The Aichi D3A (Allied code name - Val) is a Japanese low-wing dive-board dive bomber. The D3A was the standard dive bomber of the Japanese Navy in the early stages of the Pacific War. The prototype first flew in 1938. Despite the fact that already at the time of the beginning of hostilities, it was an obsolete aircraft, it proved to be very effective both during the attack on Pearl Harbor and during subsequent operations. The Aichi D3A1 Val sank the largest number of Allied ships of any aircraft in the Empire of Japan during World War II. In 1943, they were replaced on board aircraft carriers by more modern designs. The kamikazes used by pilots returned at the end of the war. The Aichi D3A was produced in relatively small numbers - 478 D3A1s and 816 of the more modern D3A2. The more modern version had a more powerful engine and larger fuel tanks. Technical data (D3A1 version): length: 10.2m, wingspan: 14.37m, height: 3.85m, maximum speed: 389km / h, rate of climb: 8.6m / s, maximum range: 1560km, maximum ceiling 10900m armament: fixed-3 machine guns cal.7.7mm, pendant-up to 370 kg of bombs.The Nakajima B6N is a Japanese low-wing, single-engine bomber-torpedo plane with an all-metal structure from the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place in 1941, but the start of serial production took place only in 1943, and the machine entered the line on a large scale only in 1944! Such a significant delay was caused by prolonged research and work on the "heart" of the aircraft, the Nakajima NK7A Mamoru 11 engine, which was finally (from the B6N2 Tenzan Model 12 version) replaced with the Mitsubishi MK4T Kasei engine. Due to the fact that the B6N performed similar tasks and was to operate from the same aircraft carriers as the B5N, the external similarity of both types of aircraft is considerable. The B6N, however, is longer and much heavier. The first production series, still with the Nakajima Mamoru engine, was called B6N1 Tenzan Model 11, the next one with the Mitsubishi Kasei engine was the B6N2 Tenzan Model 12. Both models, due to their weight, were not able to operate with light aircraft carriers. In 1944, the B6N2a Tenzan Model 12A version was introduced, some of which used a Type 3 radar with a practical range of about 50-60 km. The B6N underwent its baptism of fire in the battles for the Solomon Islands in 1943. Later, they took part in the battles for the Mariana Islands in 1944 in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where they suffered heavy losses, and finally over Okinawa in 1945, where they also served as kamikaze aircraft. Technical data: length: 10.87m, wingspan: 14.89m, height: 3.8m, maximum speed: 481km / h, rate of climb: 8m / s, maximum range: 3050km, maximum ceiling 9040m, armament: fixed-2 7.7mm machine guns (one type 97 and one type 92), an underslung torpedo weighing 800 kg or bombs with the same wagoner.The Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (also known as Zero or Zeke) is a Japanese single-engine, full-metal low-wing fighter aircraft from the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place on April 1, 1939, and it was put into service in the summer of 1940. The first prototypes were powered by a Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine, but from the A6M2 Model 11 onwards, the Nakajima NK1B Sakae 12 engine with 950 HP was used, which made the aircraft one of the best fighters early war period. New versions were created just before and during the war. One of the most famous was the A6M2 Model 21, a special version with folding wings designed for aircraft carriers, prepared at the beginning of the Pacific War, which became the basic Japanese on-board fighter. The next versions are A6M3 and A6M5, each of which had several versions. The first one used the 1130 HP Nakajima Sakae 21 engine with a compressor, which, however, meant an increase in weight and a decrease in range and maneuverability. Attempts were made to solve this problem in the A6M5 version by changing the exhaust system, changing the shape of the wings and resigning from folding them, which increased the top speed. The flight of this version took place in 1943 and was in production until the end of the war. It is worth noting that one of the most widely produced versions of the A6M5 was the A6M5C Model 52C «Hei» aircraft, of which nearly 5,000 were produced. "Zero" planes took part in the entire war in the Pacific, serving primarily as deck fighters, but also to a large extent as Army fighters. The "father" of this famous aircraft was the engineer Jiro Horikoshi, who relied on the experience gained from working on the M5A aircraft. He managed to develop a very maneuverable plane, with excellent aerodynamic properties, perfect for combat and with a large range. However, this was achieved at the expense of armor and the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks. What's more, due to the lack of aircraft engines with a power comparable to American machines, every year of the war, "Zero" from the "supercar", from 1943, evolved towards the weaker rival P-51, P-47 or F-4 or F- 6. It also turned out to be a machine vulnerable to damage and very vulnerable to fire. However, this does not change the fact that the Allies, until 1943, did not have an aircraft that would be able to compete with the A6M Zero. Technical data (A6M2 model 21 version): length: 9.06m, wingspan: 12m, height: 3.05m, maximum speed: 533km / h, rate of climb: 15.7m / s, maximum range: 3105km, maximum ceiling 10000m , armament: fixed - 2 20mm Type 99-1 cannons and 2 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns, suspended - up to 250 kg of bombs.
Very often, the date of birth of naval aviation in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN for short, Japanese Nippon Kaigun) is March 16, 1923, when Lieutenant Sunishi Kira landed in his plane on board the Hosho aircraft carrier, which, moreover, entered service a year earlier (1922). It should be added, however, that in the course of the 1920s, many Japanese naval officers saw aircraft carriers as supporters of battleships and battleships, bearing in mind the great success of Admiral Heihachiro Togo at Tsushima in 1905. The technical level of the then Japanese on-board aircraft was also not the highest. However, this state of affairs began to change in the 30s of the 20th century, among others, due to the later Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who perceived the main weapon in the naval war in aircraft carriers. He was a strong supporter of the development of Japanese on-board aviation, which translated into the construction or modernization of such ships as Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu and Zuikaku. Also, Japanese aviation structures not only reached the world leaders, but began to set standards in them, including the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zeke fighter or the Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo plane. This intense development led to the fact that when the war in the Pacific broke out, the IJN had 10 aircraft carriers, on which over 500 on-board machines were based, with well-trained crews. The first months of struggle in the Pacific showed how dangerous this weapon was. It should be remembered, however, that already during that war, the IJN had considerable problems, for example, to replace the A6M Zeke plane on a mass scale or to introduce a successful B5N successor to the line, i.e. the B6N Tenzen torpedo plane. Also, the process of training sea pilots turned out to be flawed and was distanced by the solutions used in the US Navy.