Mitsubishi G3M Type 96 “Nell”

February 24, 2015 PE Matt 0

The origins of the Type 96 bomber, later codenamed “Nell” by the Americans, lay in Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto’s plans for attacking enemy battleships and land installations in the far reaches of the Pacific. The new […]

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Welcome to Pacific Eagles!

February 22, 2015 PE Matt 0

PacificEagles.net is now Live! Welcome to my new blog about air combat in the Pacific from 1937 to 1945. I’ll be adding new content on a regular basis so stay tuned for new updates. You […]

Japanese Aircraft Naming Conventions

February 22, 2015 PE Matt 0

One of the difficulties in writing about Japanese aircraft of the World War 2 era is how you refer to the planes themselves. The Japanese had confusing naming schemes that they used in contemporary documents, […]

Aichi D1A Type 94/96 “Susie”

February 20, 2015 PE Matt 0

The IJN had watched the development of British and American dive-bombers during the interwar period with some interest. Determined to procure their own aircraft of this type, the navy approached the Aichi aircraft company, who […]

Mitsubishi Ki-2 Type 93 “Louise”

February 20, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Mitsubishi Ki-1 and Ki-2 bombers were both derivatives of the German-made Junkers K37. The sole K37 prototype was purchased by Japan in 1931, and briefly testing during the ‘Manchuria Incident’ that same year. The […]

Mitsubishi Ki-1 Type 93

February 18, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Mitsubishi Ki-1 and Ki-2 bombers were both derivatives of the German-made Junkers K37. The sole K37 prototype was purchased by Japan in 1931, and briefly testing during the ‘Manchuria Incident’ that same year. The […]

The IJAAF in Northern China

February 16, 2015 PE Matt 0

Although the “China Incident”, as the Japanese referred to the war in China, began near the old northern capital of Beijing air activity in the area was minimal compared to the central Shanghai front. Chiang […]

Kawasaki Ki-10 Type 95 “Perry”

February 9, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Kawasaki Ki-10 was designed in response to an IJAAF requirement for a new type of fighter to replace a number of outdated types in service. In contrast to the monoplane Nakajima Ki-11, which was […]

Mitsubishi B2M Type 89

February 8, 2015 PE Matt 0

In 1927 the Japanese Navy was looking for a replacement for its Type 13 torpedo bombers. Mitsubishi, hoping to win the contract, commissioned the British firm Blackburn Aircraft to produce a design. Blackburn elected to […]

Mitsubishi B1M Type 13

February 8, 2015 PE Matt 0

Originally designated the 2MT, the Mitsubishi B1M was designed by Herbert Smith, formerly of the Sopwith company which had produced a number of famous fighter designs. The 2MT was the first Japanese aircraft capable of […]

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