Japanese antishipping claims

[TormodChristiansen]

Would it be possible to trace the responsible japanese air units on attacks on allied merchant ships?


1. Merchant ship sunk by Japanese planes at 250 nautical miles east of east of Samar Island, Philippines, December 8, 1941.

2. Merchant ship sunk by Japanese planes at Rabaul, January 20, 1942.

3. Merchant ship sunk by Japanese planes west of Java, March 7, 1942.

4. Merchant ship sunk by Japanese planes at Colombo, Ceylon, April 5, 1942.

5. Merchant ship sunk by Japanese planes at Trincomalee, Ceylon, April 9, 1942.

Any help and suggestions to units and type of planes involved in these cases would be greatly appreciated.


The J-Aircraft forum does not seem to activate member registrations anymore. Anyone here with a account to the forum?

[SteveR]

For 5 April 1942 at Colombo: If its the armed merchant cruiser Hector you're looking for, I believe she was sunk by Vals from Shokaku.

I'll see what I can find for the others late this afternoon once I'm done shoveling snow...

[TormodChristiansen]

Thanks! I'll PM you a list with the ships.

Still no snow in the southern parts of Norway. :-)

[Jan Gazda]

Hi,

as for April 9, 1942, at Trincomalee: if the ship in question is Sagaing, than she might have been sunk by B5N from Sōryū. However, the attack was conducted by no less than 91 B5N from Sōryū, Hiryū, Shokaku, Zuikaku and Akagi and it is hard to pinpoint the culprit. The incident is fleetingly mentioned in Bloody Shambles by Shores.

Jan