Vol. 1 Navy Bomber "Ginga" [Frances], Bunrindo (Japan), September 2000
- Model Art No. 406, Special issue Camouflage & Markings of Imperial Japanese Navy Bombers in W.W.II, Model Art Co. Ltd., April 1993
- Model Art No. 595, Special issue Night fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, Model Art Co. Ltd., October 2001
External links
Template:Yokosuka aircraft Template:Japanese Navy short aircraft designations Template:Imperial Japanese Navy official aircraft names Template:Allied reporting names Template:Authority control