Yaƙin amfani da Nakajima Ki-44 Shōki, sashi na 2

Ki-44-II hei (2068) da Amurkawa suka kama a Philippines kuma TAIU-SWPA ta gwada su azaman S11. A cikin Allied Codex, Ki-44 ana kiransa Tojo da John; na karshen sai aka yi watsi da su.

Mayakan Ki-44 Shoki sun bayyana a gaba tun a watan Disamba na shekarar 1941, amma sun fara samar da kayan yaki da yawan gaske a shekarar 1943. Da farko, kasashen Sin da Manchuria su ne manyan wuraren da ake gudanar da yaki. A karshen 1944, Ki-44 dauki bangare a cikin tsaron Philippines, da kuma a farkon 1945, a cikin tsaro na man wurare a Sumatra. A cikin watannin ƙarshe na yaƙin, aikin farko na rukunin Ki-44 shi ne kare tsibiran ƙasarsu na Japan daga hare-haren jiragen sama daga Amurkawa na B-29.

Asiya ta kudu

Rukunin yaƙi na farko na Sojoji na Imperial don karɓar Ki-44 shine Dokuritsu Chutai na 47 (squadron daban), wanda aka kafa a Tachikawa a cikin Nuwamba 1941 ƙarƙashin umarnin Shosa (Manjo) Toshio Sakagawa (daga baya ɗan wasan da ya ci nasara kusan 15) . zuwa account dinsa). An san shi ba bisa ka'ida ba kamar Shinsengumi (sunan rukunin samurai na Edo-lokaci wanda aka ƙirƙira don kare Kyoto) ko Kawasemi-tai (Kingfisher Group), babban manufar ƙungiyar ita ce gwada sabon mayaƙin a cikin yanayin yaƙi da samun gogewa tare da shi. amfani. Tawagar ta samu nau'ikan nau'ikan Ki-44 guda tara, kuma ma'aikatanta sun kunshi gogaggun matukan jirgi da aka wakilta daga Hiko Jikkenbu da rukunin fada. An raba shi kashi uku (hentai), tare da jirage uku kowanne.

Ɗaya daga cikin ƙarin samfurin Ki-44 (4408) na Dokuritsu Chūtai na 47 a Saigon Airport a Indochina, Disamba 1941. Taii (Kyaftin) Yasuhiko Kuroe, kwamandan Hentai na 3 ne ya yi jigilar jirgin.

Ranar 9 ga Disamba, 1941, washegarin bayan Japan ta fara tashin hankali a Gabas mai Nisa (a gefen yammacin Layin Kwanan Wata na Duniya, yakin ya fara ne a ranar Litinin 8 ga Disamba), tawagar ta isa Saigon, inda ta kasance mai biyayya ga sojojin. umurnin na 3rd Hikoshidan (Aviation division). A cikin jirgin daga Tachikawa zuwa Saigon, wanda ya sauka a Guangzhou, mayakan Ki-44 sun samu rakiyar wasu bama-bamai biyu da wani jirgin jigilar kayayyaki dauke da kayan gyara da muhimman kayan aikin kasa.

A cikin mafi yawan watan Disamba, matukan jirgin na 47th Chutai Regiment sun yi sintiri a yankin da ke kusa da Saigon. Sai a ranar 24 ga watan Disamba ne aka umarci tawagar da ta wuce zuwa filin tashi da saukar jiragen sama na Don Muang da ke kusa da birnin Bangkok na kasar Thailand, domin shiga wani gagarumin farmaki da aka kai birnin Yangon na kasar Burma a washegarin. A lokacin jirgin, saboda matsalolin fasaha, Ki-44s uku (ciki har da Major Sakagawa) sun yi saukar gaggawa. A sakamakon haka, a ranar 25 ga Disamba, Ki-44s ba su shiga cikin farmakin ba, sun kasance a yankin Don Muang, idan jirgin makiya ya kai hari a filin jirgin sama. Nan da nan bayan wannan matakin da bai yi nasara ba, 47 Chutai ya koma Saigon.

Ganawar farko ta Ki-44 da abokan gaba ta faru ne a ranar 15 ga Janairu, 1942 a lokacin da jirgin farko na runduna ta 47 ta Chutai a kan Singapore. A wannan lokacin, an mayar da tawagar zuwa Kuantan a Malaya, kusa da filin yaki. A ranar 15 ga Janairu, akalla biyu Ki-44s sun yi karo da wani Buffalo mai lamba 488. No. 47 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force. Bayan wani dan kunar bakin wake, mayakan na kawancen sun fadi kasa. Wannan ita ce nasarar farko ta jirgin sama da aka yaba wa Chutai na XNUMX.

Sojojin na Ki-44 sun kasance a Kuantan har zuwa watan Fabrairu, inda suka shiga cikin wasu nau'o'in daban-daban, duka a kan mayakan 'yan ta'adda da masu kai hare-hare da bama-bamai da kuma mafaka ga ayarin motocin sojoji. A ranar 18 ga watan Janairu, yayin da suke rakiyar 'yan kunar bakin wake Ki-21 daga Sentai (Air Group) na 12 da suka kai wa Singapore hari, matukan jirgin na runduna ta 47 ta Chutai sun ba da rahoton sake harbe wani bauna. Bi da bi, a ranar 26 ga Janairu a kan Endau, yayin da suke tunkarar hare-haren da 'yan kunar bakin wake na Burtaniya Vickers Vildebeest da Fairey Albacore suka kai, matukan jirgi biyu na tawagar sun bayar da rahoton faduwar jirgin sama guda. Matukin jirgin Chutai na 47 mafi inganci shi ne Tayi (Kftin) Yasuhiko Kuroe wanda ya ba da rahoton harbo jiragen abokan gaba guda uku a karshen yakin da aka yi a Malaya.

A cikin Janairu/Fabrairu 1942, an rage ƙarfin squadron zuwa Ki-44s guda uku kawai, don haka ƙungiyoyin sun ware tsofaffin Ki-27 na ɗan lokaci, kuma an tura wasu daga cikin ma'aikatan zuwa Japan don canja wurin gaggawa na Ki-44-I da yawa. jirgin sama. A tsakiyar watan Fabrairu, an ƙarfafa su da sabbin kayan aiki, an tura rundunar ta Chuthai ta 47 zuwa Moulmein a ƙasar Burma kuma aka sanya ta a ƙarƙashin jagorancin runduna ta 5 ta Hikosidan. Matukin jirgin Ki-44 sun shiga cikin nau'o'i da dama, ciki har da wani samame a filin jirgin saman Mingaladon a ranar 25 ga watan Fabrairu, inda suka sanar da harbo jiragen makiya biyu a wannan yakin. Wannan ita ce karo na farko da aka yi karo da juna tsakanin Ki-44 da Curtiss P-40 daga Ƙungiyar Sa-kai ta Amirka (AVG). A wannan yakin, daya daga cikin matukan jirgin Ki-44 ya samu rauni. Washegari, an sake kai hari a Mingaladon.

A ranar 4 ga Maris matukan jirgin Chutai na 47 sun harbo mai lamba 45 a kan Sittang Blenheim. 21 Squadron RAF. Bayan 'yan kwanaki, an canja sashi zuwa Khleg (Pegu). A ranar 47 ga Maris, tawagar ta sha fama da asara ta farko kuma kawai a wannan mataki na yaƙi lokacin da Chui (q.v.) Sunji Sugiyama ya kasa dawowa daga jirgin leken asirin da ya yi a kan Taungoo. An gano tarkacen jirginsa tare da matukin jirgin da ya mutu a cikin jirgin, daga baya an gano shi a kusa da Basin. A farkon Afrilu, 25th Chutai aka koma Taungoo a takaice. Ranar Afrilu 1942, mako guda bayan harin Doolittle a Japan, an kira tawagar zuwa Japan cikin gaggawa. An sanya rukunin zuwa Chofu kusa da Tokyo, inda ya kasance har zuwa Satumba XNUMX.

Ki-44s ya sake bayyana a Burma kawai a cikin kaka na 1943. A ranar 10 ga Oktoba, motoci hudu na irin wannan sun je runduna ta 64 ta Sentai da ke Mingaladon, dauke da makamai kirar Ki-43. Watakila zuwansu Burma ya faru ne saboda karuwar hare-haren jiragen sama da dakarun kawance suka yi a Rangoon da filayen saukar jiragen sama. Mayakan Ki-43 da sansanin Sentai ke amfani da su a Burma ba su iya yakar manyan bama-bamai.

27 Nuwamba Amurka B-24 Liberator Bomb daga 7th da 308th Bombardment Groups da B-25 Mitchells daga 490th Bomber Squadron daga 341st BG, tare da P-38 Walƙiya daga 459th Fighter Squadron da P-51A530 A311 daga Mustang Squadron na 43th Fighter Group ya tashi zuwa Rangoon tare da aikin kai hari kan mahadar layin dogo da kuma shagunan gyara. Rikicin balaguron na Amurka ya tashi, ciki har da mayakan Ki-44 guda takwas da Ki-3 daya daga Chuchai na 64 na Sentai na 45, da kuma wani injin tagwayen Ki-21 kai daga Sentai na 24. Bayan wani kazamin fada, matukan jirgin kasar Japan sun bayar da rahoton saukar jiragen B-38 guda uku, P-51 guda biyu, da kuma P-43 guda hudu. Asarar kanta ta iyakance ga Ki-44 ɗaya (wani ɗayan ya lalace sosai), Ki-45 ɗaya (an kashe matukinsa) da aƙalla Ki-XNUMX kai ɗaya.

Akwai hoton tarkacen jirgin Ki-44-II da aka harbo a kan Burma tare da guntun alamar da ake gani a jiki wanda ke nuna cewa motar ta Sentai ta 50 ce. An dai san cewa wannan runduna - a wancan lokacin tana sansani a Burma kuma tana dauke da mayakan Ki-43 - ta karbi Ki-10 hudu a watan Oktoba 1943, 44. Koyaya, babu ƙarin cikakkun bayanai game da amfani da su. Mafi mahimmanci, Ki-44s ya kasance tare da Sentai na 50 kawai har zuwa bazara na 1944 (mai kama da Sentai na 64), yana shiga cikin ayyukan yaki tare da jiragen sama na Amurka da ke yawo a kan Himalayas. A yayin daya daga cikin wadannan ayyuka a ranar 18 ga Janairu, 1944, matukan jirgi na Curtiss P-40N daga 89th Squadron / 80th FG sun ruwaito, musamman, lalacewar daya Ki-44.