The official AHF Japan at War quiz thread

[Sewer King]

That is correct, and you covered all bases. The raid against the Germans at Tsingtao by Wakamiya's planes was the one I meant. Although Wakamiya was originally a British-built cargo ship captured from the Russians, she was not designated a Maru I think.

"Shipboard" covers all aircraft intended or fitted for carry by ship and to be launched into action at sea, whether from the deck or not. This might semantically exclude Mitchell's B-25s.

There is a Royal Navy account of the Tsingtao raid, which rattled the German defenders who had not expected air attack. It also claimed the first naval air sinking, a wood-hulled minelayer. Was it also one of the first uses of converted shells for bombs? a minor point as French planes were using 75mm shells around this time. The Japanese used 12-pdr ones here.

Your turn then!

[Pips]

Who flew (and on what date) the first official domestic flight of the Japanese Army Air Force?

[Sewer King]

Captain Yoshito Tokugawa who brought back a Farman from France, or Captain Kumazo Hino who took a Grade from Germany. They flew in Japan on December 19, 1910, but if one was before the other I'm not sure. Nor if the JAAF had yet an embryonic organization, or considers those flights its "first".

If lighter-than-air counts there were Army balloon flights in the 1870s-80s but I do not know who manned them.

[Kim Sung]

Captain Yoshito Tokugawa who brought back a Farman from France, or Captain Kumazo Hino who took a Grade from Germany. They flew in Japan on December 19, 1910, but if one was before the other I'm not sure. Nor if the JAAF had yet an embryonic organization, or considers those flights its "first".

If lighter-than-air counts there were Army balloon flights in the 1870s-80s but I do not know who manned them.

Captain Hino Kumazo(日野熊蔵)'s Hans Grade flew the first flight on December 14, 1910 in Tokyo's Yoyogi training center.

Japan's First Flight


http://l-fischer.de/hansgrade (in German)

日野熊蔵
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』

日野熊蔵（ひの くまぞう、1878年6月9日 - 1946年1月15日）は陸軍軍人、日本の初期のパイロットの一人である。1910年12月19日の代々木錬兵場で、徳川好敏陸軍工兵大尉との公式飛行が日本での最初の動力機の飛行である（当時陸軍歩兵大尉）。1910年12月14日に日野が単独で60m程度の飛行をおこなったのが日本の最初の飛行とすることもある。

日野熊蔵は熊本県球磨郡人吉町（現人吉市）出身。1898年、陸軍士官学校を卒業する。1910年ドイツに派遣され、操縦技術を学んで、グラーデ単葉機を購入して、上述の公開飛行を行った。1911年 - 1912年に自分の設計の機体、日野式飛行機を製作した。1931年に陸軍歩兵少佐になった。

[Kim Sung]

In 1891, a Japanese soldier named Ninomiya Chuhhachi(二宮忠八), getting an idea from a bird's motion, made a model aircraft. His flight on April 29, 1891 was successful and later submitted his idea of making a real aircraft to his commanders in 1895 when he was positioned in Seoul as a medic of the 5th brigade. But, brigadier general Ohshima Yoshimasa(大島義昌, 1850-1926) rejected his suggestion as unreal.

If his idea had been accepted, Japan might have got ahead of Wright brothers.

[Pips]

According to Hata and Izawa the first official flight of the JAAF was by Capt. Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, who flew a Maurice Farman at the Yoyogi manoeuvre grounds in Tokyo on 19 December 1910.

Not being able to read German I cannot comment on the link by Kim Sung. Perhaps Kim you can provide us with some of the details?

[Kim Sung]

http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~Pegasus/his ... #hatuhikou

The above link proves that captain Nino is the first Japanese who flew an aircraft in Japan. I'll translate the passage below this evening or tomoow morning for I'm very busy now.

...徳川好敏大尉とともに臨時軍用気球研究会の委員だった日野熊蔵歩兵大尉がドイツで飛行術修得中に購入した小型の単葉機で、ドイツ人技師兼操縦士のハンス・グラーデによって設計された。明治43年（1910年）12月14日、東京代々木練兵場で地上滑走試験を数回繰返したのち、2回ほど離陸した。1回目は高度1mで距離約30m、2回目は高度約10mで60mほど飛行している。実際は、これが日本最初の動力機による飛行であるが、観衆の前で行われた公式飛行でないため、国内初飛行記録として認定されることはなかった。その後、16日にもテスト飛行が行われ高度36mまで上昇している。そして、19日の公式飛行の日がやってくるが、この日は4気筒あるエンジンのうち1気筒がプラグの不調で発火せず、十分な性能を出せないまま終った。...

This link may be some help although it has some inaccurate information.

[Kim Sung]

...徳川好敏大尉とともに臨時軍用気球研究会の委員だった日野熊蔵歩兵大尉がドイツで飛行術修得中に購入した小型の単葉機で、ドイツ人技師兼操縦士のハンス・グラーデによって設計された。明治43年（1910年）12月14日、東京代々木練兵場で地上滑走試験を数回繰返したのち、2回ほど離陸した。1回目は高度1mで距離約30m、2回目は高度約10mで60mほど飛行している。実際は、これが日本最初の動力機による飛行であるが、観衆の前で行われた公式飛行でないため、国内初飛行記録として認定されることはなかった。その後、16日にもテスト飛行が行われ高度36mまで上昇している。そして、19日の公式飛行の日がやってくるが、この日は4気筒あるエンジンのうち1気筒がプラグの不調で発火せず、十分な性能を出せないまま終った。...

My Translation

Captain Hino, who was also a member of the military baloon research committee with captain Tokugawa, purchased Hans Grade, a small monoplane when he was studying in Germany. On December 14, 1910, after some runway tests in Yoyogi training center, Tokyo, the monoplane successfully took off twice. At the first flight, the plane flew 30m at the altitude of 1m, and, at the second, 60m at the altitude of 10m. This was the first flight by a powered aircraft in Japan, but, because there was no spectator except some military personnels, this was not certified as the official first flight. Later, on December 16, another test flight was performed at the altitude of 36m. The first official flight was scheduled on December 19, the engine broke down, failing to ignite and unable to operate at full force.

Strictly speaking, Sewer King gave a right answer. Next turn should be his.

[Pips]

Thanks Kim. Over to you SK.

[Sewer King]

Name a Japanese warship sunk by attacks of the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Army together.

This might not be too hard but there may be more than one, although not necessarily a combatant. But if so I haven't been able to track it down at the moment. There is so much expertise here that this other answer might well be found, and that will answer the question as well if not better.

Thanks Kim for the reference to Ninomiya Chuhachi. I never heard of him and his flying experiments until now. Nor that his 12hp craft could have been flown. There is a scientific observation that when the time is right, engineering breakthroughs will be made around the world around the same time. Then it becomes a matter of which one is first, and soon afterwards which one is the most practical. Consider landmarks in the development of radio, rocketry, guns, computers. I would like to have seen the working model of Chuhachi's design that was finally flown in Canada.

[Peter H]

Any hints?

[Sewer King]

The studied answer will pick out that the US Army had relatively few opportunities to attack Japanese warships in action.

Of course, "Army" includes the Army Air Forces!

The ship that was sunk is by no means an obscure one. She will be well-known, or remembered, once heard by name. Should I give it some days more? Other hints might give away the answer without reference to the circumstances of her loss.

[Davide Pastore]

Hiei

Navy - TBF from Enterprise
USMC - SBD & TBF from Henderson Field
USAAF - B-17 (from Espiritu Santu ?)

http://www.combinedfleet.com/atully03.htm

Davide

[Sewer King]

Battleship Hiei is correct. I was going from the standard accounts of her loss such as Morison's, but should have allowed that there is some fine dispute about which of her battle damage was fatal.

Hiei was hit not only by Navy and Marine Corps torpedo and dive bombers, but the cumulative torpedo and gunfire of two US cruisers and three destroyers. Even two submarine torpedo hits (duds) by account. The B-17s of 11th Bomb Group, out of Espiritu Santo, were credited with one or two bomb hits.

Besides sinking destroyer Mutsuki in Aug 43, can anyone tell me by the way if B-17s ever successfully hit any other Japanese warships in the Pacific?

I could not find any other warships hit and sunk by USN, USMC, and USAAF together.

Your turn then, Mr Pastore.

[Davide Pastore]

Let's stay with IJN ships. Please identify the one below.

Hint: she had a flight deck.

Davide