Osprey - COM 140 - Yokosuka D4Y 'Judy' Units By Mark Chambers Conv.pdf

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER TWO
BATTLE OF MIDWAY
CHAPTER THREE
TRUK AND THE MARIANAS
CHAPTER FOUR
FORMOSA AND THE PHILIPPINES
CHAPTER FIVE
KAMIKAZES
CHAPTER SIX
D4Y2-S NIGHTFIGHTER
APPENDICES
COLOUR PLATES COMMENTARY
INTRODUCTION
I
n 1938, the Kaigun Koku Gijutsusho (Japanese Naval Air Technical
Arsenal) at Yokosuka commenced work on a dive-bomber in response to the
Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne Bomber specification issued by the
Kaigun Koku Hombu (Naval Air Headquarters, equivalent to the US Navy’s
Bureau of Aeronautics) as a replacement for the Aichi D3A. When this
requirement was released, the latter, which would play a key role in the early
successes enjoyed by the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) in the
Pacific War, had yet to be officially adopted for frontline service. The D4Y
Suisei (‘Comet’) created by Kaigun Koku Gijutsusho would eventually
become one of the finest dive-bombers fielded in World War 2.
The Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne Bomber was designed as a replacement for the
Aichi D3A Navy Type 99 Carrier Borne Bomber, christened ‘Val’ by the Allies from mid-1942.
The pilot of this example, carrying a single No. 25 (551-lb) Ordinary Bomb on its centreline,
has opened the throttle, allowing the dive-bomber to gain speed as it accelerates along
Kaga’s
flightdeck at 0715 hrs on 7 December 1941. This aircraft participated in the second
wave strike on Pearl Harbor later that morning (Tony
Holmes Collection)
Codenamed ‘Judy’ (from mid-1942, the Allies gave all Japanese bombers
female reporting names, while all fighters were assigned male names), the
aircraft endured an inauspicious combat debut during the Battle of Midway in
June 1942. However, it eventually proved itself to be quite a dive-bombing
and kamikaze asset during battles in the latter years of the Pacific War,
sinking or heavily damaging a number of US Navy warships of great
significance, most notably the aircraft carriers USS
Princeton
(CVL-23) and
USS
Franklin
(CV-13).
While the D4Y possessed enviable handling characteristics when in a high-
speed dive thanks to it being the most aerodynamic aircraft of its type during
World War 2, like its predecessor, and many other Japanese military aircraft,
the ‘Judy’ was hamstrung by design shortcomings. The most significant of
these was inadequate armour protection for the crew and no self-sealing fuel
tanks. This meant that when D4Ys – and most other IJNAF types –
encountered US Navy fighters such as the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair, they
suffered horrendous losses.
During the final months of World War 2, when it became apparent to the
Japanese that there would be no victory for them in the Pacific, the IJNAF
employed the ‘Judy’ in the dreaded kamikaze role. Although the D4Y
excelled in this deadly task, the efforts of its crews proved futile against an
enemy that was both numerically stronger and technically more advanced.
Nevertheless, in one of the last combat actions of World War 2, a flight of 11
D4Ys commanded by Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, who had been in charge
of the kamikaze campaign in the defence of Okinawa, took off on a ‘search
mission’ on 15 August 1945. Only three of the dive-bombers taking part in
the final kamikaze operation of the war survived to return to their base at
Oita, on Kyushu.
This volume details the history of the D4Y from its design and
development through to its frontline use as a dive-bomber, fast
reconnaissance aircraft, nightfighter and, finally, kamikaze weapon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Numerous individuals deserve great thanks for providing crucial support
during the writing of this book. First and foremost, thank you to my loving
family, my wife Lesa, daughter Caitlyn and sons Patrick and Ryan, for
tolerating my ceaseless words of enthusiasm and providing encouragement
and support for this project. Thanks also go to David Pfeiffer (Civil Records
Archivist), Nate Patch (Military Records Archivist) and the staff of the
Textual Reference Branch of the US National Archives and Record
Administration (NARA II) at College Park, Maryland. Thank you also to
Holly Reed and the staff of the Still Pictures Branch of the NARA II. In
addition, thanks to Archie DiFante and Tammy T Horton of the Air Force
Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, for

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