Kawanishi H6K Mavis over Dutch New Guinea

[g-1reaper]

I am looking for info on this Japanese flyingboat. It operated over Dutch New Guinea in the early stages of the war in the far east.
For instance, a bombing attack was made on Babo, on december 16th 1941.
If I am correct, this might have been a plane of the Chitose airgroup. If this is correct, individual markings were in the YI-... ... range.

Does anyone have conclusive info on this type and period?

[Pilot]

Some very limited info:

http://www.combinedfleet.com/chitosesp_t.htm

[Larry deZeng]

As you can see, the MAVIS was not from the Chitose Naval Air Group:

Chitose Kōkūtai


Formed 1 October 1939 at Chitose NAS/S Hokkaidō as a land attack air group with Mitsubishi G3M Type 96 land attack bombers (NELL). A component of Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 carrier fighters (CLAUDE) was added later. [1]

[extracts]
……………
4 Dec 41: in preparation for forthcoming operations, the Kōkūtai’s single G4M BETTY flew a high altitude photo reconnaissance sortie of distant Wake Island that identified the dozen F4F Wildcats that had just been delivered to the island’s Marine garrison.[2]
8 Dec 1941 (Tōkyō time): main element based at Roi on Kawajalein Atoll/Marshall Islands under 24th Air Flotilla/Fourth Fleet with 36 G3M2 (NELL) bombers, 1 Mitsubishi G4M1 Type 1 land attack bomber (BETTY) and 24 A5M4 CLAUDEs; a detachment was based at Taroa on Maloelap Atoll in the Eastern Marshalls with 12 A5M4 CLAUDEs.[3]
8 Dec 41: flew the initial raid on Wake Island with 34 bombers in preparation for Japanese landings that followed on 23 December. The U.S. lost 8 planes on the ground during this attack. Following the 8 Dec raid, Chitose bombed Wake nearly every day to the 23d when the island was captured, losing only one or two planes but many more were shot up by Marine Wildcats and AA fire.[4]
2-3 Jan 42: half of the Group's bombers and a Chūtai of fighters transferred from Roi to Truk. [5]
……………


[1] Hata/Izawa-JNAF Aces and Fighter Units; Thorpe-JNAF; JICPOA JNAF OB (Microfiche F-2076):71.

[2] Tagaya-Betty Units:21.

[3] Star Games-Skies of Red.

[4] Cressman-Wake; Sekigawa:116.

[5] JM#120.

[g-1reaper]

I may have mixed up some important facts. As I found out, the Chitose was a seaplane tender, operations were the invasion of Philippines and Netherlands Indies.
The site No.1 found seems to back this up. Maybe there were no Mavis's with that tender?

Thank you so far, for thinking with me!

[Larry deZeng]

Good choice and right area, but Chitose did not have any MAVIS flying boats:

[extracts]

CHITOSE
(AV - Seaplane Tender)


Built 1934-38 at Kure, 12,550-ton displacement, with a complement of 24 floatplanes. Modified in 1941 as a transport and launch platform for 12 midget submarines while retaining stowage for 12 seaplanes.
Converted to an aircraft carrier in 1943.[1]

Oct 38: took part in Japanese landing operations at Canton/South China that included large naval forces in support of Army units aboard transports.[2]
Dec 41 - 14 Jul 42: assigned to 1lth Seaplane Tender Div./Combined Fleet.[3]
8 Dec 41 (Tōkyō time): at Peliliu in the Palau island group/Western Carolines assigned to 11th Seaplane Tender Division/Combined Fleet with 16 Mitsubishi F1M Type 0 observation seaplanes (PETE) and 4 Aichi E13A1 Type 0 reconnaissance seaplanes (JAKE).[4]
Dec 41: planes from this seaplane carrier flew air patrols and provided close support during landing operations in the Philippines by 14th Army.[5]
12 Dec 41: together with seaplane tender Mizuho, supported the landings at Legaspi/SE Luzon. A day or so later, departed for the Marshalls to deliver planes and then immediately returned to the Philippines.[6]
14 Dec 41: an F1M PETE observation seaplane from Chitose attempted to intercept a B-17 passing over Catanduanes Is. off SE Luzon in the Philippines. [7]
20 Dec 41: supported the landings at Davao/Mindanao and escorted a small invasion force that was put ashore at Jolo on 25 December.[8]
21 Dec 41: 8+ F1Ms bombed Del Monte airfield/N Mindanao, Cotabato in west-central Mindanao and claimed a flying boat moored on the lake at Dansalan (Marawi)/N Mindanao. [9]
22 Dec 41: hit Del Monte again with 6 F1Ms and 16 more struck the airfield at Cagayan/N Mindanao, claiming 3 planes destroyed for the two raids.
4 Jan 42: 4 of its planes slightly damaged during a high altitude raid on Davao harbor by 10 USAAF B-17s.
11 Jan 42: supported the landings at Manado/NE Celebes in the Dutch East Indies under 1lth Air Flotilla and the Chitose's F1Ms warded off an attack by 7 U.S. and Dutch PBY flying boats shooting down two of them and damaging two others.
24 Jan 42: supported the landings at Kendari/SE Celebes.

[1] Jentschura:64.

[2] JM#180.

[3] JM#116.

[4] Star Games-Skies of Red.

[5] Sekigawa:118.

[6] Dull-A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy:31.

[7] Shores-Bloody Shambles, vol.1.

[8] Dull-op cit:33,50,52,73.

[9] Shores-op cit and et seq.

[Larry deZeng]

After some more research in my files, I've determined with 98% certainty that the Kawanishi H6K MAVIS flying boat you are trying to identify was from theTōkō Kōkūtai.


It was operating from Palau on 16 December 1941. I can provide more details if needed.

Larry

[Pilot]

Not much related but maybe interesting to see:

http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info...hp?page_id=386

[g-1reaper]

Larry,
I appreciate your help,many thanks!
Do you have further information on individual aircraft registrations, or even some info backing up that attack on Babo on december 16th. Also, a H6K bombed a Dutch seaplane tender called "Arend", some days later. It met Dutch Dornier Do-24's in the air on some times.

[Larry deZeng]

Here is what I have on the Air Group’s activities in December:

[extract]

Tōkō Kōkūtai


Formed 1 October 1940 at Tōkō seaplane station 15 mi SSW of Heitō (P’ing-tung)/SW Formosa (also as: Tongkong) (today: Ta-t’an) as a long-range maritime reconnaissance and patrol air group equipped with Kawanishi H6K Type 97 flying boats (MAVIS) and Kawanishi H8K Type 2 flying boats (EMILY). Later, in 1942, the group added a small component of Nakajima A6M2-N Type 2 fighter seaplanes (RUFE).[1]

8 Dec 41 (Tōkyō time): at Arakabesan seaplane station at Palau/Western Caroline Islands under 21st Air Flotilla (Formosa) with an allowance of 22 H6K4 and 2 H6K2-L MAVIS flying boats; a rear detachment at Tōkō had an allowance of 8 H6K4 MAVIS flying boats. Began transferring H6Ks to Singora (Songkhla) on the Kra Isthmus in S Siam (Thailand) as soon as Japanese troops had secured the area on the first day of hostilities.[2]
15 Dec 41: 3 Palau-based H6Ks raided targets on or around Cebu Is./Central Philippines, the Kōkūtai’s first offensive operation of the war.
20 and 21 Dec 41: flew two attacks on Del Monte airfield/N Mindanao, each with 8 H6Ks operating from Palau.
22 Dec 41: further attack around Cebu sharing in the claimed sinking of a 5,000-ton cargo ship. Nine H6Ks transferred from Palau to Davao/S Mindanao.
30 Dec 41: 8 H6Ks attacked shipping around Cebu claiming one sinking.
31 Dec 41: 6 H6Ks from Tōkō Kū accompanied by 5 G4Ms of the Takao Kōkūtai attacked the small U.S. seaplane tender Heron (AVP-2) off Ambon, N.E.I., but accurate ship's AA fire shot down one H6K and damaged two others. Heron was slightly damaged by bombs from the G4Ms with 2 KIA and 25 WIA.[3]
………………………

Although I have no specific information regarding the bombing of Babo on 16 December, it was the only naval air group operating the MAVIS in that area at that time. Babo is about 730 miles SSE of Palau and the H6K2-L and H6K4 had ranges of 2,690 miles and 2,981 standard miles respectively. So Babo would have been well within normal operating range from Palau.

Can’t help directly with unit codes and individual aircraft registrations but I know who can. Follow this link to 21 pages on JNAF and JAAF aircraft codes and markings and see what you can find. You can also search that sub-forum and if you still don’t find what you are looking for you can post your question there. This guy specializes in this subject and can probably look it up in two minutes flat:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=172282

Larry


[1] JM#149; Thorpe-JNAF.

[2] Star Games-Skies of Red; Shores-Bloody Shambles, vol. 1 - et seq.

[3] Cressman-Official Chronology; S.E.Morison-The Rising Sun in the Pacific:197.

[General Savage]

You may be interested to watch the video clip that I entered called Carriers in the Pacific in WW2 in 'Allied and Soviet Airforces' above.
In the opening sequence it shows a Mavis flying boat being downed by Wildcat fighters.