Wake Island December 1941 - Japanese aircraft shot down?

[Tim Smith]

Wake Island, 1941

Does anyone have a breakdown of Japanese aircraft types shot down over or near Wake Island in December 1941?

Hyperwar's article says only seven planes shot down, and 20 more damaged.

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html

It would be great to get a breakdown of these, I'm trying to find out how many were G3M1/2 Nell bombers, and how many were Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros, Aichi D3A2 Vals and B5N2 Kates from the carriers Hiryu and Soryu.

Thanks,

Tim

[maxs75]

Tim,
the following is from j-aircraft forum:

21 December
Second Carrier Division Strike, Wake Island
18 Mitsubishi A6M2-21 Fighters "Zero"
18 Aichi D3A1 Dive Bombers "Val"
No Opposition, Unknown Losses

22 December
Second Carrier Division Strike, Wake Island
6 Mitsubishi A6M2-21 Fighters
33 Nakajima Attack Bombers "Kate"
2 Wildcats Rise in opposition, both are shot down
2 Kates Lost, either my AA or fighters (exact cause still in dispute)

23 December
Second Carrier Division Strike, Wake Island
Numbers and Losses Unknown at this time, not exactly sure if Strike Proceeded.

The dive bombers were D3A1 type, not D3A2.

HTH
Max

[JoeB]

From Cressman "Magnificent Fight", dates on Japan/Wake side of intl date line, downed by VMF-211 F4F-3's except as noted:

Dec 10: Type 96/G3M2/Nell of Chitose Kokutai
Dec 11: 2 of same
Dec 12: Type 97/H6K/Mavis of Yokohama Kokutai
Dec 22: 2 Type 97/B5N2/Kate downed by F4F-3's crews KIA, the third of this Soryu shotai ditched due to damage in the same action, other Soryu and Hiryu Kates were damaged by AA. Soryu Zeroes downed one F4F-3, pilot KIA, and another Wildcat returned with damage that couldn't be repaired in the remaining hours before the second Japanese landing.
Dec 23: A floatplane from Chikuma, type not given, was so badly damaged by AA it capsized on landing.

That totals 8 lost in action altogether.

Cressman reaches those seemingly quite firm and detailed conclusions about Dec 22 based on the Soryu/Hiryu kodochosho's, compared to diaries and immediate postwar reports of VMF-211.

I didn't count up damaged planes but they included a number of G3M's in the early bombings to F4F and AA, carrier planes Dec 22-23 and several other floatplanes Dec 23.

Joe

[glenn239]

From Bloody Shambles, pg 160-161

Shot down -

Dec 10th: 1x G3M (Hiroshi Mizokawa)
Dec 11th: 2x G3M (Fumio Sasao, Daisuke Miyazaki)
Dec 22nd: 2 x B5N2

Additional claims - (no apparent confirmation from IJN records)

Dec 11th - 3 x G3M

H6K was flown by Nakano.

First 2nd Carrier Raid OOB was:

33 x Val
2 x Kate
18 x Zero

[Tim Smith]

Great info, thanks very much to both of you.

If you count the bombers as worth 2 fighters, then the Japanese losses are roughly equal to the American losses of 12 F4F-3 Wildcats (8 of which were destroyed on the ground).

[PF]

related Link at viewtopic.php?f=65&t=141426