Hoʻohana kaua i ka Nakajima Ki-44 Shōki, ʻāpana 2

Ki-44-II hei (2068) i hopu ʻia e nā ʻAmelika ma Philippines a hoʻāʻo ʻia e TAIU-SWPA ma ke ʻano he S11. Ma ka Allied Codex, ua kapa ʻia ʻo Ki-44 ʻo Tojo lāua ʻo Ioane; ua haʻalele ʻia ka hope.

Ua ʻike ʻia nā Ki-44 Shoki ma mua i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o Dekemaba 1941, akā ua hoʻomaka lākou e hoʻolako i nā pūʻali koa i nā helu nui wale nō i ka makahiki 1943. I ka hoʻomaka ʻana, ʻo Kina a me Manchuria ko lākou mau wahi nui o nā hana kaua. I ka hopena o 1944, ua komo ka Ki-44 i ka pale ʻana i ka Philippines, a i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o 1945, i ka pale ʻana i nā keʻena aila ma Sumatra. I nā mahina hope loa o ke kaua, ʻo ka hana nui o nā ʻāpana Ki-44 ʻo ia ka pale ʻana i ko lākou mau moku ʻāina ʻo Iapana mai ka lele ʻana mai nā mokulele B-29 ʻAmelika.

Aia ma ka Hikina Hema

ʻO ka pūʻali kaua mua o ka Imperial Army i loaʻa ka Ki-44 ʻo ia ka 47th Dokuritsu Chutai (squadron kaʻawale), i hoʻokumu ʻia ma Tachikawa i Nowemapa 1941 ma lalo o ke kauoha a Shosa (Major) Toshio Sakagawa (ma hope he ace i lanakila ma kahi o 15 mau lanakila) . i kana mooolelo). ʻIke ʻole ʻia ʻo Shinsengumi (ka inoa o ka hui Edo-period samurai i hana ʻia e pale iā Kyoto) a i ʻole Kawasemi-tai (Kingfisher Group), ʻo ke kumu nui o ka squadron e hoʻāʻo i ka mea hakakā hou i nā kūlana hakakā a loaʻa ka ʻike me kāna. hoʻohana. Ua loaʻa i ka pūʻali koa he ʻeiwa Ki-44 prototypes, a ʻo kāna mau limahana he mau pailaka akamai i hāʻawi ʻia mai Hiko Jikkenbu a me nā ʻāpana kaua. Ua māhele ʻia i ʻekolu ʻāpana (hentai), me ʻekolu mau mokulele i kēlā me kēia.

ʻO kekahi o nā kiʻi Ki-44 (4408) hou o ka 47th Dokuritsu Chūtai ma Saigon Airport ma Indochina, Dekemaba 1941. Ua lele ʻia ka mokulele e Taii (Kapena) Yasuhiko Kuroe, ka luna o ka Hentai 3.

Ma ka lā 9 o Dekemaba, 1941, i ka lā ma hope o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o Iapana i ka hoʻouka kaua ma ka Hikina Hikina (ma ka ʻaoʻao komohana o ka International Date Line, hoʻomaka ke kaua ma ka Pōʻakahi, Dekemaba 8), ua hōʻea ka pūʻali koa i Saigon, kahi i kū pono ai i ka kauoha o ka 3 Hikoshidan (Aviation division). Ma ka lele ʻana mai Tachikawa a hiki i Saigon, pae ʻana i Guangzhou, ua alakaʻi ʻia nā Ki-44 e nā pōkā ʻelua a me kahi mokulele kaʻa e lawe ana i ka mālama ʻana a me nā mea pono honua.

No ka hapa nui o Dekemaba, ua mākaʻikaʻi nā pailaka o ka 47th Chutai Regiment i ka wahi a puni ʻo Saigon. ʻAʻole hiki i ka lā 24 o Dekemaba i kauoha ʻia ai ka pūʻali koa e hoʻoneʻe i ke kahua mokulele ʻo Don Muang kokoke i Bangkok, Thailand, e komo i kahi hoʻouka kaua nui i ke kapikala Burmese ʻo Yangon i ka lā aʻe. I ka holo ʻana, ma muli o nā pilikia ʻenehana, ʻekolu mau Ki-44 (me Major Sakagawa) i pae ulia pōpilikia. ʻO ka hopena, ma ka lā 25 o Kekemapa, ʻaʻole i komo nā Ki-44 i ka hoʻouka kaua, e waiho ana ma ka ʻāina ʻo Don Muang inā i hoʻouka ʻia ka mokulele e nā mokulele ʻenemi. Ma hope koke iho o kēia hana kūleʻa ʻole, ua hoʻi hou ʻo Chutai i Saikona.

ʻO ka hālāwai mua o ka Ki-44 me ka ʻenemi i hana ʻia ma Ianuali 15, 1942 i ka wā o ka lele mua ʻana o ka 47th Chutai Regiment ma Singapore. I kēia manawa, ua hoʻoneʻe ʻia ka pūʻali koa i Kuantan ma Malaya, kokoke i ka wahi kaua. Ma ka lā 15 o Ianuali, ʻelua mau Ki-44 i hui pū me ka Buffalo 488. No. 47 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force. Ma hope o ka pōkole pōkole, hāʻule ka Allied fighter i ka honua. ʻO kēia ka lanakila mua o ka lewa i hāʻawi ʻia i ka XNUMXth Chutai.

Ua noho ka Ki-44 ma Kuantan a hiki i Feberuari, e komo ana i kekahi mau hoouka kaua hou aku, ma ke kaua kuokoa a me ka bomber escort patrols a me ka uhi no na puali koa. I ka lā 18 o Ianuali, ʻoiai e alakaʻi ana i nā pōkā Ki-21 mai ka 12th Sentai (Air Group) e hoʻouka ana iā Singapore, ua hōʻike nā mea hoʻokele o ka 47th Chutai Regiment i kekahi buffalo i pana i lalo. Ma ka lā 26 o Ianuali ma luna o Endau, ʻoiai e pale ana i nā hoʻouka kaua ʻana e nā mea hoʻouka kaua Pelekane ʻo Vickers Vildebeest lāua ʻo Fairey Albacore, ua hōʻike ʻia ʻelua mau pailaka hoʻokele i hoʻokahi mokulele i hāʻule. ʻO Tayi (Kapena) Yasuhiko Kuroe ka mea hoʻokele maikaʻi loa o Chutai 47 nāna i hōʻike i ka pana ʻana i ʻekolu mokulele ʻenemi i ka pau ʻana o ke kaua ma Malaya.

I Ianuali / Pepeluali 1942, ua hoʻemi ʻia ka ikaika o ka pūʻali koa i ʻekolu mau Ki-44 i hoʻohana ʻia, no laila ua hoʻokaʻawale nā ​​​​hui i ʻekolu mau Ki-27 kahiko, a ua hoʻouna ʻia kekahi o nā limahana i Iapana no ka hoʻololi wikiwiki ʻana o kekahi mau Ki-44-I. mokulele. I ka waena o Pepeluali, i hoʻoikaika ʻia me nā mea hana hou, ua hoʻoneʻe ʻia ka 47th Chuthai Regiment i Moulmein ma Burma a waiho ʻia ma lalo o ke kauoha a ka 5th Hikosidan Regiment. Ua komo nā pailaka Ki-44 i kekahi mau pūʻulu, me ka hoʻouka kaua ʻana ma ke kahua mokulele ʻo Mingaladon i ka lā 25 o Pepeluali, me ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka pana ʻana o nā mokulele ʻenemi ʻelua i kēia kaua. ʻO kēia ka hālāwai mua waena ma waena o kahi Ki-44 a me Curtiss P-40 mai ka American Volunteer Group (AVG). Ma keia kaua, ua eha kekahi o na pailaka Ki-44. I kekahi lā aʻe, ua hana hou ʻia ka hoʻouka kaua ʻana ma Mingaladon.

Ma ka la 4 o Malaki, ua pana aku na pailaka o ka Chutai 47 i ka helu 45 maluna o Sittang Blenheim. 21 Squadron RAF. I kekahi mau lā ma hope mai, ua hoʻoili ʻia kahi ʻāpana iā Khleg (Pegu). Ma ka lā 47 o Malaki, ua loaʻa i ka pūʻali koa kona pohō mua a hoʻokahi wale nō i kēia wā o ke kaua i ka wā i hoʻi ʻole mai ai ʻo Chui (q.v.) Sunji Sugiyama mai kahi lele mākaʻikaʻi o ke ao ma luna o Taungoo. ʻO ka ʻōpala o kāna mokulele, me ka mea hoʻokele make i loko o ka cockpit, ua ʻike ʻia ma hope o Basin. I ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ʻApelila, ua hoʻoneʻe pōkole ʻia ka Chutai 25 i Taungoo. Ma ʻApelila 1942, hoʻokahi pule ma hope o ka hoʻouka ʻana o Doolittle iā Iapana, ua hoʻihoʻi koke ʻia ka pūʻali koa i Iapana. Ua hāʻawi ʻia ka ʻāpana i Chofu kokoke i Tokyo, kahi i noho ai a hiki i Kepakemapa XNUMX.

Ua ʻike hou ʻia nā Ki-44 ma Burma i ka hāʻule o 1943 wale nō. Ma ʻOkakopa 10, ʻehā mau kaʻa o kēia ʻano i hele i ka 64th Sentai Regiment i hoʻonoho ʻia ma Mingaladon, me nā Ki-43s. ʻO ko lākou hōʻea ʻana i Burma ma muli paha o ka hoʻonui ʻia ʻana o ka hoʻouka ʻana o nā ea Allied ma Rangoon a me kona mau mokulele. ʻAʻole hiki i nā kime Ki-43 i hoʻohana ʻia e ke kahua ʻo Sentai ma Burma ke kaua aku i nā pōkā kaumaha.

27 Nowemapa ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa B-24 Liberator mai ka 7th a me 308th Bombardment Groups a me B-25 Mitchells mai ka 490th Bomber Squadron mai ka 341st BG, i alakaʻi ʻia e P-38 Lightnings mai ka 459th Fighter Squadron a me P-51A A530th Ua lele ʻo Squadron mai ka 311th Fighter Group i Rangoon me ka hana o ka hoʻouka ʻana i ka hui kaʻaahi kūloko a me nā hale kūʻai hoʻoponopono. Ua lele aku ka hoʻopio ʻana o ka huakaʻi ʻAmelika, ʻo ia hoʻi he ʻewalu Ki-43 mau mea kaua a me hoʻokahi Ki-44 mai ka 3rd Chuchai o ka 64th Sentai, a me kahi twin-engine Ki-45 kai mai ka 21st Sentai. Ma hope o ke kaua ikaika, ua hōʻike nā pailaka Iapana i ka hāʻule ʻana o ʻekolu B-24, ʻelua P-38, a me ʻehā P-51. Ua kaupalena ʻia nā poho ponoʻī i hoʻokahi Ki-43 (ua pōʻino loa kekahi), hoʻokahi Ki-44 (ua make kona pailaka) a me hoʻokahi Ki-45 kai.

ʻO kahi kiʻi o ka ʻōpala o kahi Ki-44-II i pana ʻia ma luna o Burma me kahi ʻāpana o kahi māka i ʻike ʻia ma ke kino e hōʻike ana i ke kaʻa no ka 50th Sentai ua ʻike ʻia. Ua ʻike wale ʻia ʻo kēia pūʻulu - a laila hoʻonoho ʻia ma Burma a me nā mea kaua Ki-43 - loaʻa ʻehā Ki-10s ma ʻOkakopa 1943, 44. Eia naʻe, ʻaʻohe ʻike kikoʻī e pili ana i kā lākou hoʻohana. ʻO ka mea nui loa, noho mau ʻo Ki-44 me ka 50th Sentai a hiki i ka pūnāwai o 1944 (e like me ka 64th Sentai), e komo pū ana i nā hana kaua me nā mokulele mokulele US e lele ana ma luna o ka Himalayas. I loko o kekahi o kēia mau hana ma Ianuali 18, 1944, ua hōʻike ʻia nā mea hoʻokele Curtiss P-40N mai ka 89th Squadron / 80th FG, ʻoi aku ka pōʻino i hoʻokahi Ki-44.