The Japanese Navy at the End of WW2 Book Review

The Japanese Navy at the End of WW2

By LCDR Shizuo Fukui, IJN

Hardcover in dustjacket, 168 pages, 225 plates

Published by WE Inc., January 1970

Language: English

ISBN: 991964-000-17

Dimensions: 8.3 x 12.0 x 0.5 inches

This book is a compilation of data plates compiled by Imperial Japanese Navy Constructor Shizuo Fukui for the Office of Naval Intelligence under the direction of the American Occupation forces stationed in Japan after WW2. The mandate was to catalog all the surviving Japanese Navy vessels. The task was overwhelming given the state of Japan at the time, but was completed in April 1947.

LCDR Fukui prepared a data card for each type of vessel which survived the war. On these plates are profiles of each type of vessel. Below this are hand-written descriptions of the vessel, along with histories of her sisters when known. Some of these take the form of extensive tables, especially for the smaller types which could be quite numerous. While these cards might appear crude at first glance, the information is quite detailed and comprehensive, making them an invaluable starting point for those researching the IJN. Included are many overlooked types, as well as several vessels deemed too small or insignificant to be included in other works. The last several pages of this printing are pages from the Office of Naval Intelligence recognition manual on Japanese warships, an interesting compliment.

There are at least two other printings of this material, one is from 1991 by the U.S. Naval Institute, another from a publisher called White Lotus. The USNI volume substitutes photographs of many of the surviving Japanese warships taken by the Americans after the war for the ONI manual.

This book is a wealth of interesting material on Japanese warships, especially on the plethora of obscure small combatants produced during the last years of the war. While it may be tempting to categorize some of this information as “new”, it is only new in the sense that it may be new to the reader. From that perspective, it is certainly easy to discover something “new” while reading LCDR Fukui’s data plates all these years later.

Douglas A-1 Skyraider Walk Around Part II

Photographs taken at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF), Dayton, Ohio.

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/douglas-a-1d-skyraider-walk-around-part-iii/

Women Warriors 313

Sixteen newly deployed CST-4 members supporting VSO pose for a group photo at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, before conducting marksmanship training, 10 November 2012.

RAF Squadron Leader Nicola Lofthouse C-17

Aerial Gunner Mary Howe, 4th Special Ops Squadron AC-130

USAF CAPT Jammie Jamieson, F-22 Raptor Pilot

ww449b_Serbian_2K12 Kub SAM — **Serbian Army 2K12 Kub SAM**

ww449c_USARMY_Specialist Jenny Martinez — **US ARMY Specialist Jenny Martinez**

ww449d_Italy_B1Centauro_TankDestroyer — **Italian Army B1 Centauro Tank Destroyer**

(from right) 1Lt Julie “TIMBER” Ayres, Capt. Mary “GINGER” Melfi, and Capt. Tally “VIXEN” Parham, three of the five female fighter pilots from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing that flew in combat missions in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from this forward-deployed air base in the Middle East, walk together down the flightline on May 3, 2003. Lt Ayres and Capt. Melfi, from the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Seymour Johnson A.F.B., NC, are weapons system officers on the F-15E Strike Eagle. Capt. Parham, from the 157th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of McEntire, SC, is a fighter pilot on the F-16CJ and is part of the S.C. Air National Guard. The 379th AEW is credited with flying 3,440 sorties and delivering over 1,500 tons of ordnance during the combat phase of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. (RELEASED)(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. DERRICK C. GOODE)

ww052wasp — **WASP pilot Shirley Slade**

To see more Women Warriors, click on the tags below:

Mitsubishi A5M4 Claude Comparison Build Part I – Nichimo, Fujimi, and Clear Prop Kits

This build will not only be a comparison of three A5M4 Claude kits but a peek into how kit design and fidelity has progressed over the years. These kits span several eras of the hobby and have some interesting differences and similarities. The oldest kit was issued by Nichimo way back in 1964, almost the same issue date as me! I was not the original owner of this kit but can’t recall where I picked it up. It has been in the stash long enough, time to get built! Next is Fujimi’s 1996 offering, most will remember this one as a solid kit from when Fujimi was pumping them out. Last is the 2020 Clear Prop kit, a modern kit in every sense of the word, and with all the bells and whistles we have come to expect from a new release.

There are thirty-two parts in the Nichimo kit from 1964. The engine and cockpit are very basic, a standard of the time, as was the pilot figure. I was very surprised to see recessed panel lines and even recessed rivet detail on a kit this old, but there it was! There are separate parts for the flaps but I’ll likely replace those to better blend them in with the wing. Fabric texture on the control surfaces is exaggerated but I may just leave that alone.

Thirty years later the Fujimi kit comes in with thirty-three parts, just one more than Nichimo. These also have recessed panel lines and a lot more finesse with the details, typical for Fujimi kits of the time. The engine looks good and the cockpit detail will still be adequate for many builders but others will want to take things up a notch there as the Claude was an open cockpit type and everything will be easy to see.

Counting the PE, there are forty-five parts in the Clear Prop Claude cockpit alone! Panel lines and rivet detail are recessed. The engine is finely detailed and is composed of nine parts. There are three options for the top of the cowling, to be honest the differences are so subtle I had a hard time telling the difference between them. There is a mask set for the windscreen which is most welcome. All this is great, but it does raise the issue of the trade-off between detail and build experience. Some modelers will say “why bother?”, particularly when it comes to the PE.

Here are the fuselage sides compared. In all these photos the Nichimo kit is the lightest plastic, Clear Prop the darkest, with Fujimi in between. The old Nichimo kit gets some of the subtleties wrong, the most noticeable being the cockpit combing curve is exaggerated. This will need to be corrected as it is noticeable and becomes increasingly apparent the more you study the Claude. Back in the day detailed references were hard to find, the Nichimo tool may be a reflection of the lack of information.

Wing panels from all three kits. The Nichimo kit has separate flaps, the Clear Prop has separate ailerons and clear navigation lights. The prominent ridges on the wings are greatly exaggerated on the Nichimo kit, but are much better represented on the other two. If possible, I like to assemble the wings early in the build to allow for any ghost seams to show up before sanding and priming.

The Nichimo engine parts don’t even resemble an engine and are best replaced. The Fujimi engine can be worked with if you’re willing to add push rods and ignition wires. Clear Prop’s engine will look good OOB. The Claude was often photographed with a single natural metal drop tank on the centerline, all three kits provide a tank with increasing sophistication of detail as the years progressed.

The shape of the lower edge of the Nichimo wheel spats will need some work, the later two kit’s spats are comparable. Only the very bottoms of the wheels will be visible once the spats are assembled, the aftermarket PE seen here on the Fujimi wheel will be completely hidden. Nichimo’s prop is very anemic at the hub but I have yet to locate a suitable replacement.

One advantage of having an old kit tag along in a batch build is it is easy to compare parts to determine if additional details can be added. In the case of the drop tanks I scratched in some detail to better match what is molded into the Clear Prop tank.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/mitsubishi-a5m4-claude-comparison-build-part-ii-nichimo-fujimi-and-clear-prop-kits/

Picture of the Week 65

The U.S. Navy airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) is seen flying over New York during the Summer of 1933. Macon and her sister ship Akron (ZRS-4) were intended as scouts for the fleet. Each were equipped with internal hangers for five Curtis F9C Sparrowhawk fighters for defense. Macon was lost due to structural failure during a storm in February 1935, Akron was lost under similar circumstances in April 1933.

Kayaba Ka-1 and Ka-2 Autogyros

The Kayaba autogyro was a rather obscure design operated by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. The crew consisted of a pilot and an observer, and was originally issued to artillery units to use for spotting and reconnaissance.

The design was a development of the Kellett KD-1a. The Japanese acquired a single example in 1939, but it was damaged during testing and was sent to Kayaba for reconstruction and series production.

The first Kayaba Ka-1 first flew on 26MAY41 and was powered by a 240 hp eight-cylinder inverted V engine. The engine was used to drive the propeller in the nose. The three-bladed rotating wing was unpowered, it used aerodynamic drag to induce rotation and lift.

The Kayaba soon proved itself easy to maintain even in forward areas with undeveloped fields. Here soldiers are seen unfolding the blades of the rotating wing.

Light and maneuverable, the Kayaba proved itself a useful design. Take-off required slightly less than 100 feet (30 m) in still air, maximum speed was just over 100 mph (165 kph).

The Ka-2 was a follow-on version which was powered by a 240 hp seven-cylinder radial engine. Performance remained the same, but the radial engine version was slightly easier to maintain.

A pristine Ka-2, likely with an overall Aluminum dope finish.

Production numbers for the Kayaba are debated, at least 98 were produced with some sources claiming as many as 240.

An interesting chapter in the Kayaba story is their employment abord the Akitsu Maru. She was operated by the Imperial Japanese Army, and was built with several innovative features. She had a floodable well deck for launching up to 22 Daihatsu landing craft, a flight deck, and a ramp for unloading vehicles directly onto a pier – in many ways a precursor to the large helicopter landing ships used by many navies today. In practice the Japanese used her as a transport.

The Akitsu Maru operated two types of aircraft in the ASW role, the Kayaba autogyro and the Kokusai Ki-76 “Stella” STOL aircraft seen here. Both types could be fitted with a pair of 132 pound (60 kg) depth charges. The Akitsu Maru was sunk by the USS Queenfish (SS-393) on 15NOV44.

Fujimi Kugisho E14Y Glen of WO Nobuo Fujita in 1/72 Scale

The Kugisho E14Y Type Zero Reconnaissance Seaplane (Allied reporting name “Glen”) bears the distinction of being the only Axis aircraft to bomb the continental United States during the Second World War. The mission was to start forest fires in Oregon by dropping incendiary bombs. The Glen was carried to its launch point aboard the Type B-1 submarine I-25 and was flown by WO Nobuo Fujita (pilot) and CPO Shoji Okuda (observer) on 09SEP42, with a second night time mission flown on 29SEP42. Both missions were successful, but neither resulted in wide-spread fires.

Fujita volunteered as a Kamikaze, but the war ended before he was assigned a mission. In a strange twist, the town of Brookings Oregon invited him for a visit in 1962, and this resulted in multiple visits over the years. Fujita planted trees near the bomb site as a gesture of peace and donated his Katana to the local library. When he passed in September 1997 his daughter buried his ashes in the Oregon forest.

There are no photos of this aircraft for this mission, but Fujita states that, “All the Hinomarus were lightly oversprayed with dark green paint so they were hardly recognizable from a distance.” The I-25 left Japan in August 1942 which was prior to the order which directed the wing leading edges on Japanese aircraft to be painted yellow so these would not have been carried by Fujita’s Glen. I felt the other markings would likely have been overpainted as well, especially the tail code I-25 which would have identified the parent submarine.

Construction here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/fujimi-kugisho-e14y-glen-build-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

French Armoured Cruisers 1887-1932 Book Review

French Armoured Cruisers 1887-1932

By John Jordan and Philippe Caresse

Hardcover in dustjacket, 272 pages, postscript, and index

Published by Seaforth Publishing, September 2019

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1-15267-4118-0

ISBN-13: 978-1-5267-4118-9

Dimensions: 10.0 x 11.5 x 0.8 inches

If there was ever a “steampunk” era of warship design, it was found in the late 19^th century when the world’s navies were in transition from wood to steel, and wind to steam. Ships of this era look unusual to the eye, and none could exceed the French for odd features. The Armored Cruiser was a type which featured tumblehome hulls with ram bows, a mixed gun battery in single turrets, and up to six smoke stacks for the coal-fired boilers split fore and aft with the machinery spaces in between. This basic layout was modified and continually improved through subsequent designs which remained in production until just prior to the Great War.

John Jordan has authored four companion volumes in this format on other French warship types, Philippe Caresse is well-known for his French-language naval writings and has provided many of the photographs for this volume from his extensive collection. Their collaboration has resulted in a beautiful book on a topic which contained a wealth of new information for me. Each class of ship is described in detail. Jordan has produced several excellent technical drawings specifically for this book, the photographs are clear and well-reproduced, often in a full-page format.

I found this book at a deep discount and ordered it on a whim, having no particular interest in French Armored Cruisers before. I found it to be well researched and the designs fascinating, now I am on the lookout for Jordan’s companion volumes on French warships. This is a beautiful book which focuses on a somewhat obscure niche of naval design and does a great job with the subject. Recommended, especially at the bargain prices which can currently be found.

ONE MILLION VIEWS!

Sometime last night the Inch High Guy blog received its one Millionth view! It is humbling that so many people have taken the time to view the content here, and it is my hope that it has proven useful and entertaining. I also hope it has contributed in some small way to your enjoyment of the hobby. I’d like to thank all those who take the time visit here regularly, and especially those who comment, or who post links back to the blog on other forums as this is the best way for people to find out about the blog. I look forward to continuing to post content here, and perhaps the second Million will not take as long!

Remember – time spent modeling is not deducted from your lifespan, so carry on!