IJN
253rd Kokutai (?)
1960s via PNG Museum
Ray Fairfield 1970
via
Larry Hickey 1970
via Jim Lansdale
Mike
Fletcher 2004
via Jim Lansdale
Aircraft History
Built by Nakajima, estimated date of assembly early September 1943. Tail Number 313, and painted
with a green top / amber-gray bottom. This Zero has servo tabs.
Wartime
History
Abandoned at Kavieng.
Wreckage
This airframe was displayed at Kavieng on a
concrete pedestal, missing some components, but otherwise
intact.
Thomas King (June 1969 Pacific Islands Monthly)
"From what I have been told and have been able to figure out by
the condition of the Zero, two model 21 Zero wrecks were found in the
jungle around Kavieng airstrip by a DCA employee who assembled one of
the the serial number being 51553."
Salvage
In 1967, it was acquired by a Australian Thomas
King,
who wanted to recover a plane from New Guinea before retiring
to Australia. He arranged for the donation of Wirraway
A20-13 to the PNG
Museum, and was allowed to recover this plane, and
dismantled
it into three major pieces for transport to Australia.
Bogus Number, Markings
Problems
erupted with the PNG government over the salvage, prompting the salvager to attempt to hide the plane's identy for export. It was
meticulously repainted with bogus
stencil 11593, and
even a series of bogus victory markings on the side fuselage giving it the bogus identity of A6M2 Zero 11593.
Sale & Storage
Exported to Australia, it was sold
to the USAF
Museum in the United States. It was stored outside for
ten years, before it became a candidate for restoration.
Completed Restoration
Restoration
was completed by Century Aviation in Washington State. The
completed aircraft will be returned to the USAF Museum where it went
on display in September 2004.
Thanks to Jim Lansdale, Jim Long and Ryan Toews for additional information.
Zero
Photo Archive
PIM
Article 1969
