The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare 15

The

Illustrated

Encyclopedia of 20th Century

AND

The

Illustrated

Encyclopedia of 20th Century

EAPONS ARFARE AND

VOLUME 15 Karl/Kriv

The

Illustrated

Encyclopedia of 20th Century

EAPONS ARFARE AND

ICOLUMBIA HOUSE/New York

Editor: Bernard Fitzsimons

Gunston (Aviation) Hogg (Land Weapons) Antony Preston (Naval) Deputy Editor: Suzanne Walker Copy Editor: Michael Maddison Consultant Editors:

Bill

Ian V.

Assistant Editors: Will Fowler, Richard Green,

Corinne Benicka, John Liebmann, Michael de Luca Editorial Assistant: Julie Leitch

Art Editor: David Harper Assistant Art Editor: John Bickerton

Design Assistants:

Jeff

Gurney, John Voce

Production: Sheila Biddlecombe

Moore Mark Hewish, Ian V. Hogg, John Jordan, David Lyon, Pamela D. Matthews, Kenneth Munson, Malcolm Passingham, Antony Preston, John A. Roberts, Anthony J. Watts, John S. Weeks

Picture Research: Jonathan

Contributors: Bill Gunston,

Illustrator:

John Batchelor

Cover Design: Harry W. Fass Production Manager: Stephen Charkow

© Purnell & .Sons Ltd. 1967/1969 © Phoebus Publishing Company/ BPC Publishing Ltd. 1971/77/78 Distributed by Columbia House, a Division of CBS Inc., 121 1 Avenue of the Americas, New York. New York 10036 Printed in the U.S.A.

"O God Possess

The

of battles, steel

them not with

my

soldiers' hearts;

from them now the opposed numbers

fear; take

sense of reckoning,

if

Pluck their hearts from them." —Shakespeare, King Henry

V,

Act IV, Scene

1

2

INTRODUCTION The

first

great naval battle of the twentieth

century was fought between the fleets of Japan and Russia at Tsushima in May 1905. Its outcome was a resounding defeat for the Russians, while the conclusions drawn by observers influenced warship design around the world, and in Russia inspired a new program of naval

The

construction.

checkered history of the

modern Russian and Soviet navies is reflected in a number of the entries in Volume 15 of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare.

One

of the

Soviet navy

most intriguing aspects of the is

the

number

of innovative de-

"Kola" Class

others, the

Class destroyers sile

patrol boats.

first

of

frigates, the

"kotlin"

and the "Komar" Class mis-

The "Komar"

Class was the

type in the world, and though

its

it

has been replaced by the later "Osa" and

"Stenka" Classes in the Soviet navy, large

numbers

of

"Komars" have been transferred

to other fleets.

The pace of development can be seen in the replacement of half the main gun armament of the "Kotlins" by SS-X-1 surface-to-surface

and the conversion

missiles,

hulls

"Kildin"

to

guided-missile de-

Class

stroyers in the early 1960s.

of four "Kotlin"

The

guided-missile

signs it has produced and the great age to which many of its ships have served. The armored gunboat Khrabry, for example, was completed in 1896, survived a good deal of action during the First World War, and was sunk in 1942. It was then raised and used as a

Union, and was followed by the "Kresta" Class missile cruisers. The "Kotlins" proved to have been only an interim class, for the "Kashin" Class which appeared during the 1960s was

training ship for several years after 1945.

escorts. It

Among

with

the fruits of the naval expansion was

Krab, the world's first submarine minelayer, but construction was slow, and the revolution of 1917, in

which the Black Sea Fleet (one of

four traditional Russian

fleets,

the others be-

destroyer was

another

first

for

Soviet

the

designed to succeed the earlier vessels

as fleet

was designed to work particularly the "Kresta" and "Kynda" missile

heavy antiaircraft and antisubmarine armament providing added protection for the cruisers, with its long-range surfacecruisers,

its

to-surface missiles.

ing the Northern, Baltic and Pacific) played a

Latest and most interesting of the Soviet war-

prominent role, found many vessels

ships covered here are, of course, the

construction.

saw

little

The

still

under

post-revolutionary period

shipbuilding activity, and

several years to complete the survivors.

it

took

Among

these were the Krasni Kavkaz and Krasni Krim, originally Chervonaya Ukraina Class cruisers, which were not completed until 1932 and 1928 respectively. These two survived the Second World War, along with the later Kirov Class heavy cruisers, some of which remained

longevity of Soviet warships can be ex-

plained by the repeated destruction of her

dockyards during the Second World War.

number largely

The

of innovations, similarly, has sprung

from

a

new emphasis on

Class aircraft carriers. The Kiev and her sister Minsk are unlike any previous class of ship, combining as they do the traditional functions of both cruiser and aircraft carrier. Their missile armament includes long-range SS-X-1 attack missiles, and although their primary

mission

is

solo antisubmarine patrols, the SS-

N-12s give them

potent weapon against

a

either surface ships or land targets. Antisub-

marine missiles and mortars provide the sub-

in service into the 1970s.

The

Kiev

the impor-

surface weaponry, along with helicopters,

while

Hormone A

antiaircraft

defense takes the form of

76-mm

surface-to-air missile launchers

and

S

missile

guns, SA-N-3

and Gatling-

type high speed guns.

tance of naval

The Kiev and her sister are

The

mental designs, and it will be interesting to see what improvements are made to later ships of the class, or new types which may evolve from them.

power in the Soviet Union's expanding role in world affairs, coupled with the need to start largely from scratch in building up the postwar navy. 1950s saw the production

of,

among

necessarily experi-

Karl

A small amount of traverse was available on the mounting, but major changes in direction had to be made by slewing the whole vehicle on its tracks. For movement, Karl had three options. For short displacements it could be driven under its own power, the gun being pulled back to the fully recoiled position and locked there. For longer distances by road, the weapon was dismantled and carried on transport wagons. The gun and breech, cradle and mounting, and the carriage recoil system and loading apparatus formed three loads each carried on a 16-wheel trailer, while the chassis was carried on a 24-wheel transporter. For long-distance moves by rail the comover the rear of the vehicle.

Karl German

self-propelled super-heavy howitzer. German army requested a powerful self-propelled weapon for the destruction of fortifications in areas out of reach of railways guns. The first model, a 60-cm (23.6In 1935 the

1939 by in) howitzer, was completed in Rheinmetall-Borsig and after extensive test-

two guns were issued for service, named 'Thor' and 'Eva'. The equipment was known by the codename Karl Gerat 060. These two weapons were employed against Sebastopol ing

and Leningrad and proved to be effective, if cumbersome. The army considered that a slight reduction in shell weight would be an acceptable trade-off for more range, and Rheinmetall therefore built four more equip-

ments and developed a 54-cm (21.2-in) calibre barrel which could be interchanged with the 60-cm (23.6-in) barrel. The Karl equipments consisted of a simple steel-box hull supported on a tracked suspen-

The hull was divided into three compartments: the forward compartment carried the Mercedes-Benz V-12 diesel engine and the transmission; the centre compartment sion.

carried the gun mounting; the rear compartment held the vehicle batteries and a reduction gear drive which was coupled to the

torsion bar suspension anchorages and allowed the bars to be rotated so as to lower the hull to the ground and thus relieve the suspension of the firing shock. The howitzers were short-barrelled, with

equipment was fitted with two canarms attached to the ends of the hull. Using hydraulic jacks, the entire equipment was raised allowing special rail wagons to be run under the cantilever arms; the assembly was then lowered and the arms located on to pivots on the wagons. The suspension wheels were lifted and locked to the hull so as to plete

tilever

bars of stress during disposition of the six equipments is not known; only three were found at the end of the war, two of which were badly damaged. These were eventually cut up for scrap and no Karl now remains. relieve

torsion

the

travelling.

The

system. The barrel was able to recoil within its cradle, and the entire mounting recoiled within the vehicle hull, both movements being controlled by hydro-pneumatic cylin-

60

and were carried in a mounting which incorporated a dual recoil

ders.

The howitzer was mounted so The German

light

cruiser

as to

fire

(60-cm) Weight: 125080 kg (123 tons) Calibre: cm (23.6 in) Barrel length: 5.08 m (16 ft 8 in) Shell weight: 1578 kg (3479 lb) Velocity: 283 m/sec (928 ft/sec) Maximum range: 6700 m

Karlsruhe which was launched

in

T

Elevation: -3° (load-

Karl Liebknecht Soviet destroyer class, built 19 13-28. Otherwise known as Type IV, these were the survivors of the Kapitun Izylmetiev group of the Azard Class of 1913. Lenin {ex- Kapitun Izylmetiev) and Garibaldi (ex- Leitenant Iliri) had been completed in 1916, but Rykov (exKapitan Kern) and Karl Liebknecht (exLeitenant Belli) were not completed until 1927-28. Garibaldi was soon renamed Trotsky, but again had to be renamed Voikov when Trotsky was exiled; in 1937 Rykov became Zhdanov, and two years later Kuibishev. During the Second World War Karl Liebknecht and Kuibishev were based in the Arctic while their sisters were in the Baltic. Lenin was under repair at Libau (Liepaja) when the Germans attacked, and on June 28, 1941, she was scuttled to avoid capture. The other three were all scrapped after 1945. See also Azard.

final

(54-cm) Weight: 125080 kg (123 tons) Calibre: 54 cm (21 .2 in) Barrel length: 7.1 1 m (23 ft 4 in) Shell weight: 1260 kg (2778 lb) Velocity: 300 m/sec (985 ft/see) Maximum range: 10500 m (11 500 yards) Traverse: 2° Elevation: -3° (loading), 45-75° (firing)

sliding block breeches,

(7300 yards) Traverse: ing), 45-75° (firing)

November

1912. She

was

Displacement: 1260 tons (normal), 1620 tons load) Length: 98 m (321 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 9.34 m (30 ft 8 in) Draught: 3.90 m (12 ft 9 in) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 31 500 shp=24 knots Armament: 4 102-mm (4-in) (4x1); 1 75-mm (2.95-in) AA; 2 45-mm (1.77-in) AA (2x1); 2 37-mm (1.46-in) AA (2x1); 3 13-mm (0.51-in) (3x1); 9 machine-guns (9x1); 9 45-cm (17.7-in) torpedo tubes (3x3); 60 mines Crew: 168 (full

Karlsruhe German

Two

light

cruiser

class,

built

1911-14.

Ersatz Seeadler and Ersatz Geier were ordered in 1910; the first

lost after

small

cruisers,

an internal explosion

in

November 1914

1569

Kasagi The horsepower developed, and

the resulting

speed were, however, practically identical

in

two designs. On her three-hour trials Takasago recorded a speed of 22.9 knots at 12990 ihp on a displacement of 4392 tons, while Kasagi recorded a speed of 22.75 knots at 13 492 ihp on a displacement of 5416 tons and Chitose 22.7 knots at 12 500 ihp on 4890 tons. The ships were reboilered in 1910 (Kasagi) and 1912 (Chitose). large-tube Miyabara boilers replacing the original singleended models. Both ships saw action during the RussoJapanese war, Kasagi taking part in the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the Battle of Tsushima where she was hit below the waterline by a 12-in (305-mm) shell from the Russian cruiser Svietlana. She was subsequently repaired and following her reboilering was used as a training vessel until 1916 when she was wrecked in the Tsugaru Straits on July 20. Chitose was also present at these two major actions, and was in action with the Russian cruiser Novik which she drove ashore. At Tsushima one of her 8-in (203mm) guns was put out of action. Chitose was disarmed under the terms of the Washington Treaty, but in 1925 the 4.7-in (120-mm) guns were replaced with 3-in (76-mm) weapons and a single 3-in A A added. She was removed from the operational fleet in 1928 and finally sunk as a gunnery and aircraft target in the Bungo Straits on July 19. 1931. See also Takasago. the

The Japanese

cruiser Kasagi in 1899, shortly after her completion by

was launched as Karlsruhe by Germania at Kiel on November 11, 1912. and the second was launched a day later by Howaldt at Kiel as Rostock. The design was an expansion of Magdeburg, with two-shaft turbines and a slightly longer hull to produce a knot more speed. In every other respect they were a repeat of the previous design. Both ships were lost during the First World

War. Karlsruhe was sunk on November

4,

about 320 km (200 miles) east of Trinidad following an internal explosion, with the loss of 263 crew. Exploding ammunition was suspected as the cause, but another likely explanation is that a boiler blew up and set fire to the oil fuel. Rostock became the High Seas Fleet flagship of torpedo-boat flotillas, and fought at the Battle of the Skagerrak (Jutland). During the night phase 1914,

was

by a British torpedo, and next morning had to be abandoned and sunk by five torpedoes from V. 7/ and V. 73. of the action she

hit

mm

(4.1-in)/45-cal

(12x1); 2 50-cm

(19.7-in)

in Philadelphia

torpedo tubes (submerged, beam) Crew: 373

Kasagi Japanese protected cruiser class. Kasagi and her sister ship Chitose were ordered under the Postwar (Sino-Japanese war) Programme of 1896-97. They were ordered from the US as a gesture of goodwill following the American decision to remain neutral during the war.

Kasagi was

Philadelphia, in January 1898

laid

down by Cramp,

March

1897,

was launched

and

was

completed

in in

that year. Chitose was laid down 1897 at the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, launched in January 1898 and completed in March the following year. The US design was very similar to the

December in

May

contemporary British-built Takasago. The US ships were rather larger than the British vessel, the increase being accounted for mainly by the increased weight of the hull.

Armament was Displacement: 4900 tons (normal), 6191 tons (full load) Length: 142.2 m (446 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 13.7 m (44 ft 11 in) Draught: 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) max Protection: 60-20 mm (2.4-0.79 in) deck, 60mm (2.4-in) belt Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 26000 shp=28 knots Armament: 12 105-

Cramp

identical in both designs, but

US ships having 12 single-ended boilers while the British vessel had four single-ended and four double-ended boilers. The engines also differed: the cylinders on the US ships were about 50 (2 in) larger in diameter than those of Takasago with a stroke that was 76 (3 in) longer machinery differed, the

mm

mm

The Soviet destroyer Obraztsovy, one of the 'Kashin' Class destroyers designed to succeed the 'Kotlin' Class. Their heavy AA and A/S armament reflect their role as support for the 'Kynda' and 'Kresta' Class missile cruisers. 'Kashin' Class destroyers serve in

though most are deployed

1570

in

the Black Sea and Pacific

all

four of the major Soviet fleets,

Displacement: (Kasagi) 4900 tons (normal), 6066 tons (full load); (Chitose) 4760 tons (normal), 5598 tons (full load) Length: (Kasagi) 122.5 m (402 ft), (Chitose) 120.7 m (396 ft) oa Beam:

m (48 ft 11 in), (Chitose) 15 m (49 Draught: (Kasagi) 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in), (Chitose) 5.33 m (17 ft 6 in) Machinery: 2-shaft vertical triple-expansion, 15000 ihp=22.5 knots Protection: 11 4-64 mm (4.5-2.5 in) deck, 114-64 mm 8-in guns, 64 mm 4.7-in guns, 114 mm conning tower Armament: 2 8-in (203-mm); 10 4.7-in (120-mm); 12 12-pdr (76-mm); 6 2i-pdr (42-mm); 4 18-in (46-cm) torpedo tubes (above water, 4x1) Crew: 405-434

(Kasagi) 14.9 ft

3

in)

a

'Kashin

Kashima Japanese battleship class. The two ships comprising the class were built in Britain and were the last to be ordered by Japan from foreign yards. They were built under the 1903 War Programme to be ready for the anticipated war with Russia. Kashima was built by Armstrong, and Katori was built by Vickers. The design was very similar to that of the British pre-Dread nought King Edward VII. The King Edwards had introduced the intermediate largest-calibre

battery

intermediate-calibre

mounted

with

principle

weapons fore and guns

in

aft,

the the

broadside-

and a secondary battery of casemate guns. The Japanese ships disposed their armament likewise, but chose a heavier weapon as the intermediate gun 10-in (254-mm) as opposed to the 9.2-in (234mm) of the British ships. Secondary armament was also heavier, 12 6-in (152-mm) casemate guns being mounted instead of the turrets amidships,

—

King Edward The Japanese chose

ten of

VII.

a particularly powerful armament, for which they had to sacrifice some protection in order to keep the displacement within the prescribed specification. The

heavier armament was considered more important than protection, for the ships were to be a counter to the Russian Andrei Pervozvanni which was armed with four 12-in (305mm), eight 8-in (203-mm) and 12 6-in guns. Kashima and Katori were well protected ships, the

main 229-mm

running to a depth of 2.3

(9-in)

armoured

m (7 ft 6 in),

1.5

belt

m (5

was below the waterline. Above the main belt was a secondary belt 152-mm thick (it was to have been 178 mm [7 in] but was reduced to enable the ships to mount 10in guns) extending from the barbette of Y turret up to the stem. On top of the secondary belt amidships was yet another armoured screen 2.3 m deep running between the two 10-in gun turrets. ft)

The Japanese battleship Kashima and her sister Katori were launched in 1906. Both ships, however, became obsolescent when the British launched their all-big-gun warship Dreadnought

The Russo-Japanese war had ended by

the

time the two battleships were commissioned. Although considered to be the finest and most powerful ships in the Far East, they were rendered obsolete almost at once by the

completion of the all-big-gun British Dreadnought. Consequently Kashima and Katori never really proved their capabilities and both were disarmed in 1922 and broken up

between 1924-25.

of which

Displacement: 1 5 950 tons (normal) Length: 1 39

m

(456

(Katori)

m

(27

ft)

(Kashima),

oa Beam: 23.8

ft)

m

(Kashima), 8.1

143.3 (78

m

m

(26

ft

ft 2 in) Draught:8.2

(470

ft 1 in)

7

in)

(Katori)

Machinery: 2-shaft reciprocating vertical tripleexpansion, 15600 ihp=18.5 knots Protection: 229-64 mm (9-2.5 in) main belt, 152 mm (6 in) upper belt, 102 mm (4 in) upper deck screen, 7625 mm (3-1 in) deck, 305-127 mm (12-5 in) barbettes (12-in gun), 152 mm (6 in) barbettes (10-in gun), 203-152 mm (8-6 in) turrets, 229 mm (9 in) conning tower Armament: 4 12-in (305mm) (2x2); 4 10-in (254-mm) (4x1); 12 6-in (152mm) (12x1); 16 (Koshima)l\2 (Katori) 12-pdr (76-mm) (16/12x1); 3 3-pdr (47-mm) (3x1); 4 (KatoriS) Maxim machine-guns; 5 18-in (46-cm) torpedo tubes (submerged; 4 beam, 1 stern) Crew: 980

Soviet destroyer class, built between 1960The first ship of the class was completed

69.

Name

laid

down launched

completed

Kashima

2/04

3/05

5/06

Katori

4/04

7/05

5/06

1963. Names are Bezuprechny, Komsomolets Ukrainy, Krasny-Kavkaz, KrasnyKrim, Odarenny, Obraztsovy, Ognevoi, Provorny, Otvazhny, Otlichny, Sderzhanny, Skory, Slavny, Smely, Smetlivy, Smyslenny, Soobrazitelny, Sposobny, Steregushchy, Strogy Stroyny. The Zhdanov yard at Leningrad built about six of the total" of 19 while the rest of them were built in the Nosenko yard at Nikolayev. The 'Kashin' Class was designed to succeed the 'Kotlin' Class as a fleet escort type. More specifically, it was envisaged that they would operate in pairs in support of the new missile cruisers of the 'Kynda' and 'Kresta' Classes, for which they would provide additional defence against aircraft and submarines. They therefore carried no major offensive weapon, having instead an SA-N-1 'Goa' launcher for surface-to-air missiles in

mounted on a deckhouse magazine. Below each launcher at upper-deck level was a twin 76mm (3-in) mounting which provided a more conventional defence against aircraft. The antisubmarine armament comprised two 12barrelled mortars carried forward, two new

fore and aft, each which serves as

six-barrelled long-range mortars abreast the and a quintuple bank of 53cm (21-in) torpedo tubes on the centreline after radar tower,

amidships. The symmetry of the armament

'Kashin'

A Soviet Modified

'Kashin' Class destroyer in July 1976. The conversions to the class began in 1974 and include shipping four SS-N-2 (mod) launchers, four Gatling close-support weapons, a VDS under the new stern helicopter platform and removing the depth-charge throwers. The Kashin Class were the first warships in the world to rely entirely on gas-turbine propulsion giving a speed of 35 knots. In September 1974 the Otvazhny foundered in the Black Sea apparently as a result of an internal explosion. A fire followed which lasted for five hours. The loss of nearly 300 men made this the worst peacetime naval loss for many years. The Soviet yards at Zhdanov, Leningrad and Nosenko, Nikolayev have delivered 19 'Kashin' and Modified 'Kashin' Class destroyers which are officially known as Bolshoy Protivolodochny Korabl, meaning Large Antisubmarine Ship

^&$£§&%B

1572

Kashin'

*zPr--

1573

Katahdin layout was matched by that of the main sensors, with two central lattice masts carrying identical search antennae flanked by two shorter towers for the 'Peel Group' guidance radars.

The hull form, unlike that of the 'Kyndas', was the development of the 'KotlinV'KildinV 'Krupny' shape, with a flush deck rising steeply towards the bow to enable the ships to maintain a high speed in rough seas. The

bow. however, was given more overhang than the straight stems of the earlier classes in order to accommodate a small sonar. When completed, they were the largest vessels in the world to be propelled exclusively by gas turbines, and were to remain so

The USSR had for some time experimented with the concept of until the early seventies.

the high-speed destroyer, but with little success until the advent of marine gas turbines. The importance of high speed to the 'Kashin' design can be seen in the complete domination of the centre part of the ship by engine

rooms. Consequently the main weapons have been pushed to both ends of the ship also a

—

feature of the high-speed 'Tallin' Class which they otherwise little resemble. The superstructure of the 'Kashins' is likewise dominated by the four large box-shaped uptakes for the turbines, arranged in two

and canted outwards to form V-shapes order to avoid 'cooking' the centreline sensors. The size and layout of the uptakes and the wide spacing between the forward and after pair suggested a propulsion system consisting of eight gas turbines, but it is now known that four 23 500-hp turbines are installed, giving a total of over 90000 hp for a top speed estimated at 36-39 knots. Early ships had very low funnels which were subsequently lengthened to take the hot gases clear of the decks, and to lessen the ingress of seaspray. The forefunnels were raised by about 3 m (10 ft) and the after funnels by m (3 ft). Later ships can be distinguished by the 'Big Net' air-search scanner on the mainmast, the search antenna on the foremast being replaced by a back-to-back version of the same radar. These include Krazny Kavkaz. Krasny Krim. Sderzhanny. Steregushchy. Slavny. Sposobny. and Strogy. pairs in

1

From

1971 onwards, significant modificawere made to Ognevoi. Bezuprechnx, Sderzhanny. SUivny. Sinely. Srnyslenny and possibly Otvazhny (which was lost in the tions

1574

Black Sea in 1974 following an internal explosion and fire). Four single horizon-range SSN-11 surface-to-surface missile launchers were added abreast the second pair of uptakes, the six-barrelled A/S mortars were replaced by a structure on which four Gatling-type AA guns were mounted as a defence against missiles, complete with 'Bass Tilt' radar directors. Variable-depth sonar was added to the stern (which was lengthened to accommodate it) and a helicopter deck was built on stanchions above it. It remains to be seen whether this modification will prove to be successful in view of the considerable increase in topweight. 'Kashin' Class destroyers serve in all four major Soviet fleets, although most are in the Black Sea and the Pacific. A variety of pendant numbers have been carried, the most recent being in the 100. 200. 400 and 500 ranges.

Displacement 3750 tons (standard), 4600 tons load) Length: 143 m (469 ft 2 in) (modified ships. 146 m [479 ft]) oa Beam 15.8 m (51 ft 10 in) Draught: 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) Machinery: 8 gas turbines. 2 shafts, 96000 hp = 38 knots Armament: A SA-N-1 launchers (2x2); 4 76-mm (3-in) AA (2x2); 5 53-cm (21 -in) torpedo tubes (1 x 5); 2 MBU 2500A 12-barrelled A/S mortars; 2 MBU 4500A 6-barrelled A/S mortars (unmodified ships only); 4 SS-N-11 launchers (modified ships only); 4 Gatling-type AA guns (modified Ships only) Crew: 400 (full

Katahdin US armoured ram. completed 1895. The American Civil War saw the revival of the idea of the use of the ram as a primary weapon for sinking ships. The Confederates began building several armoured vessels using the ram as their main weapon and one

of them, Manassas, actually used her ram in action. The apparent success of the ram at the battle of Lissa in 1866, and in sinking a number of ships in accidental collisions, helped to maintain the popularity of the ram as a weapon in the 1870s and 1880s. Numbers of naval officers, including the US Admiral Ammen, continued to press for small, manoeuvrable fast vessels to be built, with sloping armoured sides, and a low silhouette, with the ram as their chief weapon. The French had already produced a series of such rams for harbour defence, and these were wholly unsuccessful. The prime example of this kind of craft, however, was supposed to be the British Polyphemus, launched in 1881. However this was not really so, as Polyphemus was intended chiefly as a sea-

going torpedo ship, and the ram was merely a

secondary weapon. Finally, after much disUS Navy decided to order its own armoured ram in 1889. By this time the concept was totally out of date. Not only had it been fairly well proved that it was very difficult to ram another vessel which was still capable of steering and steaming and did not want to be rammed, the navies of the world were also equipped with quick-firing guns which would make a close approach highly dangerous, if not lethal. What had made some sense in a period when guns were very slow firing, inaccurate, and short-ranged, no cussion, the

longer did so. To make matters worse Katahdin (named after a mountain in Maine) was not launched at the Bath Iron Works yard until 1893. and was only completed in 1895. She compared extremely badly with Polyphemus both in design and performance. She had no torpedoes at all. relying entirely on her ram. and the four 6-pdrs given her for defence were not mounted on a flying deck, as in her British predecessor, but on the hull, with a

Katori

The USS Katahdin, an armoured ram built in the mid-1890s, had a disastrous history. She was out of date when she was launched and too slow and unmanoeuvrable for use at sea as a ram ship. Waves broke over the exposed gun positions and below decks life was cramped and airless due to the poor ventilation. She saw service in the Spanish-American war on the east coast

1

.47

m

(4 ft 10 in) freeboard,

liable to

waves

be washed

raised when the sort of speed.

make any

where they were the enormous

down by

ship attempted to

She never made her

design speed of 17 knots, despite the enormous funnel designed to give the best possible natural draught. Perhaps even worse was her appalling manoeuvrability and difficulty of steering, which made it unlikely she would ever succeed in her designed role. Life inside the low-lying hull was most uncomfortable for the crew because of the heat, lack of ventilation and poor layout. It was not until the Spanish- American war broke out in 1898 that she was placed in service, guarding the Atlantic coast of America. Despite a press outcry she was never sent to engage the Spanish fleet, which was just as well. Very

few warships have ever been quite so obviously useless. It was no surprise when she was discarded and sunk as a target in 1909. Displacement: 21 55 tons Length : 76.42 9 in) wl 4.57 m

Beam: (15

13.23

ft)

m

(43

ft

Machinery:

expansion=4800 ihp

(design),

knots Protection: 1 52-76 4 6-pdr Crew: 97

5

in)

m

(250

ft

Draught:

2-shaft

triple-

5068 (trials)=16

mm (6-3 in) Armament:

Katori Japanese cruiser class. The four cruisers of this class, ordered under the 1937-39 Programmes, were built by Mitsubishi.

Yokohama,

as training ships exclusively for the instruction of cadets and junior officers in ship handling and control. They shipped every item of equipment that was to be found in the larger warships of the Japanese navy

(except the heavy guns) including a seaplane catapult which were considered an

and

The Japanese

cruiser Kashima, one of the Katori Class of prewar training ships. They were intended to instruct cadets and junior officers in

ship handling and control but after one training cruise they were pressed into war service. In this

capacity they were excellent flagships for squadrons of smaller warships since they had extensive communications and navigation equipment. By 1944 they were refitted as A/S escorts and though Kashima survived the war to be broken up in 1947 her sisters Kashii and /Caror/ were sunk on January 12, 1945, and February 17, 1945, respectively, by US Navy aircraft and US Navy warships

1575

K a tori important feature of the class. The seaplane

ships as such.

mm

especially on cruisers, for the Japanese laid great emphasis on the scouting role of such aircraft in support of the main battle fleet. Katori was completed in April 1940, Kashima in May 1940, and Kashii in July 1941. The ships were fully equipped with an advanced gunnery-control system such as could be found on all the battleships and cruisers, as well as a complete torpedocontrol system and torpedo tubes. The bridge was an extensive structure for a small vessel, and housed a fully equipped command centre and navigating complex. Training for engineer officers was provided by a dual propulsion plant of diesels and turbines.

to requirements

25-mm

led and the further four modified training cruisers planned under the 1942 Programme were also cancelled. These ships would have been

(2x2);

armed with four twin turrets mounting the new 100-mm (3.9-in) gun fitted to the Terut-

Japanese training ship,

performed a

vital

function,

As soon as Kashima and Katori were completed they embarked on an extensive training cruise, the only such operation undertaken by these ships. Soon after they returned from the cruise, war broke out and together with Kashii the three ships were assigned as flagships to various squadrons in the Combined Fleet. They proved ideal as flagships for squadrons of smaller warships, with their extensive equipment. A fourth unit. Kashiwara, was under construction at the outbreak of war in December 1941. She had been ordered under the 1940 Programme, but with war imminent all work on the vessel ceased in November 1941 to

Kashiwara would be surplus and so the order was cancelmaterial broken up on the slip. A

suki Class destroyers. Soon after the outbreak of war the torpedo tubes (which were sited abreast the funnel)

were removed and replaced by twin 127-mm (5-in) dual-purpose mountings. Subsequently a further 16 25-mm (1-in) AA weapons were ;ilso mounted. During the summer of 1944 Kashima and Kashii were refitted as A/S escorts, the catapult and seaplane being removed. The light A A armament was increased to 30 25mm (25 in Kashii) and eight 13-mm (0.5 1-in). Stowage was provided for a large number of depth charges (100 in Kashima and 300 in Kashii).

Kashima survived

war and was evenKashii was sunk by US naval aircraft on January 12. 1945. while Katori was sunk by gunfire from the US cruisers Minneapolis and New Orleans and the destroyers Radford and Burns on Febtually

ruary

scrapped

17.

the

in 1947.

1945.

enable more urgent construction to be completed. The Japanese decided that as these ships were weakly armed and slow, and as there would be no further use for training

Displacement: 5890 tons (standard) Length: m (438 ft) oa Beam: 16 m (52 ft 6 in) Draught: 5.7 m (18 ft 8 in) Machinery: 2-shaft geared turbines and diesels. 8000shp = 18 knots Protection: 50 mm (2 in) deck Armament: 4 140-

The Japanese

Krupp cemented armour which had

1576

battleship Katori in 1906. She used

133.5

recently

2 127-mm (5-in) (1 x2) AA; 4 AA; 4 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes seaplane Crew. 340

(5.5-in) (2x2); (1-in) 1

Katori built 1967-69. Katori basically a large frigate specially equipped to accommodate and train cadets, but equally useful as an escort in wartime. is

The armament of two twin 3-in (76mm)/50-cal AA mountings is forward, with a Bofors 375-mm (14.76-in) quadruple A/S rocket launcher set back at 02 deck level. Triple Mk 32 A/S torpedo tubes are positioned on either side of the funnel at 01 level. (Decks are numbered from upper to lower in numeriorder.)

A

big helicopter flight deck is but what appears to be a hangar is actually a big lecture room for cadets, with their accommodation below. A full outfit of sonar and radar is provided. Katori has carried out several foreign cal

provided

aft,

cruises.

She

was

Heavy

by Ishikawajima commissioned in Sep-

built

Industries and tember 1969.

Displacement: 3350 tons (standard), 4000 tons load) Length. 128.7 m (422 ft 3 in) oa Beam: 15 m (49 ft 3 in) Draught: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) Machinery: 2-shaft geared steam turbines, 20000 shp = 25 knots Armament: 4 76-mm (3in)/50-cal AA(2x2); 1 quadruple 375-mm (14.76in) A/S rocket launcher; 6 32.4-cm (12.75-in) A/S torpedo tubes (2x3) Crew: 460 (including 165 (full

cadets)

become available but was

built

by Yickers

at

Barrow

;

Kawasaki Type 92 'Kate' Allied

codename

for

Nakajima B5N

Japanese attack bomber

See

B5N

Katyusha Nickname applied to the Soviet artillery

M8

rocket launcher during the Second

World War See

artillery section Soviet Artillery

Rockets

Displacement: 20823 tons {Settsu, 21 443 tons) (normal) Length: 160.3 m (526 ft) (Settsu, 162.5 m [533 ft]) oa Beam .25.7 m (84 ft 4 in) Draught: 8.2 m (27 ft) Machinery. 2-shaft geared turbines, 25000 shp=20 knots Protection: 305-127 (12-5 in) main belt, 279 (11 in) turrets, 76-25 (3-1 in) deck, 254 (10 in) conning tower Armament: 12 12-in (305-mm) 1 6-in (1 52-mm) 8 4.7-in (120-mm); 16 3-in (76-mm); 5 18-in (46cm) torpedo tubes Crew: 1000

mm

mm mm

mm

;

Kawachi Japanese battleship class. The first Dreadnought-type battleships to be built for the Japanese navy were Kawachi and Settsu, ordered under the 1907 Programme. The design was of pure Japanese conception, though the armament and mountings were supplied by Armstrong of Britain and the turbine machinery by Curtis of the US. Kawachi was built by Kure navy yard and completed in March 1912, and Settsu was built by Yokosuka navy yard and completed in

July 1912.

The

class

tion of the

was well designed. The disposiKrupp steel armour was exceed-

good and

time the ships were probably the best protected in the world. Following the decision to mount turbines in Ibuki and Aki, and the undoubted success of ingly

in their

machinery

similar

the

in

British

Dread-

nought, the Japanese decided that in future all large warships should be powered by turbines.

The armament

of the

Kawachi was

disposed in a similar fashion to the early German Dreadnoughts such as the Helgoland Class with a twin turret in A and Y positions and two twin turrets amidships on either beam. This resulted in the vessels mounting two more guns than the British Dreadnoughts, but the broadside capability, of eight 12-in (305-mm) guns, remained the same. A and Y turrets mounted a 50-calibre weapon while the other turrets were all fitted with 45-calibre guns. A particularly noteworthy feature of the design was the degree of protection given to the casemated 6-in (152mm) guns, which were sited behind a 152-mm armoured screen. (Dreadnought completely lacked any major secondary armament, mounting only 27 12-pdr guns behind open shields or in an unprotected bulwark in the superstructure.) In addition to their 6-in secondary guns the Japanese battleships also

mounted 4.7-in (120-mm) and 3-in (76-mm) weapons. During the First World War 12 of the 3-in guns were removed and four 3-in AA weapons added. Two of the torpedo tubes were also removed. Kawachi was lost on July 12, 1918, when she exploded, and sank with 700 of her crew. Settsu was disarmed under the terms of the Washington Treaty and in 1924 was converted to a target ship. All remaining arma-

ment and the armoured belt were removed. The deck was reinforced to withstand 30-kg (66-lb) bombs. Settsu was further refitted between 1935-37 when she was equipped as a radio-controlled target ship (like the British Centurion). The controlling ship was the destroyer Yakaze. The deck and sides received further armour protection designed to withstand hits

During

from

8-in

(203-mm)

this refit the central boiler

shells.

in 19 18, and between 1923-33 the chief designer was Dr Richard Vogt, later the famed chief engineer at Blohm und Voss. His most important creation for the company was the Type 88, a single-engined biplane produced to meet a 1925 army specification. The prototype, designated A-2, was tested between February-August 1927, and the design was subsequently accepted as the Type 88 for reconnaissance, and put into production soon

after.

Type

Kawakaze

BMW

had a 500-hp VI waterV-12 built under licence by Kawasaki, and was chiefly of metal construction. The upper wing had long bracing struts linking the outer section to the bottom of the fuselage, and a single I interplane strut was used on each side. The pilot fired a single synchronized 7.7-mm (0.303-in) gun mounted above the fuselage in front of his cockpit, and the observer had either one or a pair of similar guns on a ring mounting in the rear 88-1

cooled

Japanese

destroyer class. The destroyer Kawakaze (built by Yokosuka navy yard) and

her sister ship Tanikaze (built by Maizuru navy yard) were both ordered under the 1916 Programme, and were designed to mount much more powerful turbines than the earlier Amatsukaze Class. The turbines chosen for

Kawakaze developed 34000 shp (compared with the 27 000 shp of Amatsukaze) resulting in an increase in speed from 34 to 37.5 knots.

Although larger turbines were fitted, improvements in boiler design meant that only four were required in Kawakaze as opposed to the five of Amatsukaze. This to some extent compensated for the increased space required by the higher-powered turbines, and length was only increased by a few feet and displacement rose by only 80 tons compared with Amatsukaze. Upper-deck layout also differed slightly between Kawakaze and Amatsukaze. Only three 4.7-in (120-mm) guns were mounted (instead of the four in Amatsukaze), and disposition was altered. The three guns were sited forward of the bridge, abaft it and aft on a deckhouse. (The four guns on Amatsukaze had been positioned forward of the bridge, between the first and second funnel this was the gun omitted in Kawakaze and replaced by a deckhouse and fore and aft of the mainmast.) The number and siting of the torpedo tubes remained the same, but following British practice a 2 1-in (53-cm) model was mounted and was the first to be carried in a Japanese warship. Kawakaze was completed November 1918 and Tanikaze in January 1919, too late to take part in the First World War. The extensive

—

—

programme of destroyer construction undertaken by Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s rendered these two destroyers obsolete, and they were removed from the operational fleet in April 1934. Kawakaze was scrapped soon after, but the hulk of Tanikaze was retained, and towards the end of the Second World War was used as a target for Kaiten training. Displacement: 1300 tons (normal), 1580 tons (full load) Length: 102.4 m (336 ft) Beam;8.8 m (28 ft 1$ in) Draught: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) Machinery: 2-shaft geared turbines, 34 000 shp=37.5 knots Armament: 3 4.7-in (120-mm); 2 7.7-mm (0.303-in); 6 21-in (53-cm) torpedo tubes (3x2); 20 mines Crew: 148

Kawanishi Japanese aircraft See H6K, H8K, NIK, P1Y2

cockpit. In the light

bomber Type 88-11, racks were added under the lower wings for 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs. Kawasaki delivered 520 of both models by 1931. and the Tachikawa army arsenal a further 187. They gave good service with the Japanese Army Air Force for some ten years, and during their career saw action against the Chinese in Manchuria, and at Tsinan. Span: 15.2 m (49 ft 10 in) Length. 12.28 m (40 ft 3 Gross weight: 3100 kg (6834 lb) Maximum speed: 210 km/h (130 mph)

in)

Kawasaki Type 92 Japanese fighter aircraft. This trim biplane was the second of Richard Vogt's major production types, and the first indigenous fighter to be adopted by the Imperial army in large numbers. Nevertheless it was at first rejected in favour of the Nakajima Type 91 monoplane in the preliminary paper evaluation of entries in the 5-Shi (1930) design competition. Undeterred, Kawasaki decided to build a prototype at the company's own risk, and in comparative testing in the autumn of 1930 the biplane proved dramatically superior. In some aspects of performance it was equal to many fighters of the Second World War, for example in climbing to 5000 (16400 ft) in 8 minutes. It was powered by a 500-hp Kawasaki-built VI engine,

m

BMW

though installed differently from that in the Type 88, and there were two 7.7-mm (0.303in) Type 89 Vickers machine-guns above the fuselage decking. Total production unknown, is but Kawasaki is believed to have built 180 of the Type 92-1 before switching to further production designated Type 92-11 with the 600-hp VI 7,3 engine. Both models saw extensive active service in Asian fighting prior to

BMW 1939.

Span: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) Length: 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in) Gross weight: 1690 kg (3726 lb) Maximum speed: (Type 92-I) 320 km/h (199 mph)

room and

funnel were removed, but were shipped again in 1940. During the war Settsu was fitted with a number of 25-mm (1-in) AA guns. She was finally sunk by US naval aircraft in an air raid on Kure on July 24, 1945.

Kawasaki Type 88 craft.

bomber and reconnaissance airThe dockyard company Kawasaki

Heavy

Industries

Japanese

formed an

aircraft division

Kawasaki Japanese aircraft See CM, Ki-3, Ki-10, Ki-32, Ki-45, Ki-48, Ki-60, Ki-61, Ki-64, Ki-66, Ki96, Ki-100, Ki-102, Ki-108, P-2J

1577

Kaydet, Boeing Stearman

The Boeing Stearman Kaydet primary trainer became one of the world's most extensively built biplanes, second in numbers only to the Antonov An-2. It began as a private venture in 1934 and even when Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing it retained its designer's name. As the Model 70 it won the army primary trainer contest in 1934, but the first orders

versions had one fixed and one movable machine-gun and racks for light bombloads.

Span: 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) Length: 7.63 m (25 ft) Gross weight: 1 232-1 275 kg (2717-2810 lb) Maximum speed: 193-203 km/h (120-126 mph)

came

from the navy, who received 61 in 1935-36. The version ordered by the army was designated Model 75 and in ten years 8000 were ordered A standardized version was built for both services

KB-29, Boeing Tanker version of B-29, US strategic bomber See Superfortress KB-50, Boeing Tanker version of B-50, US strategic bomber See Superfortress

KC-10A, McDonnell Douglas US

tanker/transport aircraft. Previously as the ATCA (advanced tanker cargo aircraft), the KC-10A of the US Air Force is expected to make a very large difference to US global mobility, despite the fact that,

known

compared with the KC-135 force of 732 aircraft, the numbers to be bought are extremely small. The KC-10A will be far more efficient in carrying

fer fuel for

Kaydet, Boeing Stearman US trainer aircraft. Although the Wichita Stearman Aircraft Co became the Boeing Wichita division in 939, the biplane trainer that stemmed from the Model 70 of 933 never lost the name of its original designer. Apart from the modern Antonov An-2, greater numbers of the Kaydet were built than of any other single biplane type, at least 0346 being delivered to various Allied air forces during the Second World War. Substantial size and generous strength made the Kaydet popular, though it was perhaps uneconomic in that it had engines consider1

1

1578

simultaneously the transaircraft

on intercontinen-

overseas deployment, and all the spares, support equipment and personnel.

tal

plant of the

1

combat

excess of 200 hp, of which the most common were the Lycoming R-680, Continental R-670 and Jacobs R-755. US Army Air Force designations were PT-13, -17, -18 and ably

in

and the US Navy designations were NS and N2S. The name Kaydet, unofficially adopted for all Stearmans, was officially applied to the Royal Canadian Air Force versions. Their PT-27 models had enclosed cockpits like the US Navy N2S-5. Few were armed, though Model 76 and similar export -27,

The basis of the aircraft is CF, powered by three General

the DC- 10-30 Electric F103

turbofans each rated at 23 813 kg (52500 lb) The main change is redesign of the underfloor cargo hold to house a row of bladder fuel cells, stressed to bear the loads of a wheels-up landing. Under the tail is a boom-operator's station, the fuel transfer boom being of a completely new pattern over 3 m (10 ft) longer than the previous type; it has very advanced aerodynamics, and comFurther controls. puterized, fly-by-wire, thrust.

KC-10A, McDonnell-Douglas

The sturdy construction

of the Stearman and its capacious cockpits were popular with both pilots and instructors. They were used by training schools in the United States and Canada where vast numbers of fighter

and bomber pilots, including RAF trainees, learned their first flying skills during the Second World War. By the end of its career at least 10346 Kaydets had been built at the Stearman Aircraft Division, Boeing Aircraft

company, Wichita, Kansas

1579

KDW, Hansa-Brandenburg ahead on the centreline

is a flight refuelling hose-reel pack, for transferring fuel to aircraft of Tactical Air Command or, exceptionally, to US Navy or Allied aircraft. In addition to serving fighter-type aircraft the KC10A will refuel the largest transports,

reconnaissance

strategic craft.

One KC-10A can

and bomber airno less than

transfer

90 720 kg (200000 lb) of fuel at a distance of 3540 km (2200 miles) from its base and then return. Such a transfer would approximately double the range of a C-5A Galaxy with a full

KC-135, Boeing

tanker

KC-97,

Boeing

Stratofreighter,

Tanker

US

version of C-97 transport aircraft See Stratofreighter

KC-130, Lockheed Tanker version of C-130 Hercules,

US

transport aircraft

See Hercules

KCA

Swiss 30-mm aircraft gun See Oerlikon

of the most important features of the

K.C-10A

is

that

it

can air-refuel a whole series

of front-line combat aircraft, eliminating the need for forward-area fuel stocks, while itself flying from airfields far distant. In the cargo role it can carry 77 10 kg (170000 lb) above the main floor, either on standard pallets or containers. There is a large cargo door on the left side and automatic computercontrolled conveyor systems for quick positioning of each item. In the mixed cargo/pas1

senger role, the front fuselage can be equipped to carry the normal operating crew of five, a basic support crew of 15 accompanying cargo, or a larger support staff (numbering 88 in one scheme) travelling with a fighter squadron on overseas duty. Special provision is made for every kind of USAF combat-unit item, including ground-support equipment, all special tools and other hardware, communications, and libraries of manuals. Due to budgetary restrictions, the total

number

of

McDonnell Douglas KC-lOs

expected to exceed

is

not

20.

KDW, Hansa-Brandenburg German

fighter seaplane. Derived from the D.I landplane (one of the first designs of Ernst Heinkel, who was Hansa-Brandenburg's chief designer), the was a wooden twin-float seaplane designed for defence of German navy seaplane and airship stations on the shores of the North Sea. stood for Kampfdoppeldecker, Wasser (fighter biplane seaplane) but it was popularly called the 'star-strutter' because of the unusual arrangement of interplane struts.

KDW

KDW

The first three, built in July-August 1916, were powered by a 150-hp Benz Bz III, and carried a single Spandau 08 machine-gun firing ahead. The next ten had the 160-hp Mercedes D.I1I. and the remaining 45 the

IMMip Maybach Mb III. The final batches had a second gun, and a small fixed fin above the rear fuselage (most early Heinkel types had the vertical tail only, below or behind the fuselage). Final delivery was in February 1918, a

Span. 50.41 m (165 ft 4} in) Length. 55.50 m (182 ft 1 in) Gross weight: 267 620 kg (590000 lb) Maximum speed. 982 km/h (610 mph) Range: (maximum cargo load) 7033 km (4370 miles)

1580

in-flight refuelling

See Stratotanker

cargo load.

One

US

few serving

until the

Armistice.

Span: 9.25 m (30 ft 4 in) Length: 8 m (26 ft 3 in) Gross weight: 1040 kg (2293 lb) Maximum speed: 170 km/h (106 mph)

=^tf

Kearsage

battleship class, built 1895-1900. After an

if the upper guns withheld their fire until the lower guns had fired. Other innovations in the class were the

interval of three years, following the ordering

provision of electrical auxiliary power on a

Kearsage US

US

Congress authorized two more battleships. Battleships were normally named after states, but the steam sloop Kearsage had been wrecked in February 1894 and there was a wave of agitation to commemorate her name; consequently Kearsage became the only US battleship to be named after a mountain. The contracts for Kearsage (BB.5) and Kentucky (BB.6) were both awarded to a new of Iowa, the

Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. The design was hardly an advanced one, as the freeboard was as low as shipyard, the

in the Indiana Class, and the 13-in (330-mm) gun was reintroduced. After Iowa had demonstrated the totally impractical disposition of her wing 8-in (203-mm) guns, it was decided to rectify this by adopting a 'superposed' or double-storeyed turret, with two 8in guns mounted immediately above two 13in weapons, and revolving on the same vertical axis. The proponents of the scheme

claimed that it saved the weight of a set of training machinery, that two centreline turrets did the work of four wing turrets, and that blast interference had been overcome. These arguments ignored certain facts: first, the 8-in could only engage the same target as the 13-in, as it could not train separately; second, blast interference was only avoided

wide scale, from turret machinery down to ventilation and deck winches, and a heavy battery of 5-in (127-mm) guns in a single battery at weather-deck level, giving them good command. Although work was speeded up as war with Spain approached, and they were launched together on March 24, 1898, they were nevertheless too late for the war, and work slowed down again. Both served for many years as flagships, and in 1907-09 were part of the Great White Fleet which cruised around the world. In 1909 both Kearsage and Kentucky were modernized, with an additional four 5-in (127-mm) guns, and cage masts in place of the light pole masts, but they were obsolescent and thereafter served as training ships.

Above:

The USS

Kearsage employed

an

unusual two-storey turret to save weight. However in action the upper guns could not fire until after the lower weapon, due to the difficulty caused by blast and smoke. Both Kearsage and her sister Kentucky had uneventful careers. Kentucky was scrapped in 1924 but Kearsage served until 1955. From 1920 she acted as a floating dockyard crane. After being hulked as IX. 16, she was renumbered AB.l, finally becoming Crane Ship No 1 in 1941 crane. In this humble but useful role she was gainfully employed until June 1955 (having

been renumbered Crane Ship No /in 1941), and after a long and fairly uneventful career was then stricken and scrapped. Displacement:

540 tons (normal) Length: oa Beam: 22 m (72 ft 2 in) Draught:! A& m (23 ft 6 in) mean Machinery:2shaft reciprocating steam, 10000 ihp = 16 knots Protection: 419 mm (16.5 in) belt, 431 mm (17 in) turrets Armament: 4 13-in (330-mm)/35-cal (2x2); 4 8-in (203-mm)/35-cal (2x2); 14 5-in (127-mm)/40-cal QF (14x1); 20 57-mm (2.24-in) 114.3

m

(375

ft

1 1

3

in)

Kearsage suffered an ammunition explosion in one of her main turrets in April 1906. After a hang-fire a gunner extracted the unexploded charge, but accidentally shorted an electrical circuit, and the fire which resulted killed eight out of the 12-man gun

QF

crew. After uneventful careers during the First World War Kentucky was sold for scrap in 1924. Kearsage was reduced to a hulk as IX. 16. In August 1920 she was numbered AB. 1 and converted into a floating dockyard

Kelly British destroyer class

(20x1); 8 37-mm (1 .46-in) QF (8x 1); 4 0.30-in (7.62-mm) Colt machine-guns (4x1); 4 18-in (46cm) torpedo tubes (beam, above water) Crew: 586

See Javelin

1581

Kearsage

The USS Kearsage. one

of

two battleships authorized

in

1895 and completed

in

1900.

They we^e

new design with superimposed turrets with 8-in (203-mm) guns on top of 13-in (330-mm) turrets. The design was a disaster since the 8-in guns were blind when the main armament was fired until the smoke and blast effects cleared. In 1909 Kearsage had her military masts replaced by cage masts, alterations were made to the turrets and the armament was changed to 1 8 5-in (1 27-mm) from 14 and the6-pdr (57-mm)guns reduced from 20 to four and all her torpedo tubes bar one deck tube were removed. She had been damaged in April 1906 by an explosion in a 13-in turret. Her final fate was service as a floating crane until scrapping in 1955 built to a

'

A M • .

I

Kearsage

Kelt

Kelt Soviet air-to-surface missile. Known in the West as Kelt or AS-5 this is the first Soviet second-generation air-to-surface missile, and the only one known to have been used in action. Kelt was deployed from 1966 or 1967 to replace the AS-1 Kennel. During the 1973 Yom Kippur war some 25 Kelts were

launched from Egyptian Tu-16 Badger bombers. Only five penetrated Israeli ground and air defences in Sinai, but three of these hit their targets, two radar stations and a supply dump. It is possible that Kennel may also have been used in the same war. Kelt is bigger and heavier than its predecessor and is carried by the Badger-G version of the Tu-16. whereas Kennel armed the earlier Badger-B. A liquid-fuel rocket motor replaces the turbojet powerplant used in the AS-1. Kelt is of normal aeroplane configuration, with swept-hack wings and conventional tail surfaces, and it ma> emplos the nose section and attack-guidance equipment used in the SS-N-2 Styx antiship missile or its successor, the SS-N-11. Two Kelts are normally carried beneath the wings of a Badger and are thought to be launched at an optimum height of 9000 m (30000 ft). The missile then either climbs to a maximum altitude of some 18 000 m (60000 ft) at about Mach 0.9 before diving towards its target

from a distance of some 160 km (100 miles), or descends to low level soon after launch to attack

targets

shorter

at

ranges.

Some

sources indicate that Kelt is capable of speeds up to Mach .2 at high altitudes, but it is certainly subsonic at low levels. Maximum ranges of 320 km (200 miles) 1

when 180

a high-altitude cruise

km

(

1

is

employed, and

10 miles) for a low-level attack, are

widely quoted, although there is some indication that distances beyond 200 km ( 125 miles) can only be achieved under ideal conditions. Most of a mission takes place under the control of the missile's autopilot, with radar homing taking over for the last 30-40 km ( 1925 miles) of the flight. The active radar seeker can operate in passive mode to allow Kelt to

home on

to

conventional

enemy

radar transmissions. high-explosive warhead

A is

fitted.

HMS

Donegal, a cruiser of the

first

Kent or 'County' Class, was

bers and launched at a height of some 6000 m (20000 ft). The missile then descended slowly towards a target up to 160 km (100 miles) distant or dived to low level to attack ships at ranges up to 90 km {55 miles). In either case Kennel remained subsonic. In its early stages of flight the weapon was guided either by beam-riding (flying along the centre of a radar beam transmitted from the Badger towards its target) or by radio commands from the parent aircraft. Badger-B carried at least two radars covered by fairings beneath the fuselage

which would have been suitable for

these roles, including the I-band Komet 3 search and acquisition radar. The exact type of attack guidance is also uncertain but was almost certainly active radar with a secondary antiradiation mode, in which the missile homed on to the radar transmissions of target ships. The attack guidance equipment was housed above the intake for the turbojet and was probably fairly crude: advanced electronics w ould not have been needed to attack large ships. A coastal-defence variant, the

SSC-2b Samlet, was developed from Kennel by adding a solid-propellant boost motor to permit launchings from ground level.

Length: 9.5 m (31 ft) Span: 4.57 m (15 Diameter: 90 cm (3 ft) Weight 3500 kg (7700 Warhead: 1000 kg (2200 lb) HE

lb)

Length: 8.23 Diameter: 1.2

m (27 m (4 ft)

Span: 4.9 m (16 Weight. 3000 kg (6500 ft)

Warhead: 900 kg (2000

lb)

ft)

lb)

HE

Kennel air-launched antiship missile. The USSR's first large air-to-surface missile. Kelt (also known as AS-5 in the West) entered

Soviet

service with Soviet naval aviation in 1963 and was probably intended to attack large surface warships such as aircraft carriers and their escorts. The use of MiG-15 assemblies, including the fuselage, speeded up development and reduced the risk. Kennel was retired from the Soviet inventory in the early 1970s, having been superseded by the AS-5 Kelt, but it remained in service with the Egyptian forces and may have been used in the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The weapon was also supplied to Indonesia but has since been withdrawn from use. The turbojet-powered Kennel was carried beneath the wings of Tu-16 Badger-B bom-

1584

Kenneth D Bailey US class of FRAMmodernized ex-Gearing Class destroyers See FRAM, Gearing

Kent 1899-1904. The cruisers w ere designed to protect British trade routes against enemy raiding cruisers. Several vessels specifically designed for this purpose had been constructed by France and Russia in the latter half of the 1890s. The Kents were earlier smaller than the substantially armoured cruisers of the Drake and Cressy Classes, and costs had been reduced by the adoption of thinner armour and a reduction in armament weight. Apart from the obvious British

cruiser class,

built

Kent or 'County' Class armoured

bv Fairfield

in

1900-01

economy

of a smaller ship these changes were accepted because the raiding cruisers were not heavily protected or armed. The

Kents' armament consisted of a uniform battery of 6-in (152-mm) guns, four being mounted in tw in turrets fore and aft. replacing the single 9.2-in (233.7-mm) turrets of the earlier ships, and the remainder in broadside casemates. This was the first appearance in a British ship of twin turrets for mediumcalibre guns, but the mounting was not a success. The turret was cramped, the electrically powered training and ammunition hoist machinery was inadequate, and the gun sights were poor. In addition the guns were mounted in a single cradle and could not be individually adjusted for the purpose of calibration (no two guns were identical in performance). The side armour consisted of a (250 ft) long 102-mm (4-in) Krupp belt 76 ft 6 in) deep. This extended to and 3.5 (I the bow by 24 (80 ft) of 51 -mm (2-in) plating and closed at the after end by a 127(5-in) bulkhead. The armour was the only major variation from earlier ships as it showed a 309£ reduction in thickness. However, although Kent was over 4000 tons

m

m

I

m

mm

lighter than

ft)

built

Drake, her speed and gun power

As w ith most cruisers main deck guns proved unsatisfactory because they were too close to the waterline to be used in anything but calm weather. During 1916-17 most of the ships of the class had these guns repositioned on the upper deck, and the original casemate parts were only

slightly less.

built at this time the

plated over.

The first two ships of the class. Kent and Essex, were provided under a supplementary estimate to the 1898-99 Programme, the second pair. Monmouth and Bedford, under the 1899-1900 Programme and the remaining six under the 1900-01 Programme. They were laid down in 1899-1901. launched in 1901-03 and completed commissioned

in

1903-04. Initially

all

were

the Home Fleet, but later the majority of the class w ere transferred to various foreign stations. During the First in

World War they were mainly employed on patrol and escort work in the Indian and Atlantic oceans although a few served for short periods with the Grand Fleet. In 1914

Kent German merchant vessels were captured by ships of the class, the record number of successes going to Cumberland which captured ten while operating off the Cameroons, West Africa. Only two of the class were lost, one in peace and one in war. On August 21, 1910, Bedford was wrecked on Quelpart Island while in service on the China Station, and on November 1, 1914, Monmouth was sunk by von Spee's cruiser squadron during the Battle of Coronet of? the west coast of South several

America. The Monmouth was avenged by two of her sisters, Corn wall and Kent, both of which took part in the Falkland Islands action on December 8, 1914, when von Spee's squadron was destroyed. Cornwall, with the light cruiser Glasgow, chased and sank Leipzig, while Kent sank Numberg. Three months later Kent and Glasgow cornered the cruiser Dresden, the only remaining ship of von Spee's squadron, at Mas Afuera,

HMS

Juan

Fernandez

Islands,

and the enemy

was

scuttled by her crew. During most of the class were reduced to subsidiary duty or placed in reserve. All eight of the remaining members of the class were sold for scrap during 1920-21.

cruiser 1918-19

(152-mm) (2x2, 10x1); 10 12-pdr (10x1); 3 2 18-in (46-cm) torpedo tubes (submerged) Crew: 678

6-in

3-pdr (3x1);

Kent British cruiser class, built 1924-28.

—built by Beardmore Cornwall, Essex— built by Pembroke dockyard Cumberland, Monmouth— built by London and Glasgow Bedford. Donegal— built by Fairfield Kent, Suffolk—built by Portsmouth dockyard Lancaster—built by Armstrong Berwick

Displacement: 9800 tons (load) Length: 141 .3 m ft 6 in) oa Seam: 20.1 m (66 ft) Draught:!. 5 m (24 ft 6 in) Machinery: 2-shaft tripleexpansion, 21 000 ihp=23 knots Protection A02 mm (4 in) side, 127 mm (5 in) turrets, 102 mm (4 in) casemates, 51 mm (2 in) deck. ArmamentAA (463

The Kent

Class were the first group of the 'County' Class 'treaty' cruisers constructed as a direct result of the Washington Conference of 192122. The Washington Treaty specified that cruisers could not exceed 10000 tons displacement or be armed with guns larger than 8-in (203-mm) calibre and. as might have been expected, all the signatories built vessels on this limit rather than below it. Various reasons have been given for the limits being set at this point but the most likely one is that both the United States and Britain were considering cruisers of this size prior to the conference and (the US in particular) pushed for these figures to be accepted. The US case

HMAS

Australia was hit and badly damaged by a Japanese aircraft at Leyte and then hit Kent early in the Second World War. Her sister four times by kamikaze aircraft. She survived and was eventually scrapped in 1955, a tribute to a design that had been called old fashioned

1585

Kent

U

Kent

HMS Kent photographed early in the Second World War. She served in the East between 1939 and 1940 and then joined the Home Fleet between 1941 and 1944 before going into the reserve in 1945. With her sisters Australia and Canberra of the Royal Australian Navy she carried one aircraft, while Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland and Suffolk had additional torpedo-tubes. The class had two battle losses, the Cornwall in April 1942 and the Canberra in August 1942. The former was bombed by Japanese carrier-based aircraft west of Ceylon, while Canberra was sunk by the USS Ellet after torpedo damage by Japanese surface craft off Savo Island. In this picture the Kent has a 284 gunnery radar on her main director, a 281 transmitting and receiving aerials on the main masthead and a 271 surface warning 'lantern' on the searchlight platform before the tripod mainmast The

British cruiser

Indies

Keravnos was strong

since they needed meet the heavy demands to be made, particularly on endurance, of operating in the Pacific. Britain's case was weaker, being based on the Royal Navy already having many small cruisers from her war construction and now needing some heavy cruisers for deep-ocean work. The original requirements for the Kent Class were an armament of eight 8-in (203mm) guns mounted in twin turrets, a speed of 33 knots and a high freeboard for good for these ships

Name

large vessels to

seakeeping. Unfortunately the displacement limit prevented these requirements being combined with a reasonable degree of protection so the speed requirement was lowered to 31.5 knots, which greatly reduced the machinery weight. The weight saved was

used

to

protection, which a shortcoming in the treaty cruisers of other

improve

the

nevertheless remained

weak

—

also found nations. The magazines were surrounded by a heavy armoured box to give immunity against 8-in shells, but elsewhere only thin protective plating was provided. The design

new 8-in guns and mountings was based on war experience, the most important lesson of which was that open mountings and their crews were particularly vulnerable to the weather and action damage. The 8-in 50-

of the

Mk VIII gun firing a 16-kg (256-lb) shell proved most successful, but the twin-turret mounting had lengthy teething troubles. These resulted from the requirements that the guns should be capable of elevation to 70° (for use against aircraft) and a rate of fire (at all angles) of 12 rds/min and should have a vast number of safety interlocks. These features combined to produce an excessively complex mounting in which minor failings could cause the entire system to break down. The mountings produced were considerably heavier than designed, but weight savings on the hull, machinery and fittings more than compensated for this and all the ships showed a saving in weight over the design figure which allowed extra equipment, including an aircraft and catapult, to be added. In most other respects the class was satisfactory, with excellent seakeeping qualities and machinery. Nevertheless, the ships were criticized for being too big and undergunned and the three-funnel design was cal

1

—

thought old fashioned! Most of this criticism was, as usual, uninformed and took little account of the requirements of seakeeping

and endurance for deep-ocean cruising. Five of the class were constructed under the 1924-25 Programme, and were laid down in 1924. launched in 1926 and completed in 1928. Two more, Australia and Canberra, ordered for the Royal Australian Navy, were laid down in 1925, launched in 1927 and completed in 1928. All the Royal Navy vessels were reconstructed during 1935-38. Alterations

included

the fitting of

1

14-mm

armour abreast of the magazine and machinery spaces; a fixed cross-deck aircraft catapult and hangars (excepting Kent); replacing the single 4-in (102-mm) AA guns with twin 4-in DP mountings; fitting two quadruple 0.5-in (12.7-mm) AA and two eight-gun 2-pdr AA mounts (quadruple mounts in Cumberland and Suffolk). The added weight was partly compensated for by removing the torpedo tubes and, in Cumberland and Suffolk only, cutting down the

(4.5-in) side

1588

laid

down

launched

completed

Keravnos

1911

2/12

1913

Nea Genea

1911

1/12

1913

quarterdeck. The Australian ships were little altered but had the eight 0.5-in added prior to 1939.

War modifications included the addition of radar and several 20-mm (0.79-in) guns, and the removal of the 0.5-in guns and aircraft equipment. In addition Canberra was fitted with four additional 4-in (102-mm) guns and Australia with four twin 4-in DP guns early in the war. In early 1945 Australia was also fitted with eight 40-mm ( .57-in) AA. Most of the Royal Navy vessels served most of the war in Home Waters and saw considerable service in the North Atlantic and in covering Russian convoys. Cornwall, however, served initially in the South Atlantic, and then with the Eastern Fleet until she was sunk by Japanese aircraft in the Indian Ocean on April 5, 1942. After the war Cumberland served as a gunnery trials and training ship until sold for breaking up in 1959. The remainder were sold for scrap in 1948. Australia and Canberra served in the East

AA

AA

1

Indies and Pacific.

Canberra was sunk by the

construction of the time, with a raised forecastle ending short of the bridge, but for Greek service two torpedo tubes were

removed and replaced by two guns. The craft were rebuilt in 1918 with a heavier mast forward for wireless, but the Greeks cannot have thought much of them, as they were discarded by 1923, and scrapped by 1927 at the latest. This was despite the fact that the contemporary Vulcan-built torpedo boats and earlier destroyers built by both

Vulcan and by Yarrow were retained, and the by Cammell Laird for Argentina and sold to Greece in the aftermath of the first Balkan war were not only kept on for many years, but given a very thorough and successful rebuild. class of four big destroyers built

Displacement: 750 tons Length: 74 m (242 ft 9 Beam: 8 m (26 ft) Draught: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) Machinery: 2-shaft AEG-Curtis turbines, 17000 shp=32.5 knots (reduced to 26 knots approx by 1918) Armament: 4 88-mm (3. 4-in); 2 50-cm (19.7-in) torpedo tubes Crew: 83 in)

US

destroyer Ellet after being torpedoed and severely damaged by Japanese cruisers of?

Savo

Island on August 8, 1942. Australiawas and badly damaged by a Japanese aircraft during the invasion of Leyte and was later damaged four times by kamikaze aircraft during the assault on the Philippines. She was

Kerch Russian destroyer

class

See Azard

hit

sold for scrap in 1955.

— built Chatham dockyard — built Portsmouth dockyard Cumberland— built Vickers Cornwall— built Devonport dockyard Bewick— built Fairfield Australia and Canberra— built J Brown Kent

Suffolk

Displacement. 9900 tons (standard), 13 500 tons ft) oa Beam: 20.8 m ft 3 in) Machinery: 4shaft geared steam turbines, 80000 shp=31.5 knots Protection: 102-51 mm (4-2 in) magazines, (1.5-1 in) decks 25 (1 in) side, 38-25 Armament: 8 8-in (203-mm) (4x2); 4 4-in (102mm) AA (4x 1); 4 2-pdr AA (4x1); 8 21-in (53-cm) torpedo tubes (2x4); 1 aircraft Crew: 685 (deep) Length: 192 m (630 (68 ft 4 in) Draught: 5 m (16

mm

mm

Keravnos Greek destroyer

class, built 1911-13. In 1912

Greece, wanting revenge for an earlier and disastrous war against Turkey, joined her Balkan neighbours in an attack on the Ottoman Empire. Her navy was small and old fashioned, and there was an urgent need to modernize and increase it. Orders were placed with the German AG Vulcan yard for a battlecruiser and a class of torpedo boats. Greece also needed destroyers, and two of the latest class building for the German navy at that yard were released for purchase by Greece in July 1912, as the German government were trying to build up their influence in the Balkans. Thus it was that V5 and V6

became respectively Nea Genea and Keravnos. They were typical of German destroyer

Kerry Soviet air-to-surface missile. Kerry, which also carries the Western designation AS-7, was developed to fill a long-existing gap in the Soviet air force's inventory: a guided weapon for visual attacks at longer ranges than were possible with unguided rockets. The West had long had approximate equivalents in the form of the US-developed Bullpup and the French AS. 30. Kerry entered service in the mid-1970s, arming attack aircraft such as the

Su-7B Fitter-A, Su-17 Fitter-C and Su-19 Fencer;

in the

case of the last-named type,

Kerry may be an interim weapon only being operated until more advanced missiles are

made

available.

Kerry is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor and is thought to be launched at heights between 300 m (1000 ft) and 3000 m (10000 ft). The weapon is then sighted visually and steered manually by the pilot or second crew member, steering commands being transmitted over a radio link. Future development could obviously proceed along the same lines as have been adopted for the Aerospatiale AS. 30, which has been converted to semiautomatic command line-ofsight guidance (in which the operator merely keeps a sight positioned over the target, and the steering corrections are determined automatically by computer) and more recently to semiactive laser guidance, using a designator in an aircraft-mounted pod or operated by ground forces. The much-quoted weight of 1200 kg (2650 lb) for Kerry seems higher than is necessary and should be treated with some suspicion.

Weight: 1200 kg (2650 Range: 10 km (6 miles)

lb)

Speed: Mach

0.6

Kfir, IAI

nated as YlB-5s). Finally, in 1932, Keystone produced 25 B-4As (575-hp R- 1860-7 Hornets) and 39 B-6As (575-hp R- 1820-1 Cyclones). Like the B-3A, these also had single tails; their armament was reduced to three 0.30-in (7.62-mm) guns, and bombload increased to 1130 kg (2500 lb).

Huff-Daland's XB-1 bomber design of 1926 was cancelled and reordered as the Keystone XB-1B. a five-seat biplane with two 600-hp Curtiss V-1570-5 Conqueror engines. The Huff-Daland XHB-1 of 1926-27 was an

LB-1, still with a single 800-hp Packard 2A-2540. Neither progressed beyond prototype stage, and the twin-Packard XHB3. ordered from Huff-Daland in 1926, was cancelled before it had been built. enlarged

A Keystone LB-10, one B-3A

redesignated

to

bombers built by Keystone. In 1930 the type was conform with the new US Army system introduced in that year of a series of light

Keystone US bomber aircraft. During the 1920s and early 1930s the Keystone Aircraft Corporation of Bristol. Pennsylvania, built a total of 220 aircraft in the US Army Air Corps' LB bombardment) category, venturing B (bombardment) and HB (heavy bombardment) classifications. All except ten of the LBs were twin-engined (light

briefly also into the

had their origins in the singleengined XLB-1 prototype and nine pre-series LB-1 biplanes produced in 1925 by Keystone's predecessor company. Huff-Daland and Co Inc of Ogdensburg. New York, which aircraft, but

became Keystone in March 1927. The single-engined configuration, mountproved unsuitable and the basic LB-1 airframe was redesigned by Keystone in 1927 as the twin-engined XLB3A. with two 410-hp Pratt & Whitney R- 1340ing an 800-hp Packard,

Wasp nine-cylinder radials mounted midway between the equal-span wings. The com1

plement was increased from four to five (pilot, copilot, bombardier, and front and rear gunners) and the bombardier was located

more conventionally in the nose, instead of amidships as in the LB-1. Prior to the company reorganization. Huff-Daland had completed a prototype XLB-5. with triple rudders and two 420-hp Liberty engines mounted on the lower wings, and this was adopted as the initial production configuration. Ten similar LB-5s were delivered in 1927-28. followed by 25 twin-tailed Keystone LB-5As. Standard armament consisted of five 0.30-in (7.62-mm)

A

row

of

Israel

Aircraft

Industries

Kfir

(LB-5A) Span: 20.42 m (67 ft) Length: 13.61 ft 8 in) Gross weight: 5526 kg (12184 Maximum speed: 172 km/h (107 mph)

(44

m lb)

machine-guns and the maximum bombload was 910 kg (2000 lb). Thus far the Keystone LB series had been characterized by tapered wings, but the XLB-6 of 1927 (converted from the tenth

(LB-10A) Span: 22.78 m (74 ft 9 in) Length. 14.88 m (48 ft 10 in) Gross weight: 5875 kg (12952 lb) Maximum speed: 183 km/h (114 mph)

LB-5) introduced constant-chord wings with new powerplant (two 525-hp Wright R- 1750-1 Cyclone radials) mounted between the wings, and a lengthened fuselage. Thus modified,

(48

this

became

the remaining

the standard configuration for Keystone LB types, beginning

m (74 ft 9 in) Length: 14.88 m Gross weight: 6048 kg (13334 lb) speed: 195 km/h (121 mph)

(B-6A) Span: 22.78 ft

10

in)

Maximum

Kfir, IAI Israeli

multirole fighter aircraft.

When

the

with 17 production LB-6s and continuing with 18 LB-7s. which were identical except for their 525-hp Pratt & Whitney R- 1690-3

export of strategic items to Israel in 1967, including a batch of 50 Mirage 5 fighter/attack

Hornet engines.

aircraft

built

to

already

paid

for.

A number of

the Keystone aircraft became one-off flying testbeds for various newly developed geared or direct-drive versions of the Hornet and Cyclone engines. This prorise to the new designations

gramme gave

LB-8. LB-9. LB-10, LB-11. LB-1 A and LB12. Most of these were conversions from existing LB-6 or LB-7 bombers. The major production model which followed was the single-tailed LB-10A. powered originally by 525-hp R- 1690-3 Hornets, of which 63 were built. These were delivered under the new designation B-3A. the USAAC having adopted a single 'B' category for all types of bomber in 1930. Later, 27 of them were refitted with R- 1750-3 Cyclones in place of the Hornets and were redesignated B-5A. The last two LB designations covered seven LB- 13s with 525-hp Hornets (redesignated in 1930 as five YlB-4s and two YlB-6s) and three LB- 14s with 575-hp Hornets (redesig1

fighter/ground -attack

aircraft.

French government placed an embargo on

realized

combat

it

had

Israel's

to

the

and government

specification

Israeli

seek self-sufficiency

in

As

a first step it authorized Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). whose headquarters were at Lod airport, to build a close copy of the Mirage but with IAI and other locally produced equipment and electronics. The first Nesher (eagle) flew in September aircraft.

1969.

The next stage was to go into production with a substantially improved aircraft with a largely new propulsion system, modified airframe and totally replanned weapon-aiming, navigation and other electronic systems. The selected engine was the General Electric J79. of modified GE-17 subtype, rated at 8120 kg (17900 lb) with maximum afterburning. This required larger inlet ducts, a modified engine bay with ram-air inlet at the front of a new dorsal spine, and a wider but sharply cutback rear fuselage. Other changes

The Kfir incorporates both French and American

visible

features

1589

Kfir, IAI

1590

Khrabry induces a vortex at high angles of attack. At about 609?: of the semispan is a dog tooth, the leading edge from there to the tip being extended in chord and drooped in a conicalcamber arrangement. These changes are claimed to transform the flight capabilities to a new high level, with much tighter sustained turns, better handling (especially at overload weights), reduced low-level gust response,

and slower approach, better takeoff, reduced field length and greater weapon-

flatter

carrying capability. By mid- 1978 about 150 Kfirs of all types had been built, with output still running at more than two per month. At least some of the early aircraft have been brought up to C2 standard. Ecuador's attempt to buy 24 Kfirs was vetoed by the US Government, and IAI has since been seeking an alternative engine.

I^eft.

above and below: The Kfir in flight, on the ground and with its ordnance load. It can carry bombs and missiles including Shafrir air-to-air missiles and ECM equipment

Span: 8.22 m (27 ft) Length: 15.55 m (51 ft) Gross weight: 14 600 kg (32188 lb) Maximum speed: over 2335 km/h (1450 mph, Mach 2.2)

a variety of

Khrabry Russian armoured gunboat,

built 1894-%. have been the fourth unit of the Groziastchy Class, but the

Khrabry was

originally

to

design was modified with a higher forecastle and two 203-mm (8-in)/45-cal guns in place of the old single

229-mm

externally include a completely new nose with enlarged and flattened underside, completely new cockpit, strengthened landing gear with increased oleo stroke, and rearranged external panels and hatches. Inside, the systems and equipment are considerably altered, the main changes being increased fuel capacity and totally dissimilar weaponcontrol and aiming systems. Elta Electronics, a capable IAI subsidiary, has used a SingerKearfott licence, clearly indicative of an

the Kfir-C2. Basically unchanged, this has three important aerodynamic improvements. A fixed canard surface, much larger than the 'moustache' retractable canards of the

Mirage-Milan, and slightly swept back, is fitted high on each inlet completely out of the pilot's field of view. Along each side of the tip of the nose is a small strake. which

The Russian armoured gunboat Khrabry built

(9-in).

New Admiralty yard at St Petersburg in 1896. In 1915-16 she was converted to a gunnery-school tender by the Danish Burmeister & Wain yard, with a new armament of 130-mm (5.1-in) guns. Her modern armament made her useful for shore bombardment, and in July 1916 she was in action against German troops near Riga. In September she was in action against the cruiser Strassburg. but was not hit; a year later she was in action again in the Gulf of Riga, and towed the damaged destroyer Grom out of action after she had been hit in the engine room by the battleship Kaiser. Eventually she had to take off Grom s crew and covered the withdrawal of the other destroyers. After the revolution she was renamed She was completed

in the

Krasnyi Znamya. and was retained after the war. On November 18, 1942. she was torpedoed and sunk by the Finnish MTBs Syoksy and Vinha in the Gulf of Finland. After being salved she was refitted and

civil

in 1894-96

and renamed Krasnyi Znamya in 1917

system. Following testing of J79 engines in an Israeli air force Mirage IIIB the first Kfir (lion cub) flew in 1974. and two were publicly inertial

shown

at

Ha'Avir equipped

Lod

airport in April 1975. Two air force) squadrons

(Israeli

with

this

initial

model,

Heyl were which

armament of two 30-mm cannon. Seven hardpoints

retains the original (1.18-in)

DEFA

can carry a wide range of external stores for interception, attack or reconnaissance missions, including Shafrir AAMs, Luz. Maverick or Hobos ASMs, Shrike antiradar missiles

(ARMs). concrete-dibber penetrabombs. ECM pods, multi-sensor

tors. cluster

reconnaissance pods, or tanks. On July 20, 1976, at the Heyl Ha'Avir base at Hatzerim, Negev, IAI gave the first public display of the definitive production version. 1591

KM,

Mitsubishi

recommissioned in November 1945 as a training ship and tender for MTBs. She finished her days as a gunnery-training ship and was scrapped about 1962. Displacement: 1735 tons (normal) Length .72.2 (237 ft) oa Beam: 12.7 m (41 ft 9 in) Draught: 4.06 m (13 ft 4 in) Machinery: 2-shaft reciprocating steam, 2000 ihp=13 knots Protection: 12776 mm (5-3 in) belt, 25 mm (1 in) deck Armament: (As built) 2 203-mm (8-in)/45-cal Obuchov (2x1); 1 152-mm (6-in)/45-cal Obuchov; 5 57-

m

mm

(2.24-in)

QF

(5x1); 7

37-mm

(1.46-in)

QF

(7x1); 2 36-cm (14-in) torpedo tubes (bow and stern, above water); (From 1916) 5 130-mm (5.1in)/55-cal(5x1); 1 75-mm (2.95-in) QF; 2 37-mm 37-mm (1.46-in) AA; (1.46-in) QF (2x1); 1

(From 1945) 5 130-mm

45-mm

(1.77-in)

AA

(5.1-in)/55-cal (5x1); 6

(6x1); 2

20-mm

(0.79-in)

AA

Crew: 135-197

chased by private funds and donated to the Imperial Japanese army air force early in 1932 as Aikoku I, the first of many such privately donated Aikoku machines. Drawing considerably on the K 37, the first prototype Ki-2 was built in accordance with a 1932

army

specification which called for a threebomber, to be powered by two 570-hp Nakajima Kotobuki radial s. capable of carrying a 500-kg (1102-lb) bombload. Mitsubishi produced a low-wing cantilever monoplane seat

with a fixed, spatted undercarriage, twin fins

and rudders, and an open cockpit for the cut down aft of the dorsal cockpit to give the gunner an optimum field of fire for his 7.7-mm (0.303-in) pilot.

The

rear fuselage

was

machine-gun. Another 7.7-mm weapon was operated by the nose gunner. On a test flight the prototype made an emergency landing during which the rear fuselage collapsed, and Model production aircraft accordingly had a conventional fuselage structure. They went into service during 1934 as the Army Type 93 Twin-engined Light Bomber. Model 2, or Ki-2-II, had an enclosed pilot's cabin and a manually operated turret for the nose gunner, as well as a retractable undercarriage. An internal bomb bay for a 300-kg (660-lb) load was incorporated in the revised design. Power was provided by two 750-hp Ha-8 radials in long-chord cowlings. Allround performance was much improved. A I

KM,

Mitsubishi

Japanese heavy bomber. Based on German Junkers design concepts, Ki-1 was a twinengined low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed undercarriage and distinctive twin fin and rudder tail assembly. The original version went into service as the Type 93 Model Heavy Bomber in support of the army fighting in China during the mid- 1930s. The 1933 prototype was powered by two Rolls-Royce Buzzard engines, but production aircraft had 940-hp Mitsubishi Ha-2-2 in-line units. The pilot's cockpit was enclosed, and the nose gunner had a semi-enclosed glazed position. There was an open dorsal gun position and the ventral gunner was accommodated in a I

retractable dustbin-type turret. The three positions each had a single 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-gun. Up to 1000 kg (2205 lb) of bombs could be carried. Ki-1 Model 2 had a cleaned-up fuselage outline, and the main undercarriage legs were

total of 61

were

built

from 1937 onwards.

Span. 19.96 m (65 ft 6 in) Length: 12.6 m (41 ft 4 Gross weight 4645 kg (10240 lb) Maximum speed: (Ki-2-l) 224 km/h (139 mph); (Ki-2-ll) 281

in)

km/h (175 mph)

Ki-3,

Kawasaki

Span: 26.5 m (86 ft 1 1 in) Length: 14.8 m (48 ft 7 Gross weight. 8100 kg (17857 lb) Maximum speed: (Ki-1 -I) 220 km/h (136 mph); (Ki-1-ll) 230

km/h (143 mph)

Tachikawa.

engines.

in)

BMW

Ki-2, Mitsubishi light bomber. Resembling a smaller version of Ki-1. this very successful aircraft, codenamed Louise by the Allies, soldiered on into the period of the Pacific war, when a number were still training bomber crews. A Junkers K 37 bomber had been pur-

Japanese

The Mitsubishi Ki-2-l, production version of the Japanese light bomber which entered service in 1 934 as the Army Type 93

307

1592

(0.303-in) machine-gun in the cowling and another on a Scarff-type mounting over

the observer's cockpit. The metal-structured, fabric-covered Ki-3 had impressive lines, with a pointed spinner for its two-bladed propeller, carefully contoured single I-type wing struts, and spatted

main undercarriage wheels. It was also fitted with a tail wheel while most contemporaries had to be content with a tail skid. Ki-3s served with the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th Army Hiko-Daitai (air battalions) when hos-

between Japan and China were renewed in summer 1937. Heavily engaged in bombing attacks and troop support until replaced by monoplanes in 1939, they were subsequently widely employed for dropping tilities

troop positions. A service at the time of the heavy air fighting between the Soviet Union and Japan at Nomonhan in summer 1939 but supplies

to

number were

isolated

still

were used only

in

in

supporting roles.

Span: 13 m (42 ft 8 in) Length: 10 m (32 ft 10 in) Gross weight; 3100 kg (6830 lb) Maximum speed: 260 km/h (162 mph)

Ki-4,

Nakajima

Japanese reconnaissance and ground-attack aircraft. Produced to replace the earlier Kawasaki KDA-2 (Type 88), the Ki-4 entered Japanese army air force service in 1935 and served through most of the Sino-Japanese war of the 1930s, though it was obsolete by 1941 A single-bay sesquiplane, it had tandem .

open cockpits, with twin forward-firing 7.7mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns in front of the pilot and single or twin guns on a ring mounting in the rear cockpit. With fewer guns, it could carry a 50-kg ( 10-lb) bombload and be used for ground attack or divebombing. The powerplant was a single 600-hp Nakajima Ha-8 Hikari radial engine, fitted with an exhaust collector ring and driving a two-blade propeller. Landing gear was nor1

Japanese light bomber. A classic singleengined biplane, the Ki-3 was designed by Dr Richard Vogt. a German engineer who

worked with Kawasaki for many years, later going to Blohm und Voss at Hamburg. Developed from the experimental KDA-6 reconnaissance biplane, the Ki-3 first flew in March 1933. going into service with the Imperial Japanese Army early in 1934. These prototypes were followed by 200 series aircraft built by Kawasaki between January 1934 and March 1935. and a further 40 machines licence being manufactured under by

enclosed in streamlined 'trousers'. Production of both versions totalled 118. The Ki-1 was not a success in operations over China and Manchuria, due largely to serviceability problems with its water-cooled

7.7-mm

VI in-line The first prototype had a engine with nose radiator and annular cowling, while series machines had more conventional chin radiators for their 800-hp Ha-2 engines (BMW IXs built under licence by Mitsubishi and Kawasaki). The Ki-3 carried up to 500 kg (1100 lb) of bombs on ten underwing racks. Defensive armament comprised one fixed forward-firing synchronized

mally of the twin-mainwheel type, with a tail Some models were produced with spatted main wheels. Experimental Ki-4s were also flown with a twin-float landing gear, or with a landplane gear supplemented by twin flotation bags. A total of 516 were built. skid.

Span. 12 m (39 ft 4 in) upper, 8.52 m (27 ft 1 1 in) lower Length: 7.73 m (25 ft 4 in) Gross weight: 2616 kg (5767 lb) Maximum speed: 300 km/h (186

mph)

Ki-9,

Tachikawa

Japanese training aircraft. First flown on January 7, 1935, the Ki-9 had been designed in the previous year by Ryokichi Endo to satisfy a Japanese army air force requirement for a primary and intermediate trainer, capable in the latter case of 220 km/h (137 mph) and an endurance of 3j hours. The first and second prototypes were each powered by a 350-hp Hitachi Ha- 13a nine-cylinder radial engine; the third aircraft, prototype for the primary trainer version, had a lower-powered Nakajima NZ seven-cylinder radial engine of 150 hp.

As Tachikawa had suggested, the army air force found that one aircraft could not successfully carry out both duties, and accordingly the Ki-9 was ordered into production in

Ki-20, Mitsubishi

1935 only as the Type 95-1 Medium Grade (intermediate) Trainer. A tandem two-seat single-bay unequal-span biplane, it served with the army air force throughout the remainder of the 1930s and until the end of the Second World War. It was given the codename Spruce by the Allies. Production by Tachikawa ended in 1942 after completing 2395 (in addition to the three prototypes), but in 1944-45 a further 220 were manufactured by the Tokyo Koku K.K. Some Ki-9s were used for reconnaissance or communications duties, and the type also served with the air forces of Cochin China. Manchuria and Thailand during the Pacific war. After the war. captured examples were employed for a time by the insurrectionist Indonesian forces.

m (33 ft 10 in) Length: 7.52 Gross weight: 1425 kg (3142 speed: 240 km/h (149 mph)

Span: 10.32 (24

8

ft

in)

Maximum

m lb)

Ki-7, Mitsubishi Japanese army prototype of naval trainer aircraft Mitsubishi

K3M

K3M

See

Rentais (wings) and six other Sentais (corps) the army air force. They operated in China. Formosa, Korea, and Manchuria, as well as at home bases, before and during the Second. World War. By the time that conflict began, however, most Ki-lOs (codenamed Perry by the Allies) had been reallocated to training or other second-line duties. One Ki10-1 Kai and two Ki- 10-11 Kai prototypes appeared in 1936 and 1937 respectively, of

embodying

aerodynamic, structural and powerplant improvements, but neither of these models entered production. Span. 9.55 m (31 ft 4 in) Length: 7.2 m in) Gross weight: 1650 kg (3638 lb) Maximum speed: 400 km/h (249 mph)

(Ki-10-l)

(23

ft

7

KM 5,

Aircraft, owed its inception to LieutenantColonel Yuzo Fujita of the army air force, who collaborated closely in its design with the Mitsubishi engineers Kono, Kubo and

Mizumo.

Ki-10,

i

Kawasaki

Japanese fighter aircraft. The single-seat Ki10 was Kawasaki's second attempt to evolve a replacement for the Japanese army air force's Type 92 Intercepter Fighter. The first had been the Ki-5 monoplane, designed in 1933 in conjunction with the German Dr Richard Vogt. which proved to have a performance and manoeuvrability below that specified by the army air force. Accordingly a fighter competition was held in 1934 to evaluate new designs from Kawasaki. Mitsubishi and Nakajima. designated Ki-10, Ki18 and Ki-11 respectively. This time the manoeuvrability of the Kawasaki design won the day. and it was ordered into production as the Army Type 95 Fighter. It proved to be the last biplane combat aircraft to serve with the

army

air force.

Ki-10 was a 'play-it-safe' design, closely resembling the earlier Type 92 in appearance, but powered by an 850-hp V-type Kawasaki 12-cylinder Ha-9-IIa engine. The first of four prototypes was flown in the spring of 1935. and production aircraft were based on the third prototype which had a three-blade metal propeller, and a flushriveted light-alloy skin over the forward In essence, the

fuselage. Two main models were manufactured: the Ki-10-I. of which 300 were produced between December 1935 and October 1937: and the Ki-10-II. of which 280 were built between June 1937 and December 1938. The latter, also known as the Type 95 Fighter

Mitsubishi

Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. The Ki-15, or Army Type 97 Command Reconnaissance

It

was among

the

first

strategic

reconnaissance aircraft to be adopted by any air force. Two prototypes, one military and one civil, were completed, the former making the type's first flight in May 1936. Shortly afterwards, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper group purchased the second prototype, which as the Karigone /(wild goose) made a historic flight from Tachikawa to Croydon, a distance of 15 356 km (9542 miles) in April 1937 in a flying time of approximately 5 Is hours.

The military Ki-15 was a remarkably clean, low-wing monoplane, with a 640-hp Nakajima Ha-8 nine-cylinder radial engine and a 'trousered' and spatted main undercarriage. The pilot and radio operator/observer (who also doubled up as the gunner) sat in tandem cockpits under a long greenhouse canopy. A single 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machinegun formed the only defensive armament. The aircraft's outstanding performance it could outpace such contemporary fighters as the Gloster Gladiator and the Russian I15 gained almost immediate acceptance by

—

—army

the

air

force for

whom

Mitsubishi built

439 in successive models between 1936-40. These differed primarily in their powerplant. the Ki- 15-11 being powered by an 850-hp Mitsubishi Ha-102. The Mitsubishi engine

1936. and differed primarily in having slightly larger wings of 10.02 (32 ft 10 in) span, a

14-cylinder radial. The Ki-15-III, with Ha-102 version, although capable of 530 km/h (329 mph), was itself surpassed* by the more modern Mitsubishi Ki-46. The Ki-15-I became operational during the second Sino-Japanese war, and was joined in service in late 1939 and early 1940 by the Ki-15-II. Both models continued in use during the first half of the Second World War. serving with

fuselage lengthened to 7.55 m (24 ft 9 in), and a gross weight increased to 1740 kg (3836 lb);

force.

Model

2.

was flown

in

prototype form

in

May

m

powerplant and performance remained essentially unchanged, but stability was greatly improved and the service ceiling was 500 increased from 10000 m (32810 ft) to m (37 730 ft). Standard armament of both models was a pair of 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns mounted in the upper engine 1

1

decking.

Over service

period in which they were in Ki-lOs equipped seven different

the

was a

the 1050-hp

some

Japanese army air They were codenamed Babs by the

16 formations of the

Allies.

The Ki-15's performance, and

particularly

range, attracted the Japanese navy to the design, and they received 20 similar C5M Is in 12 1938 (with 780-hp Mitsubishi Suisei radials), followed two years later by a batch of 30 C5M2s powered by 940-hp Nakajima Sakae 12 radials, the latter aircraft serving with two Sentais (air corps) of the naval air its

force.

Span: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Length: 8 .49 m in) Gross weight: 2033 kg (4482 lb) Maximum speed: 480 km/h (298 mph)

(Ki-15-l)

(27

ft

10

(C5M2) Span: 1 2 m (39 ft 4 in) Length:8.70 m (28 7 in) Gross weight: 2345 kg (5170 lb) Maximum speed: 487 km/h (303 mph)

ft

KM 7,

Tachikawa

aircraft. The third prototype of the Ki-9. intended as a primary trainer, was flown in early 1935 but exhibited poor handling qualities because of its smaller, lighter engine and the consequent displacement of the centre of gravity. The Ki-9 was therefore abandoned as a primary trainer, and the army air force asked Tachikawa to produce, later that year, two prototypes of a new primary trainer biplane, the Ki-17. Flown in the summer of 1935, both were powered by a 150-hp Hitachi Ha- 12 sevencylinder radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. Smaller than the Ki-9. the Ki-17 was also a tandem two-seat single-bay biplane, but with the engine uncowled and a simplified landing gear. The only modification before acceptance was to delete the upperwing pair of ailerons. The Ki-17 entered production in 1935 as the Type 95-111 Primary Trainer for the army air force. In service, it was found to be too docile even for basic training duties, and although it continued in production until 1944 only 560 were constructed, including the prototypes. Instead the Ki-9 became the standard all-purpose army trainer, and some Ki-17s were later transferred to liaison or

Japanese training

communications duties. During the Second World War the type was given the Allied

codename Cedar. Span: 9.82 m (32 ft 3 in) Length: 7.80 m (25 ft 7 Gross weight: 900 kg (1984 lb) Maximum speed: 170 km/h (106 mph)

in)

Ki-20, Mitsubishi Japanese strategic bomber aircraft. The Ki20 was the military version of the massive four-engined Junkers G 38 commercial transport. Both versions were characterized by their great bulk, a wing of enormous chord and thickness (the inboard wing sections of the G 38 were fitted with passenger compartments) and a biplane tail with triple fins and rudders. Each leg of the main undercarriage had two pairs of wheels arranged in tandem.

G

From the 38. which had 1929. Junkers developed the

first

K

51

flown

in

military

Mitsubishi works conditions of strict secrecy, with the collaboration of Junkers engineers. Six Ki-20s were produced as the Army Type 92 Super Heavy Bomber between 1931-35, and the first one flew in 1931. The first two were assembled from materials imported from Germany, the third included only a proportion of imported components, but the remaining aircraft were of allJapanese manufacture. As a measure of its size, the Ki-20 had a wing area double that of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress first flown a variant. built

It

was

this that the

under licence, and

decade

in

later.

The Ki-20 was festooned with defensive armament and bombs. In the nose was an open bow-gunner's cockpit. There were two 1593

Ki-21, Mitsubishi

The Mitsubishi Ki-20 strategic bomber carried a standard bombload of 2000 kg (4400 lb) and a crew of ten, most of whom manned the numerous gun positions. It was not a success

underwing gun

turrets,

with

other

guns

the rear of the inboard engine nacelles, and two dorsal gun positions. The total armament, formidable for the period, consisted of eight 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-

located

in

guns and one 20-mm (0.79-in) cannon. Bombs were carried under the fuselage on external racks. The standard bombload was 2000 kg (4400 lb) with a claimed maximum of 5000 kg (I 020 lb). The bombardier, one of the crew of ten, sat in a glassed-in nose position. The first four Ki-20s were powered by four Junkers 800-hp L88 gasoline engines, and the last two by 720-hp Junkers Jumo-4 diesels. The aircraft was also used as a testbed for the Kawasaki Ha-9 engine. The performance of the ungainly Ki-20 I

The Mitsubishi

Ki-21 ('Sally')

fell

far short of the expectations that the

army had

for a long-range strategic bomber capable of attacking targets as far away as

In squadron service great found in maintaining the engines. Although the aircraft were flown in both Japan and Manchuria, they never saw action. The Ki-20's main use, it would seem, was for domestic propaganda. To this end, three joined the formation fly-past during the January 1940 military review in Tokyo, while another was the subject of a

the

Philippines.

difficulty

Ki-21 s

were converted

into freight

A

and Ozawa had hoped. The gap left by the delay in delivery of Ki-2ls had to be filled by importing Fiat B.R.20 bombers.

km/h (124 mph)

and

nine landed at the US airfield at Yontan in a commando-style suicide assault with a crew of paratroops

1594

1

Span. 44 m (144 ft 4 in) Length:23.2 m (76 ft 2 in) Gross weight: 25 448 kg (56 103 lb) Speed. 200

bomber served it had become

in this role

1

public exhibition.

vulnerable to fighter attack. On short-range missions it could lift 1000 kg (2200 lb) of bombs. transport aircraft, and

1

protracted development stage made the Ki-2l a year late in entering service. This meant that some of its technology, compared with that of contemporary foreign aircraft, was not as advanced as the designers Nakata

throughout the war, but by 1942

Some

was

Ki-21, Mitsubishi Japanese bomber aircraft. The Ki-2l was the principal Japanese army bomber throughout the 94 -45 Pacific war. However, from 942 onwards it needed a heavy fighter escort, which by then was seldom available, to protect it from interception by Allied aircraft.

In

its

definitive

form the Ki-21 was a

Ki-27,

By

the time of Pearl Harbor, most army bomber units were equipped with the Model 2 version of Ki-21, powered by two 1450-hp Mitsubishi Ha- 101 14-cylinder radials driving constant-speed three-bladed metal propellers, unlike the Ha-5 Kai radials of the earlier version which had variablepitch propellers. The larger and more powerful Ha- 101s required larger nacelles, and these completely enclosed the retracted landing wheels. In the earlier machines, the wheels were left partly exposed. From December 1941 Type 97 was heavily engaged in support of the land forces invading Burma, Malaya and Thailand and was front-line

monoplane of all-metal semimonocoque construction, and the smoothly contoured fuselage was oval in section. It had midwing

and rudder, and the main undercarriage legs retracted forward into the two a single fin

engine nacelles.

The original specification, issued in February 1936, had required an aircraft with an endurance of over five hours at an average cruising speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), able to climb to 3000 m (9840 ft) in eight minutes and reach a maximum 400 km/h (248 mph) at that height. Normal crew was to be four, with provision for two more gunners on missions where extensive air opposition was anticipated. Maximum bombload for short-range missions was to be 1000 kg (2200 lb). Early production aircraft in fact met or exceeded all these criteria, which were particularly stringent by then-current Western standards. The first of eight prototypes and service trial aircraft flew on December 18, 1936. It had a square glassed-in nose, dorsal gun turret and a ventral step for a lower defensive gun. Later prototypes adopted a long dorsal greenhouse accommodating the gunner's position, a well-contoured hemispherical glassed-in nose and a smooth lower-fuselage line which eliminated the ventral step. To improve directional stability the fin and rudder were redesigned and increased in area. The first prototype had two Mitsubishi Ha-6 825-hp radial engines, while the remaining prototypes and early production machines had 850-hp Nakajima Ha-5 Kais. The first series aircraft, designated Army Type 97 Model 1 Heavy Bomber, went into service in mid- 1938 in northern China and Manchuria. Before going into production the Ki-21 had survived a hard competition with its rival the

Nakajima Ki-19. As a consolation a contract was awarded by the Koku Hombu (the army air

headquarters) not only to Mitsubishi (432 Is built) but also to Nakajima (351

Model Model

_,

Is).

r

-

much

evidence over the inland

in

China.

It

became

well

known

cities of

to the Allies,

who gave it the codename Sally, and remained popular with Japanese ground and aircrew, since it possessed good flying qualities and proved easy to maintain and service. At its peak the Ki-21 was supplied to no than roughly to

Sentais

(equivalent RAF groups) and played a considerable part in the Pacific air war. Towards the end of its career lack of Ki-49 and Ki-67 replacements forced the retention of the Ki21 in the first line when it was obsolete and suffering heavy losses. It took part in a number of outstanding actions, perhaps the most notable of which was the suicide mission by nine Model 2s of the 3rd Dokuritsu Hikotai (independent air wing). These were to land on the US-occupied airfield at Yontan on Okinawa in the summer of 1945 to launch commando-style attacks on airfield installations and aircraft. Only one aircraft survived to deliver its troops, but considerable damage was inflicted before they were wiped out. The original Ki-21 defensive armament of less

1 1

first-line

single flexibly mounted 7.7-mm Type 89 machine-guns mounted

(0.303-in)

in nose, dorsal and ventral positions proved barely adequate even for operations against the poorly equipped Chinese air force, and the Ki-21 -lb had an additional gun in a remotely operated tail stinger position plus another which could be fired from lateral positions on either side of the fuselage. The Ki-21-Ic and Ha had two beam guns while the Ki-21-IIb (688 of which were built between 1942-1944) had the dorsal greenhouse replaced by a large conical turret mounting a single 12.7-mm

(0.5-in)

Type

1

machine-gun.

gfrw

This

latter

Nakajima

change greatly altered the appearance of the Ki-21-IIb and for a period it was thought by the Allies to be a new bomber type and given a different codename, Gwen, which was soon dropped when the new version was properly identified.

The

bombload

of

all

Ki-21

versions

remained the same: a normal load of 750 kg (1653 lb) and a maximum of 1000 kg (2205 lb). The maximum range was 2700 km (1680 miles).

Some

Ki-21-Ia bombers were modified dur-

ing 1940 and put into service as MC-21 freight transports. Formally they passed into civil

use as they were operated by the Dai Nihon Koku (Greater Japan Airlines) on routes between Japan, China and Manchuria, but all these flights were in fact military contract work, carrying army supplies (or personnel). Although all armament and other equipment appropriate to the bombing role had been

KK

removed, the aircraft were externally identito the bombers, until a number were modified by the fitting of a 'solid' nose.

cal

Production of the Ki-21 ceased in September 1944 with the 2064th aircraft. Span:22.S m (73 ft 1 in) Length: 1 6 m (52 ft 6 in) Gross weight: (Ki-21-la) 7916 kg (17452 lb); (Ki-21 -lib) 9710 kg (21 407 lb) Maximum speed: (Ki-21-la) 432 km/h (268 mph) at 4000 m (13 125 ft), (Ki-21-llb) 486 km/h (302 mph) at 4720 m (15485 ft)

Ki-27,

Nakajima

Japanese fighter aircraft. The scourge of British Brewster Buffalo fighters and Bristol Blenheim bombers over Malaya in the early days after the Japanese attack in December 1941, Nakajima Ki-27s had actually been in service with front-line Japanese units since March 1938. though Allied intelligence in the Far East had been so poor that little was known of this and most other Japanese aircraft. Nakajima's chief designer Yasumi Koyama had evolved an advanced single-seat fighter from the company's unsuccessful Kiprototype during 1934. While this privateventure low-wing cantilever monoplane was still under development, Japanese army air headquarters issued a requirement to three major aircraft manufacturers, including Nakajima, for a similar aircraft. 1 1

Jinni\(

Ki-21 -Mb was the most heavily armed version of the Sally. It included a remotely controlled tail stinger position for a 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-gun and a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type 1 machine-gun

The Mitsubishi

1595

Ki-30

A

bomb bay doors open. Normal bombload was 300 and armament consisted of one forward-firing 7.7-mm machine-gun and one defensive gun in a flexible mount in the

Mitsubishi Ki-30 with

kg (660

lb)

(0.303-in)

rear cockpit for the observer

The

Ki-Il

first

flew in July 1936; the

wheel spats and

fin

and rudder.

A

second

Ki-27 prototype flew in December 1936. followed by ten preproduction aircraft. Different

wing forms were tested and the

Ki-27s were flown against rival prototypes Kawasaki's outstanding Ki-28 and Mitsubishi's Ki-33 developed from the navy A5M carrier fighter. Although achieving a maximum speed of 467 km/h (290 mph) at 4000 m (13 120 ft), it was still 15 km/h (10 mph) slower than the Ki-28 and took 28 seconds longer than its rival to reach 5000 m (16400 ft). The Ki-27 was nevertheless preferred to the Kawasaki fighter because of its outstanding manoeuvrability, due in part to the remarkable lightness of the structure and to the special aerofoil section developed by Koyama's team. Preproduction Ki-27s had a wing with span increased to 11.31 m (37 ft in), which became standard on Ki-27a production aircraft. These appeared from December 1937 onwards, designated as the Army Type 97 Fighter. The standard engine was the Ha- lb developing 780 hp at 2900 m (9510 ft). From spring 1938 Ki-27a fighters flew in northern China, and soon established air supremacy, despatching any of the motley collection of types sent against them by the Chinese. Before the end of 1938 six Sentais (groups) newly established by the army were fully equipped with the Ki-27a. The Ki-27a model was, however, soon phased out of production in favour of Ki-27b. which had a wholly glazed pilot's canopy and provision for two 130-litre (29-Imp gal) slipper-type underwing drop tanks or four 25-kg (55-lb) 1

bombs. Ki-27s were again in action in May 1939 fighting broke out between Japanese and Soviet troops at Nomonhan along the border with Outer Mongolia. About 200 were

when

ultimately engaged in full-scale air battles with Soviet Polikarpov l-\5 bis biplanes and 1-16 monoplanes. The Japanese acquitted themselves well in a most bloody conflict, and claimed many victories. The highest score of 58 enemy aircraft destroyed was

1596

Span: 1 1 .31 m (37 ft 1 in) Length: 7.53 m (24 ft 9 Gross weight: 1790 kg (3946 lb) Maximum speed: 470 km/h (292 mph)

first

prototype Ki-27, built to the official requirement, flew three months later. They differed only in detail, both being powered by a 650hp Nakajima Ha- la radial engine and having a fixed, spatted cantilever single-strut undercarriage. The Ki-27 had a redesigned and fully enclosed pilot's cockpit canopy, and there were changes in the engine cowling,

in)

Ki-30, Mitsubishi light bomber. The Ki-30 was one of new types to enter service with the Japanese army air force in 1937 (others being Ki-21 and Ki-27), enabling the army to boast

Japanese claimed by Sergeant Shinohara of the llth Sentai.

The army air headquarters allowed itself to be lulled into a false sense of security by the Ki-27's highly acclaimed successes, although design trends were already rendering the aircraft obsolescent. Nevertheless the poor stale of the Allied air forces in the Far East in 1941-42 allowed Nakajima's nimble fighter, despite its poor armament of twin synchronized 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns, to control the air over Burma, the Philippines and the Dutch Fast Indies. British, American. Australian and Dutch pilots all acquired a healthy respect for 'Nate', as the type was eodenamed by the Allies, and they were careful to avoid getting entangled with it in an old-style close dogfight. The Ki-27 achieved the distinction of shooting down the first Allied aircraft of the Pacific war. when an aircraft of the 1st Sentai destroyed a Consolidated Catalina flying boat of No 205 Squadron RAF while covering Japanese landings on the Malayan coast.

With the advent of newer types. Ki-27s were relegated to advanced training or home defence. In the latter role they were at a stroke rendered impotent when the Boeing B-29 Superfortress came on the scene, and as the war drew to a close, Ki-27s were adapted as suicide attackers, a number of their pilots sacrificing themselves while endeavouring to crash into enemy ships or land positions carrying a 500-kg (1100-lb) bombload.

Mansyu Kikoki Seizo K K (Manchurian Aeroplane Manufacturing Company), based in the Japanese puppet state, built 1379 Ki27s at its Harbin factory as against 2020 built by Nakajima up to December 1942, when all production by the parent firm ceased. Production included two Ki-27 Kai prototypes, even lighter than the standard machine, which reached a maximum of 475 km/h (295 mph) during tests in summer 1940. In 1942 Mansyu redesigned the Ki-27

as an advanced trainer which went into production the same year as the Army Type 2 Advanced trainer. See also Ki-79.

three

that

they had overtaken foreign powers

in

A

mid-wing cantilever allmetal monoplane, the Ki-30 was powered by an 850-hp Mitsubishi Ha-6 14-cylinder radial

quality of material.

long-chord cowling. The engine three-bladed variable-pitch metal propeller. The first prototype made its initial

engine

in a

drove

a

Kagamigahara experimenon February 28, 1937. It was joined in subsequent tests by a second prototype and 16 service test aircraft. The army flight at tal

the army's

airfield

specification had called for a

maximum

speed

of 400 km/h (248 mph) and this was easily exceeded. All other requirements were met except that the weight was slightly more than the specified maximum of 3300 kg (7275 lb). Production at Mitsubishi's Nagoya plant started at the beginning of 1938, utilizing an alternative engine, the 960-hp Nakajima Ha-5 Kai. Mitsubishi built 636 aircraft up to April 1940. supplemented by 68 completed at the Tachikawa army arsenal workshops between 1939-1941. In service with six Sentais (groups) and several independent Chutais (squadrons) as the Army Type 97 Light Bomber, the Ki-30 established a high reputation in China from 1938 onwards. Ki-30s were used for attacks on enemy troops and strong points with devastating effect. A number were supplied to Thailand who used them against the French in Indo-China during early 1941. When war was declared on Britain and the

United States, Ki-30 units operated in the Philippines, but were from then on gradually transferred to training schools from where a number flew kamikaze missions in the summer of 1945. The Allied codename for the Ki-30 was Ann.

The Ki-30's two-man crew were housed beneath a long raised glazed canopy. Armament comprised a wing mounted forwardfiring 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-gun with a similar weapon on a flexible mounting in the rear cockpit operated by the observer. The normal bombload of 300 kg (660 lb) was carried internally in the bomb bay. The Ki-30

Ki-36/Ki-55,

was characterized by its fixed undercarriage with single cantilever-strut main units fitted with open-sided wheel spats. Span: 14.55 m (47 ft 9 in) Length: 10.34 m (33 ft in) Gross weight: 3322 kg (7324 lb) Maximum speed: 431 km/h (268 mph)

1 1

Ki-32, Japanese

Kawasaki light

bomber.

among major Japanese

Kawasaki, alone manufac-

had persevered during the 1930s with water-cooled engines, though both army and navy maintenance crews encountered far more problems with them than with the simpler and tougher radials. True to form, Kawasaki proposed a 950-hp Ha-9-IIb waterin-line

cooled engine of its own design in 1936 for the new Ki-32 light bomber, a mid-wing allmetal cantilever monoplane. A wooden mock-up was constructed in the summer of 1936, followed by eight prototypes, the first of which flew in March 1937. As anticipated, there were problems with the engine, and was protracted, but the development Kawasaki design team of Imashi and Ota remained undeterred. Their confidence was rewarded in July 1938 with a production contract. The Ki-32 entered service later that year to supplement the Mitsubishi Ki-30. Apart from prototypes, Kawasaki delivered 846 Ki-32s up to May 1940. They flew with considerable success with seven operational Sentais (groups) in China, where they made many devastating low-level sorties, particularly in the campaigns to capture the cities of Hangchow and Wuchang during 1938-39. They equipped two operational Sentais during the fierce fighting over the Khalkin Gol and Nomonhan on the border of Manchuria and Outer Mongolia against Soviet

ground and air units in 1939. Ki-32s were still in the army's first-line inventory when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and were prominent in the heavy attacks which preceded the British surrender of Hong Kong, but during 1942 they were nearly relegated to training duties. The type received the Allied codename Mary. Armament and bombload were identical with that of Ki-30. Like its Mitsubishi contemporary the Ki-32 carried its normal bombload internally in a fuselage bomb bay. Designated Army Type 98 Light Bomber, all

Span: 1 5 m (49 ft 3 in) Length: 1 1 .64 m (38 ft 2 in) Gross weight: 3539 kg (7802 lb) Maximum speed: 423 km/h (263 mph)

aircraft

turers,

i

was very manoeuvrable despite its bulk and had a very pleasing appearance, with beautifully tapered wings and tail surfaces, a long raised canopy for its two-man crew, and fixed, single-strut cantilever undercarriage" legs, which had open-sided spats on the lines of the Mitsubishi Ki-30. the Ki-32

Ki-34,

Nakajima

Japanese transport aircraft. The Nakajima AT 2 was developed for use by Japanese civil airlines on shorter routes where passenger volume was light. It was a racy all-metal lowwing cantilever monoplane with slim tapered wings and tailplane and retractable undercarriage. Power was provided by two 580-hp Nakajima Kotobuki 2-1 radials. Test flights began on September 12, 1936, from Ojima airfield and proved successful, only minor adjustments and modifications being necessary. The AT 2 was placed in production for civil use, fitted with later Kotobuki 41 radial engines each of 780 hp. Accommodation was provided for a crew of three and eight passengers in an enclosed cabin. A total of 32 AT 2s were delivered to Dai Nippon Koku K K (Greater Japan Airlines Company) and Manchurian Airlines for use on internal and external routes up to 1940. In 1937 the Koku Hombu (Japanese army air headquarters) was anxious to introduce a

Ki-36/Ki-55,

Tachikawa

Tachikawa

Japanese ground-support aircraft/advanced trainer. In 1937 army air headquarters authorized the construction of two prototypes of a two-seat army cooperation aircraft developed by Ryokichi Endo's design team from Tachikawa Hikoki K K (Tachikawa Aircraft Company). Ki-36 was an all-metal low-wing monoplane with considerable dihedral on the outer wing sections and a fixed single-cantilever strut-type spatted undercarriage. The leading edge of the wing had considerable sweep-back, giving the pilot good downward visibility, and glazed floor panels gave the observer an even wider field of vision. Both crew members were seated beneath a deep glazed canopy. Endo was very successful in meeting the army requirement for outstanding manoeuvrability at low altitude for reconnoitring enemy positions or attacking troops. The aircraft was very sensitive to the controls and fully satisfied the army, although later production aircraft incorporated a 2° wing washout to counter a tendency to stall which had become apparent during very tight manoeuvring. The engine was the 510-hp Hitachi Ha- 13a radial. The first of two prototypes flew from

Tachikawa

airfield for its

April

1938.

20,

on was as

initial air test

Manoeuvrability

claimed and excellent short-field characteristics were demonstrated. Production of the Ki-36 as the Army Type 98 Direct Coopera-

inventory and turned to the

in November 1938, and Kawasaki joined the production programme. The Ki-36 had a triumphant career against the Chinese from 1939

Span: 19.92 m (65 ft 4 in) Length: 15.3 m (50 ft 2 Gross weight: 5250 kg (11 574 lb) Maximum speed: 360 km/h (224 mph)

onwards, using all its qualities to the full when deployed in small numbers in support of attacking Japanese ground forces. Armament comprised two 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns, one in the engine cowling synchronized to fire through the propeller, and the other on a flexible mounting operated by the observer. Up to 150 kg (330 lb) of bombs were carried on underwing racks. Ki-36s were employed against the Allies from December 1941, but were withdrawn from 1943 onwards, in which role, with wheel spats removed and necessary equipment modifications, they were very successful, so much so that production as the Army Type 99 Advanced Trainer or Ki-55 was initiated by Tachikawa and Kawasaki. Two both

modern transport

aircraft into the air force

AT 2, already established as an efficient aircraft. Designated Ki-34. deliveries began the same year and it immediately went into service as the Army Type 97 Transport. After producing 19 of the aircraft, Nakajima turned over production to the Tachikawa company who built a further 299 up to 1942. The Ki-34 was employed widely for communications and as a paratroop transport throughout the Pacific war. A number were ceded by the army to the navy, which utilized them under the designation L1N1. The Allies gave the codename Thora to this type. in)

tion Aircraft

began

the following year

The Kawasaki Ki-32 light bomber saw extensive action during the 1930s China and subsequently, until 1942, against targets in the Far East, ncluding the garrison of Hong Kong

in

1597

Ki-43,

Nakajima

The Nakajima Ki-43-llc began to appear in late 1943. The Ki-43 was called Hayabusha (peregrine falcon) by the Japanese and Oscar by the Allies and enjoyed considerable success with such aces as Sasaki, Yukio Shimokawa and Sergeant Satoshi Anabuki. However, after the Allies had evaluated a captured Ki-43-ll they were able to locate the aircraft's weak points and losses increased with the course of the war

1598

a

Ki-44,

seven hundred and twenty-one and advanced trainer aircraft were built over a span of nearly six years up to January 1944. In the closing months of the war, many examples of both versions were pressed into service as suicide bombers carrying a 250-kg (550-lb) or 500-kg (1100-lb) bomb. Allied name for all models thousand,

direct cooperation

was

Ida.

Span: 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in) Length: 8 m (26 ft 3 in) Gross weight: (Ki-36) 1660 kg (3660 lb); (Ki-55) 1721 kg (3794 lb) Maximum speed: 348 km/h (216 mph)

Ki-38,

Kawasaki Precursor of Ki-45 Japanese See Ki-45

fighter aircraft

Ki-43,

Nakajima

Japanese fighter

aircraft.

The Ki-43 was

the

most numerous Japanese army fighter of the Second World War. Development began in

December 1937 when

l

it was decided that the Ki-27 fighter then entering service would need to be replaced if technical parity with Western countries was to be maintained. Departing from the previous practice of selecting a suitable design by calling for competitive projects from two or more aircraft firms, the specification was issued only to Nakajima, and required a fighter capable of reaching a maximum 500 km/h (31 mph), climbing to 5000 m (16400 ft) in five minutes, and having a range of at least 800 km (500 miles). At the same time the Ki-43 was to match Ki-27 in manoeuvrability. Designer Hideo Itokawa's team produced three 925-hp Nakajima Ha-25 radial-engined prototypes, the first of which flew in January 1939. They met the army's speed and climb requirements, but were heavy on the controls and in no way compared with the Ki-27 in manoeuvrability. Ten service test aircraft were accordingly built with various modifications incorporated in each. The development programme was successful and led to the first Ki-43-I production order. The fuselage had been redesigned with a reduced diameter, 1

and changes were made to the tailplane and wings. Specially designed butterfly-type combat flaps, tested on the service test machines, gave exceptional manoeuvrability, making the Ki-43 a formidable dogfight opponent worthy successor to the Ki-27 with an

—

—

exceptional rate of turn. Two service trials aircraft had been tested with the 1 100-hp Ha105 radial, but initial production aircraft retained the Ha-25. Named Hayabusa (peregrine falcon) the Ki-43 went into service as the Army Type 1 Fighter. Some were produced as the Ki-43a with twin 7.7-mm (0.303in) Type 89 machine-guns. Others, which were designated Ki-43-Ib, had a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 gun in place of one of the 7.7-

mm

weapons.

The

first

Sentais re-equipped with Ki-43s,

from August 1941, were the 59th and 64th. From the first day of the Pacific war against Britain and the United States, they were in action over Malaya and Burma, in support of invading Japanese land forces, and were codenamed Oscar by the Allies. Like its navy counterpart, the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero,

the

supremacy

Ki-43

acquired a reputation of

in the first

months of combat.

Some 40 army

Ki-43 pilots claimed each to have destroyed at least ten enemy aircraft, and even discounting a proportion of these figures, this was a formidable score. In one encounter on December 22, 1941, aircraft of the 2nd Chutai, 64th Sentai, destroyed five Australian Brewster Buffaloes for the loss of one of their own number. Allied fighters caught in dogfights with experienced Japanese pilots had little chance. Early on, the Ki-43-Ic went into production, with two 12.7mm Ho 103 machine-guns, but production of the Ic was terminated after 716 aircraft had

appeared. Five prototypes of the Ki-43-II flew in early 1942, and production began in November 1942 at Nakajima's Ota factory.

The weak wing structure of early aircraft had caused a number of crashes, and the new version had a strengthened wing of slightly reduced span. The new 1150-hp Nakajima Ha- 115 engine was installed, enclosed in a longer-chord cowling incorporating the supercharger air intake. The armament of the Ki-43-Ic was retained. The Ki-43-I was vulnerable once it was in an enemy's sights, and to provide some protection the Ki-43-II had fuel tanks enclosed in rubber while 13-mm (0.51 -in) armour protected the pilot's head and back. The reinforced wings had racks for two 250-kg (550-lb) bombs or 200-litre (44Imp gal) drop tanks. Maximum speed was greatly improved without detriment to the aircraft's flying qualities. Range with maximum internal fuel rose from 1200 km (750 miles) to 1620 km (1000 miles) in the Ki-43-II. With drop tanks, range rose to a remarkable 3000 km (1860 miles) at 400 km/h (248 mph) cruise speed. Further modifications in the Ki43-IIb model were only minor. Three Ki-43-II Kai prototypes had ejector-type engine exhaust stubs in place of the conventional collector ring of Ki-43-II. Deliveries to operational Sentais began in mid- 1943. Ten Ki-43-III prototypes were followed by production Ki-43-IIIa machines from Tachikawa, who had already joined the production programme of Ki-43-IIs, allowing Nakajima to switch entirely to production of the Ki-84 Hayate. The Ki-43-III differed mainly in its 1230-hp Ha- 115-11 engine. The armament was still two 12.7-mm guns. A captured Ki-43-II had been thoroughly tested and examined in Australia, and Allied pilots were given much valuable guidance on the aircraft's weak points. This helped to alter the balance in favour of Allied aircraft. Early on, the 50th Sentai, flying over Burma, produced outstanding Ki-43 pilots, notably Sergeant Satoshi Anabuki who scored 50 kills in 18 months, and pilots Isamu Sasaki and Yukio Shimokawa who claimed 32 and 15 victories respectively. But as the war moved against Japan, Ki-43 losses began to soar as

they were confronted by improved Allied

and better-trained pilots. Tachikawa continued to produce the Ki-43 until the end of the war. Production of all versions from all manufacturers totalled 5919. Many Ki-43s remained in first-line service until August 1945. Some Sentais operated them as fighterbombers, while a number were expended in kamikaze attacks. fighters

Span: 11.44 m (37 ft 6 in) Length: 8.83 m (29 ft) Gross weight: 2048 kg (4515 lb) Maximum speed: 492 km/h (306 mph)

(Ki-43-lc)

Nakajima

Span: 10.84 m (35 ft 7 in) Length: ft 3 in) Gross weight: 2218 kg (4900 Maximum speed: 530 km/h (329 mph)

(Ki-43-llb)

8.92 lb)

m

(29

Ki-44,

Nakajima

Japanese fighter

aircraft. This intercepter represented a radical change of thought on the part of the Japanese army air headquarters. Emphasis up to 1939 had always been on manoeuvrability, but in that year a specifica-

tion

was issued

calling for a fighter

which

could reach 600 km/h (373 mph) at 4000 m' (13 100 ft), climbing to that height in no more than five minutes and armed with at least four machine-guns. Nakajima's design team, led by engineer Yasumi Koyama, had the first Ki-44 prototype in the air during August 1940. A stubby, low-wing all-metal cantilever monoplane, it had a deep forward fuselage tapering sharply to the tailplane, which was distinctive in having the fin and rudder set further back than the horizontal tail surfaces. The wing was built in three sections, with a broad centre section integral with the fuselage. The undercarriage retracted inwards and the tail wheel was fully retractable. Metal stressed-skin covering was employed on fuselage and wings. The combat flap introduced in the Ki-43 was used on all Ki-44s built. Power was provided by a 14-cylinder two-row 1250-hp Nakajima Ha-41 radial engine. Test flights were successful, although the small wing resulted in a high wing loading and a high landing speed. The first prototype was soon followed by two more, but the top speed and rate of climb were not up to specification. The supercharger intake and cowl flaps were revised several times and every effort was made to reduce drag. Maximum speed rose to 616 km/h (383 mph) in a prototype flown without armament by chief test pilot Hayashi. Seven service test aircraft were built and issued in September 1941 to a special operational evaluation unit, the 47th Dokuritsu Chutai (independent squadron), which flew the Ki-44 Shoki (dragon slayer), against the Chinese over Canton. The Ki-44 was accepted for service in September 1942 as the Army Type 2 Single-seat Fighter. A total of 40 Ki-44-Is were built, closely resembling the preproduction aircraft, but with armament increased from two fuselage-

mounted 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machineguns and two wing-mounted 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 machine-guns to four 12.7-mm weapons. Preproduction and early production aircraft were designated Model I. Model 2 prototype and preproduction aircraft (eight in all) were built and tested during summer and

autumn 1942. Powered by the 1520-hp Nakajima Ha- 109 radial, they had limited pilot armour and fuel-tank protection. There was provision for two drop tanks each with 125 litres (27.5 Imp gal) of fuel. A number of the Ki-44-IIc version armed with 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 3 cannon in place of the 12.7-mm wing guns went into service later in the war. Only in late 1943 did Tojo (the Allied codename for the Ki-44) appear in quantity on the war fronts. Its impressive rate of dive and climb 5000 m (16400 ft) was reached in just over four minutes made them especially suitable for target defence. The 85th and 87th Sentais for example, defended the strategic-

—

—

1599

Ki-44,

Nakajima

The Ki-44

reflected a

change

in

Japanese

fighter

design specification calling for a high rate of climb rather than outstanding manoeuvrability. It was an intercepter rather than a dogfighter, and in this role had some success against USAAF B-29s doctrine,

1600

its

Ki-45 Kai,

Kawasaki

Span. 9.45 m (31 ft) Length 8 75 m (28 Gross weight: 2550 kg (5622 lb) Maxispeed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

(Ki-44-l) ft

9

.

in)

mum

Span. 9.45 m (31 ft) Length: 8.78 m (28 Gross weight: 2764 kg (6093 lb) Maxispeed: 605 km/h (376 mph)

(Ki-44-ll) ft

10

in)

mum

Ki-45 Kai, The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (dragon killer) was given the more prosaic codename of Nick by the Allies. It had been intended for a long-range fighter role but became one of the JAAF.s most effective night fighters. The Ki-45 has the grim distinction of being the first JAAF kamikaze aircraft, this method of attack previously being the preserve of the navy

Kawasaki

Japanese fighter aircraft. Developed as a result of an official specification issued in

March

1937, this two-seat twin-engined fighgo into service until August 1942.

ter did not

The intervening

five

years saw strenuous

development and

testing interspersed with periods of total inactivity caused by the Japanese army's equivocal attitude to the type of fighter typified by the German Bf 1 10. The original requirement was for a fighter

capable of 540 km/h (335 mph) at 3500 m (11480 ft), and able to operate at altitudes between 2000 m (6660 ft) and 5000 m (16400 ft). It was to have a range of some 1800 km (1100 miles) and the selected engines were 820-hp Nakajima Ha-20b radials. Engineer Takeo Doi struggled with the difficult concept, and the first prototype was ready to fly in January 1939. Armament was heavier than originally specified: a

20-mm

(0.79-in)

Ho

3

cannon and two 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns were fixed to fire forward, and there was a flexibly mounted rear 7.7-mm

Type 89 machine-gun. As flight trials continued, the Ki-45 was found to achieve a rather poor performance and the engines continually gave trouble. The third prototype featured major refinements. Drag was considerably reduced, but maximum speed was still

only 480 km/h (298 mph). There was

some stall.

instability and a tendency to nacelle Yet the Ki-45 prototypes were extern-

ally attractive, with

curved, oval fuselages

and elliptical wings and tail surfaces. The main undercarriage legs retracted backwards into the engine nacelles leaving the wheels partially exposed. At first, the undercarriage

mechanism was hand-operated, but an electrically operated mechanism was installed on the third prototype. With so many difficulties and no pressing need for the type, the army suspended further flight trials, leaving six further prototypes partly finished. Six months later, in April 1940, work was restarted, and 1000-hp Nakajima Ha-25 14-cylinder double-row radials were installed in one of the airframes, which was completed the following July. The five other airframes were similarly modified, retraction

important oil refineries on Sumatra. Other Sentais were deployed in the Philippines in a vain attempt to stem the US tide, or based at home where they had some success against Boeing B-29 Superfortress attacks. The final variant, Ki-44-III had ejectortype thrust-augmented exhaust stacks (fitted also to a few earlier machines) and was powered by a 2000-hp Nakajima Ha- 145 18ally

Armament was either four 20-mm Ho 5 cannon or two Ho 5s and two 37-mm (1.46-in) Ho 203s. Only evaluation cylinder engine.

were completed, and snags with the new engine caused development of the Ki-44III to be abandoned. aircraft

When Japan surrendered, Ki-44s still equipped three Sentais and had established a fine reputation with pilots able to exploit their

good

qualities,

dogfights bility

army

in

while

which

avoiding

their inferior

became apparent. Among air force aces who made

old-style

manoeuvraa

number

their

of

marks

perhaps the most outstanding was Colonel Yukiyoshi Wakamatsu of the 85th Sentai. He had achieved at least 18 victories before he was shot down and killed flying the Ki-44.

1944. A total of 1225 aircraft, prototypes, were built up to December 1944 when production was phased out in favour of the Ki-84. in

December

including

and two more machines were built from scratch. A maximum speed of 520 km/h (323 mph) at 3500 m (11500 ft) was attained. The design team had meanwhile been reviewing the whole project and proposed that the Ki-45 Kai of simplified design was suited for mass production. The army accepted the proposal, and the first of three Ki-45 Kai prototypes flew in May 1941.

Twelve preproduction aircraft followed. With tests successfully completed, series production as the Army Type 2 Two-seat Fighter began early in 1942, and soon the Ki45 Kai was given the popular name Toryu (dragon slayer) while the Allies called it Nick. Effective crew and fuel-tank protection was incorporated in the design. Power was provided by two 1050-hp Nakajima Ha-25

1601

Ki-46, Mitsubishi

production Model B aircraft had Mitsubishi Ha- 120s. Model A, the first series version, went to the 5th Sentai in Japan in August 1942. The next Sentais to equip with the type were the 16th in China and the 21st in Burma. It was effective in attacks on enemy shipping and radials, but late

troop concentrations, a specialized attack version being built as Model B. Original

armament had comprised two 12.7-mm (0.5in) Type machine-guns in the nose, one forward-firing 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon 1

a ventral tunnel in the starboard nose section, and a single 7.92-mm (0.3 12-in) Type 98 machine-gun on a flexible mounting operin

ated by the observer. In the Model B a 37-mm (1.46-in) Type 98 cannon was installed in the ventral tunnel and the nose guns were replaced by a single 20-mm Ho 3 cannon. Production aircraft had straight-contoured fuselage and wings. The range of Model A was an impressive 2260 km (1400 miles) and it

could climb to 5000 m (16400 ft) in just over six minutes. Models A and B flew operationally in many theatres of war, not least in the New Guinea region, where they inflicted heavy losses on US motor torpedo boats. The Model C night fighter modification went into production in April 1944. By then Kawasaki had transferred Ki-45 Kai manufacture from its Gifu plant and transferred

production to the works at Akashi. The Model C had an improved semiautomatic 37Ho 203 cannon in the ventral tunnel and two obliquely-mounted Ho 5 cannon of 20calibre firing forward and upwards from

mm mm

the centre fuselage. One aircraft was testwith radar, but production delays prevented operational use. Nevertheless, Model C filled a gap in the army's inventory and were prominent in dealing with night-flying Consolidated B 24 Liberators in the southwest Pacific. Five home-defence Sentais equipped with Ki-45 Kais destroyed a considerable number of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in the last year of the Second World War. Total production, including original Ki-45 fitted

prototypes, and evaluation aircraft, 1701, including 477 Model Cs.

was

(Model A) Span: 15.02 m (49 ft 3 in) Lengthr\0.6 m (34 ft 9 in) Gross weight: 5276 kg (11632 lb) Maximum speed: 547 km/h (340 mph) (Model B) Span: 1 5.02 m (49 ft 3 in) Length: 1 1 m (36 ft 1 in) Gross weight: 5500 kg (12125 lb) Maximum speed. (Model C) 540 km/h (336 mph)

Ki-46, Mitsubishi Japanese reconnaissance finest aircraft of the

aircraft.

One

of the

Second World War, the

in a December 1937 army specification issued exclusively to Mitsubishi. The aim was to produce an aircraft which could perform visual and photographic reconnaissance at such a speed as to avoid interception. It had to maintain a speed of at

Ki-46 originated

400 km/h (248 mph) for six hours flight at an altitude of between 4000 m (13 000 ft) and 6000 m (19700 ft). Major Fujita of the Koku Hombu (army air headquarters), acknowledging the size of the task, least

sustained

left

Mitsubishi

free

to

provide their

own

solution, using either a single or twin-engined layout. The engines available were the Naka-

jima Ha-20b or Ha-25 and the Mitsubishi Ha26. All three were within the 800-1000-hp range. Mitsubishi's

design team was led by engineer Tomio Kubo, who drew on his experience with the Ki-39 twin-engined fighter, an earlier abortive project. Careful planning went into the design, with assistance provided by Tokyo University's aeronautical research department. Kubo selected a smalldiameter fuselage with the main fuel tank located between pilot and observer, and thinsection wings. Twin 900-hp Mitsubishi Ha-26 radials were selected, and close-fitting cowlings were specially developed for them. Everything possible was done to reduce drag to a

minimum.

A Ki-46-IIIa, with the redesigned nose canopy eliminating the step in front of the windscreen present on earlier models. Many Ki-46-IIIas were converted to fighters, with two 20-mm cannon in the nose and a 37-mm cannon in the upper fuselage firing obliquely upwards and forwards

1602

Ki-46, Mitsubishi

1603

Ki-46, Mitsubishi

A Kawasaki Ki-48-l Type 99 (Lily) of the 8th Light Bomber Sentai, 3rd Chutai, operating on shortrange bombing operations in Burma in 1943 Major Fujita himself made the prototype although fast, with a of the

first

in

initial flight

November

maximum

1939. but

speed of 540

km/h (335 mph) at 4000 m (13 000 ft), the Ki46 was not yet up to specification. The army was sufficiently impressed, however, to order production of the aircraft as the Army Type

Command

100

Reconnaissance

Aircraft

Model I. The entire Model production (34 were built between 1939-40) plus the prototype were delivered to the Shimshizu flying 1

school and to a naissance unit. ahead with the 1080-hp Ha- 102

special experimental recon-

Meanwhile Mitsubishi went Model 2, powered by two engines. The first Model 2 appeared in March 1941, and trials indicated a speed 63 km/h (39 mph) faster than Model thus meeting the original exacting requirement of 600 km/h (373 mph). Airframe was identical with the Model and production soon gathered momentum. The Type 100, 1,

1

codenamed Dinah by

the

Allies,

was

deli-

vered from July 1941 onwards to the 18th, 50th, 51st, 70th, 74th, 76th and 81st Independent Chutais (squadrons) based in China and Manchuria. These theatres of operations were ideal places to familiarize Japanese reconnaissance crews with their revolutionary new aircraft. Chinese air opposition was poor and the escape capability of Ki-46 such that the sole defensive armament, a single 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-gun on a

A

Ki-48

1604

Type 99 with Ne-O turbojet

unit

flexible

mounting operated by the observer,

was seldom used

in action.

During October 1941 Ki-46s based in French Indo-China reconnoitred the Japanese army's planned landing zones for the December invasion of Malaya. From December 1941 onwards, Ki-46s were deployed in small detachments in every army zone of operations, enjoying considerable success and remaining virtually unmolested year of fighting. Such was the which the type was held that the

for the

first

esteem

in

Luftwaffe attempted to arrange licence production, and the army's greatest rival, the navy, managed to acquire a few for its own use.

Only against Lockheed P-38F Lightnings and Supermarine Spitfire Vs did the Model 2 begin to suffer losses, but already the Model 3 was on the way. With more powerful 1500hp Mitsubishi Ha-1 12-11 engines and increased range, thanks to enlarged internal tankage and the introduction of a 460-litre (101-Imp gal) ventral drop tank. Model 3 showed a 26 km/h (16 mph) improvement in top speed over Model 2 and achieved a maximum range of 4000 km (2500 miles). External appearance was greatly changed by the new canopy over the pilot's cockpit, without the conventional step between the nose and top of fuselage which had characterized the earlier versions.

slung

beneath

the

Performance was

fuselage.

The type was

so good that defensive armament was dispensed with. Production at Mitsubishi's Nagoya factory was hindered by earthquake damage in December 1944, and a further 100 of the type were built at Toyama. Operational trainer modifications of the Model 2 serving with the specialist Shimshizu flying school had a third, stepped-up cockpit fitted immediately behind the pilot's seat. The army air research institute developed an intercepter version of the Model 3 and the first machine so modified, designated Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter (Ki-46-III Kai) was finished in October 1944. It did not, however, achieve a high enough rate of climb for an intercepter. The redesigned nose

accommodated two 20-mm

(0.79-in)

Ho

cannon, and the space formerly occupied by the upper fuselage fuel tank was taken up by a single

37-mm

(1.46-in)

Ho

203 cannon fixed

forward and upward at an oblique angle. The stepped windscreen of the earlier to

fire

versions was reintroduced. A few Ki-46-IIIb assault aircraft, devel-

oped from the intercepter, were

built,

and

four Ki-46-IV high-altitude prototypes, powered by Ha-112-Ru supercharged engines, were tested from February 1944 onwards. Difficulties with the superchargers prevented production of the proposed reconnaissance and fighter versions. Total production of the Ki-46 in all variants was 1742. also

used

for

testing

Igo-Ib

guided missiles

Ki-49,

The Nakajima

Ki-49-llb

Nakajima

Donryu (storm dragon), or

Helen to the Allies, was a well-armed heavy bomber which suffered from having a rather modest bombload of only 1000 kg (2200 lb)

Span: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in) Length: 11 m Gross weight: 5050 kg (11133 lb) Maximum speed: 604 km/h (375 mph)

(Ki-46-ll)

(36

ft

1

in)

Ki-48,

Kawasaki

Japanese

light

bomber. In 1937.

at the begin-

ning of the Sino-Japanese war, Chinese air force units facing the enemy forces were equipped with twin-engined Soviet Tupolev

SB-2 bombers. The Japanese army air staff, impressed by the high performance of the Soviet aircraft, instructed the Kawasaki com : pany in December 1937 to produce a twinengined bomber. It was to be powered by two Nakajima Ha-25 radial engines and to be able to fly at a maximum 480 km/h (298 mph) at 3000 m (9850 ft), and cruise at 350 km/h (217 mph) at the same altitude. It had also to reach 5000 m (16400 ft) in ten minutes and carry a 400-kg (880-lb) bombload. At that time army strategy was based on a war with the USSR, so

it

was further

stipulated that the aircraft

must be capable of operating under Siberian winter conditions.

Takeo Doi began design work in January The Ki-48 was a mid-wing all-metal cantilever monoplane, the wing position being 1938.

adopted to provide an internal

The fuselage was cut down

bomb

bay.

aft of the dorsal

gunner's cockpit and the ventral gunner's stepped position. The bomb-aimer/nosegunner's position was fully glazed. There was a single curved fin and rudder, and the main undercarriage legs retracted backwards to lie fully enclosed in the engine nacelles. Takeo Doi's design team was forced to divide its time between the extremely complex Ki-45 Kai fighter and the Ki-48. Consequently the first Ki-48 did not fly until July 1939. Three more prototypes and five evaluation machines were soon completed. During development, tail flutter problems were overcome and the rear fuselage strengthened. The new type met a favourable reception and series production started late in 1939. under the designation Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber. All the criteria laid down by the army had been met except that the bomb bay only accommodated 300 kg (660 lb) of

only slightly modified, and a total of 557 of both initial versions were built up to June 1942. With the Japanese attack on the United States and the British Empire. Ki^8s were deployed in Burma. Malaya and the Philippines, moving on with the advancing land forces into the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea. After a few months their defects became obvious: there was minimal protection for crew and fuel, and despite the Ki48's good speed the better Allied fighters could outstrip it and had little trouble dealing

Nakajima

Ki-49,

Japanese heavy bomber. Japanese army air headquarters appreciated the need for a new heavy bomber even as the Mitsubishi Ki-21

was entering service. The Nakajima company was issued with the Ki-49 specification calling for

an aircraft capable of reaching 500

mph) with a range of 3000 km (1860 miles) and a bombload of 1000 kg (2200 lb). Defensive armament was to include a free 20mm (0.79-in) cannon on a dorsal mounting km/h

(3

1

1

—

defensive armament of single 7.7-mm Type 89 machine-guns flexibly mounted in nose, dorsal and ventral positions. Night raids became the rule. Three Ki-48-II prototypes were built by February 1942, powered by twin 1150-hp

and a tail gun turret the latter for the first time on a Japanese landplane. It was also laid down that adequate protection for the crew members and the fuel load was to be pro-

Nakajima

team led by Yasumi Koyama. A midwing layout was selected, with a considerable dihedral on the low aspect ratio wing. The wide-chord centre

with

its

(0.303-in)

Ha-I15

and outwardly resembling the Ki-48-I. They had a slightly lengthened fuselage and had fuel-tank protection in addition to armour plating for the crew radials

positions. Production aircraft also featured further fuselage strengthening. Ki-48-IIb was a dive-bomber variant with fence-type underwing dive brakes. Late production machines had dorsal fin extensions to improve stability. The maximum bombload was increased to 800 kg (1764 lb). Maximum speed rose by 24 km/h (15 mph). During the fighting over New Guinea, large numbers of Ki-48s, codenamed Lily by the Allies, were destroyed on the ground. The

Ki-48 remained in production until October 1944. The late versions were designated Ki48-IIc and had a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type 1 machine-gun in the dorsal position in place of the previous rifle-calibre weapon, in addition to one more nose-mounted 7.7-mm Type 89 gun. The Ki-48-II fought against odds in the Philippines and over Okinawa in day and night operations. A specially modified suicide version, Ki-48-II Kai, carried an unchanged bombload, its bombs being triggered on impact by a nose probe. Ki-48s were used for tests of the Igo-Ib

turbojet unit. 1977.

guided missile and the Ne-

The

total of all variants built

Span: 1 7.47 m (57 ft 4 in) Length: 1 2.6 m in) Gross weight: 5900 kg (13000 lb) Maximum speed: 480 km/h (298 mph)

(Ki-48-l)

4

bombs.

(41

Ki-48-Ia aircraft first went into action in northern China with the 45th Sentai and did well against indifferent Chinese opposition. They were used at night, as well as for shortrange daylight operations. The Ki-48-Ib was

(Ki-48-ll)

ft

Span. 17.45 m (57 ft 3 in) Length. 12.75 10 in) Gross weight: 6500 kg (14330 lb) Maximum speed: 505 km/h (314 mph)

m

(41

ft

vided.

Nakajima top-level

section

set to

work

in

mid- 1938 with a

design

accommodated

six fuel tanks, three

on each side of the fuselage. Good takeoff and climb were guaranteed by large Fowlertype flaps. A 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 1 cannon was mounted in the dorsal position, while single 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 guns were fitted in the nose, ventral and port and starboard beam positions and in the powered tail

turret.

The first prototype flew in August 1939. Its two 1080-hp Nakajima Ha-Kai 14-cylinder radial engines were replaced by Nakajima Ha-41s of 1250 hp each on the remaining two prototypes and seven evaluation aircraft delivered late in 1939. Constant-speed threebladed propellers were introduced in place of the original Hamilton Standard two-pitch propellers. The Ki-49 was accepted for service as the Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber in March the following year and made its operational debut in February 1942. The army, fearing heavy losses in unescorted daylight raids, tested three modified Ki-49s, intended as escort fighters. Designated Ki-58, they were fitted with improved armament and crew protection but with the bomb bays deleted. Progress was disappointing and then the Ki-43 fighter, possessing sufficient range for escort work, became available in quantity and the Ki-58 programme was abandoned. Two Ki-49 variants, designated Ki-80, were intended as prototype formation-leader aircraft, but this idea was also abandoned, and these aircraft were then

1605

Ki-51, Mitsubishi

used to test the powerful new 2420-hp Nakajima Ha-117 radial engines. Known in Japan as Donryu (storm dragon), Ki-49-Is went first to equip the 61st Sentai operating in China. During the Pacific war Ki49s, coded Helen by the Allies, flew frequent raids over New Britain and New Guinea, also making a large proportion of the attacks on Port Darwin and Australia's Northern Territory.

Two

preproduction Ki-49-IIs appeared

in

September 1942, powered by twin 1450-hp Nakajima Ha- 109 radials. Other modifications included improved crew armour and more effective self-sealing fuel tanks. The Ki-49-IIa was delivered to the Sentais from August 1942 onwards and the later Ki-49-IIb variant had 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 machineguns replacing the light machine-guns formerly installed in the nose, ventral and tail positions. The Ki-49-II operated mainly over New Guinea and in China, as well as being assigned to units deployed in Manchuria against an anticipated Soviet attack.

Ki-49s also flew many missions during the desperate Japanese defence of the Philippines, and surviving aircraft, with a reduced crew of two, made suicide attacks on Allied ships. Some Ki-49-Is were fitted with detection equipment and used as antisubmarine aircraft, while others were pressed into service as troop transports. Six examples of the final version, Ki-49III, were built, powered by Nakajima Ha-1 17 radials, each intended to provide 2420 hp. The engines were never really more than experimental, however, and technical problems remained unsolved. Plans for mass production of the Ki-49-III came to nothing. The Ki-49 was much derided by postwar historians, but its performance was remarkable for a fairly large aircraft, and it compared favourably with foreign contemporaries. Its defensive armament was well arranged and it had no real blind spots. In all. 819 Ki-49s of all variants were built, 769 by Nakajima at its Ota factory in Gumma Prefecture and the remaining 50 by the Tachi-

kawa company. Span:20.42 m (67 ft) Length: 16.5 m (54 Gross weight: 10680 kg (23550 lb) Maxispeed: 492 km/h (306 mph)

(Ki-49-ll) ft

2

in)

mum

prototype and production aircraft was a single 940-hp Mitsubishi Ha-26-II 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, driving a three-blade variable-pitch metal propeller. The green-

house canopy was shorter than that on the Ki-30, bringing the two-man crew closer together, and a degree of armour protection was provided for the occupants and the engine. The Ki-51 differed from the Ki-30 in having no internal bomb bay. the normal 200kg (440-lb) weapon load being carried externally. Overall construction was of metal except for the control surfaces, which were

fabric-covered. After a virtually problem-free flight test programme, and only a few minor modifications, the Ki-51 entered production in January 1940 as the Army Type 99 Assault Aircraft. From then until March 1944 Mitsubishi's Nagoya factory manufactured a total of 1459. Four months later a second production line was established by Tachikawa, which had completed a further 913 by July 1945. Standard armament at first consisted of three 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machine-guns, one in each wing and one in a movable mounting in the rear cockpit. On

wing-mounted pair were exchanged for Type guns of 12.7-mm (0.5in) calibre, and the aircraft's range was increased by installing a 68-litre (I5-Imp gal) fuel tank in each wing leading edge. The Kilater aircraft,

the

I

51 served with at least eight Sentais (groups)

dozen or more independent squadrons of the Japanese army air force, from 1940 until the end of the Second World War. It established a reputation for being reliable and capable of surviving considerable battle damage, which made it popular with its crews. It was given the Pacific codename Sonia by the Allies. Adapted, inevitably, for the kamikaze role towards the end of the war. it was flown and

a

as a single-seater, carrying a 250-kg (550-lb) bomb beneath the fuselage.

Three prototypes were completed at Tachikawa of the Ki-71 (codenamed Edna), an improved, retractable-gear version with a 1500-hp engine and wing cannon, but no production orders for this type were placed. Span: 12.1 m (38 ft 8 in) Length: 9.21 Gross weight: 2920 kg (6437 lb) speed: 423 km/h (263 mph)

in)

m

(30

ft

3

Maximum

each driving a two-blade variable-pitch propeller. Intended for pilot training, the Ki-54a was built in fairly small radial engines,

numbers before being supplanted by the Model B (Ki-54b), the most widely used version. Both models could carry from five to nine occupants. In the case of the Ki-54b (a trainer) there were four stations for gunnery trainees who could each operate a free 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 machinegun. The installation was characterized by twin dorsal turrets, a distinctive recognition feature of the Ki-54b.

bomber crew

operating reliability and roomy fuselage the Ki-54 an obvious candidate for light transport and communications duties, and these were the functions of the third production version, the Ki-54c, or Army Type Transport Model C. It differed from the previous variants in being unarmed, and therefore having no turrets on the fuselage. The Ki-54c carried a flight crew of two and eight passengers. Production included about two dozen civil examples (designated Y-59), some of which were used in Manchuria. A fourth model, the Ki-54d antisubmarine patrol version, or Type Patrol Bomber Model D, could carry an offensive load of 480 kg (1060 lb) of depth charges, but was not built or used in great numbers. Three developed versions of the Ki-54 were not finished before the end of the war. Completion of the Ki-110 prototype a wooden construction version of the Ki-54 was prevented by US air attack. The Ki-1 14, a development of the Ki-110, and the projected Ki-1 11 flightrefuelling tanker development of the Ki-59 were never built. Its

made

1

1

—

Span: 1 7.9 m (58 ft 9 in) Length: 1 1 .94 m in) Gross weight: 3897 kg (8590 lb) Maximum speed: 376 km/h (234 mph)

(Ki-54b) (39

ft

2

Ki-57, Mitsubishi Japanese transport aircraft. This twinengined personnel transport was a standard Japanese army air force type during the

Second World War, serving in the roles of troop and paratroop transport, liaison and communications. It was also used, in small numbers, by the Japanese naval air force under the designations L4M or Navy Type Transport Model (equivalent to the Ki-571

1

Ki-54,

Japanese ground-attack and reconnaissance flight-

Japanese training and transport aircraft. The Ki-54 was the standard aircrew trainer of the

Ki-30

Second World War for the

test

Encouraged by the successful

programme of

the

Mitsubishi

single-engined light bomber earlier in the year, the Japanese army's air headquarters issued a requirement at the end of 1937 for a slightly smaller two-seater of similar configuration, to fulfil the close-support role. Performance, with a reduced offensive load, was to be generally similar to that of the Ki-30, design emphasis being placed on increased manoeuvrability and crew protection. Two prototypes of the resultant design, designated Ki-51. were completed in June and August 1939, followed immediately by a pre-series batch of 1 more, all completed by the end of that year. Like the Ki-30, the Ki-51 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane, with a 'trousered' and spatted non-retractable main landing gear and a fixed tail wheel. The powerplant for both 1

1606

pilots of multi-

engined aircraft, navigators, bomb aimers, radio operators and air gunners. It was a 1939 design by Ryokichi Endo of the Tachikawa Hikoki K K. and made its first flight in mid1940. It was a twin-engined, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction (except for the

control

surfaces,

1

I).

Tachikawa

Ki-51, Mitsubishi aircraft.

—

which were

fabric-

Essentially, the Ki-57 (Topsy to the Allies) a low wing version of the Ki-21-I

was

bomber, except for a redesigned fuselage which accommodated a crew of two and up to passengers. The powerplant consisted of two 950-hp Nakajima Ha-5 Kai 14-cylinder radials. The main wheels retracted into the 1

1

engines nacelles.

It

originated in 1939 as a

commercial transport for Japan Air Lines, with the civil designation MC-20. and was first flown in August 1940, entering produc-

Army Type

covered) and had retractable landing gear.

tion later that year as the Ki-57-I,

Between 1940-45. Tachikawa produced 1368 examples 1342 of them for the Japanese army air force in a variety of models, all of which were given the name Hickory under the Allied Pacific codename system. The initial military version, which entered production in 1941, was the Ki-54a or Army Type Advanced Trainer Model A. Both the prototype and the Ki-54a were powered by two 510-hp Hitachi Ha-13a nine-cylinder

100 Transport Model 1, and MC-20-I. After 101 of these had been built, Mitsubishi in 1942 replaced this version on the production line with the Ki-57-II/MC-20-II, generally similar but with I080-hp Mitsubishi Ha- 102

—

1

—

radials. They continued in production until January 1945, by which time 406 of this improved model had been completed. They were widely used, by the army air force and the navy air force and on military charters by

Ki-57, Mitsubishi

The Mitsubishi

Ki-51 (Sonia)

was a

two-seat ground-attack and

reconnaissance aircraft. A tough bomber, it could absorb considerable battle damage and was popular with its crews.

armament of two 7.7-mm Type 89 machine-guns was replaced by two 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type machine-guns. The bombload was normally 200 kg (440 lb) Its

original

(0.303-in)

1

1607

Ki-59,

Kokusai

the national airline. The Ki-57 featured most notably in the paratroop attack on the airfield at

Palembang and neighbouring

in

February 1942.

oil

refineries

accommodated up

Span:22.6 m (74 ft 2 in) Length. 16.1 m in) Gross weight: 9120 kg (20100 lb) Maximum speed: 470 km/h (292 mph)

(Ki-57-ll)

(52

ft

10

Ki-59,

to eight passengers in addition to two or three crew. One example became the original prototype for the Ku-8 troop transport glider.

Span: 17 m (55 ft 9 in) Length: 12.5 m (41 ft) Gross weight. 4240 kg (9347 lb) Cruising speed: 300 km/h (186 mph)

Kokusai

Japanese transport aircraft. Designed by Nihon Kokusai in 1937 as a twin-engined commercial feeder-liner transport for domes-

was known originally as the Teradakoken TK-3, and was flown for the first time in June 1938. The two civil prototypes were followed in mid- 1939 by additional development aircraft to army air force tic

Of utilitarian appearance, the high-wing, fixed-undercarriage Ki-59, codenamed Theresa, was of mixed construction, and

routes, the Ki-59

with standard, lower-powered (510-hp Hitachi Ha-13a) nine-cylinder radial engines and internal changes. Although performance was far from outstanding, it entered production at Hiratsuka for the army air force in 1941 as the Army Type Transport. However, Nihon Kokusai completed only 59 Ki59s before production was ended, and their wartime use was very limited. I

Ki-60,

Kawasaki

Japanese experimental

fighter.

first Hew in March more common radial-engined Japanese aircraft

Prototype models of the Kawasaki Ki-60 which

1941.

compared

of

1608

to

the

In

February

1940 Kawasaki were instructed to commence work on a heavy intercepter fighter design using the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 A inline liquid-cooled engine, for which the firm had already obtained manufacturing rights. The specification for the Ki-60 was issued at the same time as that for the Ki-61, but was given priority as it was intended to be superior in speed, climb rate and armament. At that time the army's standard fighter was the radial-engined Nakajima Ki-27 which had good manoeuvrability rather than speed and was thus the antithesis of the Ki-60 concept.

The Ki-60 was developed by a design partnership of Takeo Doi and Sin Owada. The first prototype was flown in March 1941. It was a low-wing all-metal cantilever monoplane with a short fuselage of rather humped appearance. The main wheels retracted inwards to lie entirely within the wing profile, and the tail wheel was also retractable. The wings and horizontal tailplane had straight taper. With the 100-hp DB 601 A engine a top speed of 550 km/h (342 mph) was attained, less than the designers' estimates. Armament was four 20-mm (0.79-in) cannon, two in the wings and two fuselage-mounted. The second prototype was modified to have increased wing area, a cleaner engine cowling and a slightly lighter structure. The increase in speed of only 10 km/h (6 mph) was disappointing, but the landing speed was reduced. A third and final prototype was built, with a smoother cowling, but only another 10 km/h in top speed was gained and Ki-60 development was cancelled in favour 1

of the Ki-61.

Span: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) Length: 8.47 m (27 ft 9 Gross weight: 2750 kg (6063 lb) Maximum speed: 560 km/h (348 mph)

in)

The Daimler-Ben/ DB 601 A engines gave

the

1930s and

1940s.

Development ceased

the Ki-60 a sleek profile in favour of the Ki-61

Ki-61,

Kawasaki

The Kawasaki

Ki-61 Hien (swallow) used the 1 175-hp Ha-40 engines, a Japanese-built version of the 12-cylinder Daimler-Benz DB 601A

Ki-61,

As more Ki-6Is became

Kawasaki

appeared

Japanese fighter aircraft. Blinded by years of prejudice and poor intelligence reports, the Allies for several weeks jumped to the conclusion that the new troublesome in-line engined Japanese fighter which appeared over New Guinea in April 1943 was the Messerschmitt Bf 109 somehow made available to Japan by her German ally. In fact it

was

Hien (swallow), a totally origiby Takeo Doi and Sin Owada, leading engineers of the Kawasaki company. Detailed design work had not been started the Ki-6l

nal design

until

December

army

1940, a year after issue of the air headquarters specification calling

for a general-purpose fighter. The delay was due to the priority given at first to the unsuccessful Ki-60 heavy intercepter. The Ki-6l had slimmer lines than the Ki-60 and a high aspect ratio wing. Powered by a ll75-hp Ha-40 engine (the Japanese version of the 12-cylinder Daimler-Benz 601A, built under licence at Kawasaki's Akashi factory) the Ki-6l was a low-wing all-metal monoplane with a wide-track inwardretracting undercarriage and a retractable tail wheel. It was characterized by a large ventral radiator bath under the fuselage just beneath the wing trailing edge. The pilot sat in an enclosed cockpit with a backward-sliding

DB

hood.

Kagamigahara

first

airfield in

prototype began

December

1941.

Despite problems caused by high wing loading, the Ki-6l reached a maximum 590 km/h (336 mph) during tests. Soon it was joined by more prototypes, two of which were pitted against examples of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, Ki-43-I, Ki-44, Curtiss P-40E and 1

New

available they Britain and then in other

of operations, but maintenance remained a considerable problem. Takeo Doi and his team set out to simplify and strengthen the aircraft's structure. The wings were reinforced to allow faster and safer dives, while strongpoints were provided beneath the outer wing sections to take racks for bombs of up to 250 kg (550 lb). The rear fuselage was slightly lengthened and made detachable for ease of servicing and repair, and the retractable tail wheel was replaced by an easy-to-maintain fixed unit. Armament on original Ki-61-Ia production aircraft had been two 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 fuselage guns and two 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 89 wingmounted weapons. In the Ki-61-Ib this had been changed to four 12.7-mm machine-guns, while a number of both these early series machines were modified to take 20-mm (0.79theatres

in) Mauser MG 151 cannon in place of the wing-mounted light machine-guns. Finally, armament was changed to two 20-mm Ho 5 cannon in the upper fuselage decking synchronized to fire through the propeller, and a pair of 12.7-mm Ho 103 wing guns. The aircraft thus modified went into production as Ki-61 -I Kai-c in January 1944, and by the following August it was the only version in

production. Difficulties

Flight trials with the at

in

with

its

Ha-40 engine dogged

the Ki-61 -I throughout its career. By September 1942 Kawasaki had already decided to introduce on the Ki-61-II version the new

US airmen examine

a captured Ki-61

on an

1500-hp Ha- 140 engine, designed for highefficiency. At the same time the airframe and wings were redesigned, and the wing area was increased by some 10%. Other changes included a redesigned cockpit hood. Problems with the new powerplant were unfortunately no less frequent than those of its predecessor. Moreover, structural modification and strengthening proved essential, and as a result only seven more prototypes had been completed by January 1944, although the first Ki-61-II prototype had appeared the previous August. The new wings suffered altitude

several failures and the Ki-61-II proved less manoeuvrable than Ki-61-I. A ninth modified airframe, which appeared in April 1944, therefore reverted to the original wing, with a slightly lengthened fuselage and a rudder of greater area. With the Ha- 140 engine working satisfactorily the new fighter could attain 610 km/h (379 mph) at 6000 (19700 ft). Impressed by

m

army

headquarters ignored warnings about engine reliability and decided on mass production. The Ki-6I-II Kai-a. as the revised aircraft was designated, had the same armament as the Ki-61-I Kai-c fighter, while the Ki-61 -II Kai-b machines had four Ho 5 20-mm cannon. In the event, the Ki-61-I Kai remained in production up to January 1945 and Ha- 140 engine troubles with the Ki-61-II Kai were never fully overcome, no fewer than 30 prototype and evaluation aircraft being built. These were followed by 374 production airthis,

airstrip at

air

New

Britain in the

Pacific in

1944

1

LaGG-3

in comparative flight tests. The Kiemerged supreme, only being surpassed by the Ki-43-I in close dogfighting man-

61

oeuvres. Quantity production was authorized, and the first aircraft was delivered early in 1943. The Ki-61 was designated Army Type 3 Fighter. Early examples went to the 23rd Independent Chutai (squadron) for combat evaluation and the type was passed as fit for service. Various technical problems occurred while the first operational Sentais were working up with the Ki-61, but the type eventually entered combat with the 68th Sentai at Wewak in New Guinea in the summer of 1943. From the outset it proved easily superior to the US Army Air Force Curtiss P-

40E and P-40F Warhawks,

its

main oppo-

New

was

allotted the

nents over

Guinea.

Allied codename able respect from

It

Tony, and won considerits

adversaries.

1609

Ki-61,

Kawasaki

The

Ki-61 was tested against Japanese and foreign aircraft such as the Bf 109E, Ki-43-1 Ki-44, Curtiss P-40E and LaGG-3. In flight it emerged the victor in every action except when dogfighting with the Ki-43-1 The Ki-61 was flown by aces like Major Sjogo

trials

Takeutchi, who downed 16 enemy aircraft before he was killed in a crash landing. Maintenance features included a detachable rear fuselage

1610

and fixed

tail

wheel

Ki-67, Mitsubishi

frames, but only 99 production aircraft were completed with the Ha- 140 engine. On January 19, 1945. USAAF B-29 Superfortresses destroyed the Akashi engine plant and as a result 275 Ki-61-II Kai airframes were left without engines. The vastly superior radial-engined Ki-100 resulted. Among the Japanese aces who flew the Ki61 was Major Shogo Takeutchi. He operated with the 68th Sentai over New Guinea and claimed 16 enemy aircraft destroyed before being killed in a crash-landing on December 21. 1943. Monthly production of the Ki-61 reached a peak of 245 in July 1944. but within a few months the number of aircraft remaining in first-line service began to decline as a result of aircraft losses and difficulties on the assembly lines. In the final months of the Second World War. Ki-61s were assigned in large

numbers

home

islands.

to

Okinawa and

the Japanese the Ki-61-II Kai was able

Only to offer effective combat to B-29 Superfortresses when they were flying at maximum altitude. A number of Ha-40-powered Ki-61s were stripped of armour and wing armament in an attempt to achieve a ceiling high enough to intercept the B-29s. but they achieved

little

Ki-61-I Kai. however, acquitted itself reasonably well against US and British land and carrier-based fighters. The Ki-61 was codenamed Tony by the Allies, and a

success.

The

2803 of all versions was completed. This figure included 1380 Ki-61-Is and 1274 total of

as condensers. The unique powerplant, comprising two Ha-40 engines, developed 2350 hp

and was designated Ha-201.

It

was bench

tested during 1942-43 while, at the same time, a testbed Ki-61 was adapted for cooling

system

trials.

The Ki-64 was an all-metal flush-riveted low-wing monoplane with wing centre section built integral with the fuselage. The pilot

Ozawa, and December 17,

had a fully glazed raised cockpit canopy. Proposed armament was to be four cannon, two wing-mounted and two synchronized. The undercarriage retracted inwards into the wing, and the tail wheel was also fully retractable. The air intake for the forward engine was mounted on the port side of the cowling while that for the rear engine was mounted on the fuselage centreline immediately behind

design,

the cockpit.

began in December 1943. The ended in an emergency landing

Flight testing fifth

when

flight

rear engine caught

the

fire.

Repairs

were postponed, and in the summer of 1944 it was decided to suspend further development. The decision was dictated largely by the progress of the war. although the army had always been concerned that the cooling system might be too vulnerable to battle damage.

Ki-66,

Span: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Length: 8.75 m Gross weight: 2950 kg (6500 lb) Maximum speed: 592 km/h (368 mph)

Japanese army dive-bomber. In September 1941 Kawasaki received a specification from the army air headquarters calling for the development of a design for a dive-bomber which was to have two engines and an

(28

ft

8

in)

Span: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Length: in) Gross weight: 3470 kg (7650 Maximum speed: 590 km/h (367 mph)

(Ki-61 -I Kai-c)

8.94 lb)

m

(29

ft

4

Span: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Length: Gross weight: 3780 kg (8330 lb) speed: 610 km/h (379 mph)

(Ki-61 -II Kai-a)

9.16

m

(30

Maximum Ki-64,

ft)

Kawasaki

Japanese experimental fighter. In late 1939 Kawasaki's principal designer Takeo Doi started a study for a single-seat fighter fitted with two engines driving separate propellers and mounted in tandem along the centreline. Despite pressure to develop more orthodox and dependable designs, army air headquarters allowed Doi to develop the prototype by

two fixed forward-firing 12.7machine-guns and a free rearmounted 7.7-mm (0.303-in) weapon, and a normal 300-kg (660-lb) bombload. Takeo Doi designed a mid-wing monoplane of all-metal construction powered by two 1130-hp Nakajima Ha-115 radials. Flushmounted wing dive brakes were fitted. Six prototypes were built up to April 1943 and were successfully flight tested. Performance, however, was closely comparable with the Ki-48 and development plans for the Ki-66 were abandoned in October 1943. The experience gained with the design aided production of the dive-bomber variant of the Ki-48. the

mm

of

(0.5-in)

the Ki-66-Is was subsequently modified to take 1360-hp Ha-315-I radial engines, and was redesignated Ki-66-

Model 2B. One of

Ib.

5000 m (16400 ft), with climb to that height in under five minutes. Construction of the prototype began three months later. The rear engine, mounted immediately behind the pilot's cockpit, drove one of the two forward propellers by a long shaft passing between the pilot's feet and through the propeller boss of the forward engine, which was in the conventional nose position. The propeller of the rear engine was of the controllable-pitch type and rotated anti-

in)

Ki-64

Kawasaki

armament

Kawasaki with official specification October 1940. This called for a maximum speed of 700 km/h (435 mph) at issuing

in

clockwise, while the fixed-pitch propeller of the front engine rotated clockwise. An ingenious steam vapour surface-evaporation cooling system was adopted, with the outboard wing panels and inboard flaps serving

the first of them flew on 1942. Bearing little external

to any previous Mitsubishi placed considerable emphasis on crew comfort, crew and fuel-tank protection, and ease of assembly. It was a mid-wing monoplane, with fully retractable landing gear, and was powered by two 1900-hp Mit-

resemblance it

subishi Ha-104 18-cylinder two-row radial engines. The specified bombload was carried internally, "and the bomb bay doors when open retracted into the fuselage to avoid increasing the drag. The defensive armament consisted of two 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type machine-guns (one each in dorsal and tail turrets) and three 7.92-mm (0.312-in)Type98 guns (one in the nose and one in each of the pear-shaped side blisters aft of the wings). 1

By March 1943. when the third prototype was completed, the army had placed orders for additional development aircraft. These totalled 16, and featured a revised armament in which the nose gun was a 12.7-mm Type and the dorsal gun a 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho-5 1

Span: 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in) Length: 1 1 .03 m (36 ft 2 in) Gross weight: 5100 kg (11 243 lb) Maximum speed: 700 km/h (435 mph) estimated

Ki-61-I Kais. See also Ki-100. (Ki-61 -lb)

Further requirements were for a radius of 700 (440 miles) with a 500-kg (1100-lb) load, and a maximum speed of 550 km/h (342 mph). Three prototypes were ordered initially, designed under the supervision of Mitsubishi's chief engineer. Professor Kyunojo

km

Span: 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in) Length: 1 1 .2 m (36 ft 9 Gross weight: 5750 kg (12677 lb) Maximum speed: 535 km/h (332 mph)

Ki-67, Mitsubishi Japanese bomber sor to the

aircraft. Built as a succes-

Nakajima Ki-49 of

1939. the Ki-67

proved to be an effective and popular weapon crews. Fortunately for the Allies. it Peggy, its operational use was limited to the last ten months of the Second World War. The design had been initiated before Pearl Harbor, in February 1941, with an army air force specification for a tactical heavy bomber, capable of carrying a maximum bombload of 800 kg (1764 lb). with

its

who codenamed

cannon. With a further strengthening of

armament, by tail turret and

installing twin

Type

this

Is in the

single Type Is (in place of the Type 98s) in the beam blisters, series production was initiated as the Ki-67-I Hiryu (flying dragon), or Army Type 4 Heavy Bomber

Model. Despite its official classification the Ki-67 was, in terms of both size and bombload, comparable to the twin-engined light bombers then in use by other major combatants. For an aircraft of its size its manoeuvra-

was outstanding. At an early stage of its development, a recommendation was made to adapt the Hiryu for torpedo carrying, and in March 1943 Mitsubishi fitted aircraft Nos 17 and 18 with torpedo racks for preliminary flight and launching trials at Yokosuka. So successful were these trials that, in addition to its original instruction of January 1943 to adapt 100 Ki-67s for the torpedo-bomber role, the army ordered all Mitsubishi Ki-67s from No bility

161 onward to be similarly equipped. Two types of torpedo were used, of 800-kg (1760lb) or 1070-kg (2360-lb). and eventually well

over 400 Hiryus were produced in this configuration. Although most went to army squadrons, some were used also by the Japanese naval air force, which named them Yasukuni. after a shrine to an unknown warrior. Eventual Ki-67 production totalled 698, made up of 606 produced by three Mitsubishi factories (including prototypes, service trials aircraft

and 29 assembled from Mitsubishi-built components by Nihon Kokusai). 91 by Kawasaki at Gifu. and one by Tachikawa. After working up during the summer of 1944. the Ki-67-I made its operational debut on the night of October 12 that year, with the subsequently served also with 10 Sentais 74, 107 and of the army air force, and No 762 Kokutai of the naval air force, in the bomber or torpedobomber role. Campaigns and actions in which the aircraft took part included the Battle of the Philippine Sea. the Marianas. Iwo Jima. Formosa and Okinawa; bombing raids over

98th Sentai.

Nos

It

7, 14, 16, 60. 61

.

1

1611

Ki-70,

Tachikawa

«9 The Ki-67 was designed by Mitsubishi's chief engineer, Professor Kyunojo Ozawa, emphasized crew comfort and crew and fuel protection as well as ease of assembly. It saw extensive service in 1944-45 the Chinese mainland; and strikes against the US B-29 bases at Guam, Saipan and Tinian. The Ki-67 was reliable and stable in performance, but a lack of fully trained aircrew, together with the overwhelming air superiority then held by the Allies, led to fairly high losses. Several experimental variants were built or planned. Among the unbuilt projects were escort fighter (Ki-69). transport (Ki-97) and multi-seat 'heavy' fighter (Ki-II2) versions. A Ki-67-I carried out air tests in early 1944 with a 75-mm (2.95-in) cannon, in another

attempt to provide a counter to the B-29. One was modified in autumn 1944 as a carrier for the I-Go-IA radio-controlled antishipping missile. Two were re-engined with 2400-hp Mitsubishi Ha-2I4 radials in preparation for a Ki-67-II version which, in the event, never reached the production stage. A number of other Hiryus which did become operational were those converted to Type 4 Special Attack Plane configuration for kamikaze missions. They were designated Ki-67-I Kai. Kawasaki is said to have carried out 15 such conversions, and others were modified by Tachikawa. Used primarily in the final defence of Okinawa, the Ki-67-I Kai had all its guns removed and the turrets faired over. Two 800-kg (1760-lb) bombs were carried internally and were detonated on impact by a nose-rod percussion fuze. The normal crew was reduced to three. Operating on kamikaze missions alongside the Ki-67-I Kai at Okinawa was another, and little-known, version of the bomber known as the Ki-167 or Hiryu To-Go. It had similar airframe modifications to the Ki-67-I Kai, and a four-man crew, but the notable difference was the weapon it carried. Known in Japanese as the Sakuradan bomb, it was counterpart of the thermite bomb developed

which were brought to Japan by submarine in October 1942. This fearsome device, built and tested in secret in Manchuria, was a 2900-kg (6400in

Germany,

the

plans

for

Ib) hollow-charge weapon 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in diameter. It resembled a large pressure cooker in shape. Inside, a parabolic wall focused. its tremendous explosive and incendiary effect in one direction, over a range of about km (1 100 yards). The Sakuradan was primarily envisaged as a weapon for use against capital ships and large transport vessels. In February 1945 the conversion of two Ki-67s as Ki-167 carrier aircraft was completed. The bomb was installed at the centre of gravity of the aircraft, behind the flight deck and above the wings, and was covered by a large plywood dorsal 'hump' fairing. The 1

1612

\

Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu (flying dragon) or 'Peggy'

weapon was detonated

on impact, from the aircraft's nose. The 7th. 62nd and 98th Sentais were each equipped with two or three Ki-67s. The first operational sortie, and the only one of which anything is now known, was made by the 62nd Sentai on April 17. 1945. though the result of this sortie is not known, and the Ki167 may have been destroyed by a US Navy

by

electrically

a long rod projecting

Hellcat before striking

its

target.

Span: 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in) Length .18.7 m (61 ft 4 in) Gross weight: 13765 kg (30347 lb) Maximum speed: 537 km/h (334 mph) (Ki-67-l)

Ki-70,

Tachikawa

Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. One of the Japanese army's failures in the Second World War was this potentially outstanding longrange reconnaissance machine, which was planned to succeed the Mitsubishi Ki-46. Ordered in March 1939. when the first Ki-46 was in the erection shop, the Ki-70 was a shapely three-seater with a mid-mounted laminar-flow wing and two 1900-hp Mitsubishi Ha 104M engines driving four-blade propellers. Twin fins, unusual on Japanese aircraft, were intended to improve the field of fire of the 12.7-mm (0.5-in) gun of the radio operator. A 7.7-mm (0.303-in) gun was aimed by the observer in the glazed nose. The prototype did not fly until February 1943. It was overweight, showed disappointing performance, and could not even equal the later versions of the outstandingly efficient Ki-46.

high over a Japanese

flies

city in

1944

Turbocharged versions were unreliable and the programme was dropped, although the Allies heard of the Ki-70 and codenamed it Clara.

Span: 17.8 m (58 ft 5 in) Length: 14.5 m (47 ft 7 Gross weight: 10700 kg (23600 lb) Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

in)

Ki-74.

Tachikawa

Japanese reconnaissance bomber. Potentially a valuable addition to the Japanese army air force during the Second World War. the Ki74 suffered from a protracted development programme, and was still under test when the war ended. The original specification, issued in

the spring of

1

939.

was

for a strategic

reconnaissance aircraft with a range of 5000 km (3100 miles) and a ceiling of up to I2000 m (39400 ft). This necessitated a pressurized aircraft, and as pressure cabins were currently being developed on other Tachikawa aircraft the Ki-74 design was temporarily deferred. In early

1940. the Asahi Shimbun newspaper group asked Dr Hidemasa Kirmura. of the Aeronautical Research Institute of Tokyo University, to design a stratospheric aircraft for a non-stop prestige flight from Tokyo to New York. Two prototypes were built by Tachikawa Hikoki. designated A-26; the first was flown on November 18. 1942. and the second in May 1943. and by that time the programme had been taken over by the army air force and the ai. craft redesignated Ki-77.

1

Ki-84,

The second Ki-77

Advanced Trainer models were produced:

1943,

the

left Singapore on June 30, en route for Berlin, but disappeared over the Indian Ocean in circumstances which are still unexplained. The first A26/Ki-77, however, made several notable flights, including an unofficial closed-circuit distance record of 16435 km (10212 miles) in July 1943. The points of the circuit were Hsin-ching, Po-Cheng-Tsu and Harbin. Experience gained by Tachikawa in building the A-26/Ki-77 was embodied in redesign-

by the army air force in long-range high-altitude reconnaissance bomber, and the first of two Ki-74 prototypes flew at the end of May 1944. Powered by two 2200-hp Mitsubishi Ha-211-I 18-cylinder radial engines, it carried a crew of five (pilot, copilot, observer, radio operator and flight engineer). Fourteen preproduction Ki-74-Is followed (codenamed Patsy by the Allies) and these carried a 1000-kg (2200-lb) internal bombload and a single remotecontrolled 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type tailmounted gun for defence. They were powered by more reliable, but still troublesome 2000-hp Mitsubishi Ha 104 Ru turbocharged engines. A larger, bomber-only Ki-74-II, with double the bombload, was planned but never ing the Ki-74, revived

late 1941 as a

1

built.

Span: 27 m (88 ft 7 in) Length: 1 7.65 m (57 ft 1 Gross weight: 1 7 600 kg (38 800 b) Maximum speed: 600 km/h (373 mph)

in) I

Ki-76, Japanese Officially

1

Kokusai liaison

known

and

as the

spotting

aircraft.

Army Type

3

Com-

mand

Liaison Plane, the Ki-76 was not, as often suggested, a copy of the German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. The prototype of the Ki-76 flew in May 1941 a month before a sample Storch was received in Japan for comparative trials. Nevertheless, its existence was directly due to Germany's success with the Fi 156. and its design did resemble the German type except for the 310-hp Hitachi Ha-42 nine-cylinder radial engine, and the generous provision of high-lift flaps and leading-edge slats to confer short takeoff and landing runs. The Ki-76, codenamed Stella by the Allies, carried a crew of three, with a single free 7.7(0.303-in) gun in the rear cockpit. Exact production figures by Nihon Kokusai are not known, but probably did not exceed a few hundred between 1941-44. Most served with artillery units in the Second World War, but in 1943 a few were given arrester hooks and two 60-kg (130-lb) depth charges and served as antisubmarine patrol aircraft aboard the army aircraft carrier Akitsu Maru.

mm

m (49 ft 3 in) Length: 9.56 m Gross weight: 1620 kg (3571 lb) speed: 178 km/h (111 mph) Span ;15

Ki-79,

(31

ft

4

in)

Maximum

Mansyu

Japanese training aircraft. The Mansyu Hikoki Seizo K K (Manchurian Aeroplane Manufacturing Co) at Harbin was the major second-source production plant for the Nakajima Ki-27 army fighter at the beginning of the Pacific war, and in 1942 it began producing open-cockpit advanced trainers based on the Ki-27 airframe. Four such Army Type 2

all-metal

Ki-79a and Ki-79b, and the and metal construction Ki-79c

mixed wood and Ki-79d. All were powered by variants of the 510-hp Hitachi Ha-13a radial engine, and mounted a single 7.7-mm (0.303-in) forwardfiring machine-gun. The a and c models were single-seaters, the b and d having two separate cockpits in tandem. Total production of the Ki-79

is

not known.

Span: 1 1 .5 m (37 ft 9 in) Length: 7.85 m in) Gross weight: 2000 kg (4409 lb) approx Maximum speed: 230 km/h (21 1 mph) (Ki-79a)

(25

ft

9

Ki-83, Mitsubishi Japanese fighter

aircraft.

Too

late

for the

Second World War, the Ki-83 would have been one of the most formidable Japanese combat aircraft had the conflict continued into 1946. A long-range escort, it was originally studied by a Mitsubishi team, led by Tomio Kubo, as a single-engined aircraft (the Ki-73, which the Allies codenamed Steve, believing its service debut imminent in 1944), but finally went ahead with two 2200-hp Mitsubishi Ha 21 Ru turbocharged radials driving four-blade propellers. Pilot and navigator sat close behind each other in the pressurized cockpit, the rear seat being right on the front spar of the mid-mounted wing. In the nose were two 30-mm (1.18-in) Ho 105 1

and two 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon, and a small bomb bay carried two 50-kg (110-lb) bombs. The first flight took place on November 18, 1944. Apart from some vibration problems flight testing was outstandingly encouraging, and there is no doubt the Ki-83 was one of the potentially great aircraft of the late war period. There were plans for naval and reconnaissance versions, but only four prototypes were completed, the last flying in

May

1945.

Span: 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in) Length: 12.5 m (41 ft) Gross weight: 9430 kg (20800 lb) Maximum speed: 705 km/h (438 mph)

light alloy stressed skinning, except for the control surfaces which were fabric-covered. The new fighter had clean lines, a raised fully glazed cockpit canopy, inward retracting main undercarriage members and a retractable tail wheel. Fowler-type flaps were fitted. The army placed great importance on the new design and flight trials were very extensive, involving the two prototypes and no fewer than 83 service trials and evaluation aircraft, flown either by company or Tachikawa army air arsenal test pilots. During trials a top

speed of 624 km/h (388 mph) was recorded and a height of 5000 m (16400 ft) attained in six minutes 26 seconds. Great effort was put into ensuring that the Ki-84 would be a tough well-protected match for any Allied fighter. The main spar of the wing was built up for maximum strength and the fuel tanks were self-sealing. The pilot's head and back were protected by 13-mm (0.51 -in) armour plating and the windscreen was of 65-mm (2.6-in) armour-glass. Changes and improvements to ensure easier mass production, as well as better streamlining to reduce drag, were incorporated as the evaluation trials progressed. The prototypes had provision for a single centreline underf uselage drop tank, but this was replaced by a pair of underwing racks which could take either two 200-litre (44-Imp gal) drop tanks for long-range escort work or two 250-kg (550-lb) bombs for the fighter-bomber role. Some service trials aircraft were issued to an experimental Chutai (squadron) in October 1943. Nothing but praise came from its pilots and, fortified by their reports, air headquarters authorized Ki-84 production as the Army Type 4 Fighter, giving it the popu-

name Hayate (gale). Assembly lines were set up at Nakajima factories at Ota and Utsunomiya. The Ha 45 lar

engine had given considerable problems during the evaluation period. Production in quantity at Nakajima's Musashi Works did not go well initially, and it was some months before a reasonable monthly output was achieved. First Ki-84-I deliveries to operational units

Ki-84,

Nakajima

Nakajima

began

in April

1944.

and

in the

same month a further evaluation batch of 42 was ordered. These were intended not only to

Japanese army fighter aircraft. The Ki-84 was the finest Japanese operational fighter of the Second World War. Stemming from an illustrious family of remarkable Nakajima fighter aircraft, all of which served the army air force in large numbers, Ki-84 was the work

iron out snags with the engine and problems with the hydraulic system, but to ensure future development of the design. In August 1944 the 22nd Sentai was sent to

of engineer Yasumi Koyama who initiated detailed work on the design in May 1942. , Koku Hombu (army air headquarters) had issued a specification calling for a fighter which could reach 640 km/h (398 mph), fly 400 km (250 miles) from base, then operate at combat rating for I3 hours, finally returning to base. The powerplant specified was Nakajima's Ha 45 18-cylinder double-row radial. an army version of the navy's Nakajima Homare. An armament of two heavy calibre machine-guns and two 20-mm (0.79-in) cannon was prescribed. The first of two prototypes flew in April 1943. The Ki-84 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane, with an oval-section light alloy fuselage of semimonocoque construction, flush-riveted. As a weight-saving measure, the wing was built integrally with the fuselage. The whole structure was covered in

formed

the

Hankow

bitter fighting

fighting

zone

was taking

China where It had been from the original in

place.

largely with pilots experimental Chutai and was the first unit to fly the production Ki-84-Ia in action. Results were good and the experienced Japanese fliers exploited Ki-84 '*s qualities to the full, opposing Chinese and US pilots having little chance against them. From September 1944 onwards the 22nd. and a number of other Sentais rapidly equipped with Ki-84-Is, were sent to the Philip-

pines to meet the anticipated US invasion. By Ki-84the autumn of 1944 no fewer than equipped Sentais were in that area. Production had reached the impressive figure of 1670 aircraft by the end of 1944. The Ki-84 undoubtedly did well for Japan in very difficult circumstances. It performed brilliantly in the air and ran the earlier Nakajima Ki-27 and Ki-43 fighters close in combat manoeuvrability. It had a better climb rate 1

1

1613

Ki-84,

Nakajima

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (gale), known to the Allies as Frank, was first used in action in October 1943 when some preproduction models were sent for evaluation in China. Its early success continued and by the end of 1944, 16 Sentais were equipped with the type. Even in the last months of the war the 51st Sentai operating from Shimodate airfield near Tokyo claimed 12 US aircraft between February 16-17, 1945. The armament of two 12.7-mm (0.5-in) machine-guns and two 20-mm (0.79-in) cannon proved formidable in the ground-attack role

1614

Ki-87,

than

the US and British fighters which against it in 1944. It was also very

all

came

adaptable and performed long-range missions and sweeps equally as well as its basic interception task.

Its

useful

armament

—two

fuselage-mounted 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 machine-guns and two wing-mounted 20-mm made it a formidable (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon opponent and was also very useful in groundsupport operations. As a fighter-bomber with two 250-kg (550-lb) bombs it was often utilized in the ground-attack role. After identification over the Philippines, Ki-84 was

—

codenamed Frank by the Allies. After some months of operations the problems caused by a greatly expanded and illtrained work force and components of increasingly doubtful quality began to affect quality of production of the Ki-84. Undercarriage leg and hydraulic system failures became all too common, and losses from

the

accidents

enemy

threatened

to

rival

those

from

action.

however, Ki-84 was difficult to While easy air victories were a thing of the past for Japanese pilots, by the time Ki-84 became standard equipment some outstanding scores were obtained, particularly by Major Iwashi's veteran 22nd Sentai. Air headquarters were confirmed in their view that in the Ki-84 they had easily their best fighter and the need was for more and more In the air,

beat.

production. The Mansyu factory in Manchuria joined the programme, first deliveries being made early in 1945. Side by side with this massive effort was the programme to improve the Ha 45 engine. Prototype and early evaluation aircraft had Ha 45 Model lis. developing 1800 hp for takeoff and 1650 hp at 2000 m (6560 ft), while the initial production Ki-84-Ia had the slightly improved Model 12 engine. It was not, however, until the Models 21 and 25 were introduced that greater reliability and serviceability were obtained. In addition to the problems mentioned. Nakajima's aero-engine factory at Musashi was a prime target for US B-29 Superfortress

and heavy bombing in November and December 1944 slowed down production for

raids,

underground factories were opened for Ha 45 manufacture, but output figures failed to reach the army's targets. a time. Special

Nevertheless, by the end of 1944 no fewer than 16 Sentais were equipped with the Ki84. The initial Ki-84-Ia was succeeded by the Ki-84-Ib with four 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon, and later a small batch of the Ki-84Ic version appeared. They were specialized bomber intercepters with two 30-mm (1.18in) Ho 105 cannon in place of the usual 20weapons. The only other version to go into very limited service was the Ki-84-II Kai, produced at the Tanuma factory and

mm

from Ki-84-I in having the rear fuselage and wingtips constructed of wood. Those Ki-84s which survived the Philippines campaign and were not expended in suicide attacks were withdrawn, some to fight desperately over Okinawa, but most to join the newly produced Ki-84s in the bitter task of defending the Japanese homeland. Four Ki-84 Sentais were used to defend Okinawa, the 47th, 52nd. 101st and 102nd. They wrought havoc not only in the air. but on the ground, using their armament with particularly good effect against US aircraft dispersed on captured airfields on the island. Over Japan, Ki-84s fought to the last against B-29s and British and US naval airbombcraft. Despite production problems ing had finally brought engine production at Musashi to a halt in April 1945 together with the lack of trained pilots and the problem of defective parts and systems, Ki-84 Sentais fought on until the Japanese surrender in August 1945. In the closing months of war the Ki-84 held its own. The top-ranking 51st Sentai, for differing

— —

example, claimed 12 US aircraft destroyed over a two-day period from February 16-17, 1945, while operating out of Shimodate airfield near Tokyo. Efforts to expand Ki-84 production by using less strategic materials and by finding an alternative powerplant to the Ha 45 continued throughout 1944 and 1945. Soon after

Mansyu

joined the Ki-84 programme, the

fourth of that firm's production aircraft was converted to take a 1550-hp Mitsubishi Ha 112-11 radial driving a three-bladed metal propeller in place of the Ki-84's usual fourblader. This was designated Ki-1 16, and testing commenced in July 1945. Progress was good, but was soon halted by the cessation of hostilities.

Meanwhile

the

Tachikawa com-

Nakajima

pany had developed the Ki-106, with a redesigned all-wood fuselage. Three prototypes were built, but only one ever flew, again in July 1945. It equalled Ki-84's maximum speed, but had a poorer rate of climb. Nakajima began designing the Ki-1 13 variant in autumn 1944. Three prototypes and 30 preproduction aircraft were planned, using carbon steel for many of the parts, as well as wood for the tailplane and aft fuselage section. Power was provided by the Ha 45 Model 21 engine, the version which had ironed out most of the problems with the powerplant. The programme was abandoned in July 1945 with the first prototype still incomplete. Final desperate efforts at adapting Ki-84 as a high-altitude intercepter began in June 1945. The Ki-84R was simply a standard fighter with a two-stage supercharger. The Ki-1 17 was originally the Ki-84N, intended to have a modified wing and the new, untried 2500-hp Ha 44- 13 radial. Plans for production of Ki-1 17 were already being prepared when Japan surrendered, at which time the first Ki84R had not been completed. Ki-84 was indeed an outstanding example of Japanese design genius. Of 3514 of all versions built. 3382 were of production standard, all built by Nakajima except for 94 constructed at the Mansyu factory in Harbin.

Span: 11.24 m (36 ft 11 in) Length: 9.92 7 in) Gross weight: 3613 kg (7965 lb) Maximum speed: 631 km/h (392 mph) at 61 20 m (20080 ft)

(Ki-84-l)

m

(32

ft

Ki-86A. Kokusai Japanese version of Biicker

Jungmann German

trainer aircraft

See Jungmann

Ki-87,

Nakajima

Japanese army experimental intercepter

air-

the threat of US heavy bombers capable of flying above the ceiling of craft.

To meet

Japanese fighter aircraft then under development, army representatives and Nakajima designers held a meeting in early 1942 resulting in the building of the Ki-87 prototype which incorporated an exhaust-driven supercharger and a pressurized cockpit. It was intended to build three prototypes

Ki-84 was not only an excellant fighter, but could also perform long-range sweeps. As a fighterbomber it could carry two 250-kg (550-lb) bombs

The

1615

Rikugun

Ki-93,

and seven evaluation aircraft, but the course of the war and pressures on the Nakajima company resources meant that only one was completed. "This sole example made five brief test flights during April 1945 after which all development was abandoned. Ki-8~ was powered by a 2400-hp Nakajima

Ha

44-12 18-cylinder radial engine driving four-bladed propeller. The turbosupercharger was mounted on the starboard side of the forward fuselage. The necessary pressurization was assisted by sealing the bulkhead, floor and side walls round the pilot'*; cockpit and. in addition, the sliding canop> The undercarriage retracted backwards into fairings under the wings, the a heel units turning through a 90° angle during a

.

The wing had a relatively thin section and this made wheel fairings necessary because the limited wing space ».i> occupied b> the two large 30-mm 1. 18-in) Ho 105 cannon, and their ammunition. The armament was completed b> a pair of synchronized 20-mm (O.^-in) Ho 5 cannon. The engine was still giving trouble when development was abandoned, but nevertheless the Ki-8~ was a hold venture which had been attempted despite the appalling problems facing the Japanese during the last two yean of the Second World War.

augment this armament w ith a pair of forw ard20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon mounted in the wing roots. After some indecision a large single fin and rudder assembly was adopted. The two-man crew of pilot and gunner were seated back to back, and both of them were protected by 12mm (0.47-in) armour. The w indscreen was of 70-mm (2"5-in) armoured glass. The gunner worked a free-mounted 12. "-mm (0.5-in) Ho

firing

103 machine-gun. flew

on April

landing.

A

8.

1945.

few weeks

Boeing B-29 Superfortress raids destroyed it completely and an incomplete second prototype was evacuated, but the war came to an end before it was finished. later.

retraction.

(

Length 14.21 m (46 ft 7 in) Gross weight 11440 kg (25220 lb) Maximum speed 624 km h (388 mph) at 8300 m (27 230 ft)

Ki-96. Japanese

(62

ft

4

in)

Kawasaki army

fighter

aircraft

Originally

designated Ki-45-II. this experimental twinengined fighter w as developed from the Ki-45 Tbryil. The original plan for a two-seater was

changed

to a single-seat configuration.

In fact, this decision

was not made

until the

prototype was almost completed. To avoid delay in flight trials, it merely had the gunner's cockpit faired over, whereas the second and third prototypes had a redesigned smaller canopy for the pilot. Ki-96 was a low mid-wing monoplane w ith a large angular fin and rudder. The main undercarriage legs retracted fully into the engine nacelles and first

Length 1 1 82 m (38 ft 9 in) Gross weight 5632 kg (12416 lb) Maximum speed (estimated) 706 km/h (439 mph) at 1 1 000 m (36100 ft)

Span

13.42

Ki-93,

m

(44

ft)

Rikugun

tail wheel was also retractable. The armament was a 37-mm (1.46-in) Ho 203 cannon and two 20-mm (O.^-in) Ho 5 can-

Japanese army fighter aircraft. The prototype he w ork of the army's ow n Aeronautical Research Institute in collaboration with the first arm> air arsenal. The original concept

the

for a single-seat aircraft was altered to provide for a crew of two. The powerplant u.is two Mitsubishi Ha 214 radial engines driving

flew for the first time in September 1943 the interest of Kawasaki and the army had switched to the Ki- 102 two-seat multirole development of the Ki-45. Flights were made by all three

si\-bladed constant-speed metal propellers.

each designed to deliver 2"00 hp for takeoff. The Ki-^3 was designed to carry a single 57-mm <2.24-in) Ho 401 cannon with a 30round rotating drum magazine. The weapon was housed in a large ventral bulge which gave the aircraft's low -wing design a midwing appearance. It was also proposed to

The Kawasaki Ki-96

1616

fighter only

all fixed in the nose By the time the original prototype

non,

prototypes for over a year, but these were to gain information for the Ki-I02.

only

Span. 15.57 m (51 ft 1 in) Length 1 1 .45 m (37 ft 7 Gross weight 6000 kg (13228 lb) Maximum

in)

speed 630 km/h

Kawasaki

fighter. This can truly be described as Japan's "crisis' fighter. With the homeland being pounded by US heavy bombers, and the destruction of Kawasaki's main aero-engine factory, the army air headquarters was desperately in need of more fighters.

In particular they

wanted

aircraft

which were

capable of destroying the Boeing B-29 Super-

which late in 1944 were making from altitudes of up to 0000 m (32 800 ft). The most immediate problem was that of the 275 Ki-6I-II Kai fighters which had already been completed at Kawasaki's Kagamigahara airframe plant and were now stored out in the open without engines. fortresses,

The first prototype but was damaged in

Span 19 m

Ki-100.

Japanese army

(391

mph)

at

9500 m

(31

200 ft)

raids

1

The ministry of munitions urgently instructed Kawasaki to adapt the Ki-61-II Kai airframe to take a different engine one of those currently available in quantity. It was soon apparent that the only reliable engine w ith sufficient now er was Mitsubishi's Ha 112-11 1500-hp radial. The diameter of the

—

engine caused an immediate problem, because it exceeded by some 38 cm 15 in) the width of the Ki-61-II Kai fuselage. (

It

was

a tribute to the skill of the

Kawasaki

engineering team that the work of adaptation was carried out so quickly and effectively.

They were able to refer to the single example of a German Focke-Wulf Pa 190. which had been imported for the army, and study its engine mounting. They also consulted navy engineers who had fitted the Ha 112 radial to the formerly in-line powered Yokosuka D4V Suisei dive-bomber. Even so. it was a remarkable achievement when the first new aircraft, by then designated Ki-100. took off for the first time on February 1. 1945. less than three months after the initial order to produce the new fighter had been received. With reduced overall weight, power loading and w ing loading were also down and with the lighter Ha 112 engine, an aircraft markedly more manoeuvrable than the Ki-61-II Kai resulted. The Ki-100 had the great advantage of having a tried and reliable engine, which was much more easily maintained than the Ki-6|-Il Kai's Ha 140 in-line powerplant. Ki-100 flight tests were successful and used three prototypes converted from the airframes in stock. The fourth machine pro-

reached the prototype stage, and by September 1943 interest had waned

in

favour

of

the Ki-102 fighter

KM 00,

Kawasaki

The Ki-1 00 combined the Ki-61-ll Kai airframe with Mitsubishi's Ha 112-11 1500-hp radial engine. The first aircraft flew only three months after the initial order for a new type had been received. Despite its unusual origins, and the constant pressure that the Japanese aircraft industry

were the

was under because of bombing, 118 Those that reached front-line units

built.

summer of 1945 performed

in

well against

B-29s and carrier-based aircraft

1617

KM 02, duced was designated

in

Kawasaki fact the

Army Type

first

series aircraft,

5 Fighter

Model 1A.

Armament was as for the Ki-61-II Kai, with two synchronized 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon and two wing-mounted 12.7-mm (0.5-in)

Ho

103 machine-guns.

Two

250-kg (550-lb)

bombs could be carried on underwing racks. The remaining Ki-61-II Kai airframes were converted at Kagamigahara during the next four months and flown at once to service units including the 5th. 17th, 59th. 1th and 244th Sentais. In operations they proved 1

1

whose prototypes were built, with accommodation for a two-man crew, armour protection for the crew and fuel tanks, two 1500-hp Mitsubishi Ha 12-11 14-cylinder two-row radial engines, and armament comprising a 57-mm (2.24-in) Ho 141 cannon in the nose, 1

two 20-mm

were followed during April to by 20 preproduction examples. Series production began in October, and the only significant change was a lengthened tail wheel leg to permit a flatter approach angle October

flying training.

or

Further development resulted

in

the Ki-

which was produced from scratch as a complete design. This differed from the Ki100-Ia in having a cut-down rear fuselage behind the pilot's cockpit and a fully glazed canopy with unrestricted vision. Production of this version began in May 1945. but was severely hampered by Allied bombing. At the time of the Japanese surrender in August 1945 only 118 Ki-100-Ib fighters had been built, only a proportion off which had been delivered to operational units, such as the 5th

Ki-lOOs accounted for a number off remarkable victories over the Japanese homeland. The 244th Sentai commanded by Major Teruhiko Koyabashi claimed the destruction of seven Chance Vought F4U Corsairs on June 3, 1945, and claimed 12 Hellcat kills on July 25. In efforts to achieve an even better performance, the Ki-100-II was developed, the first of three prototypes built flying in March 12-11 Ru engine with a 1945. Using the Ha 1

turbo-supercharger, inferior to Ki-100-I

it had a performance below 8000 m (26 250 ft)

maximum

speed of 590 km/h (367 mph) at 10000 m (32 800 ft), the normal ceiling for high-level B-29 Superfortress daylight raids. The Japanese surrender in August stopped production. Ki-lOOs fought valiantly up to the very end of the Second World War. concluding a short but remarkable career which had begun just

altitude, but

ten

for landing, to correct directional instability.

production model was the Ki-I02b 4 Assault Plane, known to the Allies by the codename Randy. Although capable off carrying two 250-kg (550-lb) bombs or 200-litre (44-lmp gal) drop tanks, the Ki-I02b was little used in its intended role. Most of the 215 built were issued to

The

initial

Army Type

off the 3rd, 28th. 45th. 75th and 81st Sentais. and a few were employed on operations at Formosa and Okinawa. The majority were retained at Japanese bases to serve as home defence intercepters in case off invasion. Some were used for trials off the lgo-IB air-to-surface guided missile.

units

Meanwhile, the

Sentai.

reached

its

months before.

Span: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Length. 8.92 m (29 ft 3 in) Gross weight: 3495 kg (7705 lb) Maximum speed. 580 km/h (360 mph) at 6000 m (19700 ft)

chief adversary was the high-flying B-29 Superfortress, and although the pressurized Ki-108 was being developed separately to intercept these bombers, an interim, unpressurized high-altitude version of the Ki-102. the Ki-I02a. was proposed. Six preproduction Ki-I02s and 20 fighter's

Ki-102bs were converted to Ki-I02a standard 1944-45 with 1500-hp Ha-1 12-11 Ru turbocharged engines and a revised armament. The rearward-firing Type gun was deleted, and the nose gun became a 37-mm (1.46-in) Ho 203. However, only 15 were delivered to the army air force, and none were used operationally. For night interception of B-29s. the Ki-102c was developed during the final months of the war. This had longer-span wings, a longer fuselage, redesigned cockpit, modified tail assembly, airborne interception radar, and a brand new armament: an underin

Kawasaki

Japanese army fighter

This promisdescendant of Kawasaki's twin-engined Ki-45 Toryu. the link between the two being provided by an intermediate design, the Ki-96, of which three were built by Kawasaki in 1943. This was a single-seat scaled-up development of the Ki-45, and showed excellent promise, but was abandoned when the Japanese army air force changed its mind in favour of a multiing

aircraft

was

a

its next 'heavy' fighter. then Kawasaki's designer Takeo Doi had already embarked upon plans for the Ki102. which was intended originally to succeed the Ki-45 in the ground attack role. In essence it used the same airframe as the Ki-96,

seat layout for

By

1618

its

first flight

on August

15,

1944.

By this time, however. Allied air attacks were keeping the Japanese short of suitable tugs for this glider, which was Japan's largest. There was only one alternative and that was to make the Ku-7 a powered aircraft. The result, first flown on December 15, 1944, and originally designated Ku-7-II, was the Ki-105 Ohtori (phoenix). Powered by two 940-hp Mitsubishi

Ha 26-11

radials at the front retained the dimensions and gross weight of the glider, and carried a crew of five. However, the payload was reduced to a 4.5-tonne tank or 4000 kg (8820 lb) of cargo. The army air force ordered 300 to be delivered by March 1945, planning to use them to ferry fuel from Sumatra, but only a few were delivered. Most of these were destroyed on their home airfield of Yokaichi by air attack. When the war ended about 50 Ki-105s were at the Kyoto factory awaiting delivery.

of the

tail

booms,

(Ki-105) Span. 35

m

(65

ft

4

(65

ft

(114

10

ft

in)

Length: 19.92

Gross weight: -\2000 kg (26455 speed: 300 km/h (186 mph)

in)

Maximum (Ku-7)

m

it

lb)

Span: 35 m (114 ft 10 in) Length. 19.92 m in) Gross weight: 12000 kg (26455 lb)

4

Best glide

ratio: 20:1

Ki-106, Tachikawa Wooden version of Nakajima Ki-84 Japanese fighter aircraft See Ki-84

KM 08,

Kawasaki

Japanese army

fighter.

The Ki-108 was

a

pressurized, high-altitude, single-seat development of the Ki-45 Toryu twin-engined

1 1

.45

multipurpose fighter. It was commissioned in February 1944 by the army air force. In July and August of that year two Ki-102b aircraft were converted as Ki-108 prototypes, armed with two under-fuselage 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon and a nose-mounted 37-mm (1.46in) Ho 203 cannon. Powerplant was a pair of turbocharged 1500-hp Mitsubishi Ha 112-11 Ru radials. capable of 1000 hp each at 10000 m (32 800 ft) and giving a service ceiling of 13 500 m (44 300 ft). Two modified Ki-108 Kai prototypes, with a wing span of 17.35 m

lb)

(56

Maximum

Gross weight: 7300 kg (16094 speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

KM 05

and Ku-7, Kokusai

fuselage

pair

cannon,

no

of

30-mm

(1.18-in)

Ho

105

gun. and an obliquely mounted dorsal pair of 20-mm (0.79-in) Ho 5 cannon. Two Ki-102c prototypes were produced, by converting existing Ki-I02bs. but no production was undertaken.

nose

m

(37

ft

7

m

(51

ft 1 in)

Length.

in)

Japanese army transport

aircraft.

Prompted

by Germany's use of the Messerschmitt 32

1

in) and a fuselage 13.05 m (42 ft 10 ft long were completed in spring 1945, but the Ki-108 never entered production. 1

1

in)

aircraft.

direct

into the air for

I

(Ki-102b) Span. 15.57

KM 02,

in

totypes

equally effective against low-flying aircraft from Allied carriers and high-flying Superfortresses. They were also relatively free of handling problems and therefore ideal for the young, relatively inexperienced pilots who went into action with only the minimum of

100-Ib,

Ho 5 cannon

the lower forward fuselage, and a single rearward-firing 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Ho 103 (Type I) machinegun in the rear cockpit. The first flight by a Ki-102 was in March 1944, and the pro(0.79-in)

fuselage hinged upward hydraulically. while the floor let down to serve as a loading ramp. The tugs intended for the glider were the Nakajima Ki-49 and the Mitsubishi Ki-67, one off the latter being used to tow the Ku-7

Me

Span. 15.67 m (51 ft 5 in) Length: 1 1 .71 m (38 ft 5 Gross weight: 7200 kg (15870 lb) Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

in)

large troop-carrying glider, in late 1942

the Japanese army air force ordered development of a similar type, the Ku-7 Manazuru (crane), by Nihon Kokusai, which would be required to transport a 7.2-tonne tank, 32 troops or equivalent cargo. It was designed as a twin tail boom, high-wing monoplane with a central fuselage nacelle. Construction was of

wood and steel. The landing gear comprised four main wheels and a nosewheel, all of which were non-retractable. The rear of the

KM 09,

Mitsubishi

Japanese army fighter aircraft. Encouraged by the high performance and manoeuvrability of the Ki-67 bomber, the army air force approved a suggestion made in late 1943 by the Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo (Army Aerotechnical Research Institute) at Tachikawa to develop two versions capable of intercepting high-flying US heavy bombers.

|

KM 09,

Mitsubishi

Although the Kawasaki Ki-102b was designed for a ground-attack role and armed with cannon and bombs it was pressed into service as an intercepter. Known as Randy to the Allies, it was deployed by day against high-altitude B-29s. while the

radar-equipped Ki-102c was designed for use against the low-flying bombers by night

1619

Ki-115,

Nakajima

Ki-1 15 was designed specifically as a kamikaze attack aircraft using a minimum of strategic materials assembled by semiskilled labour. However, problems with visibility and poor handling led to delays in development and the war ended before it could be used operationally. Underwing

The

booster rockets accelerated the

1620

final drive

Kiev The idea was

»

'

I

•

to operate them in hunter (Ki109b) and killer (Ki-109a) pairs, the former locating and identifying the target with an onboard radar and searchlight, the latter destroying it with a pair of 37-mm (I.46-in) Ho 203 cannon mounted obliquely in the upper fuselage behind the cockpit. This concept was then changed to that of a single hunter/ killer aircraft mounting a 75-mm (2.95-in) Type 88 long-range cannon in the nose. A modified Ki-67 tested this installation in the late autumn of 1944. and a production order for 44 Ki-109s followed. Half of them were to be fitted with 1900-hp Mitsubishi Ha 104 radials and the remaining 22 with the turbocharged Ha 104 Ru with better high-altitude performance. In the event, only the first 22 were completed, and served with the 107th Sentai, achieving only a minimal success. The basic Ki-67 airframe was used, with the nose glazing replaced by a 'solid' fairing, and the waist blisters, the dorsal turret and the bomb bay deleted. Two guns only were carried: a long-barrelled 75-mm (2.95-in) Type 88 cannon in the nose, with 15 rounds, for attack, and a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Type 1 machine-gun in the tail turret for defence. The crew of four consisted of pilot, copilot/ front gunner, radio operator and tail gunner.

Span: 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in) Length:17.95 m (58 ft 11 in) Gross weight: 10800 kg (23800 lb) Maximum speed: 550 km/h (342 mph)

The Soviet

Ki-115,

Japanese army suicide attack aircraft. The Japanese policy of kamikaze suicide attacks on Allied shipping and other targets during the final year of the Second World War was carried out in the main by using existing combat aircraft, many hundreds of which were expended in one-way missions. It was

widely believed that when Japan was eventuinvaded by the Allies, there could be too few aircraft available to stem the tide. As a result, several attempts were made to produce cheap, purpose-built aircraft for suicide ally

The best known example was the air-launched piloted flying bomb, which was used in the defence of Okinawa. The Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi (sabre) was less well known, because it was not used operationally. It was designed for construction by a semiskilled work force, and structural and aerodynamic detailing was of secondary importance. The fuselage was built mainly of steel tube and sheet, the wings also were metal, while the tail was made of fabriccovered wood. Welded steel tube was used for the non-retractable main undercarriage, which was jettisoned after takeoff. The Ki115 was designed to accept any available surplus engine in the 800- to 1300-hp power range (though in fact all those built were fitted with the Nakajima Ha 35, a 14-cylinder unit delivering 130 hp for takeoff). The pilot attacks.

Ohka

carrier Kiev photographed by the Royal

1

Navy

frigate

HMS

in an open cockpit aft of the wings, and a recess under the fuselage could accommodate a single 250-kg (550-lb). 500-kg (1 100-lb) or 800-kg (1760-lb) bomb. s;it

Nakajima

began in March 1945, and months, revealing poor handling qualities that needed improvement before the Ki-115 could be handed over to inexperienced Japanese pilots. As a result, auxiliary wing flaps and undercarriage shockabsorption were added. The pilot's view forward remained poor because of the rearFlight testing

lasted for three

ward-set cockpit. Provision was also made to four small underwing booster rockets to accelerate the Tsurugi during its terminal dive. In addition to the prototype, Nakajima built 104 Ki-115a production aircraft, but none were used operationally. Showa was to have built a counterpart for the navy, known as the Toka (wisteria), but none of this version was completed, and the projected wooden-wing Ki-115b and developed Ki-230 got no further than the design stage. fit

Span: 8.6 m (28 ft 2 in) Length: 8.55 m Gross weight: 2880 kg (6350 lb) Maximum speed: 550 km/h (342 mph)

(Ki-115a) (28

ft)

Kiev Soviet aircraft carrier class, formerly designated the 'Kuril' Class. Kiev, the first ship.

was

laid

down

in 1970,

Torquay during a cruise and A/S exercise

launched

in the

in 1972,

summer

of

and

1976

1621

Kiev

hbm

i

in Inset and below: KVevand her sister Minsk are intended for an advanced A/S role wartime while in peace they can be deployed as intervention warships. However, unlike US carriers, they do not have a large number of aircraft, being limited to the Forger VTOL and some Hormone A helicopters. They have a considerable SSM capability, A/S weapons and gun armament with point-defence systems, sonar and radar, which large one reflects the Soviet plan for multipurpose ships. The deck has two lifts— a abaft the island for V/STOL and a smaller one amidships abreast the bridge. Six spots larger spot are provided with a seventh forward on the tip of the flight deck. The central is apparently for the Forger aircraft

MH

t

£1

tm

Kiev ran sea 1976.

trials in

the Black Sea during 1975 and

The second

ship, Minsk,

thought to 1972, launched in is

have been laid down in 1975, and completed in 1977. A third ship, Kharkov, was laid down in 1975 and launched in 1977, and two further ships of the class

may well follow. When Kiev emerged from

the

Bosphorus

Mediterranean on July 25, 1976. she was hailed by the Western press as the 'first Russian aircraft carrier'. Kiev is, however, not a conventional 'attack carrier' on the US model, designed to project airpower to wherever it may be needed, but a 'cruiser/ carrier' designed to engage in long-range antisubmarine operations. In this sense Kiev is a development of the Moskva Class, but into the

section is given over to cruiser functions, with two 12-barrelled A/S mortars right forward on the centreline, then a twin-arm antisubmarine missile launcher, and two deckhouses carrying a twin 76-mm (3-in) mounting and a twin-arm SA-N-3 Goblet surface-to-air missile launcher respectively. On either side of these two weapons are four pairs of launchers for the massive SS-N-12 surface-to-surface missiles, reloads for which are carried in magazines served by a centreline lift sited between the deckhouses. An SA-N-4 'pop-up' launcher for short-range surface-to-air missiles is just aft and to port of the second group of launchers. Aft of the forecastle the ship takes on a more conventional carrier shape, with a flight

some

with two significant capabilities that the earlier ships lacked. She can engage surface ships or land targets at long range with SS-N12 missiles, and attack aircraft at significantly greater distances by means of the Forger VTOL fighter-bombers she carries. The Forgers can also carry out attacks on shipping and provide ground support. These two new weapons have influenced the design of Kiev,

deck

quite unlike any Western carrier built or projected. The division between cruiser and carrier functions in the layout of the ship is visually striking. The bow. despite its exaggerated dimensions, resembles that of the later missile cruisers, with its considerable sheer and a severe overhang testifying to the presence of a very large bow sonar. The entire forecastle

together with the active stabilizers give the Kiev Class ships the stability necessary for successful V/STOL operations. The flight deck itself is marked out with seven helicopter circles plus a larger circle aft which may be intended for V/STOL operations. The deck is covered with brown heatresistant tiles, each about 0.5 sq m (5.4 sq ft),

which

is

The Royal Navy

1624

frigate

HMS

185-m

angled at 5°. and a large island to starboard with a deck park aft of it. The sheer ends abruptly at this point, and the tapered bow section

widens

much

(607-ft)

long,

form which can be distinguished from Western carriers only be its very low freeboard 4 m (13 ft 2 in) to the hangar deck compared with 8.5 m (27 ft in) for the US Essex Class. The hull shape to a

fuller hull

—

1

1

and

Danae shadows

the

is

served

by two

aircraft

lifts;

one

between the

island and the angled deck and the other of identical length but half the width, aft of the island. The Forger is a close fit in the smaller lift. There is also a stores lift at the forward end of the flight deck, and several very small munitions lifts aft of the island. These are served by a 'railway track' that runs along the starboard deck-edge to the forecastle, where it encircles the forward missile launchers to end just above the portside Gatling-type armament. This track operates in conjunction with the two large star-

move stores and muniaround the ship during replenishment.

board-side cranes to tions

Estimates of the full complement of airit appears that between 20 and 25 Hormone helicopters and about 12 Forger VTOL aircraft are carried. The island is much larger than is normal in Western practice, since it incorporates many craft vary, but

ASW

of the ship's cruiser functions. In addition to a further SA-N-3 Goblet launcher and a

second twin 76-mm (3-in) mounting (sited at the after end in order to complete all-round coverage for these weapons) the island carries all the main search and guidance radars, which are surmounted by a large spherical radar for tactical air navigation. The massive funnel, thought at first to indicate gas-turbine propulsion, is now believed to contain uptakes for a doubled-up cruiser-size powerplant, giving a top speed of just over 30 knots. Outboard of the superstructure, at the deck-edge, is a second SA-N-4 launcher. Below flight-deck level Kievhas three pairs

Kiev as the Soviet carrier heads for the Shetland/Faroes gap

in the

August

of

1976

Kiev of Gatling-type close-range

AA guns,

one on

either side of the stern and one on a sponson below the lead edge of the angled deck

forward. A fourth pair is sited on the forward end of the island. She also carries quintuple banks of torpedo tubes in hull embrasures close to the waterline.

Before commissioning Kiev carried the pendant number 852, but this was subsequently changed to 860. Since she emerged into the Mediterranean, she has had a lengthy spell with the Northern Fleet, with which she has engaged in exercises. In 1978, however, she returned to the Black Sea, possibly for modifications.

~~>-~

r".

-'

!

i'

—tW

The Kiev Class are by far the largest ships ever completed by the Soviet Union, and in view of the novelty of the type it would be the design of later ships of the show some changes, as a result of experience with the Kiev and her sister surprising

^i^i=P -

mwa

-

m

oa

-•-

ea

sa

1^=3

if

class did not

Minsk.

Above: Disposition of radar equipment aboard Kiev. Be/ow. The bows, showing missile housings, secondary and point-defence weapons and the forward edge of the flight deck

Displacement: 32000 tons (standard), 37000 (full load) Length: 273 m (895 ft 8 in) oa Beam: 48 m (157 ft 6 in) Draughts m (29 ft 6 in) Machinery: 4-shaft steam turbines, 180000 shp=30+ knots Aircraft: 12 VTOL Yak-36 Forgers; 25 Ka-25 Hormone helicopters Armament: 8 SS-N-12 missile launchers (4x2); 4 SA-N-3 missile launchers (2x2); 4 SA-N-4 missile launchers (2x2); 2 SUW-N-1 A/S missile launchers (1x2); 24 MBU2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 4 76mm (3-in) AA(2x2); 8 Gatling-type AA; 10 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x10) Crew: 1900 tons

Kiev showing her forward 47-mm guns with the four twin SS-N-12

SSM

launchers. She also mounts

AA

and A/S

missiles

and

AA

guns

1625

'Kildin'

'Kildin' Soviet missile destroyer class. The ships comprising the class were laid down in 195758 at the Zhdanov yard, Leningrad, and the Nosenko yard, in the Black Sea. Completion of the first ship was in 1960. The 'Kildin' Class Bedovy, Neulovimy, Prozorlivy and Neuderzhimy have the distinction of being the world's first guided-missile destroyers. For the Soviets, however, they were an intermediate design which preceded the first generation proper of Soviet missile-ships. Four 'Kotlin' Class hulls were taken over on the stocks and the upperworks considerably modified. A bulky SS-N-1 'Scrubber' surwas face-to-surface missile launcher mounted aft, with a large magazine forward of it. Opinion varies as to the number of missiles carried, but it is probably between four and six. Two of the new quadruple 57-

—

mm

mountings were sited amidand a further two forward. No guns

(2.24-in)

ships,

larger than this are carried. A large lattice foremast, designed to extend the range of the missiles by mounting the search and guidance radars at a higher level, meant that the forefunnel was further aft than in the 'Kotlins*.

Antisubmarine weapons comprised two

twin torpedo mountings amidships and two 16-barrelled A/S mortars forward. Bedovy, which was in a more advanced state of completion when the hull was taken over, can be distinguished from the others by her funnels, which are similar to those of the 'Kotlin' Class, and (as completed) by the spherical Wasp Head director above the bridge. She also carries the earlier model 45(1.77-in) A A guns. When the SS-N-1 missile became obsolescent in the late 1960s it was decided to give

mm

these ships a radical modernization. The launcher and hangar were removed and replaced by a new deckhouse on either side of which four single launchers for the new SS-N-2 surface-to-surface missile were mounted on angled ramps. Two twin 76-mm (3-in) guns were mounted aft, and corresponding changes were made in the ships' sensors. The lattice mast was reduced in possibly to compensate for an height, increase in topweight. and a new back-toback search antenna fitted. Surprisingly, the ancient 16-barrelled A/S mortars have not been replaced by one of the more recent

AA

models available.. Bedovy and Neulovimy, the only two which had undergone conversion by the end of 1978, serve in the Black Sea fleet, the other pair having been moved from the Pacific to the Baltic about 1975, possibly for conversion.

Displacement: 3000 tons (standard), 4000 tons load) Length: \2B m (420 ft) oa Beam: 13 m (42 ft 8 in) Draught: 5m (16 ft 5 in) Machinery:2shaft steam turbines, 72000 shp=36 knots Armament: 1 SS-N-1 missile launcher (later deleted); 4 SS-N-2 missile launchers (4x1); 32 MBU A/S mortars (2x16); 4 76-mm (3-in) AA (2x2); 16 57-mm (2.24-in) AA (Bedovy, 45-mm [1.77-in]) (4x4); 4 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x2) Crew: 350 (full

Kilkis

Greek ex-US battleship See Mississippi

1626

Kingcobra, Bell P-63 US fighter aircraft. Although

based on an

established fighter, the P-39 Airacobra, and flown just a year after the US entry to the Second World War on December 7. 942, the Kingcobra was not a great advance on its predecessor and it never saw active service with any US unit. Despite this, it was produced in large numbers; no fewer than 3303 were completed, of which 2421 were freely supplied to the Soviet Union. The P-63 was based exactly on the unconventional layout of its P-39 predecessor, with an Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engine above the wing on the centre of gravity, driving the tractor propeller through a long high-speed shaft passing under the pilot's seat to a reduction gear in the nose. The nose carried a bay for the nosewheel. an unusual practice for the time, and part of the armament. One reason for this layout was that it allowed a heavy cannon to be installed for firing through the propeller hub. In fact the P-63 had few parts in common with the P-39. The wing was completely new. with so-called laminar-flow section, the propeller had four blades, and the rear fuselage and tail were likewise wholly redesigned. The original US Army Air Force specification was dated February 1941 and the delivery of 1

production P-63A models began in October 1943. Most of the A-series had an Allison of 325 hp ( 1 500 hp War Emergency rating), and armament comprising a 37-mm (1.46-in) cannon, two synchronized 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Browning machine-guns above the nose and two more Brownings in underwing pods, shallower than those of late model P-39s. There were many changes between subtypes; later A-series carried almost double the quan1

The

Bell

of 37-mm (1.46-in) ammunition (58 instead of 30 rounds) and much improved armour protection. From the P-63A-6 there were two wing hardpoints in addition to one on the centreline. All were able to carry a 284-litre (62.5-Imp gal) drop tank or a 227-kg (500-lb) bomb. The A-series was the most numerous model, and 1725 were delivered by late 1944. Before the end of 1942 Bell knew the had no interest in the P-63. but development never abated, and a further 1227 were built of the C-series, with the V-1710- 17 engine (War Emergency rating of 1500 hp) and an override power with water injection of 1800 hp. (There had been a projected P-63B with Packard V-1650 Merlin, but this was not built.) The P-63C-5. most of which went to the French Armee de I'Air, had a ventral fin. A unique subtype was the RP-63C-2 of which 200 were built to serve as target aircraft for air-to-air firing practice. Stripped of combat gear, the RP had 675 kg (1488 lb) of armour so it could safely be flown as a manned aircraft in combat with gunnery students using frangible bullets. Each hit caused a bright light to show up at the tip of the Kingcobra's spinner. There was only one P-63D, with increased span and rear-sliding canopy in place of the strange car-type doors used on production aircraft, features inherited from the P-39. However, it was decided to keep the doors in tity

USAAF

1

subsequent series, and 2943 P-63E Kingcobras were ordered, otherwise similar to the D, with a bigger wing, a -109 engine, and a slightly increased fuel capacity. Only 13 were delivered since the rest of the contract was cancelled just after VE-Day. A single P-63F was also built, with a new fin and rudder shape. Although used in considerable numbers

P-63 Kingcobra did not serve with the USAAF, and of the 3303 produced, 2421 were USSR. The Russians liked its heavy armament and armour protection

supplied to the

Kingcobra, Bell P-63

A Kingcobra with drop tanks. The could be

fitted

P-63 with Browning 12.7-mm

machine-guns in underwing pods. action on the Eastern Front the Soviet-piloted P-63s proved excellent (0.5-in) In

ground-attack fighters and were also able to take on Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters

1627

Kingcobra, Bell P-63 Armee de I'Air. the CoBelligerent Italian air force and Brazil, the chief user of the Kingcobra was the Soviet

during 1944-45 by the

1944 had more than 2000 The Soviets liked the heavy gun armament and good all-round capability in close-support operations, and were especially impressed by this fighter's ability to absorb battle-damage and return to base. Surprisingly, the tricycle landing gear proved able to withstand rough dirt strips and

Union, which

in front-line

in late

service.

bumpy board runways. As a high-altitude or air-combat aircraft the Soviets rated the Kingcobra

significantly inferior to their

own

smaller and lighter machines, even though it was still able to hold its own when competently flown against the Bf 109 or Fw 190. Virtually all Soviet Kingcobras were painted olive drab, but from mid- 1944 other recipients had unpainted aircraft. A considerable number were retained in the United States as trials aircraft, hacks and for other purposes. Today many Kingcobras exist, and some have been radically modified as racing aircraft. Some of their owners insist they are superior to such better-known fighters as the P-51. but this is not borne out by the lack of interest shown by the USAAF in the Second

World War. (A- and C-series) 11.68 m (38 ft 4 in) Length: 9.96 m (32 ft 8 in) Gross weight: (Aseries) 4763 kg (10500 lb) Maximum speed 660

Span:

km/h (410 mph)

1628

Above: A Kingcobra fitted with underwing machine-gun pods. Below: American mechanics check a P-63 at the USAAF base at Fairbanks, Alaska, before it is flown to the Soviet Union

King Edward King Edward

ally increased.

VII

British battleship class. During the last decade of the nineteenth century, British battleship design had stabilized to an extent where there were only minor differences between classes, and the process of development was confined to improving the existing type rather than advancing to larger vessels of greater power. By the turn of the century it

was becoming

clear that this could not last

Prompted by various foreign designs the British produced the King Edward V7/ Class. The class represented the

much

longer.

stage towards the 'all-big-gun' concept which was to arrive a mere five years later with the laying down of Dreadnought. The King Edwards carried the same armament as

first

pre-Dread noughts, with a twin 12-in (305-mm) gun turret forward and aft but for the first time in a British battleship they mounted an intermediate battery of four 9.2in (234-mm) guns in single turrets on the upper deck. At the time these guns were capable of penetrating battleship armour at expected battle ranges, but the rapid development of heavy ordnance and fire control, and the corresponding extension of the battle range, soon diminished their value. It was also found that at long range it was extremely earlier

to distinguish between the shell splashes of 12-in and 9.2-in guns, and this greatly reduced the efficiency of the firecontrol system. The ships still carried the standard 6-in (152-mm) gun armament of the earlier pre-Dreadnoughts, but these were reduced in number and were mounted on the main deck in a central battery instead of in individual casemates. The arrangement of protection was similar to that of the previous Duncan Class, but thicknesses were generdifficult

Zealandia, a King

Edward VZ7 Class

The machinery was also

simi-

provided in the Duncans but they had a strange assortment of water-tube and cylindrical boilers which represented the final lar to that

stage of the 'battle of the boilers'.

Dominion

and Commonwealth had a uniform tion

of

16

water-tube

Edward VII had

ten

installa-

but King water-tube and six boilers

The remaining ships had and three cylindrical boilers. The net result of the improvements in the class was a displacement over 1000 tons above that of any previous pre-Dreadnought cylindrical boilers. 12 water-tube

all the ships showed savings during construction, and when completed were between

but

465 tons and 765 tons below their designed displacement of 16350 tons. They did however show a substantial increase in cost at around £1300000 each compared with an average £1000000 for earlier ships. Three of the class, King Edward VII, Dominion and Commonwealth, constructed under the 1901-02 Programme, were laid down in 1902, launched in 1903 and completed in 1905 and two, Hindustan and New Zealand (renamed Zealandia in 1911), constructed under the 1902-03 Programme, were laid down during 1903-04, launched during 1904-05 and completed in 1905. A new design was prepared for the 1903-04 Programme but shortage of work in the Royal Dockyards made it necessary to place orders early so another three, Hibernia, Britannia and Africa were laid down in 1904, launched during 1904-05 and completed during 1906-07. On completion they joined the Atlantic Fleet but later transferred to the Channel and then the Home Fleets. In service they were found to be rather wet. their freeboard being lower than in earlier vessels, and they tended to roll more steeply, having a higher level of stabi-

battleship launched as the

New

Zealand, her

lity.

They were

VII

also difficult to keep

on a

steady course and the rather untidy look of them steaming in line ahead earned them the nickname of the 'wobbly eight'. During 191 112 Africa and Hibernia were fitted with aircraft runways and in January 1912 the latter vessel became the first British warship to launch an aircraft when Lieutenant C R Samson flew a Short S27 from her forecastle. At the outbreak of the First World War the class formed the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet and became the only preDreadnoughts to serve for any length of time with this force. At the end of 1915 Hibernia and Zealandia transferred to the Mediterranean and in January 1916 the remainder moved to the Nore to serve as guardships against German raids on the Thames estuary. of the class were war losses; King Edward VII which struck a mine off Cape

Two

Wrath and sank

on January 6, was torpedoed by UB50 off Cape Trafalgar on November 9, 1918, two days 13

hours

later

1916, and Britannia which the German submarine

before the end of the war. Wartime alterations included the removal of the 6-in (152-mm) guns from the central battery and repositioning four of them on the upper deck. In 1918 Commonwealth was refitted as a bombardment vessel with a tripod foremast, a new enlarged control top and director, and bulges. Zealandiawas similarly fitted but was not equipped with bulges. The surviving ships of the class were sold for scrap during 1920-21.

—

by Chatham dockyard Zealand built by Portsmouth dockyard Commonwealth built by Fairfield Dominion — built by Vickers

Africa

built

Britannia,

name being changed

—

New

—

in 1911.

She was sold for scrap

in 1921

1629

King Edward

1630

VII

King Edward

VII

An early seaplane overflies the pre-Dreadnought battleship HMS King Edward VII. She was one of eight ships notable as the only pre-Dreadnoughts to remain for any time with the Grand Fleet in the First World War, where they were part of the 3rd Battle Squadron. HMS Britannia was sunk by UB.50 off Cape Trafalgar in November 1918, while King Edward VII struck a mine on January 6, 1916 off Cape Wrath and sank slowly with little loss of life. The remaining ships survived the war and most were broken up in Germany. Though their armament of four 12-in (305-mm) guns was respectable, their protection which consisted of 240 mm (9 in) on the sides, 305 mm (12 in) on the turrets and 50 mm (2 in) on the decks was light by Dreadnought standards

-

A*.

1631

Kingfish

Hibernia, King port dockyard

—

Hindustan

Edward VII— built by Devon-

built

by John Brown

10 6-in (152-mm) (10x1); 14 12-pdr (14x1); 14 3-pdr (14x1); 4 18-in(46-cm) torpedo (4x1);

tubes (submerged) Crew: 111

Displacement: (average) 15600 tons (load), 17100 tons (deep) Length: 138.3 m (453 ft 9 in) oa Beam. 23.77 m (78 ft) Draught:!. 72 m (25 ft 4 in) Machinery: 2-shaft triple-expansion reciprocating, 18000 ihp=18.5 knots Protection: 229 mm (9 in) side, 305 mm (12 in) turrets and barbettes, 63.5-25 mm (2i-1 in) decks Armaments 12-in (305-mm) (2x2); 4 9.2-in (234-mm)

Soviet air-to-surface missile. Most Sovietdeveloped missiles with the notable exception of those captured from Arab forces by remain an the Israelis and put on display enigma to Western observers as far as detailed performance data are concerned.

Vought OS 21 Kingfishers patrol the East Coast

of the United States in the spring of 1942.

\f>\">

Kingfish

—

—

The AS-6 Kingfish, however, is surrounded by more uncertainties than many other missiles. The weapon is widely regarded as being adapted from the AS-4 Kitchen which arms Tu-22 Blinder-B bombers and possibly also some Tu-26 Backfire-Bs. A missile designated AS-6 and derived from Kitchen was reported to have entered service as early as 1970 on some of the Soviet naval aviation's Badger-Gs and to be intended as an interim weapon for Backfire-B. This missile could have been a development model of Kingfish,

They are armed with 45-kg

(

1

00-1 h

i

underwing bombs

King George V or a since-abandoned interim Kitchen derivative, or Kitchen itself; in any event, the definitive AS-6 Kingfish is now regarded as having entered service in 1975 or 1976 on modified Badger-Gs and Backfire-Bs. The missile appears to be heavily based on Kitchen, although it is shorter, carries the tail fin on top of the fuselage instead of below it, is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor in place of the AS-4's liquid rocket, and probably employs a different guidance method. The Soviet Union has consistently denied that Backfire is a strategic bomber, but the US Department of Defense certainly believes that one role of the aircraft is to deliver Kingfish against US cities from standoff ranges. This aircraft/missile combination is more likely to be intended for use against European cities, military targets and possibly

however. Both Backfire and Badger can carry two Kingfish missiles, one under each wing ships,

(beneath the fixed section in the case of the variable-geometry aircraft). For a maximumrange mission the missile is thought to be launched at a height of some 1 1 000 m (36000 ft)

from a bomber

flying at

Mach

about

Mach

0.8,

climbs to 18000 m (60000 ft). Having peaked at a distance of approximately 250 km (150 miles) from its target the Kingfish is then believed to begin a gradual descent at speeds of Mach 2.5 or more, possibly reaching Mach 3.5, before hitting an objective up to 700-800 km (440-500 miles) from its launch position. Alternatively, for operations against closer targets the missile may dive after being fired, then cruise at about Mach 1.2 at low level to attack objectives up to 250 km (150 miles) distant. Midcourse inertial guidance is thought to be employed, with an active radar seeker operating over the last 50 km (30 miles) or so of the mission. Kingfish is likely to be capable of carrying interchangeable 1000-kg conventional or thermonuclear (2200-lb) warheads, the latter type with a yield of 200 then accelerating to

1.8 as

it

was

the first aircraft to use spot welding of the primary structure, an all-metal monocoque fuselage with single-spar wing. Powerplant was a 450-hp Pratt Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior air-cooled radial, and a wheel undercarriage could also be fitted. A total of 54 production OS2U- Is followed, with a third strut added between fuselage and main float and R-985-48 engines, the first production model being delivered on August 16, 1940, to

&

The performance quoted above

is

that

,

ibly mounted in the rear cockpit, while a bombload of two 45-kg (100-lb) or 147-kg

bombs could be carried. By the end all US Navy observation squadrons

were equipped with Kingfishers, and an eventual total of 1006 OS2U-3s were delivered by Vought, a further 300, with the designation OS2N-1, being built by the Naval Aircraft Factory. Kingfishers served aboard

US Navy battle-

ships and cruisers as well as from shore stations and with Inshore Patrol Squadrons, and in addition to general patrol, scouting and observation duties carried out dive-bombing and antishipping attacks. The 100 OS2U-3s supplied to the Fleet Air Arm from early 1942

virtually identical to that in Orion.

When the details of the design became public, the class was severely and justifiably criticized for the weakness of their secondary armament. The majority of foreign Dreadnoughts had guns of 5-in (127-mm) or greater

as Kingfisher Is served mainly as trainers, but were also flown from catapult-armed mer-

calibre but financial restrictions (preventing

increase in size) and the presence of Admiral Sir John Fisher at the Admiralty meant that this innovation had to wait until the Iron Duke Class of the 1911-12 Programme. The increase in the ship's length allowed for an enlargement of the forward superstructure

chant ships. (OS2U-3) Span: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in) Length: 10.31 m (33 ft 10 in) Gross weight:2722 kg (6000 lb) Maximum speed: 264 km/h (164 mph)

she

King George

took

part

in

V with the

HM

Battle

Submarine K.4 of

Jutland

V

forward and after superstructure, since it had been discovered that torpedo attacks were more likely to develop from ahead. Four of these guns were, however, positioned behind lidded ports below the forecastle deck which proved unsatisfactory due to their proximity to the waterline; they were removed in 1917 and the ports plated over, thereby reducing the forward battery to eight guns. For the first time in a British Dreadnought the secondary battery was protected, the guns in the forward battery having 76-mm (3-in) side and 25-mm (1-in) deck armour while those aft and in the forecastle had shields. Except for the extension of the antitorpedo bulkheads to cover the engine rooms as well as the magazines, the remainder of the armour was

and observer. Armament, as in the models, was one fixed 0.30-in (7.62machine-gun and a similar weapon flex-

(325-lb) of 1941

The

Class were 1910-11 Pro-

1911-12. King was completed in 1912 and Audacious, Ajax and Centurion in 1913. Their design was a slightly enlarged version of the Orion Class (1909-10 Programme) and except for some small improvements had much the same machinery, armour arrangement and armament. The secondary battery of 4-in (102-mm) guns was mainly concentrated forward instead of being equally disposed in the

earlier

mm)

V

George

Colorado. The. next production model, the OS2U-2, differed principally in equipment and in having an R-985-50 engine, and 158 were delivered during 1941. The principal Kingfisher model was the OS2U-3, which appeared in mid-1941 and differed in having the R-985AN-2 or -8 engine, additional self -sealing fuel tanks in the wings and armour protection for pilot

1911-13.

four ships of the King George laid down in 1911 under the gramme and launched during

USS

HMS

kilotons.

King George V British battleship class, built

as

in 1917.

part

of

With her the

Ajax and Centurion 2nd Battle Squadron

sisters

British

most widely described for Kingfish, but many of the figures are difficult to reconcile with each other. At ranges greater than about 1 10 km (70 miles) an air-breathing powerplant in the form of a ramjet or ramrocket becomes attractive, with an afterburning turbojet into its own beyond about 200 km (125 miles). The solid-rocket US Phoenix air-to-air missile has a maximum range exceeding 200 km (125 miles) and is hypersonic, flying at Mach 5 or more, but a range of 700-800 km (440-500

coming

miles) for Kingfish using a solid rocket seems extravagant. Indeed, some US sources give a normal mission range of only 215 km (135 miles) for Kingfish.

(Estimated data) Length: 10 m (32 ft 10 in) Span: m (9 ft 6 in) Diameter: 90 cm (3 ft) Weight:

2.9

4800 kg (10600

lb)

Kingfisher, OS2U Vought US Navy observation floatplane. The monoXOS2U-1 Kingfisher prototype, which was ordered in March 1937 and flew for the first time on July 20, 1938, had the fuselage plane

and float arrangement of earlier Vought observation biplanes. However, it

layout

1633

King George V and the placing of the mast forward of the funnels, thereby preventing a repetition of the unsatisfactory arrangement in Orion where the bridge was cramped and the control top (positioned on a mast abaft the forefunnel) was subject to excessive smoke interference. Centurion and King George V

were completed with pole foremasts but the second pair carried tripod masts to provide greater stiffness as any 'whipping' of the masts affected the instruments in the control top. Subsequently Centurion was similarly altered but King George Vhad her mast fitted with heavy steel flanges. With the substantial enlargement of the control top later in the war it was found necessary to replace these flanges with a tripod which, being heavier than the earlier type, served to distinguish King George V from her sisters. Other wartime alterations included the fitting of AA guns and searchlight towers and the removal of the stern torpedo tube. On completion, the four ships joined the Home Fleet and during August 1914 became

Squadron of the Grand 27, 1914, Audacious struck a mine while on gunnery exercises off Lough Swilly. Both the port and centre engine rooms were flooded and in order to reduce her list various compartments on the starboard side were also flooded. It was subsequently found impossible to prevent the part of the 2nd Battle Fleet.

On October

spread of flooding in the after part of the ship to a lack of watertight integrity. After attempts to take the ship in tow had failed she was abandoned and. following a magazine explosion, capsized and sank approximately 12 hours after striking the mine. Her loss, which was kept secret until after the war, can

be attributed to poor watertightness and damage control since the damage sustained was not, theoretically, sufficient to sink the ship had these faults not existed. The three surviving ships remained with the 2nd Battle Squadron until the end of the

war and

were present

the Battle of Jutland (Skagerrak). In 1919 they transferred to the Mediterranean, returning home in 1924 where they were placed in reserve. In 1926, King George V and Ajax were sold for scrap, but Centurion was reconstructed to serve as a radio-controlled target ship and survived until June 6, 1944, when she was sunk as part of a breakwater unit for Mulberry harbour off the Normandy beachhead. See also Centurion.

—

all

at

King George

first of the 'second generation' battleships built under the restrictions of the international disarmament treaties. Because

they were overshadowed by later and much larger ships, they have always been underrated and criticized for alleged weaknesses. Yet. with the exception of the Japanese giants they had the thickest armour of any battleships built in the Second World War and were technically equal to most of their

contemporaries. Furthermore, three of the class succeeded in helping to destroy two

German capital ships. As early as 1934 the

British government realized that the country was likely to be at war with either Germany or Japan by 1941, and possibly both, with Italy conceivably intervening. What disturbed the Admiralty

Ajax built by Scotts Audacious built by Lairds Centurion built by Devonport dockyard King George V^— built by Portsmouth dockyard

was the fact that the Royal Navy was considerably understrength for such a struggle. Although nominally still the largest in the world the Royal Navy had a large proportion of elderly capital ships, the majority of which would be unfit to fight their opposite

Displacement: 23000 tons (load), 25700 tons (deep) Length: 182.12 m (597 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 27.13 m (89 ft) Draught: 8.43 m (27 ft 8 in)

numbers.

— —

Machinery: 4-shaft direct-drive steam turbines,

27000 shp=21 knots Protection .305 side,

254

mm

(10

in)

barbettes, 280

mm (12 in) mm (11 in)

102-25 mm (4-1 in) decks Armament: 10 (343-mm) (5x2); 16 4-in (16x1); 3 21-in (53-cm) torpedo tubes (submerged) Crew: 760 turrets.

13.5-in

due

HMS

were also the

weakness

King George V British battleship class, built

class

The

1937-42.

represented the capital ships of the

rearmament programme begun

V, launched in 1939, with her 14-in

The leading naval powers were anxious to continue the limitations enshrined in the treaties but not at the cost of their fighting efficiency. The London Naval Treaty was due to expire in December 1936, and a new conference was on the verge of being convened to discuss how the limitations on the world's fleets might be continued. Concerned with rectifying what it saw as a serious

in 1936.

(356-mm) guns trained

They

to port.

in the Royal Navy's strength the Admiralty advised the Cabinet in May 1934 that the new Naval Treaty must allow Great

Britain to build ralty

was

The ship was

new

battleships.

The Admi-

particularly anxious that they

lost in action at

Honshu

must

in July 1945

King George V be

laid

down

expired, even limits

on

size

as soon as the existing Treaty if its

successor produced lower

and guns.

Design studies for new capital ships had begun in the spring of 1933 to allow the British delegates to have clear objectives at the 1935 conference, just as they had had at Washington. Armour protection was given top priority, since it was recognized that even if the conference agreed to reduce gun calibre the new ships would have to face opponents with 15-in (381-mm) and 16-in (406-mm) guns for some years. Air attack with bombs of up to 910-kg (2000-lb) weight was to be taken into account. Speed was to be no more than 23 knots, the same as foreign battleships and the Nelson Class. The decisive battle range was held to be 11 000-14600 m (12000-16000 yards); it was felt that although a higher speed of 30 knots would permit action at greater ranges, experience showed that destruction of an enemy battleship would only take place at the lower ranges. The question of speed vexed the designers of what had now been labelled the '1937 Capital Ships'. The 1935 conference led to the Three-Power Treaty between Great Britain, the US and France, but the French, with a nervous eye on Italy, would not renounce their right to build 35000-ton ships with 15-in (381-mm) guns. The battlecruisers Dunkerque and Strasbourg were also fast, as were the German replies to them, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Gun calibre was also the subject of violent changes of policy. At the conference in 1935 the British were still pressing for a reduction to 12-in (305-mm) guns for battleships, although the US wanted to retain the 16-in (406-mm), while the French and Italians had secretly already committed themselves to 15-in guns for their new ships. But the British remained optimistic about a reduction to 14-in (356-mm) calibre, and won the United States round. Since naval guns and their massive mountings take a long time to design and even longer to build, the weapons had to be ordered before the end of 1935 if the first two battleships were to be ready in 1940.

The result was that in October 1935, two months before the convening of the London Naval Conference, the Board of Admiralty

recommended

that

the

new

capital

ships

should be 35000-ton, 28-knot ships armed with 12 14-in (356-mm) guns. The United States insisted on a clause to allow 16-in (406mm) guns to be reinstated if the Japanese refused to accept the Treaty terms by April 1937. In the event this happened, and so Great Britain ended up as the only country to build 14-in gunned battleships. This was at the core of most of the criticism levelled at these ships, although Second World War experience was to show that the theoretically greater range and hitting power of 15-in (381-

mm)

and

made

difference in action. But in 1935 the British designers felt that to compensate for the lighter shell they should increase the number of guns from eight or nine to 12, in three quadruple mountings, a solution adopted by the Americans as well in their 14-in design, despite their 16-in shells

King George V'/Prince of Wales Construction programme

provisional

actual

date

date

4/36

4/36

9/36

7/36

2/37

1/37

Launch

1/39

2/39, 5/39

1st turret installed

3/39

2/40

2nd turret

5/39

4/40

3rd turret installed

12/39

5/40

Completion of ships

7/40

12/40, 3/41

Order

for the

Order

for 2 ships

Laying down

gun mountings

of ships

installed

the battleships in place of the planned 4.5-irt (114-mm) gun the first example of a dualpurpose armament. The thick horizontal armour against plunging shells and bombs was raised from the middle deck to the main deck to improve stability of the ship in a damaged condition and to reduce the volume of structure vulnerable to semiarmour piercing (SAP) bombs. The original requirement for six aircraft had been altered, but

—

now

was

provision

aircraft hangars

to

in the

be made for two superstructure, the

time this had been done in any battleThe underwater protection system which had proved such an important feature of the Nelson Class was retained but in a much improved form. In February 1936 a provisional programme was drawn up for the two ships which gives some idea of the time-scale for building battleships, and the actual completion dates are given for comparison (see table above). It can be seen clearly that the main source of delay was the armament. The guns themselves presented no problems, unlike the

first

ships.

Three quadruple turrets had been stipulated to achieve the maximum weight of turrets.

broadside, although for a time the designers toyed with the idea of nine 14-in (356-mm) guns in three triple mountings. Finally it was decided to alter the number of guns to ten by substituting a twin mounting for one of the quads to save weight. As time was so short this sudden change can only be described as capricious. With hindsight it is clear that nine 14-in would have been nearly as good as 12, for the simple reason that a triple turret was roomier and easier to work than a quadruple one. But either arrangement was preferable

Name

to incurring further delay while a

new

twin

was designed. In any case the design of the new turrets proved more complex than the Director of Naval Construction 14-in turret

had envisaged, and the quadruple turrets were 1 1 months late because of a shortage of draughtsmen. The first two ships were King George V, ordered from Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow, and Prince of Wales from Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. The Board of Admiralty wanted to go to a 16-in (406-mm) gunned design to match the ships which it believed the Japanese were building, but to save further delay the next three battleships authorized under the 1937 Programme were repeats of King George V. Despite all the delays it was still hoped to have the first ship at sea in September 1940 and the others in 1941, and King George V began her trials in October 1940. During the crisis at the time of Dunkerque, work on the last two, Anson and Howe, was stopped, but only for a few months, and they joined the fleet in 1942.

V

Although King George joined the Home Fleet in December 1940 she was soon withdrawn for 'diplomatic' service, ferrying Lord Halifax to the US. This apparent waste of a powerful warship was, of course, to bolster British prestige by making it clear that the situation in the Atlantic was sufficiently under control to allow a new battleship to be spared. In March 1941 her sister ship. Prince of Wales, finished her builders' trials and a month later King George V became the flagship of Admiral Sir John Tovey, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. On May 27, 1941, she and Rodney brought Bismarck to action. No detailed re-

launched

builder

V

2/39

Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow

Prince of Wales

5/39

Cammell Laird. Birkenhead

Duke

2/40

John Brown, Clydebank

2/40

Swan Hunter, Wallsend

King George

little

16-in.

As work on the new ships progressed several radically novel features were incorporated. A new 5.25-in (133-mm) surface/ antiaircraft gun mounting was adopted for

of York

(ex-Anson)

Anson (ex-Jellicoe)

Howe

4/40

Fairfield.

Go van

(ex-Beatty)

1635

Kiowa, Bell OH-58 King George V's gunnery has been found, but eye witnesses report that she stood off at a range of about 12 800 m (14000 port of the

yards) firing plunging salvoes, while Rodney fired at a much shorter range. Although Bismarck took nearly two hours to sink she was completely silenced after only half an hour. The lessons learned from the sinking of the Prince of Wales were incorporated in the

A machine-gun-armed

Augusta-Bell 206

licence-built version of the Bell

JetRanger/OH-58 Kiowa

Model 206 army service

in Italian

Anson and Howe, and improvements were made to the two sister ships already in service. By this time the importance of shockpoof mountings was recognized, as was the need to provide generators and pumps more than one source of power. But above all, the loss of Prince of Wales put an end to any dreams of the battleship relying on

holding her own against air attack. Thereafter battleships could not operate without a properly coordinated air defence, however useful they might be as antiaircraft ships.

October 1944, King George

In

land to join the

new

V

left

Eng-

British Pacific Fleet,

followed by Duke of York, Anson and Howe. She saw strenuous if unexciting work, escorting aircraft carrier task groups and bombarding shore targets. In July 1945 King George V bombarded targets in the Japanese home island of Honshu, the last occasion on which a British battleship fired her guns in anger. In 1957, the order was given to sell all four for scrap, and so, after less than a decade of active service the King George V Class disappeared. Part of their relative obscurity may stem from the fact that they disappeared from public view so quickly and possibly because their achievements were overshadowed by other events. Yet they were in

day

the best-protected and bestdesigned British capital ships yet built. Despite the international restrictions under their

which they had been designed they proved more than adequate for their wartime tasks. On the two occasions that they saw action against enemy battleships they proved well able to look after themselves, and the single casualty was sunk under an attack which would have sunk any battleship. See also Anson, Duke of York, Howe, Prince of Wales. Displacement: 35990 tons (standard), 40990 tons (full load) Length: 227 m (745 ft) oa Beam: 31 .4 m (103 ft) Draught:8.5 m (28 ft) mean, 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) max Machinery: 4-shaft steam turbines, 110000 shp=27.5 knots (28 knots maximum) Protection: 381-356 (15-14 in) belt, 152-127 (6-5 in) deck Armament: 10 14-in (356-mm) Mk II (2x4, 1 x2); 16 5.25-in (133-mm) Mk (8x2); 34 2-pdr (40-mm, 1.57-in) Mk Vi pompoms (4x8); (Light AA, from 1945) 48 2-pdr pom-poms (6x8); 10 40-mm (1.57-in) Bofors (2x4, 2x1); 36 20-mm (0.79-in) Oerlikon (6x2, 24x1) Crew: 1500-1600 (approx)

mm

mm

I

Kiowa, Bell OH-58

the

controversial

LOH

although by this time the

competition

OH-6A was

in

pedoes. In Australia the

but the engines and electronics of the final 44 of a total of 56 Model 206B-1 Kiowas for the Australian Army; two more were built for the navy. OH-58B was a designation for the Austrian air force. Other Kiowa customers include Argentina. Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia, Dubai, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, in addition to the nine countries previously mentioned. OH-58C is the current US Army standard, with a 420-shp T63-720 engine, a new instrument panel, greater combat protec-

service, in March 1968 the Bell helicopter was announced the winner. Subsequently a massive order was placed for 2200 with the

designation OH-58A Kiowa. These differed only in detail from the original OH-4A and JetRanger, the main change being an increase in diameter of the main rotor. Deliveries of the OH-58A Kiowa to the US Army began on May 23, 1969. and within four months numbers were in front-line action in Vietnam. Primary role is light observation, but in South-East Asia the Kiowa formed a vital part of the helicopter fighting team that included the 'Cobra' (AH-1), 'Loach' (OH-6) and 'Huey' (UH-1) Iroquois transport. Powered by the 317-shp Allison T63 -700 engine, it seats pilot and copilot/observer side by side, with a rear compartment for two more occupants or, more often, various other loads.

Standard in-built armament kit is the XM27, with 7.62-mm (0.30-in) Minigun, carried in a pack on the left side and fed from internal ammunition tanks. Various other armament options are possible, and in Vietnam the crews were also heavily armed. In 1971 delivery began of 74 aircraft for the Canadian Armed Forces designated CH-136.

history of

These were supplied from the US Army order, and were replaced by an additional

Kiowa is unusual. The original OH-4A was flown on December 8, 1962, as an entrant

batch of 74 for the original customer. In Italy Agusta builds various Kiowa/Model 206 ver-

US

light multirole helicopter.

The

the

LOH

in the important US Army vation helicopter) competition.

(light It lost

obserto the

Hughes OH-6, and was subsequently used

as the basis for the extremely successful civil Model 206 JetRanger family. Then in the winter of 1967-68. the US Army reopened

1636

sions under licence for customers in Europe elsewhere. They include the armed forces of Iran. Italy. Saudi Arabia, Spain.

and

Sweden and Turkey. Swedish navy models

HKP

Commonwealth

and,

wide

are designated 6, and have long-leg skid landing gear and belly racks for short tor-

craft Corporation built

Air-

all

tion, day optics, improved communications and electronics, and later maintenance fea-

tures.

Main rotor diameter: 10.77 (fuselage) 9.93

m

(32

58C) 1450 kg (3200

ft

7

lb)

m

(35 ft 4 in) Length: Gross weight: (OHMaximum speed: 222 in)

km/h (138 mph)

Kipper Soviet air-launched antiship missile. The AS2 Kipper was the Soviet Union's second bomber-launched antiship missile to enter service, becoming fully operational some when the Kipper-armed time between 1961 Badger-C version of the Tu-16 made its first appearance to Western observers and 1965. Badger-C is fitted with a nose radar in place of the glazing of previous variants, and the forward section of the weapon bay is modified to accept a partially recessed Kipper. The AS-2 is of similar layout to the US

—

—

Kirov Hound Dog, with an

afterburning turbojet a pod slung beneath the rear fuselage. The normal launch height is about 1 1 000 m (36 000 ft), the missile then descend-

mounted

in

ing at approximately Mach 1.4 to low level and decelerating to Mach 1.2 for the remain-

der of its mission. Maximum range is thought to be some 210 km (130 miles). Various sources disagree as to the method of guidance used in Kipper. The weapon is thought to be a beam-rider during the initial stages of a mission, flying down the axis of the beam transmitted from the Badger's nose radar until it is established on course on its target. The mid-course guidance is by an autopilot, probably with steering corrections received over a radio link from the mother

and some form of terminal homing is employed, either active radar or infrared. There may possibly be two versions of the missile, with interchangeable seeker heads for different roles. Kipper can carry a highexplosive warhead weighing about 1000 kg (2200 lb) and it may also be fitted with a nuclear payload for some roles. The missile is no longer in front-line service.

The Hungarian Model 39M Kiraly submachine-gun fired the 9-mm (0.35-in) Mauser Export cartridge. It was used by Hungarian troops in the Second World War

aircraft,

Model 43M had a folding stock and as the magazine folded forward into a recess in the stock. Both weapons were tough and reliable, but few examples now exist

The

Kiraly

with the

(Estimated data) Length: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) Span: m (16 ft) Diameter: 90 cm (3 ft) Weight 4200

4.9

kg (9260

:

39M

lb)

tobal carbines

Kiraly small arms designer. Paul de Kiraly (1888-1964) was a Hungarian firearms designer who worked for various companies. He first became known in 1912 when, in partnership with a fellow-Hungarian named Lovasz, he patented a unique two-part bolt unit for use in automatic weapons. The basic principle was the splitting of the bolt into a heavy body and light head, divided by a lever which engaged in a recess in the gun body. When the weapon fired, the light head tried to recoil but had to rotate the lever in order to push back the heavy bolt body. This mechanical disadvantage slowed down the opening of the bolt to give a delayed blowback action. Kiraly next appeared in the 1920s, working for SIG in Switzerland, for whom he developed the KE-7 machine-gun. It was a light recoil-operated gun with few parts which was quite reliable and which was sold commercially in small numbers. He then worked on the design of the SIG 'MKMO' submachine-

and

rifles.

He retired

in the late

1950s.

See also Cristobal.

Hungarian

gun in which his two-part bolt was used. Around 1935 he worked for the Hungarian Danuvia company and produced a submachine-gun with the two-part bolt. The weapon was offered, through the BSA company, to the British Army in 1939, but it was rejected. It was then, with some modification, adopted by the Hungarian army as their Model 39M. It was a fully-stocked weapon, resembling a short rifle, and fired the 9-mm (0.35-in) Mauser Export cartridge. An unusual feature was its folding magazine. The 39M was augmented later by the Model 43M which was the same weapon but with a folding steel butt-stock. Most of these weapons were used by the Hungarian army on the Eastern Front during the Second World War and lost there. Following the Soviet occupation of Hungary, Kiraly fled to South America and in 1948 worked for the Dominican Republic, setting up a factory to manufacture the Cris-

(KE-7)

Weight unloaded:

Calibre:!

mm

7.8

kg (17

lb

mm (0.276 in), 7.65 mm (0.301

(0.312

in),

0.303

in (7.7

(46.9 in) Barrel length:

600

3 oz) 7.92

in),

mm) Length:M9 cm

mm

(23.6 in)

Opera-

Magazine :20-round detachable Rate of fire: 550 rds/min Muzzle velocity: 746 m/sec f/on: recoil

(2450 ft/sec)

(M-39M) Weight unloaded: 4.08 kg (9 lb) Calibre: mm (0.35 in) Mauser Export Length: 104 cm (40.9 in) Barrel length: 450 mm (17.7 in) Operation: delayed blowback Magazine: 20- or 40round detachable box Rate of fire: 750 rds/min Muzzle velocity: 450 m/sec (1480 ft/sec)

9

Kirov Soviet heavy cruiser class, built 1935-41. As part of the expansion of the Soviet navy authorized by Stalin in the early 1930s plans were drawn up for a new class of big cruisers to be armed with the 180-mm (7. 1-in) gun first tried in the reconstructed Krasni Kavkaz. With technical assistance from the Italian Ansaldo firm a design known as Project 26« was drawn up, with nine guns in triple mountings on a displacement of 8800 tons. Six ships were authorized under the Second Five-Year Plan (1933-38); two were laid down in 1935, two more in 1936 and the last pair in 1939 for the Pacific Fleet. Kirov was launched in 1935 at the Ordzhonikidze yard. Leningrad, which launched her sister Maksim Gorky in 1938. Molotov and Voroshilov were launched in 1939 by the Marti South yard, Nikolaiev, and Kalinin and

Kaganovich were launched by the Amur Komsomolsk, in 1943. Kirov was completed in the autumn of 1938 and Maksim Gorky joined her in the Baltic yard,

Fleet in November 1940. Voroshilov joined the Black Sea Fleet in June 1940. but the Molotov was not ready until just before the

German

invasion in June 1941. The Far East ships did not appear until 1943-44 as there were difficulties in supplying materials from Central Russia. There were some problems with these ships, and they were a disappointment in service, although it is claimed by officers who served in them that the 180-mm

gun was accurate and reliable. As completed the ships had triple 53-cm (2 1-in) torpedo tubes and an aircraft catapult between the funnels, but after 1941 the catapult was removed to allow additional AA guns to be mounted. Kirov and Voroshilov had a tetrapod (four-legged) foremast surmounted by a rangefinder and fire control, but the later ships were built to the modified 26b design, with a typically Italian control tower at the forward end of the bridge and a

much

lighter tripod abaft

it.

Kirov bombarded Finnish shore positions during the Winter War in 1939. She was damaged by German bombers in 1941. In April 1942 bomb hits caused more damage, but she was repaired and put back in service by early 1943. She has only recently been paid

off

after

serving as

a

Maksim Gorky was mined and

training ship. lost her

bow

on June 23. 1941. In April she was damaged by bombs and hits from German land artillery, but was not out of action for long. She was scrapped in 1958-59. Voroshilov was hit aft by two bombs at Novorossiisk in October 1941, and had to be towed to Poti by Krasni Kavkaz for repairs. In November 1942 she was badly damaged by two mines off Kmeiny Island in the western Black Sea. but limped to Batum. She was scrapped in the 1960s. Her sister Molotov was badly damaged by a torpedo from an Italian MTB off the Crimean coast in August 1942. but was repaired with the stern section of the incomplete Frunze. She was renamed Slava in 1958, and until recently served as a training ship.

Kaganovich was reported to have been handed over to Communist China in about 1952, but there has never been any confirmation of this. Her sister Kalinin was renamed Petropavlosk in 1957, and was scrapped in the 1960s.

1637

Kitchen Displacement: 8800 tons (normal), 11 500 tons load) Length: 191 m (626 ft 8 in) pp Beam: 18 m (59 ft) Draught: 6.1 m (20 ft) Machinery: 2shaft geared steam turbines, 113000-129000 shp=35 knots (in light condition) Protection:!^ mm (3 in) belt, 50 mm (2 in) deck, 100 mm (3.9 (full

No and name

launched

CV.63 Kitty Hawk

5/1960

CV.64

10/1960

Constellation

Armament: § 180-mm (7.1-in)/57-cal 100-mm AA (6x1); 6 45-mm (1.77-in) AA (6x1) or 10 37-mm (1.46-in) AA (10x1); 4 12.7-

CV.66 America

mm

CV.67 John

in)

builder

New

York, Camden

New York

navy yard

turrets

(3x3); 6

(0.5-in) AA machine-guns; 6 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x3); 2 floatplanes, 1 catapult Crew: 734-953

Kitchen

1

1

—

—

level cruise at Mach 1.2. Inertial guidance is used for the majority of a mission, with terminal homing both active radar and infrared have been quoted as the method employed for the final phase of the attack.

—

—

(Estimated data) Length: 11.3 m (37 ft) Span: 3 m (10 ft) Diameter: 90 cm (3 ft) Weight. 6000 kg (13200 lb) Warhead: 1000 kg (2200 lb) HE or nuclear

Kitty

Hawk

aircraft carrier class, built 1956-68.

The

Hawk was

a considerable improvement on that of the Forrestal upon which it was based. Both classes are equipped with four deck-edge lifts, three to star-

design of

Kitty

board and one to port. However, operating experience with the Forrestal Class had shown that the arrangement of deck-edge aircraft lifts was unsatisfactory because it tended to impair flight deck operations. The port-side

elevator in the

Forrestal at the

forward end of the angled deck was largely unusable in heavy seas. If the elevator failed it rendered the angled deck dangerous for landing operations, thus severely reducing the carrier's capability. In addition the use of this elevator was restricted when flying operations were in progress. In the Kitty Hawk

1638

Newport News

5/1967

Newport News

The Kitty Hawk Class aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy (CV-67) prepares to launch three F14 Tomcats during operations in the Ionian Sea on October 22, 1975

Soviet air-to-surface missile. The introduction of the AS-4 Kitchen by the Soviet forces in the mid-1960s (the service-entry date quoted by various sources spans the period 1962 to 1967) marked the beginning of a swing away from air-breathing propulsion to rocket power for stand-off missiles. The weapon was initially carried by the Tu-22 Blinder-B bomber and has since armed the Tu-26 Backfire-B. although it may have been superseded by the AS-6 Kingflsh on the variablegeometry aircraft. Kitchen is of conventional aeroplane layout, but the tail fin is mounted ventrally to allow the weapon to be partially recessed in the Tu-22's bomb bay. This constraint does not apply to the AS-6 Kingfish, which was developed from Kitchen, and has a normal dorsal fin. Kitchen would usually be launched at a 000 m (36000ft). its liquidheight of about propellant rocket then accelerating the missile into a climb or dive depending on the flight profile adopted. In the former case, against a target at extreme range around 720 km (450 miles) the missile climbs at Mach 1.8 until it peaks at about 27 000 m (88000 ft) some 250 km (150 miles) from its target, then increases speed to approximately Mach 2.5 in a shallow dive towards its objective. Alternatively, against a target at ranges up to 320 km (200 miles). Kitchen can descend for a low-

US

F Kennedy

2/1964

Kleines Kettenrad was moved aft of the angled deck. position of the starboard elevators was also altered in the Kitty Hawks, when the island was moved aft by 30.5 (100 ft) and two elevators sited forward of it and a third one aft. The height of the island was raised by one level to compensate for the restricted view of the bow catapult area caused by the resiting. The island is also much smaller in the Kitty Hawks and designed and treated to reduce noise interference within the command area during flying operations. As built all four ships were rated as attack carriers (CVAs), but in 1973-74 Kitty Hawk and Constellation became multimission carriers, with antisubmarine command centres and facilities for operating Viking S-3 aircraft and Sea King SH-3 helicopters. America and Kennedy were also rerated from John in June 1975. to With America, Constellation (which had been gutted by fire while completing in New York navy yard in December 1960) introduced the concept of guided missiles for carrier self-defence, and was armed with the Terrier. John Kennedy has the (basic point-defence missile system) Class

it

The

m

CVA

F CV

F

BPDMS

NATO

Sea Sparrow. See also Enterprise, Forrestal. Displacement: 60100 tons (standard), 80800 tons (full load) Length: 301.75 m (990 ft) wl Beam: 39.62 m (130 ft) Draught: 10.95-11.28 m (35 ft 11 in-37 ft) Machinery: 4-shaft geared turbines, 28000 shp=30+ knots Aircraft: 85 Armament: 4 Terrier surface-to-air missile launchers (2x2) Crew: 4950 (2800+2150 air wing)

Commonwealth Model 87A Hawk

Kittyhawk, Curtiss British

name

for Curtiss

See

Hawk

81

Kjellman

used

it

than

it

clear of the cartridge until the locking

was

was.

(Kjellman) 12.7 kg (28

Calibre: 6.5 lb)

No

mm

(0.256

further details

in)

Weight:

known

Kleber French armoured cruiser class, built 18981904. Three reduced versions of Jeanne d'Arc were laid down under the 1897-98 Programme: Kleber (at Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux), Dupleix (at Rochefort arsenal) and Desaix (at Penhoet, St Nazaire). Being smaller and more lightly armed they had only two pairs of funnels instead of two groups of three, like Jeanne dArc. The 164mm (6.5-in) Model 1893-96 guns were

mounted lozenge fashion in four twin turrets, 100-mm (3.9-in) Model 1893 in

and four casemates Kleber machinery

forward and aft. was launched complete with and guns aboard, but during the launch damaged her keel, and she remained in shipyard hands until November 1903. Thereafter she had a number of further mishaps including the ramming of the submarine Algerien, and did not join the fleet until the end of 1904. The class were good steamers but coal consumption was heavy. Kleber and Desaix were in the English Channel from the outbreak of war in August 1914, but were later sent to the Mediterranean. On May 29, 1915, Kleber van aground at the Dardanelles and took three days to refloat, under fire from Turkish guns. After repairs at Toulon she went to the Aegean, but

on July

Swedish machine-gun. Rudolf Henrik Kjellman was a civilian gun mechanic in Stockholm. In 1907 he adapted a locking system for machine-guns which had been invented and patented 37 years before by Lieutenant Friberg, a Swedish officer. The essence of the invention was the use of two flaps or props to lock the bolt and also to hold the firing pin

for his light machine-gun. This, the

DT, served the Soviets throughout the Second World War and afterwards. The system was also used in the most popular type of the 7.92-mm (0.312-in) Mauser Gewehr CO6/08 "self-loading rifle. The two-flap locking mechanism of Kjellman's is both strong and light and deserved to be much more used 1928

7,

was badly damaged in a British steamer off Mudros,

1915,

collision with a

and remained there for another three months. After a refit at Toulon she became the flagship of the 6th Squadron at Dakar in 1917. On her return to Brest on June 27, 1917, she struck a mine laid by UC61 off the Iroise

estuary, and

sank with the loss of seven and 35 men. Desaix joined Requin and Montcalm in defending the Suez Canal in 1915, then joined the 3rd Squadron off the coast of Syria, and rescued Armenian refugees from Antioch in September. The following year she went to Dakar to join Kleber, and in 1917 her 100-mm (3.9-in) guns were removed for arming merchantmen. She sailed to the West Indies as a convoy escort in 1918 to relieve Gloire, and after the Armistice went to the Far East. She was stricken in 1921 but served as a hulk and was not scrapped until 1927. Dupleix went to the Far East in 1910, and when war broke out joined Admiral Jerram's British squadron at Hong Kong. On August 21 she captured two German cargo vessels and later escorted troop convoys from India to the Suez canal. After joining in the hunt officers

for the German cruiser Emden she was recalled to the Mediterranean, and bombarded Budrum and Gaza. She was stricken in 1919 and scrapped in 1922.

Displacement: 7700 tons (normal) Length: 130 (426 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 17.75 m (58 ft 3 in) Draught: 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in) Machinery: 3-shaft reciprocating steam, 17000 ihp=21 knots Protection: 102-38 mm (4-1.5 in) belt, 65-40

m

mm

(2.6-1.57

in)

deck Armament: 8 164-mm

in)/45-cal (4x2); 4

10

47-mm

(1.85-in)

100-mm

QF

(6.5-

(3.9-in)/45-cal (4x1);

(10x1); 4

37-mm

(1.46-in)

(4x1); 2 45-cm (17.7-in) torpedo tubes (above water, beam) Crew: 608

Kleines Kettenrad German

half-track motorcycle. Kleines Ketchain-cycle) was the popular for this machine developed by the

tenrad

(little

name company and Sd Kfz

NSU

officially

designated

HK

101 or

2.

Most of the German half- and

three-quarter-

tracked vehicles were designed by private companies in the mid- 1930s, but in 1939 a range of standardized vehicles was proposed, 101. It and the smallest of these was the consisted of a small tracked unit, between which was the engine and what amounted to the front half of a motorcycle. The driver sat

HK

The French armoured cruiser Kleber built at Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux. Her career was marred by several accidents, and after service in the First World War she was scrapped in 1927

complete. Kjellman took this idea and built a

machine-gun around it, whose shape followed the general outlines of the Maxim. The weapon fired a rimmed round, and used a version of the Maxim T slot to pull the rounds backwards from the belt and feed lightweight

them into the breech. The empty cases were thrown out on the forward run of the bolt, and came out with very little force. The barrel was water cooled and there was a robust tripod mount. Without water the gun alone weighed only 12.7 kg (28 lb), which was a triumph for

its

day. Despite

its

advantages,

Swedish army did not adopt the Kjellman although the inventor had produced a most effective looking light machine-gun fed by a top-mounted magazine very similar to that of the ZB and Bren series. In the end only six weapons were made and the idea was dropped after several years of prolonged experithe

ments. In one sense the gun did live on, because in 1924 Degtyarev took the locking method and

1639

Klimenti Voroshilov

on a motorcycle saddle and steered the front wheel by handlebars. These were linked to the transmission to control differential movements of the tracks as in conventional tracked vehicles. There was torsion-bar suspension and the drive was through a six-speed gearbox. A load of 450 kg (992 lb) could be towed, and the Kettenrad was often used for towing recoilless guns in airborne formations. Two versions were made; the HK101 appeared in 1939-40 and was superseded by 1941-42. This the HK102. produced in differed from its predecessor in having a larger engine and almost twice the power, but apart from a slightly longer track there w;is no significant physical difference.

(HK 101)

Weight,

m (9 .2 m (3

Length: 3

ft

Height:

ft

1

laden: 1560 kg (3440 lb) 10 in) Width: 1 m (3 ft 3 in) 1 1 in) Powerplant: 1478 cc 4-

cylinder Opel gasoline, 36

bhp

at

3400 rpm

The basic KV-1 was armed with the same 76-mm (3-in) gun as used in the T-34 tank, but in answer to calls for a more powerful armament, the KV-2 was designed, which had a powerful 152-mm (6-in) howitzer in a large box-like turret. While this gave better fire-power, it made the tank too prominent a target and the additional weight reduced the performance and so it was eventually dropped from production. A KV-3 pattern using a I07-mm (4.2-in) high-velocity gun was then designed, but the disruption caused by the

German

invasion led to production plans for

with their better armament and armour. The KV-1, nevertheless, continued to serve until the end of the Second World tanks,

War. (KV-1)

6.28

m

Weight: 47500 kg (105000 lb) Length: (20 ft 7 in) Width: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)

Height: 2.42 m (7 ft 11 in) Armour thickness: 100-75 (3.9-2.95 in) Armament: 1 76.2-mm (3-in) gun; 3 7.62-mm (0.30-in) machine-guns Powerplant: 12-cylinder diesel, 600 bhp at 2000

mm

rpm Speed: 35 km/h

(22

mph) Range: 250 km

(155 miles) Crew: 5

being abandoned, and work was concen-

this

trated

on the KV-1.

the search for better performance, a KV-ls was developed, using thinner armour to reduce weight. Then came the KV-85, in In

which an 85-mm (3.35-in) gun was installed to improve fire-power. But after several other attempts to improve the basic design, the KV was eventually replaced by the Josef Stalin

Klippfisch German experimental

torpedo, developed Klippfisch was the codename for the early Ingolin (hydrogen-peroxide) fuelled weapons which could have restored mastery of the Atlantic to the U-Boats. It used an adaptation of the Tl thermal engine as fitted 1942.

Speed: 65 km/h (40 mph)

A German gunner (HK 102)

laden: 2250 kg (4960 (11 ft 4 in) Width. 1.15 m (3

Weight,

Length: 3.45

m

passes a

KV 2

knocked out during fighting

in the

USSR in the summer of

1941

lb) ft

9

Height: 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) Powerplant: 2000 cc 4-cylinder Stump K-20 gasoline, 65 bhp at 3500 in)

rpm Speed: 80 km/h

(50

mph)

Klimenti Voroshilov Soviet heavy tank, in service 1940-45. The KV-1 heavy tank was designed by engineers of the Kirov Tank Factory in Leningrad, directed by engineer Kotin. Design work began in February 1939 and the prototype

September; in was demonstrated in December it was accepted, and in February 1940 production began. The first completed tanks were sent to Finland for combat proving in the Winter War, and took part in the final breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line. In this action they

proved to be extremely

strong and reliable.

By June 1941, when Germany invaded the USSR, over 600 tanks had been built and, because of the threat to Leningrad, production was moved to the Chelyabinsk tractor works. Eventually some 13 500 tanks and heavy self-propelled guns on the KV chassis were built.

:'

":*•.-:>•

$*&& The Klimenti Voroshilov

1 served alongside the T-34 from 1940 to 1945 armed with the same 76-mm (3-in) gun. The chassis proved a versatile

mount for a variety of assault guns and for the

1640

Joseph

the basis

heavy tank, which was the eventual replacement for the KV

Stalin

Knox

USS

Valdez, a

Knox Class destroyer escort (or frigate) with a Kaman

in the G7a standard torpedo to give a speed of 40 knots over 6500 m (7100 yards). Another development was the Mondfisch for coastal defence. This weapon used Ingolin but had jet propulsion; despite a speed of 40 knots it had a range of only 280 m (310

yards). The Steinfisch was turbine-driven at 45 knots, for 7000 m (7650 yards), and was a forerunner of the Steinbutt and Steinwal, which became operational in 1945. Another turbine-driven torpedo was called Zaunbutt, but all details were destroyed during the

Allied bombing.

Two

air-dropped Ingolin torpedoes were LT 1500 and the turbine-engined LT 1000. The LT 1500 ran for 2000 (2200 yards) at 40 knots, but the LT 1000 ran for 5000 (5500 yards) at 50

produced, the jet-propelled

m

m

knots.

The K-butt was developed for use in midget submarines, and could be launched from an external frame. Sixty were produced, and it could run at 45 knots for 3000 m (3280 yards). The only other peroxide development of

was the Schildbutt, using seawater injection: it was also a 45-knot torinterest

pedo, with a range of 14000 m (15 300 yards). See also Goldfisch/Goldbutt, Steinbarsch/ Steinbutt/Steinwal.

Knorr-Bremse Swedish/German light machine-gun. The Knorr-Bremse was used as a substitute standard by the German army during 1940-44. The weapon was designed in Sweden by Lauf and Przkalla in 6.5-mm (0.256-in), and patented in 1933. It was designated LH-33 and although offered for sale to various countries was never put into production. In 1936 Lauf assigned his patents to the Knorr-

Bremse

Company

Berlin-Lichtenberg, who put it into production in 7.92-mm (0.312in) calibre in the hope of gaining an army contract.

It

was adopted by

because they had plies

of

of

the

the

Waffen-SS

difficulty in obtaining sup-

MG-34, but

as

soon as the

MG-34 was

Seasprite on the helicopter deck on the stern originally designed for the

Knorr-Bremse was weapon. It was later issued to various of the Waffen-SS foreign legions. In 1940 the Svensk Automat Vapen company put it into production for the Swedish army. The Knorr-Bremse was a gas-operated weapon feeding from a box magazine on the left side. In two respects the design was poor. The safety catch could, if wrongly applied, fire the gun, and the unsatisfactory attachment of the butt meant that it was liable to fall off when the weapon was fired. Production of the Knorr-Bremse ceased in 1940 and few examples currently exist. available the

reclassified as a training

Calibre:!'.92 mm (0.312 in) Weight unloaded':10 kg (22 lb) Length:130 cm (51.2 in) Barrel length: 690 mm (27.2 in) Magazine: 20-round detachable box Rate of fire: 500 rds/min Muzzle velocity: 792 m/sec (2600 ft/sec)

Knox US

destroyer escort (or frigate) class, built A total of 56 utility destroyer escorts (DE. 1052-1 107) was authorized by Congress in the mid-1960s to replace ageing destroyers. They were authorized in five groups assigned to consecutive Fiscal Years: ten ships in 1965-74.

1964, 16 in 1965, ten in 1966, ten in 1967, and ten in 1968. In early 1969, however, all of the Fiscal Year 1968 ships were cancelled by Congress to finance cost overruns on the

nuclear submarine programme and to reduce defence expenditure. Even so, the 46 ships built represent the largest single group of major warships added to any Western navy since 1945.

The design is based on the Brooke and Garcia Classes, but without pressure-fired boilers in order to reduce cost and complexThe single shaft has been heavily ity. criticized by US Navy officers, who fear that a machinery breakdown would cause total immobilization. The cancelled DE.1101 was to have had General Electric LM 2500 gas

DASH

turbines and was to be a prototype for the Spruance Class.

Knox (DE.1052); Roark (DE.1053); Gray (DE.1054); Whipple (DE.1062); Lockwood (DE.1064); Marvin Shields (DE.1066); Dowries (DE.1070); Badger {HE. 1071)— built by Todd shipyards, Seattle. Hepburn (DE. 1055); Meyerkord (DE. 1058);

Lang (DE.1060); Francis Hammond (DE.1067); Harold E Holt (DE.1074); Fanning (DE.1076) built by Todd shipyards. San Pedro. Rathburne (DE.1057); Reasoner (DE.1063); Stein (DE.1065); Bagley (DE.1069); Robert E Peary {ex- Connolly) (DE. 1073)— built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction company.

—

Connole (DE.

1056);

W S Sims (DE. 1059);

Patterson (DE. 1061); Vreeland (DE. 1068); Blakely (DE. 1072); Trippe(DE.\015)\ Ouellet (DE.1077); Joseph Hewes (DE.1078); Bowen (DE.1079); Paul (DE.1080); Aylwin (DE.1081); Elmer Montgomery (DE.1082); Cook (DE.1083); McCandless (DE.1084); Donald B Beary (DE.1085); Brewton (DE.1068); Kirk Barbey (DE.1087); (DE.1088); Jesse L Brown (DE.1089); Ainsworth (DE .1090); Miller (DE.1091); Thomas Hart (DE.1092); Capodanno (DE.1093); P/ia/n'5(DE.1094); Truett (DE.1095); Valdez (DE.1096); Moinester (DE. 1097)— built by Avondale shipyards, Westwego, Louisiana.

C

The Avondale ships were built by a new method of mass production, with the keel uppermost to facilitate 'downhead' welding. Prefabricated inverted modules were assembled on a permanent platen, then lifted by hydraulic crane and moved sideways into a giant turning ring, which rotated the hull into the upright position. The ships were launched

broadside on.

The original armament did not include a missile defence against air attack but proviwas made for eventual fitting of the Sea Sparrow basic point defence missile system sion

aft. A hangar for the DASH (drone antisubmarine helicopter) was provided, but

(BPDMS)

1641

Knox The USS Pharris, a Knox Class frigate. They are the largest class of frigate or destroyer type to be built in the West since the war. There are 46 ships in the class, launched between 1965 and 1973. The Pharris, built at Avondale Shipyards and launched in December 1972, is seen here heading a joint USN, Dutch, German and Royal Navy task force. Knox frigates have been fitted with a number of experimental missile mounts and 31 received Sea Sparrow Basic Point Defence Missile System between 1971 and 1975. The Mk 36 Chaffroc system is to be installed in the late 1970s to increase ECM protection. These ships were originally designed to operate the DASH unmanned helicopter. From 1972 they have been modified to take the LAMPS system with a SH-2D AS helicopter—the estimated cost for these alterations is $1 00X3 000 per ship

i

-*% rfts

Knox

k

Wto*

!

Ko Hei

A Knox

Class destroyer escort in line astern with a

NATO

The

task force during an exercise.

The

armament

the failure of that system left them without a helicopter. The landing deck was later strengthened to take the Kaman Seasprite. which is the interim (light airborne

of the Spanish ships 22 single-arm launcher for the 16 Standard missiles carried and an Asroc launcher forward, and there is also provision

multipurpose system) machine. So far two of the class have been fitted with Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles in two quadruple

for

LAMPS

launchers, and others will follow. Two of the eight Asroc missile-launchers have been modified to fire standard SM-1 surface-to-air missiles. Unlike most US ships they do not carry Mk 32 A/S torpedo tubes on deck; instead there are two fixed tubes in the transom stern for firing wire-guided Mk 37 torpedoes and fixed Mk 25 tubes in the superstructure. In June 1975 the class designation was changed to frigates, and so they are now numbered FF. 1052-1097. The cost of the class rose considerably during construction. The 14 ships ordered from Todd shipyards were contracted for at a cost of $151 000000 in 1964; by January 1970 the cost had risen by $96000000. The final cost for the whole class was an average of $30959000 per ship, excluding the LAMPS helicopter, standard missile, variable-depth sonar or Sea Sparrow modifications, which accounted for another $2 150000 per ship. In March 1966 the US Government gave permission for the Spanish navy to build five modified Knox Class (DEG.7-11). The Spaniards preferred to have a Standard SM-1 area-defence missile in place of the helicopter facility and the Sea Sparrow BPDMS, and so the firm of Gibbs Cox modified the design. The Baleares (F.71), Andalucia (F.72), Cataluna (F.73), Asturias (F.74) and Extremadura (F.75) were built in 1968-76 by Empresa Bazan at El Ferrol, with the steam turbines and boilers also built in Spain.

&

1644

includes a

the

Mk

Meroka 20-mm (0.79-in) Weapon System (CIWS), as a

Spanish

Close-In

class has also

been built under licence by Spain

fragmentary, but it is known that she was with reciprocating machinery and probably had two shafts. She was commissioned into the Japanese navy on February 17, 1895, after her capture, but was lost on December 21 off the Pescadores Islands in a storm. fitted

defence against missiles. Displacement: 301 1 tons (standard), 3900 tons (average standard) Length: 113.5 m (438 ft) oa Beam: 14.2 m (46 ft 9 in) Draught:!. 5 m (24 ft 9 in) Machinery: 1 -shaft geared steam turbine, 35000 shp=27 knots Armament. (US ships) 1 5in (127-mm)/54-cal DP Mk 42; 1 Sea Sparrow RIM-7H SAM launcher; 1 Asroc A/S missile launcher (with 2 standard RIM-66A SAMs); 8 Harpoon SSMs (to be fitted); 4 12.8-in (32.5-cm) Mk 32 A/S torpedo tubes (4x1); 2 19-in (48.3cm) A/S torpedo tubes (2x1); (Spanish ships) 1 5-in (127-mm)/54-cal; 1 Standard RIM-66A SAM launcher; 1 Asroc RUR-5A A/S missile launcher (1x8); 4 12.8-in (32.5-cm) torpedo tubes (4x1); 2 19-in (48.3-cm) A/S torpedo tubes (2x1); 1 Seasprite helicopter (US ships only) Crew: 245-283

Ko Hei Chinese cruiser/Japanese torpedo gunboat, completed 1892. Ko Hei was a steel-hulled ship captured by the Japanese from the Chinese at Wei-Hai-Wei on February 12, 1895. She was built at Foochow in China as the Kuang Ping, launched in 1891 and completed in 1892. The Chinese rated her as a cruiser, but because of her size she should correctly be classified as a torpedo gunboat. There were sister ships of Kuang Ping, but there is some doubt as to whether the class comprised two, three or four vessels. Construction details concerning Kuang Ping are

Displacement: 1335 tons (normal) Length: 80 m ft 6 in) Beam. 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in) Draught: A.I m (13 ft 6 in) Machinery: 2-shaft triple-expansion reciprocating, 2400 ihp= 17 knots Armament: 3 4.7-in (120-mm) QF; 4 3-pdr (47-mm); 4 Maxim machine-guns; 4 18-in (46-cm) torpedo tubes Crew: not known (262

Kochergin Soviet aircraft

See DI-6

Kola' Soviet frigate class. Ten ships of the class are thought to have been built at Kaliningrad and on the Black Sea, with the first one being laid down in 1950 and completed in 1954. Names are doubtful, but the five remaining ships have been identified as Krechet. Sokol. Sovetski Azerbaidzhan, Sovetski Dagestan and Sovetski Turkmenistan. This class succeeded the much smaller Yastreb Class of torpedo boats completed after the Second World War. The increase in size, combined with the adoption of a flush deck, led some commentators to suggest that they were influenced by the German Type 1939 fleet torpedo boats. The 'Kola' Class carry a heavy armament for their size, with two single 100-mm (3.9-in) guns mounted forward, a further pair aft. and a triple bank of torpedo tubes amidships. guns are few, however, with only Light

just

AA

two twin 37-mm

:.46-in)

supplemented by

Kolibri, Flettner Fl

282

two twin 25-mm (1-in) in some ships. In addition to the original depth-charge racks, some ships were fitted with racks for launching antisubmarine rockets, later replaced by quintuple hand-loaded A/S mortars. Too much loading seems to have been attempted on the displacement and the poor seagoing qualities of the ships are reflected in their present relegation to the calm waters of the Caspian Sea. Displacement: 1500 tons (standard), 1900 tons load) Length:96 m (315 ft) Beam.10 m (32 ft 10 in) Draught: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) Machinery: 2shaft steam turbines, 30000 shp=30 knots Armament: 4 100-mm (3.9-in) (4x1); 2 37-mm (1.46-in) (2x2); 2 25-mm (1-in) (2x2) (some ships); 2 groups MBU 900 A/S rocket-launchers or 5 MBU 1800 A/S mortar (1 x5); 3 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (1x3) Crew: 190 (full

Kolberg German

light cruiser class, built 1907-1

1

.

The

AG

by Germania, Kiel) and Augsburg (built by the Royal Dockyard, Kiel). The design was an enlargement of the successful Dresden, with two extra guns and more power. They were fitted with four (built

different types of turbines for testing pur-

machinery was supplied by Melms & Pfenniger, AEG-Curtis, Germania and Parsons. Mainz had two shafts but the others had four. All members of the class were reliable steamers and relatively good poses.

This

seaboats.

light

cruiser

Kolberg which became the French cruiser Colmar

Both Mainz and Koln were early casualand were sunk by British forces in the Heligoland Bight action on August 28, 1914. Kolberg was rearmed at Kiel in 1916-17 with 15-cm (5.9-in) guns in place of the original 10.5-cm (4. 1-in), two single 50-cm (19.7-in) torpedo tubes on deck amidships in place of the 45-cm (17.7-in) submerged tubes, and ties,

four ships of the class were ordered as Ersatz Greif, Ersatz Jagd, Ersatz Schwalbe and Ersatz Sperber, and later received their service names of Kolberg (built by Schichau, Vulcan, Stettin), Danzig), Mainz(bui\t by

Koln

The German

launching 100 mines. In 1918, when she was used on coastal defence duty she was given two 8.8-cm (3.5-in) AA guns on the rails for

centreline abaft the funnels.

Augsburg was engaged on torpedo trials from the time she joined the fleet in 1910, and two years later became a gunnery training ship. In 1914 she was allocated to coast defence and later served with the High Seas Fleet. In 1916-17 she underwent a similar conversion to her sister Kolberg. Both ships were originally permitted to be retained by

Germany under

the terms of the Armistice but after the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow the Allies demanded that they must be handed over as reparations. Kolberg went to France as Ship V^and Augsburg to Japan as Ship Y. The Japanese allowed their

The German

prize

to

be scrapped

French commissioned served until 1927, sold for scrap.

after

1918

Holland, but the Colmar. She she was stricken and

in

theirs as

when

Displacement: 4362 tons (normal), 4915 tons load) Length: 130.5 m (428 ft 2 in) oa Beam: 14 m (45 ft 11 in) Draught: 5.58 m (18 ft 4 in) Machinery: 4-shaft (Mainz, 2-shaft) steam turbines, 19000 shp=25 knots Protection: 90-80 mm (3.54-3.15 in) belt protecting machinery, 8020 mm (13.15-0.79 in) deck Armament: (As built) 12 10.5-cm (4.1-in)/45-cal QF (12x1); 4 5.2-cm (full

45-cm (17.7-in) torpedo tubes (beam, submerged); (As rearmed) 6 15-cm (5.9-in)/45-cal QF (6x1); 2 8.8-cm (3.5in)/45-cal AA (2x1); 2 50-cm (19.7-in) torpedo tubes (beam, above water) Crew: 367 (2-in)/55-cal (temporarily); 2

Kolibri, Flettner Fl

German

helicopter,

first

282 flown

1939.

The

Kolibri (humming-bird) was the first helicopter ever to go into production, and also the first in operational service. It stemmed from an earlier design, the Fl 265, itself preceded

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri was the first helicopter to go into production. However, it could only lift a modest payload and so was limited to observation and scouting missions for the army and navy

Koln by numerous other helicopters and autogyros which did not use Flettner's principle of sideby-side intermeshing 'egg-beater' rotors. Six Fl 265s were ordered by the German Kriegsmarine in 1938, and the first one flew in May 1939. The single-seat Fl 265 completed extensive trials from shore bases, surface warships and U-Boats, and one survived 20 minutes of simulated attack by skilled fighter pilots in Bf

Fw

109E and getting

on

190A

without once camera guns.

aircraft

the film of their

The Fl 282 was designed as an operational observation platform for the army and navy, with an optional second observer seat, which could be occupied without any need for retrimming, sited behind the engine and rotor system. The engine was the same as in the Fl 265— the 160-hp Siemens (BMW-Bramo) Sh 14A radial but it was mounted under the rotors, leaving the nose free for the pilot's cockpit. In the first three Kolibris, flown in early 1941, the nose was a streamlined enclosed cabin, but subsequent examples had an open cockpit surrounded by transparent skin panels to give an almost perfect view. By the end of 1942 Flettner's Johannisthal and Bad Tolz plants had delivered at least 20 to both the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe, with blind-flying instruments, radio and other

—

operational gear. Numerous Kolibris operated from German ships, shore bases and, in the final year of the Second World War, from all manner of makeshift bases. These helicopters carried out many operational scouting missions over the North Sea. Mediterranean, Aegean and Baltic. Several Luftwaffe units, including LT 40, completed some dangerous missions into areas already encircled by Allied troops. One Kolibri went to the Soviet Union in 1945. and others are at the Cranfield Institute of Technology. England, and the USAF Museum at

The

Kolibri,

powered by a 160-hp Siemens (BMW-Bramo) Sh I4A radial, seen here with the was replaced by transparent skin panels

original streamlined, enclosed cockpit nose. This is not an unqualified success. The machinery is large and complex, the ships are cramped and suffer from low freeboard and excess topweight. After a few years in service, the foremost M45 fire-

The

class

CODAG

control director was removed to save weight. They will not be modernized, and are due for replacement by the F- 122 frigates in the next five years. The appearance of the ships is distinctive, with a huge trunked funnel surmounted by a

wedge-shaped

fin.

Dayton, Ohio. Diameter of main rotors: 11.96 m (39 ft 3 in) Length of fuselage: 6.56 m (21 ft 6 in) Gross weight: 1000 kg (2205 lb) Maximum speed: 150

km/h

(93

mph)

Displacement: 2100 tons (standard), 2550 tons load) Length: 110 m (360 ft 1 1 in) oa Beam: 11 m (36 ft 1 in) Draught: 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) Machinery: 2-shaft diesel/gas turbine, 12000 bhp/24 000 shp=32 knots Armament:2 100-mm

(full

(3.9-in)/55-cal (2x1); 6

Koln German frigate class, built 1958-64. In March 1957 the new Federal German navy or Bundesmarine ordered

its

first

major war-

ships, six antisubmarine escorts (gleitboote). All

were

built

by

H C

Stulcken Sohn, of

Hamburg and comprised Koln (F.220). Emden (F.221), Augsburg {¥ .222) Karlsruhe ,

(F.223), Liibeck (F. 224) and Braunschweig (F.225). The Type 120 design, the basis of the class,

was broadly influenced by torpedo boats on the drawing board at the end of the Second World War. There were, however, important improvements. Instead of steam turbines or a twin-shaft COD AG (combined diesel and gas) plant was chosen, with two dfesels and a Brown-Boveri gas turbine coupled to each shaft. A heavy armament of diesels,

MAN

Creusot-Loire 100-mm (3.9-in) dualpurpose guns and six Breda 40-mm (1.57-in) Bofors was adopted, since the ships would be operating in waters dominated by shorebased aircraft. The antisubmarine armament was supplied from Sweden and consisted of FFV homing torpedoes and quadruple 375mm (14.76-in) Bofors rocket launchers.

two

1646

40-mm

(1.57-in)/70-cal

(3x2, 2x1); 8 375-mm (14.76-in) A/S rocketlaunchers (2x4); 4 53-cm (21 -in) A/S torpedo tubes (4x1) Crew: 212

The Koln Class

frigate

by the Bundesmarine

Komar' Soviet missile patrol boat class, built 1959-61. They were, like the 'Kildin' Class destroyers, an intermediate design based on a conventionally armed type already in production, with the object of taking the new SS-N-2 surface-to-surface missile to sea as soon as possible, and before the first purpose-built missile patrol boats of the 'Osa' Class could be completed. When the 'Osas' were ready, production of the 'Komars' ceased. They nevertheless hold the distinction of being the world's first missile patrol boats. Since standard P-6 hulls were used for the conversion, platforms braced by struts had to be built out from the sides in order to accommodate the two SS-N-2 launchers alongside the bridge, which was moved aft to provide a better balance. The launchers themselves, angled slightly outboard, were diamond-shaped in cross section, and were

Karlsruhe (F.223), one of the first major warships to be ordered March 1957. They are due to be replaced in the late 1970s

in

Kongo not capped at the ends. This meant that the missiles were exposed to corrosion by spray, a defect remedied on later missile boats. The only other armament was a twin 25-mm (1-in) mounting just forward of the bridge. The class were of little use outside coastal waters because of their small size, and by 1977 only two were estimated to remain in service with the Soviet navy out of the original hundred or so built. In the early and mid-sixties, however, many of these had been transferred to other countries: seven or eight to the People's Republic of China, ten to North Korea, three to North Vietnam, 12 to Indonesia, seven to Egypt, 18 to Cuba, nine to Syria, with three boats going to Iraq as late as 1972. China and Egypt also built craft of their own modelled on the 'Komars'. The boats transferred to Egypt and Syria took an active part in the Middle East wars of 1967 and 1973. In the 1967 war an Egyptian 'Komar' was responsible for the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Eilath. By 1973, however, the Israelis had far more sophisticated missile boats and claimed the sinking of three

AA

The German commerce

Syrian and two Egyptian 'Komars'. Displacement: 75 tons (standard), 80 tons

m (87 ft 1 .8 m (5 ft

load) Length: 26.8 (21

ft)

Draught:

shafts, 4 diesels,

1 1

(full

oa Beam;6.4 m in) Machinery: 4

in)

1 1

4800 hp=40 knots Armament:

2 SS-N-2 missile launchers; 2 (1x2) Crew: 11

25-mm

AA

(1-in)

raider

Komet which

operated in the Pacific, sinking 65 ships in 1940-41

a further three sisters.

on December 1, 1913, at Mitsubishi. Nagasaki and Haruna 13 days later at Kawasaki, Kobe. The design was similar to the contemporary British 'Improved Lion Class, HMS Tiger, but there is no evidence for the oftenrepeated claim that Kongo was such an improvement that Tiger had to be hastily redesigned to incorporate her features. The reverse is more likely to be true, in that Vickers' chief designer. Sir George Thurston, was in touch with the Director of Naval Construction's department and knew the broad lines of Admiralty thinking on their new ships. The only influence Kongo had on Tiger was a strip of 76-mm (3-in) armour below the main belt; the Japanese insisted that this had been proved necessary at Tsushima, presumably to stop shells from getting under the belt when the ship rolled

.Kongo was launched on May 18, 1912, and completed in August 1913. Her sister Hiei was launched at Yokosuka dockyard on November 21, 1912, followed by Kirishima

heavily. The three Japanese-built ships all differed from Kongo. The 12-pdr (76-mm) guns on the turrets were omitted, and to reduce the

Kongo

as she appeared at her running trials in 1913

knots Armament: 6 15-cm (5.9-in)/45-cal (6x1); 1 60-mm (2.4-in)/18-cal (for use in landing boat); 2 37-mm (1.46-in) AA (2x1); 4 20-mm (0.79-in) AA (4x1); 6 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x2, 2x1, above water); 30 EMC mines; 2 Arado 196 A-1 floatplanes Crew: 267

Komet

for Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered intercepter See Me 163

Komet Popular name

German

auxiliary cruiser of Second World War. Formerly the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line's Ems, she was a 3287 grt cargo liner built in 1937 at Hamburg. She was converted Howaldtswerke Hamburg as at by Hilfskreuzer 7 or Komet, but was also known as Schiff 45. On completion in June 1940 she sailed for Bergen, and with Soviet connivance crossed the North East Passage to the Pacific. Pretending to be the Soviet Deinev (later translated into German as Donau) she was escorted by three Soviet icebreakers through the Matoshkin Straits and then through the ice to the Pacific, which she reached early in September. In the Pacific Komet operated with Orion, and between them they sank seven British ships. Disguised as the Japanese Tokyo Maru and later the Portuguese Sao Thome she bombarded the phosphate plant at Nauru in the Gilbert Islands three months later. After the sinking of Pinguin she took over her prize, the minelayer Adjutant (ex- Pol IX) and used her to lay mines off New Zealand. On August 14, 1941, Komet claimed her first full victim, the SS Australind. and within five

Kongo Japanese battlecruiser/fast battleship class, built 1912-15. In January 1911 the Imperial Japanese Navy signed a contract with the British firm Vickers, under which a 27 500ton battlecruiser was to be built at Barrow, and material was to be exported to Japan for

The Japanese

battleship battlecruiser

days sank two more. On September 24 she headed for home, having sunk 65 ships (including those shared with Orion) totalling 42059 grt, and arrived at Hamburg on

November 30. Komet was given a refit and two additional 37-mm (1.46-in) guns and left Flushing on October 7, 1942. While passing Cap la Hogue during the night of October 14, she was torpedoed by MTB.236. She had been designated 'Raider B' by the British.

Tonnage: 3287 in)

grt

Length: 115

m

(377

ft

(50 ft 2 in) Draught: 6.5 Machinery: 1-shaft diesel, 3900

m

Beam:

15.3

m

4

in)

(21

oa 4

ft

bhp=16 1647

Konig smoke interference the forward funnel was moved back (in Haruna and Kirishima it was raised as well). During the 1920s all four were given prominent cowls on the foremost funnel and the bridgework was built up. In 1930 Hiei was stricken under the terms of the international naval treaties, but as the Japanese government undertook to 'demilitarize' her she was retained as a training ship, minus Y turret, some secondary guns and 25 of her boilers.

The remaining

three ships were not badly

Vt-t vy

^J^^^^L^^^^^^l

»•

1

r

v«n^_Avtf

1

1

1

1

nSc^^BT^^-

r

1

'>

A

outclassed by foreign capital ships, and in March 1924 Haruna was taken in hand by Yokosuka dockyard for a major modernization. This involved reboilering, additional armour and antitorpedo bulges. Kirishima and Kongo had similar alterations carried out between 1927 and 1931, and the class now had two funnels, the forward one taller than the other. In June 1934, only four years after completing her modernization, Kirishima was

taken

in

hand

at

Sasebo dockyard for a

second reconstruction, but this time the purpose was to transform her into a fast battleship, capable of escorting fleet carriers.

The

main armament remained the same but the superstructure and secondary armament was totally changed. To improve the hull form nearly 7.6 m (25 ft) were added to the length and the speed was raised from 26 to 30 knots by providing new machinery of more than double the power. Unfortunately the extra 3000 tons of weight allocated were all absorbed in providing better AA batteries and higher speed, and the protection had to be left alone. This meant that the money was largely wasted in producing ships with second-rank protection. Haruna and Kongo were reconstructed to the same standard and in November 1936 the that by cruisers

was

also taken in hand, so January 1940 all four old battlewere back with the fleet, trans-

training ship Hiei

powerful modern fast battleships. Hiei. being the last of the class, was used to try out several features of bridge

formed

into

layout for the new Yamato. The four ships were in the 3rd Battle Division from July 1941, when the fleet was put on a war footing. In December Haruna and Koftgo were sent to Malaya to intercept the Prince of Wales and Repulse, but their sisters Hiei and Kirishima were part of the task force attacking Pearl Harbor. Hiei was the flagship of a raiding force which included Kirishima. which attacked US forces off Guadalcanal on the night of November 12/13.

She was badly mauled by 8-in (203-mm) shellfire from the cruiser Portland and the next day she was pounded ceaselessly by 1942.

1648

from the carrier Enterprise. After suffering terrible damage she was abandoned

Kbnig

and sank

German

aircraft

that evening.

Kirishima was at Midway in June 1942, when she suffered slight damage from air attacks. On the night of November 14/15, 1942, she was involved in a confused night

action off Guadalcanal.

After inflicting widespread but superficial

damage on the battleship South Dakota she was in turn attacked by the battleship Washington, and was hit by nine 16-in (406-

mm)

and 40

5-in

(127-mm)

shells. After

burn-

ing furiously she had to be abandoned and scuttled at about 0300 hrs on November 15. Kongo and Haruna fought at the battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, and then at

battleship class, built 191 1-14.

Under

1909-10 programme four Dreadnoughts were authorized, and they were the latest in service at the outbreak of war in 1914. Konig the

was launched by Wilhelmshaven dockyard on March 1. 1913. Grosser Kurfurst by Vulcan, Hamburg, the Markgraf by AG Weser, Bremen and Kronprinz by Germania at Steton February 21, 1914. The design was an improvement over the Kaiser Class, with all five gun turrets on the centreline; this was achieved by adopting tin

the battle of Leyte Gulf, without suffering serious damage. On November 21, 1944, Kongo was torpedoed by the US submarine

Sealion off Formosa, but Haruna remained Kure following the disastrous end to Leyte. After suffering miscellaneous damage from air attack she finally sank at her moorings in shallow water on July 27, 1945. After the war the wreck was raised and scrapped. idle at

(As built) Displacement: 27 500 tons (normal) Length: 214.6 m (704 ft) oa Beam: 28 m (92 ft) Draught: 8.4 (27 ft 6 in) mean Machinery: 4shaft steam turbines, 64000 shp=27.5 knots

m

Protection: 203-76 (6-2.75 in)

mm

(8-3 in) belt, 152-70

deck Armament: 8

45-cal (4x2); 16 6-in

mm

(356-mm)/ (152-mm)/50-cal (16x1); 8 14-in

(76-mm)(8x1, but 16 in Kongo): 8 21 -in (53cm) torpedo tubes (beam, submerged) Crew:

3-in

1221 (As

reconstructed

1933-40)

Displacement:

32160 tons (average, normal) Length: 222 m (728 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 31.3 m (102 ft 9 in) over bulges Draught: 9.7 m (31 ft 9 in) mean Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam turbines, 136000 shp=30.5 knots Protection: 203-76 mm (8-3 in) belt, 120 mm (4.7 in) deck Armament: 8 14-in (356-mm)/45-cal (4x2); 14 6-in (152-mm)/50-cal (16x1) (six removed by 1944); 8 5-in (127mm)/40-cal AA (4x2) (extra 2x2 added by 1944); 20 25-mm (1-in) AA (10x2) (increased to 100/117 by 1944); 3 floatplanes Crew: 1437

superfiring turrets forward and aft. In appearance they looked very like the Kaisers, with tall funnels separated by the midships turret, and were the best-looking German Dread-

noughts. The decision to retain the

gun was

305-mm

(12-in)

contemporary British Iron DwAce Class had 13. 5-in (343-mm) guns. In theory the high muzzle velocity and light shell produced greater range but in practice the heavier shell and lower muzzle velocity of the British gun gave it considerably more accuracy over the whole range, and also reduced barrel wear. The 305-mm L/50 Drescheibenlafette C/08 was a hydraulically operated mounting which had been standard since the Helgoland Class. At the original elevation of 135°. the guns could range to 16200 m (17 700 yards), but in the criticized,

Konig Class

for

the elevation

the

was increased

to

and this produced a range of 20400 m (22 300 yards). The shell weighed 860 kg ( 1900 lb) in the armour-piercing capped (APC) 16°

Konig

Kongo before her first conversion in 1929-31. The updating not only saved time and expense, but was a useful sop to the signatories of the Washington Treaty, which sought to restrict the tonnage of warships. By updating her old battleships and battlecruisers, Japan could not be said to be building new ships

Konig, with her sisters Grosser Kurfurst, Markgraf and Kronprinz, were the most modern battleships in the German navy. Three of them were completed just after the beginning of the First World War. All survived the

war

to

be scuttled

at

Scapa Flow

in

1919

1649

Konigin Regentes and its muzzle velocity was 853 m/sec (2800 ft/sec). It was planned to adopt the combined steam and diesel system tried out in the Prinzregent Luitpold of the preceding Kaiser version,

but

Class,

obvious

fortunately

soon enough

its

failure

became

prevent another fiasco. The Konig Class were undoubtedly among the finest ships of their day, but their cost, 45 million marks each (£2.25 million), made them much more expensive ton-for-ton than comparable ships abroad. For example, Orion cost about £1.7 million and the USS Texas about £1.35 million. to

HMS

The class formed the 3rd Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet from the outbreak of war (Markgraf joined in October, followed by Kronprinz a month later), and all were at the Battle of the Skagerrak (Jutland) on May 31, 1916. Konig was hit ten times. Grosser Kurfurst eight, and the Markgraf five times, but all were repaired by the end of July. The opportunity was taken to fit Grosser Kurfurst and Konig with the heavy tubular foremast that their sisters had since completion, and the torpedo nets were removed from all four. Grosser Kurfurst was torpedoed by the British

submarine

J. 1

off the

Horns Reef

in

November 1916 but reached port safely; in March 1917 she collided with her sister Kronprinz off Heligoland. During operations against the Russians in the Baltic she was mined, but also without serious damage, while Konig shelled the Russian battleship Slava in Moon Sound in October 1917. Kronprinz was renamed Kronprinz WilhelmM the end of January 1918.

four were surrendered in November subsequently scuttled at Scapa Flow in June 1919. Grosser Kurfurst was raised and scrapped in 1936. but salvage work was suspended on the other three during the Second World War. and did not start again All

and

1918

The

rusting and almost deserted

Konig

in

Scapa Flow

Regentes and de Ruyter were scrapped in the 1920s. Hertog Hendrik survived as she was converted to a training ship in 1926. This involved removal of her after turret, and the provision of a crane to handle two seaplanes on the quarterdeck. She was renamed Vliereede. and was lying partially dismantled at Den Helder when German forces overran the base in May 1940. She was sunk by RAF bombs on- the night of June 21/22. 1940. but after being raised she became the German flak-ship Ariadne. In her new guise she had six single 105-mm (4.1-in) AA guns, four single 40-mm (1.57-in) A A and four quad-

from August

(0.79-in)

AA.

as well as radar

Ariadne was returned to the Dutch in 1945 and served for a time as the hulk Rotterdam.

mm

(12-in)/50-cal (5x2); 14

cal

(14x1); 6

8 75-mm (2.95-in) (8xl); 1 9-in (229-mm) mortar; 2 37-mm (1.46-in) AA (added during First World War); 2 37-mm; 2 machine-guns; 3 45-cm (17.7in) torpedo tubes (bow above water, 2 beam

150-mm

(5.9-in)/45-

(removed

1915); 4 88-mm/45-cal AA; 5 50-cm (19.7-in) torpedo tubes (1 bow, 4 beam, all submerged) Crew: 1033+ 96 as flagship

(4

in)

turrets

in)/40-cal (2x1); 4

Armament: 2 240-mm (9.4150-mm (5.9-in)/40-cal (4x1);

HMS

1

,

Konigin Regentes

Konigsberg

Dutch coast defence ship

German

were authorized, the Konigin Regentes, de Ruyter and Hertog Hendrik, two to be built at the Royal Dockyard, Amsterdam and the de Ruyter to be built by the Fijenoord yard at Rotterdam.

The design was a development of the Evertsen, with 240-mm (9.4-in) guns in place of the 210-mm (8.3-in), in two single turrets. To compensate for dropping the third heavy gun the secondary armament of 150-mm (5.9in) guns was doubled. The armour was facehardened Harvey type, and for the first time in a large ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Yarrow water-tube boilers were adopted. The ships led humdrum lives and Konigin 1650

light cruiser class, built 1905-08. the 1903-04 and 1904-05 Estimates four small cruisers were ordered as Ersatz

Under

E Blitz. Schiff O and E Wacht. Konigsberg and Nurnberg were built by the Royal Dockyard, Kiel, Stuttgart was built by the Royal Dockyard. Danzig, and Stettin was built by AG Vulcan, Stettin. Konigsberg was slightly shorter than her sisters, with slightly less beam, and had three evenly spaced funnels instead of the centre one closer to the foremost. Otherwise they were merely slightly improved versions of the Bremen Class with slightly more power. When war broke out in 1914, Konigsberg had a brief period on high seas as a commerce-raider, but at the end of October 1914 Meteor,

she was driven into the Rufiji delta

in

East

Between February and

1918 she was converted into a seaplane carrier, with a hangar amidships accommodating three seaplanes. The armament was reduced to four 10.5-cm (4.13-in) guns in

broadside sponsons, and two 8.8-cm (3.5-in)

AA

submerged) Crew: 375

1914.

May

in

class, built 18981902. In 1897 three ships of the monitor type

1918

mm

20-mm

m

(3.5-in)/35-cal

in

Displacement: 4560 tons (normal) Length: 96.5 (316 ft 9 in) oa Beam: 15.2 m (49 ft 9 in) Draught: 5.8 m (19 ft) Machinery: 2-sbaft reciprocating steam, 6300 ihp= 16 knots Protection: 152-102 mm (6-4 in) belt, 50 mm (2 in) deck, 102

ruple

control.

Displacement: 25390 tons (normal), 28 148 tons (full load) Length. 175.5 m (575 ft 9 in) oa Beam: 29.5 m (96 ft 9 in) Draught: 8.7 m (28 ft 6 in) mean Machinery. 3-shaft steam turbines, 31 000 shp=21 knots Pro tecf/on. 356-254 mm (14-10 in) belt, 144 mm (4j in) decks Armament: 10 305-

88-mm

German surrender

Africa by British cruisers. There she lay until July 1915. when two special shallow-draught monitors, Severn and Mersey, were sent out from England to destroy her. Although the cruiser put up a spirited defence she was no match for the two monitors, and on July 1 she was hit repeatedly and sank at her moorings. Her guns were salved, and after being put on wheeled carriages served General Lettow Vorbeck in his highly successful land campaign until 1918. The wreck of the ship lies in the Rufiji river to this day. Nurnberg had also been on overseas service since 1910. with Admiral Graf Spee's Pacific Squadron. She helped to sink the British cruisers Monmouth and Good Hope at the battle of Coronel on November 1 1914. Little more than a month later, on December 8. she in turn fell victim to Monmouth\ sister Kent at the battle of the Falklands. As a result of this action most of her crew were lost in the icy water. Stuttgart became a gunnery training ship in 1908. but served with the High Seas Fleet

1962.

until

after the

guns on the forecastle. She was stricken 1919 and delivered to Great

November

Britain as war reparations in July 1920, preparatory to being scrapped. Stettin, like Stuttgart, fought at the Battle of the Skagerrak (Jutland), but in 1917 she became a training ship for U-Boat crews. She too was stricken in November 1919 and handed over to Great Britain, and finally sold for scrap in Denmark.

Displacement: 3400 tons (normal), 3900 tons load) Length: (Konigsberg) 1 1 5.3 m (378 ft 3 in) oa, (others) 117.4 m (385 ft 2 in) Beam: (K) 13.2 m (43 ft 4 in), (others) 13.3 m (43 ft 8 in) Draught: 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in) max Machinery: 2shaft reciprocating steam, 12000 ihp=13/14 knots, (Stettin) 4-shaft turbines, 21 000 shp=35 knots Protection: 50 mm (2 in) deck Armament: 10 10.5-cm (4.13-in)/40-cal (10x1); 2 45-cm (17.7-in) torpedo tubes (beam, submerged) Crew: 322 (full

Konigsberg The

Stettin, a light cruiser of the Konigsberg Class built 1905-08. She saw action at the Battle of Skagerrak (Jutland) and then became a training ship for U-Boat crews

Konigsberg German

light

cruiser

class,

built

Four small cruisers were authorized

1914-17. in 1913:

Ersatz Gazelle, E Niobe, E Nymphe and E Thetis, but by the time they came to be launched in 1915-16 they were given the names of ships which had been sunk. Konigsberg and Emden were built by AG Weser,

Bremen, Karlsruheby Wilhelmshaven dockby Howaldt, Kiel. The design was an improved Magdeburg, but war experience led to the provision of 150-mm (5.9-in) L/45 guns in place of the 105mm (4. 1-in) L/45. Konigsberg was commissioned in August 1916, but she and her sisters saw little action. She wore the flag of Admiral von Meurer during the negotiations in the Firth of Forth for the surrender of the High Seas Fleet in November 1918, but was not among the ships scuttled at Scapa Flow. As Ship A she was ceded to France in 1920, was renamed Metz and served in the French navy yard, and Niimberg

until

1934.

Emden

served as flagship of the torpedo-

boat flotillas from December 1916, and although scuttled at Scapa Flow, was boarded by the British salvage parties and run ashore. She was then ceded to France and used as a target, before being scrapped in 1926. Karlsruhe and Niirnberg were both scuttled at Scapa Flow and were subsequently raised and scrapped. Displacement: 5440 tons (normal), 7125 tons load) Length: 151 .4 m (496 ft 9 in) oa Beam: 14.3 m (46 ft 11 in) Draught: 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) max Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 31 000 shp=27 knots Protection: 64 mm (2.5 in) belt, 19 mm (0.75 in) deck Armament: 8 150-mm (5.9-in) L/45 (8x1); 2 88-mm (3.5-in) L/45 AA (2x1); 4 50-cm (19.7-in) torpedo tubes (broadside; 2 submerged, 2 above water) Crew: 475 (full

»-,'

v^Ml The German

**?

light cruiser

Konigsberg during the negotiations

ward

Konigsberg German

light

was 10%

cruiser

in

fire (in

in the Firth of

'

Forth in 1918

practice impossible because of

blast effects) but partly to permit a satisfacclass,

built

1925-30.

While still bound by the restriction of the Treaty of Versailles the Reichsmarine ordered three light cruisers, SchiffB, Cand D under the 1925 Programme. They were nominally 6000 tons, but the true tonnage of 6650 tons

mr «

»

excess of the treaty

limit.

Konigsberg and Koln were built by Wilhelmshaven dockyard, and Karlsruheby Deutsche Werke, Kiet. The ships were unorthodox, having a very heavy armament of torpedoes, four sets of triple tubes, and nine 15-cm (5.9-in) guns in triple turrets. One triple turret was mounted forward, and the two after turrets were staggered, the superimposed one to port and the lower one to starboard. This unusual arrangement was partly to give a theoretical measure of for-

tory arrangement of the magazines in the narrow part of the hull. The machinery was equally unorthodox, geared turbines for main propulsion and ten-cylinder diesel engines for cruising, coupled to the same shafts. The design was not a success. Too much weight too far forward made them plunge into heavy seas, and the endurance (8400 km [5200 miles] at cruising speed) was far too low to permit them to operate on the high seas. Karlsruhe had to have bulges fitted to

improve her stability, and in the original design the margin of stability had only allowed a very narrow belt of waterline armour. The addition of an aircraft and catapult between the funnels did nothing to help.

The

class

underwent a whole

series

of

1651

Konigsberg

The German Konigsberg Class light cruiser Koln resting on the bottom of the dock at Wilhelmshaven after bombing in 1945. Her superstructure has been draped in camouflage nets in an attempt to conceal its outline. She served with the Non-intervention Patrol in the Spanish Civil War between 1936-1939 and on the outbreak of the Second World War operated in the Baltic covering mining operations in the North Sea. In April 1940 she participated in the Norwegian campaign and between 1942 and 1943 operated in northern waters. In 1944 she returned to the Baltic for Fleet Training and shore bombardment. She was bombed and sunk at Wilhelmshaven on April 30, 1945. Built at Wilhelmshaven and launched in 1928 she was broken up there in 1946. The stagger of the after gun turrets was necessitated by the position of the ammunition handling rooms below deck. The class was built using very high-grade steel and electric welding rather than riveting in order to save weight. In a further move to save weight the torpedo tubes were removed from the Koln in 1943

JB •

"^JE"! -

-

'

*

9.

«

*u

/

*

3r

,

.

\ rj

n»

>.vL

j

t

V

—

— k.^n

It-.

I

".

:

--*• "

ol

1

i>

iV*r

i\

^

« v

r^-^i»~iTt

t

——

** i

~

.

T

^.-— .-—

.~»..«.

^»

*•

Konigstiger AA

modifications. First the guns were paired, and then they were increased in number. In 1939-40 Karlsruhe, after ten years as a training ship, was refitted at Wilhelmshaven. Apart from the addition of bulges already mentioned, she was given a raised forefunnel, the funnels were capped, and a tripod mast was stepped against the second funnel. In 1943 the Koln lost her after torpedo tubes. Karlsruhe took part in the Norwegian campaign, but on the second day, April 10, she was badly damaged by torpedoes from the British submarine Truant off Kristiansand. She was later scuttled with two torpedoes from the torpedo boat Greif. On the same day Konigsberg was sunk at her moorings in Bergen by Fleet Air Arm Skua dive-bombers. The wreck was refloated in 1943 but the

Sr

'

-tfJM

lit''

HE3sE^>^

.

i

m1

Wpiff jflfr.. H

' t

KWOtH)

^^m1mf^ammm\^mmm^r~'

oBE^mmmmmmmuwSt^

'

'

-V-

'±~

t '"**^^ft

lSfaih^te
Konigsberg, a light cruiser ordered by the Reichsmarine while Germany was still restricted by the Versailles Treaty. The displacement, given as 6000 tons, was in reality 6650 tons

following year it capsized and was scrapped. Koln survived the Norwegian campaign and returned to northern waters in 1942-43, but after the disastrous Barents Sea action she was relegated to training in the Baltic. She saw action against Soviet forces in the eastern Baltic, but on April 30, 1945, she was sunk at her moorings in Wilhelmshaven by

USAAF

aircraft.

Displacement: 6650 tons (standard), 8130 tons load) Length: 174 m (570 ft 10 in) oa Beam: 15.3 m (50 ft 2 in) Draught: 6.28 m (20 ft 7 in) Machinery: 2-shaft geared steam turbines/ diesel, 68000 shp/1800 bhp=32 knots Protection: 50 mm (2 in) belt, 19 mm (0.75 in) deck, 32 mm (1.75 in) turrets Armament: 9 15-cm (5.9in)/60-cal (3x3); 6 8.8-cm (3.5-in)/45-cal AA (3x2); 8 3.7-cm (1.46-in) AA (4x2); 4 20-mm (0.79-in) AA (4x1); 12 53-cm (21 -in) torpedo tubes (4x3); 2 floatplanes, 1 catapult Crew. 514 (full

Konigstiger German heavy tank

The Sd Kfz

1944-45.

in service

Konigstiger (King Tiger), Tiger

II

or

182 was developed by Henschel as an improvement on their original Tiger tank, and was better armed and armoured. The armour

sloped so as to deflect shot rather than being vertical as on the first model. Development began early in 1943 with competitive designs from Porsche and Henschel. The Porsche company actually began production of the turrets, but on trials the Porsche gasolineelectric transmission was refused by the army and the contract went to Henschel. In order to speed up production the first 50 tanks were fitted with the Porsche turrets which had already been made. Because of various production problems it was not until December 1943 that tank production began, and only 485 vehicles were built before the war ended. The first Konigstiger went into service in August 1944 and proved to be very formidable weapons. Armed with a high-velocity 8.8-cm (3.5-in) gun and ample armour protection, they could dominate a sizeable area of the battlefield, and in a defensive position were almost impossible to beat. But in an attack role it was a different story. The extra weight of the vehicle placed a considerable strain on the engine and transmission, and their record of mechanical reliability was poor. Weight: 69400 kg (153000 ft 9 in) Width: 4.72 m (15

(23

1654

lb) ft

6

Length: 7.25 in)

m

Height: 3.27

m

(10 ft 9 in) Armour thickness: 185-40 (7.28-1.57 in) Armaments 8.8-cm (3.5-in)

mm

KwK MG34 or

43 L/71 gun; 2 7.92-mm (0.31 2-in) MG42 Powerplant: Maybach V-12 gasoline engine, 600 bhp at 300 rpm Speed .36 km/h (24 mph) Range: 110 km (68 miles) Crew: 5

The Sd Kfz 182 Tiger

II

or Konigstiger was the

heaviest operational tank in the Second

World

massive armour and powerful 8.8-cm (3.5-in) gun made it a very effective defensive vehicle, but in the attack its weight was often too much for the overworked engine

War.

Its

1

Kormoran, Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm

KOR-1

(Be-2), Beriev

Soviet observation floatplane, prototype first flown 1934. During the first Soviet Five-Year Plan, it was decided to overhaul and re-equip existing naval units. Included in this programme was the fitting of catapults on battleships and cruisers to carry reconnaissance seaplanes, which could also perform light

bombing and liaison duties. The aircraft were lifted back on board by means of a crane on completion of their mission. At this time Soviet design teams were so concerned with producing more basic aircraft that the floatplane was at the bottom of the list of priorities and initially German Heinkel HD 55 single-engined flying boats, designated KR-1, were used in the reconnaissance role. Subsequently, in response to a requirement issued for a ship-borne two-seat observation/scout aircraft, the prototype KOR-1, designed by G Beriev, was flown for the first time in 1934. It was a single-bay, biplane with I-struts and bracing wires, fitted with a

M

single

Two

float.

stabilizing

floats

were

attached to the lower wing. The all-metal framework was fabric-covered, except for the front fuselage section and the floats which were duralumin-skinned. The powerplant was derived from the Wright Cyclone the 700-hp nine-cylinder M-25A air-cooled radial and drove a three-blade constantspeed propeller. Production began during 1935-36 and the aircraft entered service in 1938. It was armed with two fixed forward-

—

—

7.62-mm (0.30-in) ShKAS machineupper wing fairings and one of similar calibre on a free mounting for the observer in the rear cockpit. Racks under the lower wing roots could carry a maximum bombload of 100 kg (220 lb). Although the number of

firing

guns

in

KOR-ls

not believed to have been very high they were still the standard Soviet navy floatplane on the outbreak of the Secbuilt

is

ond World War. They were employed on coastal reconnaissance and coastal artillery observation operations, mainly in the Black Sea area during the early stages of the

air

invasion of the USSR. They were redesignated Be-2 in 1941, and were more or less obsolete by this time. However, the shortage of available aircraft was such that some were fitted with wheeled undercarriages and used in the ground-attack role

German

Romanian army, on the Black Sea combat the advance on Odessa between June and October 1941. The type was to have been replaced by the more powerful monoplane flying boat KOR-2 (Be4), but only a few of these were built before against the

front,

the

to

German

Kormoran,

commerce

raider to sink a cruiser, the Sydney, on

from Gdynia on masquerading as a Sperrbrecher or minesweeper, but soon adopted a Soviet disguise, and slipped merchant

She

raiders.

December

sailed

1940,

3,

through the British blockade. Between January and September 1941 she sank or captured ships totalling 68 264 grt. On 1 1

November

19,

1941,

she

fell

in

with the

HMAS

Sydney off Sharks Bay, Western Australia, and it seemed that the raider would be forced to surrender or Australian cruiser

scuttle herself.

Captain Detmers lulled the Australians into by pretending to be an agitated neutral, and sending out the standard 'raider sighted' signal to the Admiralty. The cruiser apparently stood down her guns' crews and approached to within half a mile. Suddenly Kormoran s concealed 15-cm (5.9-in) guns opened fire, and although the cruiser was soon able to pour in a withering fire from her own guns she was still near enough to be hit by one of Kormoran s concealed torpedoes. The two ships were badly mauled and drifted apart, blazing furiously. Eventually the Kormoran's mines blew up. but nothing was ever seen or heard a false sense of security

of Sydney again. A few Kormoran survivors later said that they had seen a sheet of flame on the horizon at about midnight, presumably the cruiser blowing up. Kormoran was the only armed merchant cruiser ever to sink a regular cruiser. See also Leander.

Tonnage: 8736

Beam: 20.2

invasion.

the only

m

grt

(66

Length: 164 m (538 ft 1 in) oa 3 in) Draught:8.5 m (27 ft 1

ft

Machinery: 2-shaft diesel, 16000 bhp=18 knots Armament: 6 15-cm (5.9-in)/45-cal (6x1); 1 75-mm (2.95-in)/35-cal (removed before December 1940); 2 37-mm (1.46-in) (2x1); 2 37AA (2x1); 6 53-cm (21 -in) torpedo tubes (2x2 in revolving deck-mountings, 2x1 submerged); 360 EMC mines; 2 Arado 196 A1 in)

Span: 11 m (36 ft 1 in) Length .8:88 m (29 ft 2 in) Gross weight: 2486 kg (5480 lb) Maximum speed: 277 km/h (172 mph)

mm

Kormoran German

auxiliary cruiser of

War. Formerly the mark, she was

Second World

floatplanes Crew: 400

HAPAG

Line's Steiera 8736-grt cargo liner built at

Kiel in 1938. She was converted at Hamburg as Hilfskreuzer 8 or Kormoran, but was also known as Schiff 41. To the British she was 'Raider G\

Under Captain Theodor Detmers, Kormoran became the most skilful of the disguised

Kormoran, MesserschmittBolkow-Blohm German

air-launched antiship missile. Kor-

moran has been developed

man

to

arm

the Ger-

Marineflieger fighter-bombers operating over the Baltic and the North Sea. It will

November

19, 1941

allow them to attack ships of frigate size and above from outside the range of their defensive weapons. An initial study contract was awarded to Bolkow in 1962, leading to the AS. 34 project. This work was subsequently amalgamated with the Franco-German airlaunched antiship missile programme, and

MBB

which Bolkow was now a part) full development contract for Kormoran in October 1968. Six years later the company was awarded an initial production contract covering 350 missiles and 56 aircraft installations to be built by 1981. The first two production rounds were accepted by (of

received

a

the German Marineflieger in December 1977. following successful completion of perfor-

mance-demonstration

trials

by seven missiles

during that autumn. The initial 56 aircraft installations are to equip that number of Lockheed F-104G Starfighter all-weather fighter-bombers of the 2nd (MFG 2) Wing at Eggebeck. The weapon is also scheduled to arm the Panavia Tornado multirole combat aircraft which will re-equip the 1st Wing at Schleswig-Jagel from 1981. Starfighters can carry two Kormorans, one beneath each wing, and Tornados can accommodate at least four of the weapons. The Kormoran weapon system is intended to reduce to a minimum the possibility of the attacking aircraft being engaged by its target, either before or after the missile is launched. The weapon has therefore been designed for launch at very low levels down to 30 m (100 ft) at ranges of some 30 km (20 miles) or

—

—

more from

F15N-A

its

objective.

The

Starfighter 's

NASARR

(North American search and range radar) has been modified to allow targets to be acquired at longer ranges up to 150 km (95 miles) and to permit attack information to be transferred to the missile system when the ship is still 75 km (50 miles) distant. The radar supplies target range and bearing information to a computer which forms part of the Starfighter's position and homing indicator (PHI). This system also

—

—

incorporates a vector addition device, which allows the bearing and range of a new target to be entered when the aircraft is at one of up to 12 navigation waypoints stored in the

PHI.

NASARR

In a radar attack, the updates the aircraft-mounted computer for a final

1655

Kortenaer time just before the missile is launched, so guidance corrections can be fed automatically to the round on its pylon. If the radar is not operating for any reason, the pilot can fire Kormoran with the aid of an optical sight, provided that the target is visible. Kormoran accelerates off its launcher under the impulse of two SNPE (Societe Nationale des Poudres et Explosifs) Prades solid-propellant rocket boost motors, which burn simultaneously for less than a second with a total thrust of 5500 kg (12 000 lb). Cruise propulsion is then taken over by a single SNPE Eole rocket motor which burns for about 100 seconds with a thrust of some 285 kg (630 lb). Mid-course guidance at a height of about 20 (65 ft) is provided by an inertial platform working in conjunction with a radio altimeter. The attack phase, with the missile descending to 3-5 m 10 -16 ft) according to sea state, is under the control of a modified Thomson-CSF RE576 active radar seeker. Kormoran has a special warhead developed by MBB's Schrobenhausen factory to exert the maximum destructive effect on large targets. The missile penetrates the side of the ship before the warhead is detonated, and the normal explosive effect is enhanced by 16 radially mounted P-charges which produce high-speed slugs to penetrate up to seven bulkheads each. that last-minute

m

(

Length: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) Span: 1 m (3 ft 3 in) Diameter:34A cm (13.5 in) Weight: QO0 kg (1320 lb) Speed: Mach 0.9 Range: 30 km (20 miles) Warhead: 165 kg (360 lb), including 56 kg (124 lb) of

explosive

Kortenaer Dutch

frigate class.

In the early

1970s the

Royal Netherlands Navy began to design a new frigate to replace its ageing Holland and Friesland Class destroyers. At the same time NATO initiated studies for what became known as the 'NATO frigate", an attempt to

The Dutch

1656

frigate

Kortenaer (F.807). She

is

produce a standard design for all the European navies that are members of NATO. The Dutch went on to work out their own ideas, but tailored to make them attractive to NATO, and the result was the Standaard or Standard frigate. In December 1973 the Dutch government approved the design, and in August 1974 the first four ships were ordered, followed by another four three months later, and a third

December 1976. ships are to be built at the Royal de Schelde yard. Flushing: Kortenaer (F.807); Callenburgh Van (F.808); Kinsbergen (F.809); Banckert (F.810): Piet Hein (F.8I ): Pieter Florisz (F.812): Witte de U7f/j(F.813); Abraham Crijnssen (F.816): Jan van Brakel (F.825); Willem van der Zaan (F.82M. series of four in

Ten

1

Philips van Almonde and Blois van Treslongare to be built by Wilton-Fijenoord. and a thirteenth order, for a modified version with an antiaircraft armament, has been delayed. The Standard design is intended for ocean escort, and so it has good seakeeping and endurance. The propulsion is the same as in the Tromp Class DDGs and contemporary British ships, a COGOG arrangement of Rolls-Royce Olympus and Tyne gas turbines.

The design has been adopted by

the West as the basis for its F-122 design, and early in 1978 the Imperial Iranian

German navy

Navy announced

that it would order 12 Kortenaer Class, eight of which would be built by Dutch shipyards and the remaining four from German yards.

Displacement: 3500 tons (standard), 3785 tons load) Length: 130 m (426 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in) Draught: 6 m (19 ft 8 in) Machinery: 2-shaft gas turbines, 56800 shp*10800 shp cruising turbines=30 knots (full

Armament. 2 76-mm

(3-in)/62-cal (2x1);

1

SEM-

30 quadruple mounting (to be mounted in place of one 76-mm gun); 8 Harpoon RGM-84A SSMlaunchers (2x4); 8 NATO Sea Sparrow AIM-7E SAM-launchers (1x8); 4 Mk 32 A/S torpedo tubes (4x1); 2 WG13 Lynx helicopters Crew. 200

Koryu

antisubmarine work. Harpoon surface-tosurface missiles, and OTO-Melara 76-mm (3in) guns and NATO Sea Sparrow missiles for air defence. The air-defence version will probably be armed with Standard SM-1 missiles. The question of which very short-range air-defence system (VSRADS) to adopt is unsettled, and for the moment a second OTO-Melara gun is shipped aft, but it will be replaced in due course. It is believed that the choice will be the SEM-30 "Goalkeeper', a four-barrelled mounting with 35-mm (I.38-in) Oerlikon guns: with its integrated search- and fire-control radar and a rate of fire of 3200

Japanese midget submarine class. Known as the Type D midget submarines, these vessels were designated as an improved Type C midget which would overcome the defects suffered by the Type C. Plans for the Type D had been completed by the end of 1943 and uork on the prototype. Ha 77. began in June 1^44. The Type D midgets were larger than the Type C. the improved and more powerful diesels which were fitted necessitated an increase in length of 1.2 m (4 ft). Space had abo to be provided for two extra crew members. Although more powerful diesels were fitted (which gave the submarines an extra 2 knots speed surfaced) this was at the expense of battery capacity and a lowerpowered electric motor, which reduced the submerged speed by 2 knots. The main advantage of the new propulsion system was a reduction in the time needed to recharge the batteries using the diesel. This dropped from

rds/min.

the

Two WG13 Lynx

helicopters are carried for

Kortenaer started her trials in April 1978, to commission at the end of that year: the twelfth ship is to commission in mid- 1984. the basis for the Federal

German F-122

18-hour life in the Type C to 8 hours. Increased bunkerage gave a greater surface radius of action, and seaworthiness generally was improved. The maximum submerged

Class and nine other ships ordered for the Dutch

'Kotlin'

depth of

the class was 100 m (330 ft). The design was prepared for mass production and construction time was scheduled to take two months. The units were assembled

was provided for 50 tons of coal. In 1908 Kotaka was removed from the operational fleet and acted as a target ship. She was reengined during the First World War, but was

in five sections and welded together on a slip, either being launched in the normal way or

discarded

put into the water by crane. Nine yards were engaged in building Koryu and production was planned for a rate of 180 units a month to provide a total of 540 midgets by September 1945. Shortages of material, air raids and other delays so hampered construction that by the end of the war only 115 Koryu had been completed while 4% were still under construction. The Koryu were originally designed for use around the Japanese homeland, but the demands of the war resulted in their being carried aboard No type transports and used in the Philippines and Okinawa. Shortages of torpedoes led to a number of units being armed with a heavy charge of TNT in the bow and used as Kaiten-type suicide craft. Others were given an enlarged conning tower and used for Kaiten training. 1

Displacement: 59 tons (submerged) Length: m (86 ft) oa Beam: 2 m (6 ft 7 in) Depth: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) Machinery: -shaft diesel/1 electric motor, 150 bhp/500 hp=8/16 knots (surfaced/ submerged) Armament: 2 46-cm (18-in) torpedo tubes Crew: 5 26.2

"\

Kotaka Japanese torpedo boat, completed 1888. Dur-

in

1917 and finally scrapped

in

1927.

Displacement: 203 tons (normal) Length: 51 .82 (170 ft) oa Seam.-5.79 m (19ft) DraughV.M m (5 ft 7 in) Machinery : 2-sbaft reciprocating, 1217 ihp=19 knots Armament: 2 1-pdr (37-mm) QF; 4 15-in (38.1 -cm) torpedo tubes (3x2) Crew: not

m

known

Kotka, IVL Finnish bomber-reconnaissance aircraft, prototype first flown 1926. Although the Industria Valtion Lentokonetehdas (IVL. state aircraft factory) was set up at Sveaborg near Helsinki in 1921. it initially did no more than build foreign types under licence and undertake modification programmes to fit aircraft for Finnish use. Gradually it produced its own original designs. The most important of these in the 1920s was the Kotka. As far as possible the structure was simple and robust and made of local woods. The two-bay biplane wings were almost entirely of wooden construction, and they had ailerons on the lower plane and Handley Page slats on the upper. The fuselage was mainly based on welded steel tube, and provided roomy cockpits for pilot and observer in

tandem. The latter had a ring mount for a machine-gun. which at first was a 7.62-mm

Lewis surplus

US

needs, but by

ing the 1880s there was great discussion on the practicability and necessity for giving torpedo boats armour protection. It was left to a few venturesome navies to investigate

(0.30-in)

these possibilities and among them was the Japanese. Under the 1882 Programme the Japanese ordered the large torpedo boat Kotaka from the Poplar, London yard of Yarrow's, and the keel was laid down on

dard IVL seaplane floats could be fitted, as could IVL skis or wheel landing gear. IVL possibly led all other manufacturers at the time in designing interchangeable landing gear. The wheel gear of the Kotka was unusual in that each wheel was pivoted to a hinged V-strut and restrained by an outwardsloping shock-strut outboard of the wheel which was pivoted to the wing spar in line with the inboard interplane struts. The prototype had a Bristol Jupiter of 436 hp. but the production engine was the 575-hp Wright Cyclone E-series. usually uncowled. A substantial number of Kotkas entered

7, 1886. The ship was assembled London yard and then taken apart and

September in the

shipped to Japan where the sections were riveted together. She was launched on January 21. 1887. and completed on October 10.

1888.

The design was

particularly noteworthy for the 25-mm (1-in) armour plating protecting the boiler and machinery spaces. In addition to the armour protection, which was proof against small arms fire and light shells. Kotaka's hull was subdivided into numerous watertight compartments, an excellent feature for a torpedo boat. The ship's wellexecuted design foreshadowed that of the

to

was more often the Finnish L-33. A bombload of up to 250 kg (550 lb) could be hung on racks under the lower wings. Stan1929

A

Finnish air force service from 1928, remaining in first-line use almost to the Winter War of 1939. The type could have carried a heavier load, and is believed to have been used for trials with a torpedo. No data available.

'Kotlin' Soviet destroyer class, built between 1954 and 1958 in yards at Leningrad, Nikolayev and Komsomolsk. The ships are: Bessledny. Blagorodny. Blestyashchy. Burlivy. Byvaly. Dalnevostochny Komsomolets, Moskovsky Plamenny, Komsomolets. Naporisty. Smeshny, Spechny, Spokoiny. Svedushchy, Svetly. Vliyatelny. Vozmushchenny. VyderVysyvayushchy. Bravy. Vesky, zhanny. Nakhodchivy. Nastoychivy. Nesokrushimy. Soznatelny, VozSkromny. Skrytny, buzhdenny and Warszawa. The last nine ships (Bravy-Warszawa) are known as the 'Kotlin SAM' Class. Warszawa was transferred to Poland in 1970. It was apparently intended that the class should comprise 36 units, but only 32 ships were laid down, and four of these were converted during construction to become the 'Kildin' Class. Although displaying many of the features of the 'one-off' 'Tallin' Class laid down in 1952. the 'Kotlins' exemplify a return to a more conventional machinery layout, with the second funnel sited further forward between the two banks of torpedo tubes. A reduction in engine power compared with Neustrashimy brought with it a hull of smaller dimensions and of a very different shape, with the reduced freeboard compensated for by a sharply angled bow. This enabled high speeds to be maintained in rough seas and resulted in a more successful and stable ship

than Neustrashimy.

The main armament of the ships comprised two of the new stabilized twin 130-mm (5.1in) dual-purpose turrets, mounted at upper deck level fore and aft. Because of the change in superstructure layout, two quad-

45-mm

mountings could be the remaining two superimposed above the main turrets. This enabled three mountings to fire on the broadside compared with only two on Neusruple

(1.77-in)

accommodated amidships, and

trashimy.

Soviet 'Kotlin' Class destroyer. Nine of these ships are in service with the Polish navy

torpedo-boat destroyer which was not to appear for another ten years. It is debatable, however, whether the armour protection was worth the increased displacement and consequent loss in speed. This is possibly proved by the fact that the Japanese failed to place any repeat orders for protected torpedo boats. Yet the protection did prove valuable under certain circumstances, and there is no

doubt that it had a significant influence on the morale of engine-room staff. This was shown when Kotaka led the torpedo-boat attacks on Wei-Hai-Wei during the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-95.

Kotaka was powered by two-cylinder vercompound reciprocating machinery fed by two locomotive-type boilers. Bunkerage tical

1657

KPV

The Soviet KPV heavy machine-gun ft/sec) to

Beginning

in

1962,

1

1

of the class under-

went a minor modification when one of the quintuple banks of torpedo tubes was removed and two 16-barrelled A/S mortars fitted beneath the bridge. Some ships were fitted with six-barrelled A/S mortars aft, while others had a platform built out from the second funnel to the ship's sides. On this four twin 25-mm (1-in) A A were mounted. Later modifications gave some unmodified ships two 12-barrelled A/S mortars forward. A much more radical modification of the class emerged in 1962, to be known as the 'Kotlin SAM' Class. The after two gun mountings had been replaced by a large magazine for SA-N-1 Goa missiles with the launcher on top of it, and the lattice mainmast by a short pyramidal tower for the Peel Group guidance radar. The funnel was redesigned and moved aft to serve as a blast deflector for the missiles. At first, the centre pair of 45-mm mountings and the forward bank of torpedo tubes were removed, but these were replaced in 1964. Although Bravy was clearly a prototype conversion, no further ships modified in this way appeared until 1968. The eight ships of the 'Kotlin SAM-II' Class retained the forward bank of torpedo tubes but dispensed with the 45-mm mountings amidships. The latter were replaced in the mid-1970s on some ships by four twin 30-mm (1.18-in) mounts, with their Drum Tilt directors carried on platforms projecting from the radar tower. They were also fitted with 12- or 16-barrelled mortars. The original funnel has been retained, and a separate blast deflector fitted to the end of the magazine. This indicates that the modified funnel in Bravy was not entirely successful.

Displacement: 2850 tons (standard), 3885 tons load) Length: 128 m (419 ft 11 in) oa Beam: 13 m (42 ft 8 in) Draught: 5 m (16 ft 5 in) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 72000 shp=36 knots Armament: ('Kotlin') 4 1 30-mm

(full

(5.1-in)

DP

45-mm (1.77-in) AA (4x4); 8 AA (4x2 or 2x2), some ships;

(2x2); 16

25-mm

or 4

(1-in)

MBU 2500 A/S mortars (2x16); or 24 MBU 2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 5 or 10 53-cm (21 -in)

32

(1 x5 or 2x5); (Kotlin SAM) 2 SAN-1 missile-launchers (1x2); 2 130-mm (5.1-in) DP (1 x2); 4 (Bravy12) 45-mm (1.77-in) AA (1 x4; Bravy 3x4); 8 30-mm (1.18-in) AA (2x4), some

torpedo tubes

ships; 24

cm

MBU

(21-in)

lin);

285

2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 5 53torpedo tubes (1x5) Crew:326 ('Kot-

('Kotlin

SAM')

KPV Soviet heavy machine-gun. The KPV (Krupnokalibernyi Pulemet Vladimirova) is one of a line of Soviet guns which were introduced

1658

an

effective

range of 2000

fires a

m

14.5-mm

into service in the early 1950s when the Soviet army was modernizing and reequipping after the Second World War. The 14.5-mm (0.57-in) calibre KPV was designed

by Vladimirov to fire the existing round from the PTRD and PTRS antitank rifles, and in its day it was an advanced design exhibiting several new features. It is still a very good weapon today, and certainly it is better than the US 0.5-in (12.7-mm) Browning. It was originally conceived as an antiaircraft gun, and in this role it has been mounted in single, twin and quadruple mounts. Using the 14.5mm round it can be assumed to be highly effective. However it is now being seen on armoured personnel carriers (APCs) as the principal gun, in a free mounting alongside the commander's hatch.

The weapon

is unusual for a Soviet design being recoil operated, with some assistance from a muzzle booster. The barrel movement is quite short, but sufficient to unlock the rotating bolt and send it back-

in

(0.57-in)

(2200 yards) with an

round

HE

at

1000 m/sec (3300

or solid shot

wards under its own momentum. The ammunition is fed in a pocketed belt, like a Maxim, and so has to be withdrawn on the recoil movement. The belt can be fed in from either side and is generally supplied in small sections holding ten rounds. The KPV was designed for simplicity of manufacture and there is considerable riveting and welding in the construction. Many parts are stamped from sheet metal, but despite this there is ample strength and apparently plenty of clearance for wear. Surprisingly, the body is well sealed and the only obvious opening for dirt to enter is the ejection slot. The bore is chromed and the air-cooled barrel is easily changed.

Krag-J0rgensen The bullet weighs 60 g (2. 1 oz) and there is either a solid shot for piercing armour, or an filling for general targets. The round is very powerful, discharging at a muzzle velo-

HE

1000 m/sec (3300 ft/sec), and the effective range is about 2000 m (2200 yards). There is no true counterpart to the KPV in the West, and it enjoys a formidable reputation for its effectiveness against city

of

maximum

light

armour and

aircraft.

Weight: (unmounted) 48 9 kg (107 lb 13 oz) (0.57 in) Length: 200.2 cm (78.8 in) Barrel length: 134.9 cm (53.1 in) Operation: recoil, assisted by muzzle booster Rate of fire: 600 rds/min Muzzle velocity: 1000 m/sec (3300 ft/sec) Calibre: 14.5

mm

it was one of these which accounted for UB.45 two months later. She was found at

and

Sevastopol by British forces during the Intervention in 1919 and was scuttled to prevent her from falling into Bolshevik hands. The wreck was raised in 1935 and scrapped.

The Russian submarine Krab was the first submarine to be built as a minelayer. During the First World War she operated in the Black Sea, laying fields off the Turkish coast which

damaged

the Turkish torpedo boat Issa Reis

and sank the submarine UB.45 in November 1916.

She was

scuttled by British forces during

the Intervention but raised and scrapped

in

1935

Russian submarine minelayer, built 1908-15. This was the world's first submarine designed to lay mines, but by the time she was completed the Germans had already rushed the first UC-Boats to completion, and she did not get the credit she deserved. Krab was built at Nikolaiev on the Black Sea, and although she took seven years to complete it is not known if this was caused by a decision to alter her during construction, or merely by problems with the minelayinggear. The mines were laid by chain and sprocket through two hatches aft; they were winched aft and dropped over the stern. She laid a field of 58 mines off the entrance to the Bosphorus on July 10, 1915, and it damaged the Turkish torpedo boat Issa Reis the following day. Her next offensive field was laid in the same area on July 31, 1916, in conjunction with surface minelayers. On September 15 she laid a further 30 off Varna,

Displacement: 560/740 tons (surfaced/submerged) Length:53 m (173 ft 10 in) oa Beam:4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) Draught: 4 m (13 ft 1 in) Machinery: 2-shaft diesel/electric, 1200 bhp/660 shp=11/ 7.5 knots (surfaced/submerged) Armament: 1 75-mm (2.95-in) (added after completion); 4 45cm (17.7-in) torpedo tubes (2 bow, internal, 2 external); 60 mines Crew: 25 approx

Krag-J0rgensen Norwegian bolt-action rifle. This 6.5-mm (0.256-in) weapon was developed in the late 1880s by Captain Ole Krag of the Royal Norwegian Artillery and Erik J^rgensen, an engineer at the Norwegian state arsenal at Kongsberg where Krag later became superintendent. The Krag was a satisfactory boltaction rifle with an unusual magazine. The bolt action was fairly conventional, except that there was only one lug to lock it to the This is usually held to give rise to inaccurate shooting due to uneven loadings on the body, but remaining Krags shoot very well. The magazine was a complicated sheet barrel.

steel box screwed under the body and loaded from the right side. Five rounds could be fed in and they were held underneath the body

1659

Kraguj,

and up the

Soko P-2

left side in a

curving box. Spring

came from a plate in the door on the The rounds were pushed across and

pressure right.

then up until the Kilt could engage the top one as it appeared on the left side of the body. It was then fed in in the usual way. the onlj difference being that it entered from the side instead of underneath. This unorthodox magazine was quite compact, but the amount of machining required in the body caused it to

be expensive.

The Krag was adopted by Denmark

US

and by the

in

1892.

in

1889

and Kith countries

and better designs. The IS used Krags in the Spanish- American Wat of 1898 and found that the side-loading magazine was inferior to the charger loading of the Mausers carried by many Spanish troops. The Mausers could fire faster than a Kr.ii: and less time was lost in loading. From then on the L'S looked for a replacement. This came in 1903 w ith the introduction of the Springfield M1903. a modified Mauser. Norway adopted the Krag in the late 1890s and. preferred

to other

it

together with Denmark, kept

it

in

service

Second World War. Some are said to have survived the war to be used as sniping until the

rifles

for

some years afterwards. The Krac is some civilian shooters who

popular with claim that it

shoots well and is easy to maintain. There were several minor variants of the original model. (Krag) Weight: 4.05 kg (8 lb 15 oz) Calibre: 6.5 (0.256 in). 8 (0.315 in) Length: 127 cm (50 in) Barrel length: 76.3 cm (30 in) Magazine

mm

mm

5-round integral tray Muzzle velocity:732 m/sec (2400 ft/sec)

rifle M1894 used by US troops in the Spanish-American War. Though also adopted by Norway and Denmark it was inferior to the fast-firing and quick-loading Mauser

The Krag-Jorgensen

Krasni Kavkaz

Krasni Krim

Soviet cruiser, built 19 13-32. She was the third unit of the Admiral Boutakov Class to be retained after the Revolution and Civil War. Like Admiral Lazarev she was aboul 60T complete at the Russud shipyard at Nikolaiev in the Black Sea. early in 1917. She

Soviet light cruiser, built 1913-28. Originally Svetlana. she was a unit of the Admiral Butakov Class, and was fitting out at St Petersburg at the time of the Revolution in 1917. She was renamed Klara Zetkin in 1920 (and is reported to have Ken named Sovnarfeoni for a while) but by the spring of 1924. when work re-started, she was called Profin-

w as renamed Krasni Kavkaz (Red Caucasus) in 1926 and the follow ing year work began to a completely new design. The original armament was discarded, and instead she was given four

180-mm

(7. l-in)/57-cal

Kraguj,

Soko P-2

prototype flew

for the

first

time

1966.

in

powered by a single 340-hp Lycoming GSO480-B1A6 six-cylinder horizontally opposed engine. The Kraguj entered production and service during 1968. Approximately 30 were built for ground-attack units of the Yugoslav air force. Of all-metal construction, the aircraft can take off and land on grass fields or unprepared ft) in

airstrips of less than 120

length.

It

can be flow n by

m

(395

pilots with a

minimum

of training. The standard armament consists of two 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machinein each w ing. outboard of the propeller arc. There are six underwing attachment points. Each of the two inK>ard points can carry a small cluster of K>mbs or alternatively a single 100-kg (220-lb) K>mb: a

Span: 10.64 m (34 ft 11 in) Length .7.93 m (26 ft) Gross weight: 1624 kg (3580 lb) Maximum speed: 295 km/h (183 mph) 1660

The design was similar to the Chenonaya Ukraina. but by 1928 a number of alterations had Ken made to improve her. A tripod foremast and control top replaced the original pole mast, and there was a lattice crane to handle a floatplane. The side armour was

tetrapod mainmast were stepped, w ith a large crane for the floatplane. As in her sisters the

torpedo tuKs were positioned amidships.

mm

armour was removed to reduce topweight, and the funnels were stepped. Shortly after completion the ship was damaged in collision w ith the cruiser Komintem. and she was lengthened during repairs, with a clipper K>w With her two large funnels and extended forecastle deck she was quite side

.

Chenonaya

Lkranina. She finally commissioned in January 1932 in the Black Sea Fleet, nearly 20 years after King laid down. She was heavily involved in the fighting in the Crimea, particularly in the defence of Odessa and Sevastopol, for which she received the 'Guards' award in 1942. She made 30 sorties, carried out 32 bombardments off Sevastopol and transported over 25 000 personnel in and out of the Kleaguered fortress. She was badly damaged off Feodosiya on December 29. 1941. when German shore guns and mortars scored 7 hits. On January 4. 1942. she was hit by four K>mbs right aft while heading to Tuapse, but she managed to limp into Poti with POO tons of water on board and two large holes in the hull. She was apparently damaged once more in 1943. In May 1947 the old ship was downgraded to a training cruiser, and by 1954 she was no more than a stationary hulk at Odessa. The exact date of her disposal is a mystery, though some Soviet reports state that she was sunk as a target in mid- 1950. She was definitely sunk by a guided missile, and a more likely date would be five or six years later. I

guns, one mounted

150-litre (33-Imp gal) napalm container, or a pod of 12 rockets. The remaining attachments can carry an air-to-surface rocket.

tern.

centreline turrets and Italian Minissini 100(3.9-in)/47-cal A A guns in single mountings. The unusually heavy armament of four triple torpedo tubes was mounted aft. and a centreline catapult was installed between the tubes. A heavy tripod foremast and a sKirter

unlike her sisters Profintern and

Yugoslav ground-attack aircraft, prototype first flew 1966. The advent of the jet engine did not render the piston engine completely obsolete for military aircraft, it has been used from time to time on small modern aircraft for use in local border defence incidents or similar skirmishes. The L'S Fletcher Defender was one such example. More recently there appeared the single-seat Kraguj from the design team of the aeronautical research establishment at Beograd (Belgrade). It was built by the Soko factory at Mostar. and the

in single

named

Displacement: 7560 tons (standard). 9030 tons load) Length. 169.5 m (556 ft 1 in) oa Beam: 15.71 m (51 ft 7 in) Draught: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines. 55000 shp=29 knots Protection 38-25 mm (1.5-1 in) deck. 76 mm (3 in) turrets and conning tower Armament: 4 180-mm (7.1-in)/57-cal (4x1); 6 100-mm (3.9-in) AA (6x1); 2 75-mm (2.95-in) AA (2x1); 4 45-mm (1.77-in) AA (4x1); 8 37-mm (1.46-in) AA (8x1); 12 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (4x3); 2 KR-1 aircraft. 1 catapult Crew.850 (full

:

removed for

ice

K

strengthened to permit the hull to navigation, and two sets of triple

Germany in 1929 and transferred to the Black Sea. with tK battleship Parizhkaya Kommuna. In 1936-37 she was refitted, and her Profintern

visited

was subsequently

four 75-m m (2.95-in) A A guns were replaced by three twin 100-mm (3.9-in) mountings. In November 1939 she was renamed Krasni Krim (Red Crimea), the name under which she distinguished herself in 1941-45. Her record during the defence of Sevastopol earned her the 'Guards' award in June 1942. and she was given the honour of leading the squadron which reoccupied Sevastopol in May 1944. but in March 1945 she was reduced to a training ship. She later served as an accommodation hulk at Odessa until paid off in 1954. single

Displacement: 6833 tons (standard). 7999 tons load) Length: 158.4 m (519 ft 8 in) oa Beam: 15.36 m (50 ft 5 in) Draught: 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines. 50000 shp=29 knots Protection: 25 mm (1 in) deck. 51 mm (2 in) gun positions. 76 mm (3 in) conning tower Armament: 15 130-mm (5.1 -in) (15x1); 6 100-mm (3.9-in) (3x2): 4 45-mm (1.77-in) (4x1); 10 37-mm (1.46-in) (10x1); 6 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x3); 1 K-1 floatplane Crew: 852

(full

'Kresta' Soviet missile cruiser class, built

The

remarkable Kcause the

1963-78.

four ships were the last of the 'first generation' of missile cruisers, while the ten ships completed from 19"0 onwards Klong. in terms of their armament and designed role, to the second generation'. The 'Kresta-I' variation consists of four ships: Vize-Adtniral Drozd. Admiral Zozulya. Sevastopol and Vladivostok. All were built at the Zhdanov yard. class

is

first

first ship was completed in 1966. the others follow ing at yearly intervals. The design was a development of the Kvnda' Class rocket-cruisers', with a hull of slightly increased dimensions and w ith the

Leningrad. The

freeK>ard

aft

increased by the extension of

'Kresta'

the forecastle deck towards the stern. Topweight, which seems to have been a serious

problem with the Kyndas". was significantly reduced by retaining only one of the radar towers, and by trunking the boiler room uptakes together into a single wide funnel or "mack*. This is divided into two halves so that a Big Net air search radar could be accommodated above it. Such an arrangement was the result of a significant change of emphasis in the ship's armament: a halving of battery of surface-to-surface missiles. Besides dispensing with the big quadruple launchers this change eliminated one of the bulky guidance radars therefore the need for a second tower and allowed the surfaceto-air missile systems to be increased from one to two. These modifications were a firm indication that the ships were to operate in more open waters than their predecessors. The two SAM launchers now occupied promthe

—

inent

—

positions fore and aft.

deckhouses

which form

mounted on

magazines. Their Peel Group radars are mounted on small towers on either side of the large their

mack. The SS-N-3 SSMs. on the other hand, were now relegated to a secondary position, with one pair of launching tubes on each side of the bridge. The launchers can be raised to about 20\ and can probably be reloaded from the large forward deckhouse. At least one reload is carried for each launcher. An undoubted improvement central

Vastly Chapaev. Kronstadt. Marshal \oroshilox Marshal Timoshenko and Admiral Yumashev. "Kresta-H' modifications were the result of a change in operational priorities towards antisubmarine warfare. The bow like that of the 'Kashin' Class, was given considerable ral Isathenkox.

.

.

overhang, suggesting the presence of a large bow sonar set. The SA-N-1 Goa launchers were replaced by the new SA-N-3 Goblet, introduced on the Moskva" Class, and the Peel Group guidance radars by the aptly

named Head

SAM

Lights. Installation of the new outfit also entailed a reduction in size of

the massive pyramidal tower of the 'KrestaI". so that the large Top Sail 3-D radar could be accommodated w ithout harming the stability of the design. The most significant change, how ever, was the replacement of the tw in SSM launchers by two quadruple launchers for the SS-N-I4 antisubmarine missile. This enabled the Hormone B missile guidance helicopter to be exchanged for the antisubmarine A' version. These two measures significantly improved capabilities at the expense of antiship capabilities. However, there is evidence to

ASW

suggest

that

the

SA-N-3 may be

a

purpose weapon. The helicopter deck

dualitself

was

raised to the level of the forecastle deck, but the hangar remained at the same level. The advantage thus gained in operating the helicopter from a higher level is therefore set against a complex method of stowage which

involves the raising of the hangar roof and the use of the hangar floor as a lift. Conventional weapons are basically the same for both versions of the class: two tw in

automatic 5~-mm (2.24-in) AA. two quintuple banks of torpedo tubes, and the same 12- and six-barrelled A S mortars as in the 'Kashin' Class. In addition, the Kresta-H' Class carry four Gatling-type guns for defence against

and the \ ize- Admiral Drozd oi the group has emerged from a recent refit similarly equipped.

missiles, earlier

The Soviets clearly regard the 'Kresta' Class as a successful design, because they have continued in production despite the advent of the 'Kara' Class. The 'Krestas* are deployed in all four fleets, and in particular form the backbone of the powerful Northern fleet. Pennant numbers 800 ranges are carried.

in the 200.

500 and

operational effectiveness of this against other ships was the provision for the first time on a Soviet warship of a helicopter for missile guidance. This was accommodated in a hangar which opened onto the low stern. The Kresta-ir variation consists of ten in

the

weapon

— —

ships. The first was laid down in 1967. and was completed in 1970. These ships are: Admiral Sakhimov. Admiral Makarov. Admiral Isakov. Admiral Oktxabrskw Admi-

Above:

A

'Kresta

a helicopter

from

I"

Soviet missile cruiser in

HMS

Ark Royal during

a

March

NATO

1975. Below. A 'Kresta EI" photographed by exercise in the Atlantic in November 1975

1661

'Kresta'

I

AV$&»««£ __..

'Kresta'

The Soviet 'Kresta' Class cruiser Marshal Timoshenko seen from the port side of the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal. In the foreground crewmen can be seen by the Phantom F4K interceptors of No 892 Naval Air Squadron. Nine 'Kresta' Class have been identified out of 1 1 ships. Though an updated version of the 'Kresta' Class they have modest antiship missile capability with the SS-N-14 A/S missile system but the two twin SA-N-3 SAM systems are an improvement. Like most other Soviet warships they are fitted with Gatling-type close-range weapons which have a Bass Tilt radar control. They are capable of 35 knots and have a range of 8850 km (5500 miles) at 1 8 knots. The engines are twin-shaft steam turbines capable of 1 00 000 shp II

II

I

.7

V --

T

L.

Krivak

('Kresta-I') Displacement: 5140 tons (standard), 6500 tons (full load) Length: 155 m (508 ft 6 in) oa Beam: 17 m (55 ft 9 in) Draught: 5.5 m (18 ft) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 100000 shp=35 knots Armament: 4 SA-N-1 missilelaunchers (2x2); 4 SS-N-3 missile-launchers (2x2); 4 57-mm (2.24-in) AA (2x2); 24 MBU 2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 12 MBU 4500A A/S mortars (2x6); 10 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes

(2x5);

Hormone B missile-guidance

helicopter

Crew: 400 (Kresta-M) Displacement. 6000 tons (standard), 7500 tons (full load) Length: 158 m (518 ft 4 in) Beam: 17 m (55 ft 9 in) Draught: 5.5 m (18 ft) Machinery: 2-shaft steam turbines, 100000 shp=34 knots Armament: SA-N-3 missilelaunchers (2x2); SS-N-14 missile-launchers (2x4); 24 MBU 2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 12 MBU 4500A A/S mortars (2x6); 4 Gatling-type guns; 10 53-cm (21-in) torpedoes (2x5); Hor-

mone A A/S

helicopter Crew: 500

Kreuzotter German a

torpedo.

The Kreuzotter (viper) was

development of the T3 or G7e

electric

torpedo, known as T3e. It was designed for use by the Molch (newt) and Seehund (seal) midget submarines. The weight was I343 kg (2960 lb) and it travelled at 20 knots for a distance believed to be 7500 m (8200 yards).

See also Molch. Seehund, G7a/G7e.

'Krivak' Soviet missile cruiser class. The lead ship was laid down in 1968 and completed in I97I.

and the class remained in production towards the end of the 1970s, with new vessels being built at the rate of two units a year. The ships are: Bditelny. Bodry. Dejatelny. Doblestny. Druzhny. Razumny, Silny, Dostoiny,

A

Storozhevoy, Retivy, Razyashchy, Zharky, Rezvy, Rezky and Razitelny. The last three were built to a modified design. Although chronologically they followed the 'Kashin' Class, the 'Krivaks' are a reversion to a smaller, general-purpose destroyer type, and in this sense can be more accurately described as the true successors to the 'Kotlins'. A major factor in the reduction of size was the desire to place the orders in smaller yards, leaving the traditional yards to concentrate on the new generation of missile cruisers and carriers. The two yards chosen at Kaliningrad and Kerch previously built ships little bigger than corvettes. The 'Krivaks' have a comprehensive range of weapon systems. For the antisubmarine role their main function they carry a large quadruple launcher mounted forward for SSN-14 missiles which were first seen on the 'Kresta' Class cruisers. Directly beneath the

—

—

bridge there are two 12-barrelled A/S mortars, and two quadruple banks of torpedo tubes mounted amidships. For close-range defence against aircraft the ships carry an SA-N-4 'pop-up' launcher fore and aft. and two twin 76-mm (3-in) mountings on the stern. The sensor array is equivalent to that on other modern Soviet warships. The antisubmarine orientation of the armament is reflected in the provision of a bow sonar and a variable depth sonar. Unlike Western antisubmarine vessels the 'Krivaks' do not carry a helicopter. This is a result partly of the Soviet practice of using both ends of the ship to accommodate the maximum number of weapon systems, but also of their failure to produce an helicopter suitable for smaller warships. As in the contemporary 'Kara' Class, propulsion is by gas turbine. A large square funnel is sited well aft to keep the hot exhaust gases clear of the sensors. Claims have been

ASW

Soviet 'Krivak' Class guided missile destroyer photographed by a Sea King from

1664

HMS

made for very high speeds, but the presence of a single funnel makes this unlikely. The reduced emphasis on high speed in recent Soviet warships suggests that they can probably make just over 30 knots, which for a ship of this size would only require two main turbines similar to those of the 'Kara' Class (about 25000 hp each), possibly combined with smaller cruise turbines in a (combined gas or gas) arrangement. In appearance the 'Krivaks' resemble modern Western warships more than any other Soviet warships. The hull is well-designed for seakeeping without having the angular appearance of earlier generations, and the superstructure is laid out neatly in blocks, giving the ships a compact and handsome

COGOG

look. In 1976 a variant of the class,

as

the

now known

'Krivak-IF, appeared. In these the

twin 76-mm (3-in) mountings aft have been replaced by new model single 100-mm (3.9-in) guns, which presumably have a better dual-

purpose capability, and a larger variable depth sonar has been fitted, necessitating a slight lengthening of the stern.

The

original

version is, however, continuing in parallel production. Ships of the 'Krivak' Class serve mainly in the Baltic and the Mediterranean, and they carry pennant numbers in the 200 and 500 ranges.

Displacement: 3200 tons (standard), 3900 tons load) /.engf/7.122m(400ft3in)oa, ('KrivakII') 125.5 m (411 ft 9 in) Beam ;1 4 m (45 ft 11 in) Draught: 5 m (16 ft 5 in) Machinery: 2-shaft gas turbines, 50-60000 hp=31 knots Armament: 1 quadruple SS-N-14 missile-launcher; 2 twin SAN-4 missile-launchers; 4 76-mm (3-in) AA (2x2) ('Krivak-ll', 2 100-mm [3.9-in] DP); 24 MBU 2500A A/S mortars (2x12); 8 53-cm (21-in) torpedo tubes (2x4) Crew. 210 (full

Blake as the destroyer passes through English Channel

JAPANESE ARTILLERY

and

Field

1

Infantry Artillery

75-mm Mountain Gun Model

41

At the same time, a 75-mm Mountain Gun was produced, also known as the Model 41. This was a short-barrelled weapon, light in weight and with a tubular trail. It could be broken down into six sub-units for mule-pack carriage.

75-mm

Field

Gun

Model 38 (Improved) During the First World War an improvement programme was instituted and the 75-mm Field Gun Model 38 and the Mountain Gun Model 41 were both overhauled. The Model 38 (Improved) had its breech mechanism changed from an interrupted screw type to a sliding block, the elevation increased to 43°.

Spring balancing gear was fitted to the cradle reduce the load on the elevating hand and brakes were fitted to the wheels. The Model 41 (Improved) merely had its elevation increased to 40°. to

The 75-mm

(2.95-in) Model 38 (Improved) dates back to a 1905 Krupp design which the Japanese 'improved' after battle experience in the First World War. It was still serving in 1941

At the end

of the nineteenth century

Japanese field artillery equipments were purchased from Germany and were standard Krupp commercial designs. After the Russo-Japanese War a modernization programme was begun, again largely based on Krupp designs, some of which were bought, some built under licence in Osaka arsenal, and some slightly modified to suit Japanese preferences and built in Osaka.

and with the gun mounted on a hydro-spring recoil system. Four hundred were bought from Krupp and another 300 built at Osaka. As with most field guns of the time the maximum elevation was which restricted the range. limited to I65 riage with shield

,

75-mm

Field

Gun Model

The Japanese army, probably

75-mm

Field

Gun Model 38

basic field piece was the 75-mm (2.95-in) Field Gun Model 38, adopted in 1905. (The Japanese system of nomenclature at that time was based on the year of the current Emperor's reign; 1905 was the 38th year of the Meiji Era of Emperor Mutsuhutu.) The Model 38 was a conventional field gun of the period, using a two-wheeled box-trail car-

The

The 75-mm reducing

its

their experiences

in

the the

41

as a result of

war with Russia,

appear to have been first to realize that more range would permit more tactical flexibility, and in 1908 they took a fresh Krupp model, changed it slightly, and adopted it as the

75-mm

Field

Gun Model

41. In general

it

resembled the Model 38 but was capable of 30° elevation and could reach almost 1 1 000 m (12000 yards) range. This was issued to the artiilery

support units of cavalry divisions.

75-mm In

1929,

Field as

Gun Model 90

Japanese army began to expansion in Manchuria and the

contemplate China, a fresh programme of artillery design was begun, and among the first fruits of this

was

the

75-mm

Field

Gun Model

90. (In the

system of dating equipment by the year of the Era ran into problems of duplication and it was changed to a system which identified the model by the last two digits of the Japanese calendar year. The Japanese year 2590 was the Christian year 1930, so the Model 90 gun appeared in 1930.) After the First World War, the Japanese army had turned to a new source of inspiration, probably because Krupp was hamstrung by the provisions of the Versailles Treaty, and they obtained a number of designs from Schneider of France, building the weapons themselves. The Model 90 was the first of these ex-French designs and was quite modlate 1920s the

(2.95-in) Mountain Gun Model 41 was based on the Krupp M08 mountain gun. However, the Japanese improved on the original, weight and producing a gun that remained in service until 1945 some were still in use with the Chinese armed forces in the late 1970s

—

1665

Field

and

Infantry Artillery

Abo*v: The 75-mm (2.95-in) Field Gun Type 90 with a carriage adapted for motorized transport. It was the most modern Japanese light field gun. entering service in 1930. Some versions had Schneider-type breech blocks while later versions used a sliding wedge design. The gun saw service in China. Malaya and

Manchuria, and was Type 3 Tank Gun

the

basis

for the

«

:\ The Type 90 with spoked wheels for horse traction. The combination of split trails and pneumatic tires with some guns was a notable advance in Japanese artillery design. Western intelligence officers tried to trace the gun's origins and some suggested that it could be a licence-built version of the Schneider Canon de 85 mle 1927 supplied to Greece by the French. The Type 90 was built at the Osaka arsenal and its introduction into service was shrouded in secrecy 1666

Field

The 75-mm

(2.95-in)

Mountain (Pack) Gun Type 94 could be broken down

The Type 94

em

in

conception, using a

split-trail

carriage

and having the gun fitted with a muzzle brake. Early models used the Schneider interrupted-screw pattern of breech, but this

was soon replaced by a sliding-block design. Two versions were built, one with oldstyle wooden-spoked wheels itnd one pneumatic-tired for motorized batteries.

—

in firing position

it

into 11 loads, carried

remained

in use

and

on

six

Infantry Artillery

animals and reassembled within ten minutes

with the North Vietnamese after 1945. being useful in jungle

But there is some debate as to whether this gun was as good as it set out to be. The performance was adequate, but they were

a Schneider design of 1933. The connection seems tenuous, however, and the Model 95 was little more than the old Model 38

rarely seen in the Pacific or Burma theatres during the Second World War and it has been reported that they were mostly issued to units of the Kwang-tung army in Manchuria, from which they were later withdrawn. Their weakness probably lay in the recoil system. Schneider used a hydro-pneumatic design, but keeping this system operative in the field may well have been too much for the army's supply and maintenance system.

(Improved) gun on a new split-trail carriage derived from that of the Model 90. This new equipment was intended to replace the old Model 38 (Improved) completely, but production was never sufficient to allow this and both guns remained in service until 1945.

75-mm

Field

Gun Model 95

1935 a fresh 75-mm gun appeared to supersede the Model 90. This was the Model 95. said to have been based on

As

a result,

in

75-mm Mountain Gun Model 94 The mountain gun was also replaced, the new model being the Model 94. It was slightly more powerful than the Model 41. and had a and a

could be dismantled it could also be further stripped into 1 1 man-loads so that each piece could be carried by two men and

split trail

shield.

It

into the usual six mule-loads, but

1667

Field

and

Infantry Artillery

£ _A *

ff ^ r vT

1668

The 75-mm Mountain Gun Type 94 could be manpacked by 18 men, though over rough country it required more. The split-trail design allowed better elevation and the gun could be broken down in 35 minutes. When broken down the gun could be installed in difficult sites and this made it an excellent defensive gun in caves and bunkers

A

Field

and

Infantry Artillery

gun then emplaced in positions inaccesseven to mules. The old Model 41 Mountain Gun was then withdrawn from artillery units and given to infantry for use as their personal close-support weapon. the

ible

105-mm Field Howitzer Model 91 Another Schneider design, adopted

in 1931,

was the 105-mm (4.1-in) Field Howitzer Model 91. In company with most other counJapan had realized that a heavier shell 75-mm (2.95-in) gun was needed on the modern battlefield, but it was not sufficiently convinced of the idea to replace the 75-mm guns completely. The 105mm weapon was, in many respects, little more than an enlargement of the 75-mm Model 95 which followed it, a split-trail tries

than that of the

carriage with shield. Its principal recognition feature was the rearward extension of the recoil cradle, upon which were mounted the balancing spring cylinders.

37-mm Model

11

The Japanese

infantry were provided with their own close-support guns as well as the usual complement of mortars. The first of these was the 37-mm (l.46-in) Model 11, introduced in 1922. This was a modified copy of the French 37-mm Trench Gun M1916, a low-velocity weapon mounted on a tripod.

The original design was improved by the Japanese by discarding the eccentric-screw breech mechanism and replacing it with a semi-automatic vertical sliding block. It was a moderately useful weapon which saw some action in Manchuria and China in circumstances where it had little opposition.

70-mm

Battalion Howitzer

Model 92 The

other,

and principal, gun

specifically

designed for the infantry was the tiny (2.8-in) Battalion

70-mm

Howitzer Model 92, a stub1669

and Infantry

Field

Artillery

by-barrelled weapon on a split-trail carriage. The wheels were on cranked stub axles and

could be set so as to position the gun close to the ground for concealment in direct fire or higher so as to leave room for the breech to recoil without striking the ground when using high-angle fire. Reports on this gun are conflicting; several Allied reports spoke of its unreliability and unpopularity with its owners, but there appear to have been few complaints from the Japanese infantry and it was widely employed.

The Type 92 was numbers.

It

first

issued

in

1932 and by 1941 was available in large HE shell which, delivered at short

fired a 3.75-kg (8.3-lb)

ranges, could provide devastating close-support fire for the final stages of an infantry assault. The gun remained in use with a number of insurgent armies in South-East Asia after the end of the Second World War

The 70-mm Type 92 weighed 21 2 kg (467 lb) which made it a useful piece in the jungle. Japanese troops used it well forward and fired HE, smoke, shrapnel or an AP round which was of little use against the heavier armour of Allied tanks. The gun, known as Kyuni Shiki Hoheiho in its full designation, required ten men for manhandling, but this was frequently halved. In the assault the Type 92 was brought into action against bunkers and hardened positions. In defence it could be used for harassing fire

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE FIELD & INFANTRY GUNS Gun

shell

muzzle

maximum

weight

elevation

weight

velocity

(kg/lb)

(degrees)

(kg/lb)

(m/sec/ft/sec)

range (m/yards)

75-mm Fd Model 38

6.4/14.1

510/1673

8250/9020

945/2083

16*

75-mm Fd Model 38 (Imp)

6.4/14.1

600/1970

11950/13 000

1132/24%

43

75-mm Fd Model

5.7/12.6

510/1673

11000/12000

980/2161

30

75-mm Mtn Model 41

6.8/15

345/1132

5100/5600

545/1202

25

75-mm Mtn

7/15.4

435/1427

7100/7800

545/1202

40

75-mm Fd Model 90

6.5/14.3

700/2297

15000/16400

1397/3080

43

75-mm Fd Model 95

6.5/14.3

500/1640

11000/12000

1

105/2436

43

75-mm Mtn Model 94

6.5/14.3

385/1263

8300/9100

535/1180

45

15.9/35

545/1788

10750/11800

1495/32%

45

0.68/1.5

450/1476

2425/2650

95/209

14

3.75/8.3

198/650

2800/3060

212/467

75

41

41 (Imp)

105-mm How Model 91

37-mm Model

11

70-mm How Model 92

1670

Antitank

In

the

(1.46-in)

early

Model

1930s 11

the

37-mm

infantry's

was the

Guns

Japanese

official

antitank gun, but its low velocity was quite unsuited to this task and in 1934 it was replaced by an improved weapon.

37-mm Type 94 The 37-mm Type 94 Rapid longer barrel than the Model

Gun had

Fire 1

1

,

a

sliding block

breech, and two-wheeled split-trail carriage with wooden-spoked wheels. While a considit was erable improvement on the Model still behind current European thinking and to save having to develop a fresh design, the Japanese turned to Europe. 1

1 ,

37-mm Type 97 The result was the 37-mm Type 97 Rapid Fire Gun. more commonly known as the 'RA37'.

RA

stood for Reinmetaru, the Japanese pro-

Above: Allied soldiers examine a 47-mm (1.85-in) antitank gun Type 1 captured at Singu, Burma, in 1944. Built at the Osaka arsenal it first appeared in 1941. It looked modern but could only penetrate 50 (2 in) at 460 m (500 yards). Below: A 37-mm (1.46-in) Gun Type 94 which was intended to be a dual-purpose antitank and infantry support gun. In practice it was an ineffective antitank gun but handy for infantry assault work

mm

tA

'

*

«

B*£^

Bhv

^ mBm 1 ^BBBB^^BBBBrBl Bl Bl

1 Bm

m

B^BVBaH^P*B^M^^^^

V

rs

^k

V

1/

B^B

h

^r* a^JbV

Bm

^BB

"~

^Bm

BK^H

Bft^.

#BC

B#Tfl

^

SE^bbbJ Bfc-J^^B

BH ^^^^Bi

* *

iw

Bl VJ

B^B^Bsfll BV^ ^V ^ HkBVV l^^r^

^^^B

^^B"™^' V

^*MB

^Bw k.^*

•«

1671

Antitank

Guns

The 47-mm Type 01 antitank gun was the only gun to be designed in Japan for an exclusively antitank role. Though it lacked armour penetration Japanese crews were less concerned with self-preservation and were prepared to let enemy tanks approach to ranges not normally acceptable to their Western counterparts. Such tactics as these guarantee a first-shot kill but offer little chance of escape

Rheinmetall, since this gun standard German army 37-mm PAK 36 antitank gun. By 1937, therefore, the Japanese had a reasonably good antitank gun, one which remained in use until nunciation of

was,

in

fact,

the

1945.

47-mm Type In 194I, the

new

01

Type 97 was supplemented by a 47-mm (1.85-in) Type 01. was supposed at the time, a

design, the This was not, as

simple enlargement of the

37-mm

was somewhat more involved.

design, but

In 1938-39 the

Japanese had been embroiled in one or two border incidents with the Soviet army on the Manchurian borders. In these affairs they had discovered that the 37-mm gun was marginally efficient against modern armour, and they had also managed to capture one or two Soviet 45-mm (1.77-in) ZIK antitank guns. At much the same period they were developing a new 47-mm gun for use in tanks. By copying the Soviet carriage design (which was, in itself, an enlarged copy of the German PAK 36 which had also been bought by the USSR) and putting the 47-mm gun onto it. they finished up with quite a serviceable weapon. By the time the Type 01 appeared, though, the 37-47-mm range of calibres was going out of service with the major armies engaged in the war. The Japanese failed to appreciate this point, probably because they had, at that time, few tanks ranged against them and what there were, were light or elderly or both. There was therefore little incentive to begin designing a heavier antitank gun, and the lack of such a weapon was keenly felt when they eventually came up against Matilda and Sherman tanks in Allied hands later in the war. By

Above:

A 47-mm

antitank gun Type 01. Below:

A 37-mm Type

94 captured

in

New Guinea

T

that time, of course, it was too late to begin designing a new antitank gun, and the Japanese army had to do what it could with the 37and 47-mm designs.

mm

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE ANTITANK GUNS Gun

shell

muzzle

maximum

weight

weight

velocity

in action

(kg/lb)

(m/sec/ft/sec)

range (m/yards)

37-mm Model 94

0.69/1.5

700/2300

4600/5030

324/714

27

32/1.26

37-mm Model 97

0.9/2.0

915/3000

4000/4400

430/948

16

35/1.38

1.52/3.35

835/1840

7650/8400

752/1658

19

59/2.32

47-mm Type

1672

01

elevation

(degrees)

(kg/lb)

penetration (550 yards) at 30° (mm/in)

from 500

m

JAPANESE ARTILLERY 2

An

Medium

Indian and a British soldier examine an abandoned Japanese 105-mm (4.13-in) Field

Although the Japanese army were the first to deploy really heavy artillery with a field army, this turned out to be exceptional and in later years heavy weapons were rarely seen. This was largely due to the sort of warfare in which they were involved and, stemming from this, their method of using artillery. Whereas the

Western nations grouped artillery and controlled it at a high level, and were able to bring down concentrations of fire on to selected targets from scores or even hundreds of guns, the Japanese system was to parcel their artillery out to infantry commanders, who could then employ it in small numbers to give direct support to their operations. In the campaigns in Manchuria and China this system worked well enough, since the actions were localized and, in many cases, a handful of shells were enough to decide the issue. During the Second World War the system held, because in the jungle conditions of Malaya and Burma the dense country militated against the deployment of massed artillery, as even the British discovered. The only time that Japanese artillery approached any form of centralized control and massed fire was in the defence of some of the Pacific islands, and here the guns had been emplaced well in advance of the battle and all the necessary survey and communications networks had ample time in which to be set up. As a byproduct of this system of employment, field and medium artillery were all that could be effectively used, and heavy weapons were rarely seen in the field.

105-mm

Field

Gun Model

Gun Model 38

Artillery

92 on a roadside

in

Burma

1944

in

better recoil system (probably the weak point of the 1925 design) and the same sort of split-

The medium artillery of the Japanese army was composed of long-range guns and medium howitzers. The guns were mostly of 105-mm (4.l-in) calibre, and this class had begun with the 105-mm Field Gun Model 38. introduced in 1905. This was designed and built at Osaka arsenal, taking a Krupp weapon as the model. It was a fairly conventional gun for its day, with a box trail, two wheels, and shield. The long barrel had a

trail carriage as its predecessor. The recoil cradle extended well behind the breech and, on the move, the barrel was disconnected from the recoil system and pulled back about (3 ft 3 in) on the cradle and locked there. This arrangement reduced the amount of whip in the barrel due to vibrations from travelling shocks and thus reduced the wear on the elevating and traversing mechanisms.

system and cradle of equal length underneath, which gave the weapon an odd muzzle-heavy appearance.

150-mm Gun Model 89

recoil

105-mm

Field

In the early 1920s

Gun Model

14

work began on

a replacement design, which duly appeared as the 105Field Gun Model 14 in 1925. As with the field guns of smaller calibre produced in this period, the basic design was from Schneider of France, a split-trail carriage pattern. But like the field gun developed at much the same time and from a similar French model, the 105-mm gun does not appear to have been very successful and only a handful were

mm

manufactured.

105-mm

Field

The designers

Gun Model 92

started

again,

produced the 105-mm Field This was longer

in

the barrel

and

in

1932

Gun Model 92. and had a much

l

m

In 1929 there was a sudden increase in calibre with the introduction of the 150-mm (5.9-in) Gun Model 89. This resembled the well-

(6.1-in) GPF gun and gun trunnioned at the centre of balance, mounted on a two-wheeled splittrail carriage. It appears to have been a sound design, but it was rarely seen by Allied troops in the war years and probably only a small number were built.

known French 155-mm

was

a 30-calibre

120-mm Howitzer Model 38 The

first

medium howitzer

to be

adopted was

the 120-mm (4.7-in) Model 38 of 1905. Once again, this was a Krupp design slightly modified, with a box trail, two wheels and no shield. An interesting detail is that although of German design, the material and some of the parts were supplied by France and the actual manufacture done in Japan.

1673

Medium

Artillery

150-mm Howitzer Model 38

150-mm Howitzer Model 96

The 120-mm

By

calibre,

however, did not appeal

Japanese army since the difference in effect between that and the 105-mm (4.1-in) field howitzer was insufficient, so at the same time a 150-mm howitzer appeared. It is likely that both were procured so that practical experience would allow the army to come to a decision as to which calibre they preferred. The 150-mm Model 38 was another ex-Krupp design and, as with the 120-mm, the first 30 were built from French material and components. In appearance it was little more than an enlargement of the 120-mm design. to the

Model 4 was beginning age and a fresh design, the 150(5.9-in) Howitzer Model 96. appeared in 1936. This was a modern equipment with split-trail carriage and rubber-tired wheels, and the breech mechanism reverted to a more usual form of interrupted screw. Production, though, was never sufficient for this design to completely replace the earlier Model 4. to

the late 1930s the

show

its

mm

Right: The Japanese 150-mm (5.87-in) Howitzer Model 4, was developed during the First World War and was in widespread use during the Second. Captured guns were used by the Chinese since the ammunition for the Models 38, 4 and 96 was interchangeable

150-mm Howitzer Model 4 While the army settled on the 150-mm calibre on the grounds of shell effect, the Model 38 was thought to be rather cumbersome to move about, and a redesign was done by

Osaka arsenal, resulting in the 150-mm Howitzer Model 4 of I915. The box trail had been lengthened, as was the barrel, and the barrel was removed to a transport wagon for movement, the carriage being towed on its own two wheels. Spring balancing gear was fitted to take the muzzle-heaviness off the elevating gear, and traverse was across the axle. The most remarkable feature, however, was the breech block, which slid upwards to open, assisted by springs. Although ungainly in appearance, the Model 4 was a serviceable and reliable weapon, and it formed the backbone of Japanese medium artillery until I945.

The Model 4 was the first Japanese gun

to use a

hydropneumatic

recoil

system. This enabled it to fire at extreme angles of elevation with a semi-fixed case which could take up to five charge increments. Though it was replaced by the Model 96 in 1936, the Model 4 remained in service until 1945

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE MEDIUM ARTILLERY Gun

shell

muzzle

maximum

elevation

weight

weight

velocity

limits

in action

(kg/lb)

(m/sec/ft/sec)

range (m/yards)

(degrees)

(kg/lb)

105-mm Gun Model 38

17.8/39

540/1772

9950/10900

-5 +43

2245/4950

105-mm Gun Model 14

15.8/35

620/2034

13

250/14500

-5 +43

3110/6855

105-mm Gun Model 92

15.8/35

760/2493

18

280/20000

-5 +45

3720/8200

150-mm Gun Model 89

45.8/101

685/1510

19950/21800

-5 +43

10400/22930

120-mm How Model 38

20/44.7

274/900

5750/6290

-5 +43

1255/2765

150-mm How Model 38

36/79.4

275/606

5900/6450

+43

2085/4600

150-mm How Model 4

31/68.3

410/904

9570/10500

-5 +65

2800/6175

150-mm How Model 96

31.3/69

540/1 190

11700/12 800

-5 +65

4130/9105

1674

_

Heavy

Artillery

far as can be ascertained, the only outing

enjoyed by these equipments was in the Japanese siege of the German fortress of Tsingtao in 1914.

30-cm Howitzer Model 7 During the First World War the increased of heavy artillery in France led to the Japanese taking more interest, and in 1918 the 30-cm (11.8-in) Howitzer Model 7 was developed. This was first built as a longbarrelled coast-defence howitzer for use in a fixed emplacement, but a second design, with a shorter barrel, was developed as a mobile siege weapon. The bulk and weight were reduced by cutting the barrel by 2.7 m (9 ft), but the nomenclature remained Model 7, even though the weapon's characteristics were considerably altered. As with the mobile 24-cm weapon, the 30cm was laboriously dismantled into ten separate loads for transport, and then reassembled on a prepared ground platform at the selected site. Perhaps transportable would have been

employment

One

of

four

150-mm Model 4 howitzers dug

The Japanese army, during

the Siege of Port

Arthur in 1904, surprised the world by producing a number of 28-cm (11-in) howitzers, capable of throwing 227-kg (500-lb) projectiles to a range of 9150 m (10000 yards), with which to bombard the Russian warships anchored inside Port Arthur's harbour. These weapons were, in fact, coast defence

howitzers which were dismantled, moved piecemeal on rollers and special trolleys, and then reassembled on prepared concrete emplacements in the siege lines. As well as proving effective against the Russian ships, they were also used against the fortifications of Port Arthur.

in

as beach defences and captured

intact

24-cm Howitzer Model 45 The employment of heavy

artillery at Port

Arthur convinced the Japanese army that it would be useful to have similar weapons in a more portable form. As a result, the 24-cm (9.4-in) Howitzer Model 45 was developed in 1912. This could be dismantled by a simple hoist and moved in ten loads on transport wagons drawn either by animals or traction engines. On arriving at the scene of action, a ground platform was prepared, built of steel I-beams carried with the howitzer. The equipment was then assembled on top. a process which could take up to two days. So

a better description than mobile, but in this respect it was no worse than several weapons of the time. In fact, the 30-cm seems likely to have been influenced by the current British

(305-mm) Howitzer. According to various reports, a 41-cm

12-in

(16.1 -in) siege

howitzer was built at this time,

was probably

to the same general pattern as the 30-cm model. Although this weapon always featured in Allied intelligence tables of the war years, no trace of it was ever found and there is no record of it actually being employed. It is likely that it existed only in prototype form and was never put into production.

and

it

The 24-cm

(9.4-in) Howitzer Model 45 was developed before the First World War and could be broken down into ten loads for transporting. At a suitable site it was built up on a platform of I-beams. The Model 45 was used against Tsingtao in 1914

f

m

r*

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE HEAVY ARTILLERY Gun

shell

muzzle

maximum

elevation

weight

weight

velocity

limits

in action

(kg/lb)

(m/sec/ft/sec)

range (m/yards)

(degrees)

(kg/lb)

12050/26565

24-cm

How Model

45

182/401

365/805

10050/11000

0+75

30-cm

How Model

7 Short

400/882

400/882

10975/12000

-3 +73

14 970/33

000

1675

MM1

Antiaircraft

Guns

Japanese development of both antitank guns and antiaircraft gun* has alwa>s suffered from a strange disregard for the de*elopments taking place in this held elsewhere in the world. For the most part the guns in both these categories have been designed in isolation ar>d as a result ha\e been, by Western standards, obsolescent weapons when the time has to put them to the te
come

75-mm Model 88 The standard field army mobile antiaircraft gun was the "5-mm 2.95-in) Model 88 (of 1928). a title which led to some misapprehension by Allied intelligence agencies during the early days of the Second World War. When documents were captured which referred to the *AA Gun 88*. it was assumed that the <

The 75-mm (2.95-in) Type was a dual-purpose piece static antiaircraft and beach :e DPMI

Mm

Japanese had outfitted themselves uith the

famous German *88' The "5-mm Model 88. howe\er. »i< far !e** fearsome, an elderh design which appears to ha\e been broadly copied from an even earlier Vickers model which the Japanese had bought in small numbers in 1922. The platform of the Model 88 was of the usual pedestal and outrigger t>pe. though it was rather unusual in ha\ing

The legs »e r e folded and two wheels attached for transport. The sighting apparatus was a simfive outrigger legs instead of four.

The Model 88 75-mm (2 95-m) AA gun. confused captured documents with

ple telescope, with correctional apparatus for

calculating the aim-off. and the mounting carried a hand fuze-setting machine. Around 2500 were in service during the war.

:-e p al

in

5-5

<2L

105-mm Model 14 For

static defence on the mainland of Japan, 105-mm (4. 1-in) Model 14 had been introduced in 1925. This had. in fact, begun life as a mobile weapon, using a six-legged outrigger

the

mounting, but the field armies considered it too heavy and cumbersome and refused it. in favour of the Model 88. so that it reverted to a home defence role Its performance little better than the "5-mm weapon, though the larger shell gave a more lethal burst. In 1944 the "5-mm Model 04 appeared, the principal difference between this and the 1928 model being the use of a longer barrel and a larger and more powerful cartridge to boost the muzzle velocitv and ceiling so as to compete with the faster and higher L'S aircraft. Some German 88-mm (.v5-ini Flak 41 guns were obtained from Germany about this time, w ith the intention of cop> ing them and bringing them into service. Kit this plan ran into production difficulties and it is doubtful if even the German guns were put to use.

8-cm Type 10 With such a poor collection of weapons. w hen the war spread across the Pacific it fell to the Japanese navy to provide much of the A A defence of island outposts, and a wide -en ashore

variety of ship-board gu~

and emplaced for this purpose. Their mountings were always the standard type of naval pedestal anchored into concrete bases. One of the most common was the 8-cm (3.5-in) T>pe 10 which, in spite of its title. actually of 76.2-mm (3-in) calibre. One odd feature of this mechanism, a tilted

_ 16 6

some

30""

weapon was vertical

that the breech

sliding

block,

was

to the left to ease loading.

10-cm Type 98

127-mm Type 89

More modern, and more powerful, was the 10-cm (?.9-in) Type 98 Gun. a dual-purpose AA/coast defence weapon always mounted

The heaviest naval equipment to be emplaced on shore was the twin 127-mm (5-in)Type 89.

as a twin-barrel installation. These guns had originally been designed as armament for the -U/rsMA./ Class destrovers. but several mountings, complete with power control of elevation, traverse and ramming, were used in shore emplacements, particularly Iwo Jima.

120-mm Type 10 dual-purpose gun. the 120-mm (4.7in) Type 10. was used in single-gun installations. This too had begun life as a destroyer gun but it proved to be such a useful land service weapon that production continued long after the ship-board requirement had been filled, and it is possible that over 1000 were put to use in the A A role. -iflar

originally designed as a dual-purpose or A A gun on cruisers or battleships. of these appeared on various Pacific generally sited so as to be capable of beach defence or A A roles.

surface Several islands, firing in

The 105-mm (4.1-in) Model 14 (1925) was intended for a mobile role, but was so cumbersome that rt was only used in a semi-static capacity for home defence, rt did however put up a respectable shell which gave a particularly large

spread of

lethal

fragments

1

Antiaircraft

Guns

120-mm Model 03 With

all

this

heavy metal being deployed by

the navy, the army were finally spurred into trying to produce something modern and powerful. Their first attempt was the 120-mm Model 03, introduced in 1943. This was a fixed gun on pedestal mounting, intended for use on the mainland of Japan for home defence, and it was an up-to-date design

incorporating power ramming. This gun, together with an associated improved firecontrol system which, for the first time, linked radar to the gun predictor, was demonstrated in May 1944. Later in that year US aviators reported 'accurate antiaircraft fire up to [10000-m] 33 000-ft altitude in the

Tokyo and Nagoya areas'. However, production problems prevented more than a limited number being made before the war ended.

A 76.2-mm (3-in) Naval AA Gun Model 10 (1921) dug into a sandbagged gun pit. Below: The 120-mm (4.7-in) Naval AA Gun Model 10 (1921) in a dual purpose coastal emplacement

Above:

150-mm (Experimental) Having successfully managed to develop a 120-mm gun, the army designers now went a step further and began work on a 150-mm (5.9-in) weapon, intended to have a ceiling in

m

(60000 ft). It is not known of this development was influenced by a similar German project, but in the event no more than a prototype was produced before the end of the war. The greatest technical defect of the Japanese antiaircraft system lay in their sighting and fire-control equipment. Until 1942 their army guns used a simple optical sight with on-carriage adjustments. Although a Model 97 predictor had been introduced in 1937 it proved to be unreliable and was never issued in great numbers. Eventually, naval predicexcess of 18 300

how much

tors, which were more advanced, were adopted for army use. Gunlaying radar did

not

come

into general use until early in 1944,

and even then was confined to the more important Japanese islands. Nevertheless, what the Japanese had, they used to the best of their ability. In late 1944 a

US

intelligence report noted that 'Japanese

AA

has caused approximately 70% of all Air Force battle damage in the Pacific and about 88% of the battle damage to US

Army Navy

1

aircraft

.

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS Gun

muzzle velocity

maximum

elevation

weight

of shell

(m/sec/ft/

ceiling

ground range

limits

in action

fire

(kg/lb)

sec)

(m/ft)

(m/yards)

(degrees)

(kg/lb)

(rds/min)

75-mm Model 88 (Army)

6.5/14.3

720/2362

6400/2 000

13

800/15 100

-7 +85

2440/5380

12

8-cm Type 10 (Army)

6.2/13.7

680/223

5200/17060

10900/11900

-5 +75

2400/5290

15

8-cm Model 99 (Navy)

9.02/19.9

800/2625

7800/25 590

16000/17500

-7 +80

6570/14485

20

10-cm Type 98 (Navy)

13/28.7

1000/3280

10700/35 100

18650/20400

-10 +90

3910/8620

30

105-mm Model (Army)

15.8/34.8

700/2297

7600/24930

19200/21000

0+

4480/9880

10

120-mm Model 03 (Army)

23.4/51.6

855/2805

10700/35100

20500/22400

-8 +90

22000/48 500

10

120-mm Type 10 (Navy)

19.2/42.3

820/2690

8200/26900

15500/17000

-5 +80

8635/21240

12

127-mm Type 89 (Navy)

23/50.7

720/2362

7925/26000

14800/16200

-8 +90

19 200/42

44.5/98.1

930/3050

15

26000/28 500

+85

15-cm Experimental (Army)

weight

effective

1

250/50000

85

rate of

330

54 850/12 100

16

8

1677

Self-propelled The Model 98 HO-RO 15-cm

Guns

(5.9-in)

self-propelled howitzer of 1938 used the chassis

Type 97 Medium Tank. It was hardly modern by Western standards in 1938 and by 1944 when it was encountered in the field it was obsolescent compared to Allied equipment of a

Gun Tank Types The Japanese army appears

have had little interest in the self-propelled gun, which is strange, since such weapons, employed singly in the assault gun role, would have been well suited to their methods of artillery employment. This disinterest is on a par with their strange neglect of the potential of the sub-

machine-gun.

Model 98 HO-RO The

first attempt to provide armoured units with accompanying tracked artillery came with the Model 98 HO-RO 15-cm (5.9-in) selfpropelled howitzer of 1938. This used the chassis of the Type 97 Medium Tank: the

turret

was removed and

the hull built up into

1,

2 and 3

At about the same period (1938-39) the Gun Tank Type or HO-NI1 was developed. This also used the Type 97 tank chassis, mounting the 75-mm (2.95-in) Model 90 field gun in an open-topped turret. It will be recalled that the Model 90 had not proved a success, and most of these guns had been withdrawn from the Manchurian armies in the mid- 1930s. Next came the Type 2 or HO-N12 which mounted a new design of 75-mm shortbarrelled gun known as the Model 99 in an enclosed turret. Finally there was the Type 3. or HO-NI3 which combined the 75-mm gun

to

1

an open-topped armoured compartment, in the front face of which the 15-cm howitzer Model 38 was mounted. This was a somewhat antiquated design by that time, having been introduced in 1905. and it is surprising to find it in such employment. It may well be that the more modern weapons were needed by the field armies and that only the Model 38 could be spared for cannibalization. It is not known how many of these equipments were built, but it is not believed to be more than about

They

did not enter service until 1942, and they were not encountered by the Allies until late in 1944. 35-40.

Type

in the enclosed turret of the Although all three designs were formally approved for service in 1941. few of them were made. A specimen of the Type

of the

Type

1

2.

I

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE SELF-PROPELLED GUNS Model Model 98

HO-RO

Range

Traverse

Weight

(degrees)

(kg/tons)

Speed (km/h/mph)

(km/miles)

30

10

15000/14.8

40/25

160/100

Chassis

Elevation (degrees)

Type 97

Gun Tank Type

1

Type

1

30

20

18000/17.7

35/22

140/87

Gun Tank Type

2

Type

1

20

360

17000/16.7

45/28

160/100

Gun Tank Type

3

Type

1

20

360

18800/18.5

35/22

140/87

1678

US

was captured by

troops in the south-west

Pacific early in 1945,

and

this

was

the

first

intimation to the Allies that the Japanese had developed any self-propelled guns. A multiple AA gun tank, using 20-mm (0.79-in) cannon, was developed in prototype, and according to reports the Japanese navy developed a self-propelled 20-cm (7.9in) howitzer on the Model 97 tank chassis. But since no 20-cm howitzer has ever been seen in Japanese inventories, it must be assumed that this equipment, if it actually existed, must have used the naval Short 20cm Gun Type 1 but no further details have ever been unearthed. ,

24-cm Howitzer Model 45 In 1912 numbers of the 24-cm Model 45 howitzer (covered under Japanese Heavy Artillery) were permanently emplaced for coast defence. Though firing a somewhat lighter shell, they were capable of better range than the 28-cm models and thus extended the protected area, and also had the advantage of standardizing equipment between the coast and field sections of the

garrison artillery corps.

Turret

Guns

41-cm (16.1-in), 30-cm, 25and 20-cm became surplus to requirements and the coast defence plans were accordingly revised. Instead of developing new equipments, these ex-naval weapons, complete with much of their turret accessories, could be installed into armydesigned turrets at the most important points around the Japanese mainland, accompanied by the most modern fire-control and rangefinding equipment. In Japan, guns of

cm

(9.8-in)

Installation of these

As an

island power,

built,

together

with

underground

centres, quarters, stores and power houses, all air-conditioned and to a very high standard of refinement. There is little doubt that they were the most fire-control

sophisticated and efficient coast defence installations of all time. Operation of the guns was by hydraulic power, and the diesel engine rooms also provided power for the airconditioning, electric light, and hoisting ammunition. The turrets were of 305-mm (12in) armour plate, were well-sited tactically and well concealed from aerial observation.

30-cm Howitzer Model 7 Long After the First World War it was decided to modernize the defences. The long-barrelled version of the 30-cm Howitzer Model 7 was installed, notably in the defences of Tokyo Bay, and plans were drawn up for new designs of 20-cm (7.9-in) gun and 42-cm (16.5in) howitzer. While these were still being discussed, however, the Washington Conference on Naval Limitation and Disarmament led to various countries amending their naval building programmes, as a result of which a variety of heavy guns were redundant.

Japanese Coast

were

magazines,

new

batteries of twin-

gunned turrets began in the late 1920s and was completed by about 1934. Two 20-cm, two 25-cm, six 30-cm and three 41-cm turrets

15-cm Model 96 Once

the turret guns had been installed, coast development came to a halt. Coast guns were defensive weapons, and the prevailing mood in the late 1930s was to develop an offensive spirit and the weapons to go with it, which led to reduction in the funds available for coast defence. The only addition after 1935 was a small number of 15-cm (5.9in) guns Model 96, the same weapon as used by the field armies but in a permanent emartillery

placement. As the course of the Second World War brought conflict closer to Japan, thoughts turned again to coast defence. A number of the 30-cm (11.8-in) Type 7 Short howitzers were brought back from Manchuria and emplaced as auxiliary coast weapons, but in general the accent was on defence against invasion rather than on the more classic coast defence against marauding warships. As a result, the guns emplaced on the Japanese coasts in 1944-45 were a miscellaneous collection of anything which could shoot and

had ammunition available, much the same as had happened in Britain in 1940 under the threat of invasion. In spite of the number and variety of these weapons, they cannot be classed as coast artillery in the strict sense of the term.

Artillery

Japan was always con-

German

troops at

work on

a Japanese-made 28-cm Howitzer in the Russian fortress of

Grodno

scious of the importance of coast-defence artil-

and, certainly up to the end of the RussoJapanese War, the coast artillery was considered to be one of the most important branches of the army. The principal weapons of this period were 12-cm (4.7-in) and 15-cm lery,

medium guns, 24-cm (9.4-in) counterbombardment guns, and 28-cm (11-in) and 30cm 1 1.8 -in) howitzers. The medium weapons were the usual sort of naval weapons mounted (5.9-in)

(

on pedestals for the close defence of harbours. The 24-cm guns were long-ranging weapons provided solely with armour-piercing shells and intended for the defeat of capital ships attempting to close with the land. The howit-

which were employed in large numbers, were emplaced in pits so that they were concealed from the sea and could bring down plunging or high-angle fire on to the lightlyzers,

protected decks of warships.

28-cm Howitzer Model 23 The 28-cm howitzers were developed in 1890 from a design by the Italian firm of Ansaldo. The first models were bought from Italy, but later equipments were built in Osaka arsenal, using the Italian weapons as a model. It was these howitzers which were employed as the siege weapons for Port Arthur in 1904. 1679

Coastal Guns

A US Marine

examines one of a battery of three 15-cm

<5.9-in)

Type 45 coast defence guns dug

in to

cover approaches to a beach in the Pacific

COMPARATIVE DATA—JAPANESE COAST ARTILLERY Gun

15-cm

Gun Type

96

20-cm Turret Gun Model 03

24-cm

How Model

25-cm Turret

45

Gun Model

03

28-cm Howitzer Model 23

shell

muzzle

maximum

weight (kglb)

velocity

range

limits

(m yards)

(degrees)

(m

sec /ft sec)

elevation

50.3/111

880 288"

22 875/25 000

-8 -50

126 2"8

763 2500

18

300 20000

+30

182 401

365 1198

1005011000

+75

NK

810 265"

24 "00 2" 000

-5 -35

NK

328/10~6

7860/8600

+75

-

30-cm

How Model

7

Long

498/1098

30-cm Turret Gun Model 03 41 -cm Turret

1680

Gun Model

03

NK 1460/3219

15275 16 "00

-3 -"?

"89

29450 32 300

-?-

762/2500

30000/32 800

-2 -35

488 1600 850

2

=Qn=r

r^tgfcr: