EDUARD BASIC
1/72-SCALE BRASS & PHOTOETCH WW2 MXY-7 OHKA BAKU BOMB JAPAN DETAIL SET FOR
PLASTIC MODEL KIT #87-014
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Additional Information from
Internet Encyclopedia
The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka (Ōka,
"cherry blossom") was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided
kamikaze attack aircraft employed by Japan against Allied ships towards the end
of the Pacific War during World War II. Although extremely fast, the very short
range of the Ohka meant that it had to be carried into action as a parasite
aircraft by a much larger bomber, which was itself vulnerable to carrier-borne
fighters. In action during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Ohkas were able to
sink or damage some escort vessels and transport ships but no major warships
were ever hit. Improved versions which attempted to overcome the aircraft's
shortcomings were developed too late to be deployed. The Allied reporting name
for the Ohka was "Baka".
The MXY-7 Navy Suicide Attacker
Ohka was a manned flying bomb that was usually carried underneath a Mitsubishi
G4M2e Model 24J "Betty" bomber to within range of its target. On
release, the pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough
he would fire the Ohka's three solid-fuel rockets, one at a time or in
unison,[2] and fly the missile towards the ship that he intended to destroy.
The design was conceived by
Ensign Mitsuo Ohta of the 405th Kōkūtai, aided by students of the Aeronautical
Research Institute at the University of Tokyo. Ohta submitted his plans to the
Yokosuka research facility. The Imperial Japanese Navy decided the idea had
merit and Yokosuka engineers of the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal
(Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho, or in short Kugisho[4]) created formal
blueprints for what was to be the MXY7. The only variant which saw service was
the Model 11, and it was powered by three Type 4 Mark 1 Model 20 rockets. 155
Ohka Model 11s were built at Yokosuka, and another 600 were built at the
Kasumigaura Naval Air Arsenal.
The final approach was difficult
for a defender to stop because the aircraft gained high speed (650 km/h (400
mph) in level flight and 930 km/h (580 mph) or even 1,000 km/h (620 mph) in a
dive. Later versions were designed to be launched from coastal air bases and
caves, and even from submarines equipped with aircraft catapults, although none
were actually used in this way. The Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Mannert
L. Abele was the first Allied ship to be sunk by Ohka aircraft, near Okinawa on
12 April 1945.[5][6] Over the course of the war, Ohkas sank or damaged three
ships beyond repair, significantly damaged three more ships, with a total of
seven U.S. ships damaged or sunk by Ohkas.
The Ohka pilots, members of the
Jinrai Butai (Thunder Gods Corps), are honored in Japan at Ohka Park in Kashima
City, the Ohka Monument in Kanoya City, the Kamakura Ohka Monument at Kenchō-ji
Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa, and the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
The only operational Ohka was
the Model 11. Essentially a 1,200-kilogram (2,600 lb) bomb with wooden wings,
powered by three Type 4 Model 1 Mark 20 solid-fuel rocket motors, the Model 11
achieved great speed, but with limited range. This was problematic, as it
required the slow, heavily laden mother aircraft to approach within 37 km (20
nmi; 23 mi) of the target, making them very vulnerable to defending fighters.
There was one experimental variant of the Model 11, the Model 21, which had
thin steel wings manufactured by Nakajima. It had the engine of the Model 11
and the airframe of the Model 22.
The Ohka K-1 was an unpowered
trainer version with water ballast instead of warhead and engines, that was
used to provide pilots with handling experience. Unlike the combat aircraft, it
was also fitted with flaps and a landing skid. The water ballast was dumped
before landing but it remained a challenging aircraft to fly, with a landing
speed of 130 mph (210 km/h).[8] Forty-five were built by Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho.
The Model 22 was designed to
overcome the short standoff distance problem by using a Campini-type motorjet
engine, the Ishikawajima Tsu-11. This engine was successfully tested, and 50
Model 22 Ohkas were built at Yokosuka to accept this engine. The Model 22 was
to be launched by the more agile Yokosuka P1Y3 Ginga "Frances"
bomber, necessitating a shorter wing span and much smaller 600-kilogram (1,300
lb) warhead. The first flight of a Model 22 Ohka took place in June 1945; none
appear to have been used operationally, and only approximately 20 of the
experimental Tsu-11 engines are known to have been produced.
The Model 33 was a larger
version of the Model 22 powered by an Ishikawajima Ne-20 turbojet with an
800-kilogram (1,800 lb) warhead. The mothership was to be the Nakajima G8N
Renzan. The Model 33 was cancelled due to the likelihood that the Renzan would
not be available.
Other unbuilt planned variants
were the Model 43A with folding wings, to be launched from submarines, and the
Model 43B, a catapult/rocket assisted version, also with folding wings so that
it could be hidden in caves.[7] A trainer version was also under development
for this version, the two-seat Model 43 K-1 Kai Wakazakura (Young Cherry),
fitted with a single rocket motor. In place of the warhead, a second seat was
installed for the student pilot. Two of this version were built.[12] Finally,
the Model 53 would also use the Ne-20 turbojet, but was to be towed like a
glider and released near its target.
Operational history
The Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka was used
mostly against U.S. ships invading Okinawa, and if launched from its
mothership, could be effective because of its high speed in the dive.[13] In
the first two attempts to transport the Ohkas to Leyte Gulf using aircraft carriers,
the carriers Shinano and Unryu were sunk by the U.S. submarines Archerfish and
Redfish.
Attacks intensified in April
1945. On 1 April 1945, six "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off
Okinawa. At least one made a successful attack; its Ohka was thought to have
hit one of the 406 mm (16 in) turrets on the battleship West Virginia, causing
moderate damage. Postwar analysis indicated that no hits were recorded and that
a near-miss took place.[14] The transports Alpine, Achernar, and Tyrrell were
also hit by kamikaze aircraft, but it is unclear whether any of these were
Ohkas from the other "Bettys". None of the "Bettys"
returned.
The U.S. military quickly
realized the danger and concentrated on extending their "defensive
rings" outward to intercept the "Betty"/Ohka combination
aircraft before the suicide mission could be launched. On 12 April 1945, nine
"Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The destroyer Mannert
L. Abele was hit, broke in two, and sank, witnessed by LSMR-189 CO James M.
Stewart. Jeffers destroyed an Ohka with AA fire 45 m (50 yd) from the ship, but
the resulting explosion was still powerful enough to cause extensive damage,
forcing Jeffers to withdraw. The destroyer Stanly was attacked by two Ohkas.
One struck above the waterline just behind the ship's bow, its charge passing
completely through the hull and splashing into the sea, where it detonated
underwater, causing little damage to the ship. The other Ohka narrowly missed
(its pilot probably killed by anti-aircraft fire) and crashed into the sea,
knocking off the Stanly's ensign in the process. One Betty returned. On 14
April 1945, seven "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. None
returned. None of the Ohkas appeared to have been launched. Two days later, six
"Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. Two returned, but no
Ohkas had hit their targets. Later, on 28 April 1945, four "Bettys"
attacked the U.S. fleet off Okinawa at night. One returned. No hits were
recorded.
May 1945 saw another series of
attacks. On 4 May 1945, seven "Bettys" attacked the U.S. fleet off
Okinawa. One Ohka hit the bridge of a destroyer, Shea, causing extensive damage
and casualties. Gayety was also damaged by an Ohka's near miss. One
"Betty" returned. On 11 May 1945, four "Bettys" attacked
the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The destroyer Hugh W. Hadley was hit and suffered
extensive damage and flooding. The vessel was judged beyond repair. On 25 May
1945, 11 "Bettys" attacked the fleet off Okinawa. Bad weather forced
most of the aircraft to turn back, and none of the others hit targets.
On 22 June 1945, six
"Bettys" attacked the fleet. Two returned, but no hits were recorded.
Postwar analysis concluded that the Ohka's impact was negligible, since no U.S.
Navy capital ships had been hit during the attacks because of the effective
defensive tactics that were employed. In total, of the 300 Ohka available for
the Okinawa campaign, 74 actually undertook operations, of which 56 were either
destroyed with their parent aircraft or in making attacks. The Allied nickname
for the aircraft was "Baka", a Japanese word meaning
"foolish" or "idiotic".