IJN
Hiryu
December 1941
KT Budde-Jones 2006
KT Budde-Jones 2007
Pilot PO1 Shigenori Nishikaichi (POW / suicide)
Force Landed December 7, 1941
Aircraft History
Built by Mitsubishi, estimated date of assembly July 1941.
Jim Lansdale adds:
"Todd Pederson and I have the lion's share of the less than 100 photos of over four-hundred taken by Reverend DENISE of the NISHIKAICHI Zero when he went to NI'IHAU acting on behalf of the USA. From these photos, Todd spotted the serial number applied in stencil form to one of the starboard wing cannon cover. I helped out Mike Wilson via Ryan Toews and gave Ryan all the information for the restoration."
Mission History
Took off from Hiryu and participate in the attack on Pearl Harbor, attacking Bellows Field. Running out of fuel, he followed instructions and crash landed at Niihau
Island to await the I-class submarine assigned
to rescue duty.
Other sources list this Zero as being damaged by ground fire from Bellows Field, causing it to leak fuel. This is erroneous.
Fate of the Pilot
Instead of an uninhabited island, Nishikaichi met residents of the island who were unaware of the attack and state of war with Japan. The downed pilot was treated
to a luau and interrogated by a Japanese born immigrant living
on Niihu, Yoshio Harada, to whom he confessed about the state of
war. Harada kept the new to himself. That
night, when word of the attack reached the island by radio, he was
questioned again.
Nishikaichi played on the Japanese-Americans loyalties, and won him over to assist him with a plan for death with honor. He convinced Harada to steal back his pistol and a shotgun.
The two took control of the village where they took two prisoners before stripping the machine guns off the crashed zero and stowing them on a wagon. They tried to destroy the plane, but the fire did not spread past the cockpit. They two were "drunk" with power, firing their weapons and demanding residents to surrender.
They controlled the island until the night of December 12th when a Hawaiian named Kanahele cornered them. In the melee, Kanahele was wounded, Harada took his own life with the shotgun. Nishikaichi wounded Kanahele before he killed him.
When the Army rescue part arrived, Kanahele was awarded two Presidential Citations: the purple heart and Medal of Merit. The conduct of Yoshio Harada helped to fuel the anti-Japanese sentiments that lead to the decision by President Roosevelt to have Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans detained in the United States.
Wreckage
Wreckage of this aircraft remained on Niihau
Island until August 2006.
Recovery & Display
Recovered and displayed as a simulated crash site at Ford Island Museum (Pacific Aviation Museum). Near the wreckage, A6M2 Zero 5356 is painted in the markings of this Zero.
Artifacts
The propeller and hub from this aircraft is displayed at Quiet Birdmen of Hickam Air Force Base at Hickam AFB.
The tail light is displayed at the Kaua’i Museum.
References
Thanks to Jim Lansdale and Jim Long for additional information
The Niihau Incident covers the history of this crash & pilot
Flypast Magazine, March 2007 pages 55-57
Air & Space Magazine July 2007 "The Niihau Zero" by Nick D'Alto
Pearl Harbor Zero & Other Photos
Zero
Photo Archive
Zero Markings & Photos
NI’IHAU Zero Propeller by Mike Wilson & Jim Lansdale
NI’IHAU Zero Relics
by Jim Lansdale
