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#Post#: 3257--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: vonofterdingen
Date: August 5, 2019, 2:50 pm
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This week’s plane is a medium bomber: the Mitsubishi G4M attack
bomber. I will start the conversation with a confession: I do
not like to fly heavy and medium bombers. Today, as I am writing
this article, is the first time I ever flew one in game. That
being said, I once did a campaign per a group request for a
heavy bomber campaign and it was rather fun, though I did all
testing through AI. The campaign was called “The Camel Pond
Raids” and during the research phase, I found some interesting
information on You Tube and M4T about using the bombsight in
game. But enough about me…
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/SKgMPDXP/Screen-Hunter-35.png
Wkipedia has this to say: The Mitsubishi G4M (long designation:
Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber: it was the main
twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese
Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the
reporting name Betty. Japanese Navy pilots called it Hamaki
("cigar", lit. "leaf roll") due to its cylindrical shape.
The G4M had very good performance, especially in operational
range; this was achieved by its structural lightness and an
almost total lack of protection for the crew, with no armor
plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. These omissions proved to be
the aircraft's weakness when confronted with American fighter
aircraft during the Pacific War.
When used for medium- to high-altitude bombing against
stationary land targets like supply depots, seaports or
airfields, it was much harder to intercept. Using its long range
and high speed, the G4M could appear from any direction, and
then it could be gone before any fighters intercepted them. The
20 mm cannon in its tail turret was much heavier armament than
was commonly carried by bombers of either side, making aerial
attacks from the rear quite dangerous for the Allied fighter
aircraft. Sometimes, assuming they did not catch fire after
being hit in the wings by flak from the ground or by machine gun
bullets from enemy fighters, G4Ms also proved to be able to
remain airborne despite being badly damaged. For example, after
the attack of the 751 Kōkūtai (air group) on the USS
Chicago during the Battle of Rennell Island, three out of four
surviving aircraft (of the original eleven) returned despite
flying with only one engine.
The G4M was similar in performance and missions to other
contemporary twin-engine bombers such as the German Heinkel He
111 and the American North American B-25 Mitchell. These were
all commonly used in anti-ship roles. The G4M Model 11 was
prominent in attacks on Allied shipping from 1941 to early 1944,
but after that it became increasingly easy prey for Allied
fighters.
The G4M was first used in combat on 13 September 1940 in
Mainland China, when 27 "Bettys" and Mitsubishi C5Ms of 1st
Rengo Kōkūtai (a mixed force including elements of the
Kanoya and Kizarazu Kōkūtai) departed from Taipei,
Omura, and Jeju City to attack Hankow. The bombers and the
reconnaissance aircraft were escorted by 13 A6M Zeros of
12th[clarification needed] Kōkūtai led by the IJN
lieutenant, Saburo Shindo. A similar operation occurred in May
1941. In December 1941, 107 G4Ms based on Formosa of 1st
Kōkūtai and Kanoya Kōkūtai belonging to the
21st Koku Sentai (air flotilla) crossed the Luzon Strait en
route to bombing the Philippines; this was the beginning of
Japanese invasions in the Southwest Pacific Theater.
IJN aviators pressed home a torpedo attack against American
ships off Guadalcanal on 8 August 1942, suffering heavy losses.
The plane on the left and at extreme low-level (approximately
five meters) was flown by Jun Takahashi, who was still alive in
2016.
The G4M's most notable use as a torpedo bomber was in the
sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse off the eastern coast of
Malaya on 10 December 1941. The G4Ms attacked along with older
Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers, which made high-level bombing
runs. Prince of Wales and Repulse were the first two capital
ships to be sunk exclusively by air attacks during a war, while
in open waters. The bomber crews were from the Kanoya Air Group
of Kanoya Kōkūtai (751 Ku), Genzan Air Group of Genzan
Kōkūtai (753 Ku), and the Mihoro Air Group of Mihoro
Kōkūtai (701 Ku), trained in torpedo attacks at an
altitude of less than 10 metres (30 ft), and in long-range
over-ocean navigation, so they could attack naval targets moving
quickly at sea. Nine G4Ms participated in the long range bombing
raid of Katherine, Northern Territory, on 22 March 1942 (the
deepest inland attack on Australian territory during the war at
over 200 miles from the coast). G4Ms later made many attacks
against Allied ships and also land targets during the
six-month-long Guadalcanal Campaign (in the Solomon Islands) in
late 1942.
On 8 August 1942, during the second day of the U.S. Marine
landings on Guadalcanal, 23 IJNAF torpedo-carrying G4M1s
attacked American ships at Lunga Point. 18 of the G4M1s were
shot down, by very heavy anti-aircraft fire and carrier-based
F4F fighters. In all 18 Japanese crews – approximately 120
aviators – were lost at the beginning of August 1942. More than
100 G4M1s and their pilots and crews were lost (with no
replacements or substitutes available) during the many battles
over and near Guadalcanal (August to October 1942).[2] In the
two days of the Battle of Rennell Island, 29 and 30 January
1943, 10 out of 43 G4M1s were shot down during night torpedo
attacks, all by U.S. Navy anti-aircraft fire. About 70 Japanese
aviators, including Lieutenant Commander Higai, were killed
during that battle.
Probably the best-known incident involving a G4M during the war
was the attack resulting in the death of Admiral Yamamoto. On 18
April 1943, sixteen P-38 Lightnings of the 339th Fighter
Squadron of the 347th Fighter Group, Thirteenth Air Force, shot
down a G4M1 of the 705th Kokutai with the tailcode "T1-323",
carrying Admiral Yamamoto.
The G4M Model 11 was replaced by the Models 22, 22a/b, 24a/b,
25, 26, and 27 from June 1943 onward, giving service in New
Guinea, the Solomons, and the South Pacific area, in defense of
the Marianas and finally in Okinawa. Other G4Ms received field
modifications, resulting in the Model 24j. This model carried
the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka Model 11 suicide flying bomb, beginning
on 21 March 1945, with disastrous results due to heavy Allied
fighter opposition.
After the loss of Okinawa, G4Ms constituted the main weapon of
the land-based Japanese naval bomber force. It consisted of 20
Kōkūtai at the end of the war. This included the
testing air group, which was equipped in 1944–45 with the latest
version G4M3 Models 34 and 36, though these arrived too late to
affect the course of the war.
From November 1944 to January 1945, G4Ms were one of the main
types of aircraft used in the Japanese air attacks on the
Mariana Islands, and plans to use converted G4Ms to land
commandos on the islands were developed in mid-1945 and
cancelled only at the end of the war.
As part of the negotiations for the surrender of Japan, two
demilitarized G4Ms, given the call-signs Bataan 1 and Bataan 2,
flew to Ie Shima, carrying the first surrender delegations on
the first leg of their flight to Manila. The G4Ms were painted
white with green crosses, and were escorted by American P-38
fighters.[3]
The G4M's intended successor was the Yokosuka P1Y Ginga,
although because of production problems, the changeover was only
begun by the time the war ended.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/j5C7YPPS/Screen-Hunter-36.png
My experience with the Betty in game has primarily been as a
target. The first campaign I ever flew as an IL-2 beginner was
the stock DGEN New Guinea campaign, where these things were
dropping bombs on my airfield every time I tried to take off. If
I did get airborne and try to get one, that rear-sniper with the
20mm cannon took out my P-39 most of the time.
In game though, the Betty is possibly most notorious for being
one of the planes with an Easter egg surprise: the naughty
magazines in the mid-section of the plane (the navigator
position perhaps?), giving a whole new meaning to Bushido code.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/Ss5zSRf7/Screen-Hunter-37.png
References
If interested in level bombing, take a look at these excellent
references over at M4T:
• Norden bombsight training video:
HTML http://mission4today.com/index.php?name=Knowledge_Base&op=show&kid=424
• Manual bombing guide by Drilling_857:
HTML http://mission4today.com/index.php?name=Knowledge_Base&op=show&kid=278
#Post#: 3268--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: Beowolff
Date: August 5, 2019, 5:24 pm
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Ah! A very good choice for POTW! ;)
Though I had flown IL2 as a tester for Oleg, and could fly and
fight fairly well in the game, the Betty was my very first IL2
Japanese flamer! Yep. I also worked with Luthor and the bunch
making the Pacific game and so yeah was pumped to get the demo
CD (I couldn't download it over the modem with regular phone
line connection that I had back then.) Loaded up a quick
mission with a Betty and a P-40 and within seconds, 'ka-blooie!'
scratch one Betty. And then, 'ka-blooie!' again in another
second as a mad-as-hell Jap tail-gunner from my victim's buddy
bomber blew me and my P-40 to smithereens too.
:'(
A very short-lived victory. ???
Anyhow, I've flown MANY bomber missions... I like flying bomber
missions even if I can't bomb chite. But, I've NEVER flown a
Betty in a single bomber mission in ALL these years.
Embarrassing really. :-[
I will proceed to do so straight away.
I know the AVG and others found the Betty 'meat on the table' so
obviously the Japanese bombers didn't have Golden BB snipers in
their tails... but now I AM wondering just how deadly WERE these
bombers? They 'seemed' to be fair performance (for the day)
wise.
Thanks for the nice POTW, Von. Keep 'em coming as you can.
S! :)
Beo
#Post#: 3278--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: greybeard
Date: August 6, 2019, 3:42 am
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Another of those interesting medium-sized bombers of World War
II. I too can't seem to be attracted by the level bombing, but I
must recognize the importance and versatility of this aircraft.
Very well known, at least in appearance, also by the uninitiated
(unlike the Blenheim already treated) and second only to the G3M
for notoriety of image, perhaps because the films of the latter
are more widespread.
#Post#: 3293--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: larsresult
Date: August 6, 2019, 8:43 am
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For such a fragile aircraft I am amazed that any crews survived
the war but many did. The rear cannon gunner obviously helped.
I believe Richard Bueschel wrote a detailed history of the Betty
units of WW2, released in French Japanese and English editions.
Osprey also issued a similar book on Betty units of WW2.
Richard Bueschel's books are very detailed and he wrote also
about the Ki46 Dinah and the Ki44 Tojo. Highly recommended.
#Post#: 3295--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: cafs
Date: August 6, 2019, 8:55 am
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Another good choice, Von.
Beo, for the AVG pilots, they learned from Claire Chennault to
avoid a dogfight style combat with any type of Japanese plane.
The almost unique type of attack they did are the Boom-and-Zoom
style, always keeping speed and height, if possible.
The US Navy and Marine Corps pilots soon learned to avoid the 20
mm sting on the Betty tail, and that one on the upper gondola of
the G3M,
doing a belly attack and diving away before reaching the same
height of the Japanese bombers. If coming from above, they
simply dive under the Japanese formation and did a kind of an
inverted Boom-and-Zoom attack.
Very smart, but to the Japanese it seems like an
"unsportsmanlike conduct" from the part of the American pilots.
:o :o ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
#Post#: 3314--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: greybeard
Date: August 7, 2019, 1:59 am
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--- Quote from: larsresult link ---
>
> Richard Bueschel's books are very detailed and he wrote also
about the Ki46 Dinah and the Ki44 Tojo. Highly recommended.
>
--- End Quote ---
Also about Ki-43 Hayabusa.
#Post#: 3411--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: Beowolff
Date: August 10, 2019, 7:08 am
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Took this old bird out for a mission spin yesterday... actually
was kind of impressed. I like to bomb but actually suck at it
unless using a fighter bomber where I can come in fast and low
but still LOVE flying formation with a bunch of BIG birds (I've
just never mastered the bomb site thingy...g'ah!)
Anyhow, I tried this plane out and though felt a bit guilty
bombing my own country's forces actually plastered the hell out
of a US Army occupied town. Took some hard hits but limped back
home and crash landed on the field (though out of six planes
only I and one other made it back.)
It was fun. 8)
Thanks Von... for getting me to try this with your nice review.
S!
Beo
#Post#: 3417--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: the G4M "Betty" Bomber
DIR By: vonofterdingen
Date: August 10, 2019, 9:54 am
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I feel similarly about the bombsights in game. It seems like it
would be fun and the links in the first post of this thread
explain it pretty well. Nonetheless I just never sat down to
learn it. I may never know how fun or interesting it might be. I
know there are game enthusiasts that are dedicated to level
bombing though.
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