Chinese A6M2 - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

CJE · #1 4th October 2011, 11:24

This is part of a well-known pic showing a A6M2 in Chinese colours.
What are those louvres aft of the cowling? I have never seen such things on any other photograph of Zeroes.
Some local makeshift to make the plane flyable?

Pilot · #2 4th October 2011, 11:53

It also have some pipe atop the cowling?

CJE · #3 4th October 2011, 13:34

Right, Srecko.
Could it be a A6M1?

Chris

Graham Boak · #4 4th October 2011, 15:33

This a familiar discussion: although I cannot point you directly to a source, it has been made clear that the aircraft was an A6M2, and the louvres were added after captivity.

I believe that the A6M1 is known, and did not have such louvres. This should be confirmable from a good recent work, but a search on j-aircraft.com will probably track down both a description of the A6M and a discussion of the captured one.

Pilot · #5 4th October 2011, 16:05

No idea but will try to see what I have in files...

CJE · #6 4th October 2011, 18:47

Graham,

Have found nothing on j-aircraft but the topic must be too old.
Here's another photograph of the same aircraft but in the US.
The pipe above the cowling could have been an extra intake for the oil tank intercooler; the tank was located somewhere between the upper louvres and the windscreen.

I still expect to see a decent photograph of a A6M1.

Chris

Graham Boak · #7 4th October 2011, 19:33

Try the original Bunrin-Do series, number 10. There is a photo of an aircraft in a hangar, cowling off. However, the same photo is in Mikesh's Zero: Japan's Legendary Fighter from Motorbooks, where it is described as "allegedly the No.2 test-manufactured Zero....A6M1". The most noticeable feature is the 2-blade propeller on the Zuisei Type 13 engine, only on the first two aircraft. All subsequent examples being A6M2 with the Sakae.

Some older sources confuse the A6M2 Model 11 with the A6M1 - it seems this is not so.

There may be more in more recent sources.

CJE · #8 4th October 2011, 20:02

I know this photograph (of too bad a quality to help my purpose) but hope for a better view with cowling on.
Not sure that the exhaust pipe was located further up. Urban legends dating from the 70's are hard to kill.

udf_00 · #9 4th October 2011, 22:03

http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/WarPrizes.htm

CJE · #10 5th October 2011, 10:45

Thanks.
It's exactly what I was looking for.

Chris

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