Rikugun Ki-89 Itsumade-Kai Floyd

[comrade harps]

]

Rikugun Ki-89 Itsumade-Kai Floyd
5, Honda Tadakatsu  Sentai
Personal mount of Sub-Lieutenant Saburō Sakai, IJN
Seki, Gifu, Honshu, Japan
March 1946



In 1943, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries had their most promising turbojet designs taken over by Fuji on behalf of Prince Higashikuni's Home Defence Command. Under the deal, Ishikawajima-Harima was allowed to continue jet work, but without reference to Fuji's developments. Thus, parallel jet research and development programs progressed based around the same core design.  Ishikawajima-Harima's engines finally drew the attention of the Imperial Japanese Army in early 1944, which contracted the company to work with aircraft manufacturers to design a range of fighter, dive-bomber and bomber planes. Compared with the Fuji jet, Ishikawajima-Harima's Ne-20 was built to higher specifications, produced more thrust and was more reliable, but was more difficult and expensive to manufacture.




The only IJA type to enter combat powered by a Ishikawajima-Harima Ne-20 turbojet was the Itsumade, which was developed by the Rikugun Army Air Arsenal. Originally designated as the Rikugun Ki-89, the name Itsumade was adopted in the post-Imperial coup, September 1945 Harmonisation of the Japanese military. Several versions were manufactured, 213 production Itsumades being completed from three final assembly sites.

* The Itsumade-Kanbaku was unusual in having the pilot lay prone, which was an attempt the deal with the high G forces associated with its fast dive-bomber role. Nevertheless, in case the pilot blacked out, a pull-out autopilot was installed. The -Kanbaku carried a semi-recessed 500kg bomb as its standard armament, supplemented by two internal 20mm H0-5 cannon. Although not officially a Special Attack type, several pilots clearly disengaged the pull-out autopilot and dived into their target following the Y-Day invasion.  56 completed.

* The Itsumade-Kai was a multi-role, with a conventional seat and the semi-recessed bomb position replaced by more fuel and an external ordnance rack. The rack could carry a single 250 or 500kg bomb on its central position, or a 250kg bomb on each of its outer hard points. An aerial version of the lightweight 28 cm Type 5 torpedo was tested on the Itsumade-Kai, but not used in combat. An external fuel tank was also test flown on a Itsumade-Kai, but was seen as a low priority and the necessary plumbing was not introduced to the fleet. Like the baseline model, the Kai's internal weaponry was two 20mm H0-5 cannon. 87 completed.

* The kamikaze dedicated Itsumade-Tokkō  was a Kanbaku model, minus unnecessary features. The cannon and bombsight were dispensed with, it had less fuel and navigational equipment and omitted both the pull-out autopilot and the joystick's bomb release button. Allied intelligence officers also noted that, beyond the downgraded specifications, -Tokkō types also featured a high proportion of second-hand gear, including worn brakes and tyres. 57 completed.

* The Itsumade-Ninshiki was an unarmed photo reconnaissance version of the -Kai model. A ventral camera pack replaced the -Kai model's extra belly fuel tank, but the type was fast, small and difficult to intercept. They were active over Allied occupied southern Korea, but were incapable two-way journeys to other Allied activity centres such as Okinawa and Iwo Jima. 13 completed

It is impossible to define the effectiveness of these individual versions, but the US Navy credits the Itsumade with the sinking of 13 Allied vessels, inflicting major damage to another 19 ships and causing over 900 causalities. Fortunately for the Allies, the impact of the Itsumade was reduced by a combination of losses from training accidents and Allied air attacks, poor pilot training, poor engine reliability and fuel shortages. A small and fast target, they were difficult for fighters to intercept and flak could only contend with them through creating curtains of proximity-fused shells. Only 7 Itsumades were shot down by Allied fighter pilots (the Itsumade pilots responding with 6 confirmed air-to-air kills), with another 5 credited to anti-aircraft fire. US Marine Corps squadron VMF-441 was equipped with FO-1 Shooting Star and tasked to counter the Japanese jet plane threat during the invasion of Honshu, it pilots shooting down 4 Itsumades.

* More versions for proposed but not built, including a two-seat, stretched night fighter model and versions with a dorsal twin-jet arrangement. A rocket-augmented, catapult-launched -Tokkō was also proposed.



Where the quiet and beautiful Gifu Seki Country Club now resides, in 1945-46 Japanese jet bombers took to the sky to battle the nation's enemies.  With their aircraft and service areas hidden amongst trees and in heavily camouflaged hides, the pilots of the Honda Tadakatsu Sentai used a straight stretch of local road (itself heavily camouflaged) for take off and landing.



The Honda Tadakatsu Sentai was named after a Samurai who was known as The Warrior who surpassed Death, which was appropriate given that they were flying planes named after a vengeful bird-like spirit, the Itsumade. Seen as vengeful birds of flame, the jets were named after the mythical Itsumade, an ominous bird born from the spirit of a person who has starved to death and whose cry of "Itsumade!" is a plea, demanding "How much longer?" for their appeasement. As part of the post-coup Harmonisation policy, the unit included personnel from both the IJA and IJN.



The first unit to use the Itsumade in combat, the Honda Tadakatsu Sentai flew their first combat mission on 19 December, 1945, when four jets attacked American ships off Shima, Honshu, badly damaging the destroyer USS Dyess. Under orders not to commit self-sacrificial tactics, sporadic attacks continued against Allied shipping until Y-Day. There was a mission surge in the days immediately after the 1 March, 1946, Y-Day landings on Honshu, but by Y-Day + 15 the unit was exhausted of both fuel and serviceable planes.


This aircraft, Red 5, was flown by Sub-Lieutenant Saburō Sakai in the days after the invasion. The single 250kg bombload is typical of post-invasion missions, as Allied bombers had damaged the runways at Seki, demanding shorter take-off runs. Another reason for the lighter bombload was the need to climb fast on take-off, as Allied fighters  maintained patrols in the area. On 2 March, 1946, Sakai gained the 1st of his aerial victories in the Itsumade against a USAAF P-47N; 2 more kills, a USN FK-1 Rapier and a USMC FO-1 Shooting Star, were credited to him before Itsumade operations ceased. These brought his overall claimed tally to 68, although officially his scored was 41. Although each of his 68 claimed kills are detailed in his post-war autobiography Samurai!, many of the details conflict with both Allied and Japanese official records, critics asserting that many of the stories in the book are fictional. However, there are no disputes about the kills claimed whilst flying the Itsumade.



Recognising the aircraft as being similar to the Terry (Fuji Kaiken), Allied intelligence officers assumed that the Itsumade was a fighter and gave it the male reporting name Floyd.

[DogfighterZen]

Interesting idea and a great back story! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Pretty! Looks very natural. 

[NARSES2]

RS kit or the Huma one ? Whichever it looks so right in that scheme. Ideal Kamikaze as well.

I've built the Huma kit and it's nice, got the RS one but not built it. Never, ever thought of Japanese so well done 

[comrade harps]

RS kit.

[zenrat]

Good job Comrade.
Would a 2 man night fighter retain the prone crew positions and thus be a "twin bedder"?
Bunks maybe?

[comrade harps]

The rather snug night fighter would have tandem seats, with the RIO facing aft. It would also have no internal arnament, but the cannon in a ventral pod.

I do like the idea of the bunks though.

[NARSES2]

RS kit.

Thank you comrade 

[Dizzyfugu]

Good job Comrade.
Would a 2 man night fighter retain the prone crew positions and thus be a "twin bedder"?
Bunks maybe?

Two fuselages...? P-82 style, perhaps?