Eye Witness Account (2)

“Koga’s Zero” by Jim Reardon

The following is a continuation of the condensed version of Jim Reardon’s research ____

[at the time] Ensign Robert Larson, from Monticello, Iowa was the co-pilot in Lt. William Thies’ PBY crew that located the downed Japanese Zero, “We approached cautiously, walking in about a foot of water covered with grass.”   The Japanese pilot, Petty Officer Koga’s body, thoroughly strapped in, was upside down in the plane, his head barely submerged in the water.

Robert Larson

“We were surprised at the details of the airplane,” Larson continued.  “It was well built, with simple, unique features.  Inspection plates could be opened by pushing on a black dot with a finger.  A latch would open, and one could pull the plate out.  Wingtips folded by unlatching them and pushing them up by hand.  The pilot had a parachute and a raft.”

Koga’s body was buried nearby.  In 1947, it was shifted to a cemetery on nearby Adak Island and later his remains were returned to Japan.  Thies determined that the wrecked plane was nearly a new Zero, which suddenly gave it special meaning, for it was repairable.  Unlike US warplanes that had detachable wings, the Zero’s wings were integral with the fuselage and complicated salvage and shipping.

Larson on Zero 4593

Navy crews fought the plane out of the bog and Zero 4593 arrived at North Island Naval Air Station, San Diego.  A 12-foot-high stockade was erected around it inside a hangar.  Marines guarded the priceless aircraft while Navy crews worked around the clock to make it airworthy.

In mid-September, Lt.Cmdr. Eddie R. Sanders later said, “My log shows that I made 24 flights in Zero 4593 from 20 September to 15 October 1942.  These flights covered performance tests such as we do on planes undergoing US Navy tests. The very first flight exposed weakness of the Zero that our pilots could exploit with proper tactics.

Zero 4593

“The Zero had superior maneuverability only at the lower speeds used in dogfighting, with short turning radius and excellent aileron control at very low speeds.  However, immediately apparent was the fact that the ailerons froze up at speeds above two hundred knots, so that rolling maneuvers at those speeds were slow and required much force on the control stick.  It rolled to the left much easier than to the right.  Also, its engine cut out under negative acceleration [as when nosing into a dive] due to its float-type  carburetor.

Zero 4593 being worked on

“We now had an answer for our pilots who were unable to escape a pursuing Zero.  We told them to go into a vertical power dive using negative acceleration if possible, to open the range quickly and gain speed while the Zero’s engine was stopped.  We waited for an answer and finally it came back, ‘It works!'”

Another eye witness story will follow next from Robert Larson, co-pilot.

Judy at Greatest Generation Lessons had two uncles in Alaska during WWII; give her blog a try for the home front point of view.

Click on images to enlarge.

#################################################################################

Current News – 

To honor a great, well-respected military leader, on 7 February 2015, the USNS Lt.General Lewis B. (Chesty) Puller (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1) was christened. General Puller was the only Marine to earn the Navy Cross five times; he put in 37 years to the USMC.

USS Lewis B. Puller” a mobile landing platform vessel

#################################################################################

Military Humor – Bill Mauldin’s view on staying warm

“Is this really worth it?”

“Run it up th’ mountain agin, Joe. It ain’t hot enough.”

#################################################################################

Farewell Salutes – 

Mark Amirault – Digby, CAN; RC Air Force (Ret. 20 years)

James Boyland – Taupo, NZ; RNZ Navy # 2102, WWII & Korea

Missing Man formation

Eugene Dunn – Washington, DC; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Sgt.

Dolores Fehmer – Oklahoma City, OK; US Navy, Lt. Commander (Ret.)

Anne Fitch – Jacksonville, FL; US Air Force, Lt. Colonel (Ret. 24 years)

Lucien Guay – Saco, ME; USMC, WWII, PTO, Korea & Vietnam, Gunnery Sgt. (Ret. 21 years)

William Harves – W. Austr; RASC # 6410036, Vietnam

Anthony Lein – Westphalia, MI; US Army, Korea, A/17th/8th Division

Willis Miller – Blooming Prarie, MN; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Craven

Ben Piotrowski – Shelton, CT; US Coast Guard, WWII / US Air Force, Korea

Bob Simon – NYC, NY; Correspondent nearly 50 years, Vietnam Bosnia, Iraq, POW

Russell Washburn – Buffalo, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII & Atomic Energy Commission

################################################################################