Mitsubishi Ki-1 Type 93
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 […]
Articles by PE Matt
The IJAAF in Northern China
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”
The Kawasaki Ki-10 was designed in response to an IJAAF requirement for a new type of fighter to replace a number of outdated types in service.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
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
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 […]
Yokosuka E1Y Type 14
The Yokosuka E1Y was designed by a team from the Japanese Naval Arsenal in 1921, with the team being led by visiting members of Short Brothers, a UK aircraft manufacturer. Initial versions were very overweight […]
Boeing 218
The Boeing 218 was an export version of the F4B (US Navy) and P-12 (USAAC) fighter, which had entered American service in 1929. A small number of 218s were sold to Chinese warlords (sources are […]
Nakajima A1N Type 3
By 1926 the Japanese Navy’s Mitsubishi 1MF fighters were no longer considered adequate, and the search began for a replacement. Aichi, Mitsubishi and Nakajima were invited to put forward prototypes for evaluation. Nakajima obtained a […]
Peaceful Seas: The End of the Chinese Navy, 1937
The Republic of China Navy of 1937 was, by the standards of the era, very small and limited in its abilities. The largest vessels it had in commission were light cruisers like the Ning-Hai (Peaceful […]
Fighter Combat Over Nanking, 1937
By September 1937, the progress of the war was beginning to take shape after the confusing initial forays in Shanghai. Additional Japanese troops had landed on the banks of the Yangtze and had begun to […]