Marine Raiders vc Japanese seaplanes
 

Hello!

US-Marine Raider used a britisch Anti-Tank Boys Caliber .55 at the raid on Makin atoll on 17./18. August 1942 against Japanes seaplanes. The planes floating in the Makin lagoon were attacked with the anti-tank rifle fire. One seaplane burst into flames and the second one attempted to escape but was so
dammaged by the anti-tank rifle fire that it crashed.
What type of Japanese seaplanes were they and from what Kokutai?

Stay all safe!!!
Best,
h.

Re: Marine Raiders vc Japanese seaplanes
 

Here is all the info requested as found on the Pacific Wrecks website:


https://www.pacificwrecks.com/provin...ati_makin.html

https://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfie...ane/index.html
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircra...kin/index.html

Re: Marine Raiders vc Japanese seaplanes
 

There is a long account here of the raid:

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/gue...rue-story.html

In this account the two seaplanes had just landed and the Emily (Kawanishi H8K) was bringing in reinforcements. The 2nd plane (a float plane) is given as a "Dave" Nakajima E8N. (Others accounts say that 2nd plane as a Rufe, Nakajima A6M2-N.)

Re: Marine Raiders vc Japanese seaplanes
 

There is a report on fold3: https://www.fold3.com/image/1/267825913

It says a large and a medium seaplane landed in the lagoon where both were destroyed by machine-gun and anti-tank fire. The large one carried 35 reinforcements for the Japanese according to natives, so a Emily or a Mavis is probable. The large and medium may designate a Emily and a Mavis, as Dave/Rufe and so on were much smaller. By the way the report talks of Japanese biplanes (Daves?) but does not identify the destroyed aircraft as one of them.