Aircraft History
Built by Mitsubishi completed June 28, 1942. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 1 Attack Bomber Hamaki / G4M1 Model 11 Betty manufacture number 1350. Tail code 313.

Mission History
This aircraft estimated to have crashed March 16, 1943. Crashed 2 miles southwest of Henderson Field near Bloody Ridge (Edson's Ridge). This crash site was visited by American forces soon after the crash, and noted the manufacture number.

Wreckage
The crash site was rediscovered near Bloody Ridge (Edson's Ridge). In March 1995, they were putting a logging road through the area and and rediscovered this crash site on a hillside. The weapons were taken and later the Japanese Ministry of Health Labor & Welfare recovered the remains of the crew.

Stan Gajda reports:
"The tail fin had been removed and carried closer to the Ridge. We came back two hours later with the Museum boys but it was gone, villagers said: 'two white fella in truck give us $200 and say 'say nothing' by our next visit in the whole tail had gone!'"

Peter Flahavin visited in 1995:
"It was a 40 minute walk south west of the ridge in 1995 when i saw it. The whole tail section remained, but when a friend went to look in 1996 it had been totally cut up."

References
Air'Tell Research Report "G4M Serial Numbers" by Jim Long
Crash Report March 16, 1943 - Betty 1350 crashe 2 miles SW Henderson Filed mfg. 28 June 1942
Japanese Aircraft Makers Plates and Markings, Report No. 20, March 20, 1945, page 15
Thanks to Stan Gajda and Peter Flahavin for additional information

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Last Updated
June 28, 2021