JAPAN’S FLYERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24913, 12 May 1942, Page 2

JAPAN’S FLYERS

MEN AND WARPLANES MARKED NAZI INFLUENCE (Special) AUCKLAND, May 11. The marked German influence ap- v parent not only in the equipment of the Japanese Air Force, but also in its tactics, was mentioned ■by an Englishman who, after seeing much of the recent fighting in Malaya and Java at first hand, recently reached Auckland. He said that war against the Japanese n had exploded once and for all many of i the popular but absurd theories held before hostilities began, and that the Japanese had established themselves .as keen and competent airmen, without being in any way superior to Allied flyers. “'Japanese bombers usually came over in groups of 27, and in some cases they were definitely, led by a German, flyer,” the Englishman said. He explained that in some instances either defending fighters or anti-aircraft gunners had shot down the leading warplane of a Japanese formation, and it had been established beyond doubt that the pilot was German. . Mass Bombing Methods “ The Japanese were using a costly and elaborate, but highly-efficient German bomb-sight,” he continued. “This equipment was not fitted to every machine of a formation. Usually the leader a German, had the bombsight. The enemy aircraft flew m tight formation, usually at high alti-. tude, and a burst of fire from the leader’s machine guns was the, signal • for every machine to unload its bombs. As a rule each Japanese aircraft carried six bombs, and when 27 machines suddenly dropped six bombs each, things began to move down below. Only the leader did the aiming. The rest just 'followed instructions, but results were effective, and a high degree of accuracy resulted. If, of course, the leader missed, everybody missed, but as a rule the target area was well plastered.” . .. Another example of German tactics • adopted by the Japanese, with considerable success at first, was the largescale use of fighters as a protective screen for bombers, the visitor continued. He said that often the bombers would come over at about 10,000 ft, and when fighters went up to engage them they found themselves dived upon by Japanese fighters flying high above the bombers, and invisible from the ground. This was typical of the German methods in the Battle of Britain. “ The Japanese dive-bombing was exceptionally good,” he said. “Sometimes pilots were only at 500 ft when they pulled out of their dives, following the style of the German Stukas. “ Not only were the Japanese methods modelled on those of the Germans,'but the Japanese pilots were instructed in tactics by German aces, the visitor added. _ He said that what he had seen of Japanese equipment was of good quality. Many of their aircraft were obviously Influenced by German and American design. The famous Zero fighter, for example, was powered by a large radial engine that seemed to embody features of two of the bestknown American air-cooled motors. Its guns, however, were of German type, and its flying instruments were made in Germany, ... “A storv that the Japanese might possibly be short of trained pilots -circulated in Malaya at one stage,’ the Englishman said. “It arose when a . Japanese bomber was shot down m Johore, and the pilot was found to he a woman. She was killed, with other members of the crew, when the machine crashed. This, however, was thp only instance reported of a Japanese woman being encountered.” Leaflets were freely used by the. Japanese in an effort to destroy the morale of the defending troops, he added. Those he saw were in faultless English, printed on high-grade paper. Not only had their author mastered English thoroughly, but he had made an effort to use« the vernacular, and addressed one lot ol leaflets tc “Aussies.” - .

Advantage in Numbers Asked if he iajl seen anything of. the reported fanatical < heroism of the Japanese, th6'visitor replied that he had not. .He said that the Japanese were obviously brave in the face of determined defence, and tried to press home their attacks, but several waves of bombers had been turned back by defending Hurricanes, the Japanese pilots, however much they might believe in the glory of giving their lives for the Emperor, evidently preferring not to face the multi-gunned British fighters. , ... Impressed as he was by the quality of Japan’s Air Force, the visitor said he was convinced that it was in no way the equal of that of Britain. In the campaigns in . Malaya and Java, however, the attackers had the advantage of overwhelming numbers, and although a squadron of Hurricanes in three days shot down 33 Japanese warplanes for the loss of two British the invaders’ numbers enabled them to succeed. ‘ '