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| IJN 12th Kōkūtai 3rd Chutai |
Pilot S1C ? Harada (KIA) Observer S1C Satoshi Kuramochi (POW, survived) Crashed October 25, 1940 Aircraft History Built by Aichi. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 99 Carrier Bomber / Ku Ku Kamba (Kanbaku) / D3A1 Model 11 Val manufacture number unknown. Assigned to the 12th Kokutai, 3rd Chutai. When lost, this was the first combat loss of a Type 99 Dive Bomber (D3A1 Val). Mission History On October 25, 1940 took off from Hankow Airfield pilot S1C ? Harada on a dive bombing mission against Chungking. This aircraft flew as the third Val in the 3rd Chutai. Over the target, damaged by anti-aircraft fire. The crew reported via their aerial telegraph that they were experiencing engine trouble, and soon afterwards began trailing white smoke. The Val waggled its wings in salute then crashed 15 nautical miles east of Chunking into a rice patty. Osamu Tagaya adds: "One of them was killed (I think Harada the pilot), the other (Kuramochi?) was captured and repatriated postwar. During interrogation, he apparently furnished the first info ever obtained by the Allies concerning the Zero fighter, which of course, had only just made its combat debut a month before." References "Serial Number & Production Sequence D3A1 Carrier Bombers" by Jim Long Kodochosho, 12th Kōkūtai, September 25, 1940 Thanks to Osamu Tagaya for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated March 8, 2023 |
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