Mitsubishi Ki-67 Variants and Derivatives (Ki-69, 109, 167)

[blackkite]

Thanks to all for your attention and sharp opinions.

 

[blackkite]

Hi!
気化器空気取入口 : Carburetor(supercharger) air intake, 滑油冷却器空気取入口 : Oil cooler air intake

 

[Justo Miranda]

Hi

 

[blackkite]

Oh! Sakura-dan.(Cherry blossom bomb for suiside attack, 2.9ton)

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/1030/65/2

6 planes of KI 167 equipped with a cherry blossom bullet was made.
1 plane of KI 167 took off from Kanoya base on April 17, 1945, and sallied in the ship offensive around Okinawa.
2 planes of KI 167 took off from Tachiarai base on May 25, 1945, and sallied in the ship offensive around Okinawa.

 

[Justo Miranda]

Overall grey uppersurfaces?

 

[windswords]

Blackkite,

I have never seen a model that showed a cutaway of the Sakura-dan bomb. Very cool! Thanks for posting it.

Justo,

The colors I have seen are blue to blue-gray.

 

[blackkite]

Overall grey uppersurfaces?

Dark gray in the whole.
A cockpit was dark, pilot seat was one, no armament, and a 3 ton bomb of the cup shape applied orange color and 1.5 meters of diameter located immediately behind the cockpit.
A bomb was a liquid explosive and six fuses were installed at the front of the bomb. It was said that three kilometers of front and two kilometers(another opinion 300m) of rear were become sea of the fire.
(Memory of survived crew)

http://kakutokuhatsu.katakura.net/maemura2.html

 

[blackkite]

Hi!

Mitsubishi KI 67-TO GO was the suicide aircraft which remodeled 4-shiki heavy bomber called a best bomber of the IJA "Hiryu".
Remodeling made the fuselage surface smooth, removes a gun and reduces seat 8 in 3 and had 800 kg bomb 2 or 2900 kg bomb.
A long stick of a nose of a plane is the equipment which makes explosion when touching a target.

Thanks a lot justo for excellent drawings.

If I order boarding to such airplane, it isn't endured at all.

 

[blackkite]

Justo as you already know that I think bomb position and bomb size of your TO-GO drawing is suspicios. Apparently nose heavy.
I will check TO-GO bomb position in Japanese sources.
I imagine that bomb is located near C.G. same as Ki-167.
Also I think the opinion that TO-GO had 2.9ton bomb is suspicios. 2.9 ton bomb size is too large for TO-GO shape.
Please wait.

 

[blackkite]

http://kakutokuhatsu.katakura.net/maemura2.html
19/3/1945 Tokai sea mission (3×Ki-67 with one 800kg bomb participated)
攻撃機には夫々八百キロ爆弾を一発のみ装備してあり、爆弾倉に収容出来ないため、内部を改造拡大し、しかもワイヤーにて落ちない様に縛り付けてあった。 機首には、電気信管が取り付けられ、爆弾に配線されて体当たりすることによって爆発する様な仕掛けになっていた。 それでも、前方砲、後方砲の二門だけの武装はしてあった。

Translation
"The bomber had only one 800kg bomb which cannot be accommodated in the bomb bays, so bomb bay was enlarged and bomb was fixed by wire. Electric fuze fitted in the nose of the bomber. Bomber still had forward gun and rear gun."

17/4/1945 Okinawa mission (Sakuradan Ki-167×1, TO-GO Ki-67×2 participated)
爆弾倉と機内には八00キロ二発の爆弾を抱え、前方先端に電気信管を突き出した「と号機」

Translation
TO-GO with 2×800kg bomb(one bomb bay, one inner fuselage), nose fuze and no armament

Explanation of the second picture is as follows
Flight 62nd squadron first company Mizota ensign boarding airplane. Sallied and did not return to the battle in Okinawa in 25/5/1945.

 

[blackkite]

There were several Sakuradan mission after Okinawa mission. The result of mission is unknown.
I imagine that every Ki-167 suffered American fighter interception.
I will get this second hand book.

重爆特攻　さくら弾機 : Heavy bomber special attack Sakuradan aircraft

 

[Justo Miranda]

Justo as you already know that I think bomb position and bomb size of your TO-GO drawing is suspicios. Apparently nose heavy.
I will check TO-GO bomb position in Japanese sources.
I imagine that bomb is located near C.G. same as Ki-167.
Also I think the opinion that TO-GO had 2.9ton bomb is suspicios. 2.9 ton bomb size is too large for TO-GO shape.
Please wait.

Non Japanese sources here

 

[Justo Miranda]

Non Japanese sources here

 

[Justo Miranda]

Non Japanese sources here

 

[Justo Miranda]

My personal interpretation of IJA modifications

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks to whomever for aptly renaming this topic!

 

[blackkite]

Thanks a lot justo. You have many documents. Your endevour is surprizing. I love your world very much.

 

[Justo Miranda]

 

[hesham]

From; Иванов Ю.Г. - Камикадзе. Пилоты-смертники (Мир в войнах) - 2001

 

[Motocar]

Cutaway Mitsubishi Ki-67 "Hiryu", author R. Watanabe and retouched by Motocar

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Sakura-dan.

日本の為に戦ってくれた英霊を忘れない 太刀洗平和記念館

Ki-67-I bomb load

The Ki-67-I have a max bomb load of 8x 100kg bombs, 3x 250kg bombs, one torpedo or one 500kg bomb. But i recently found out that the Ki-67-I do have a bigger bomb load. Instead of 800kg max, i found out that the Ki-67-I could carry 1600kg of bombs and 2900kg for kamikaze/special operations. Sourc...

forum.warthunder.com

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Mitsubishi Ha42-31 engine. This engine was tested by Ki-67.　
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFxvstEUwg&t=80s

 

[VictorXL188]

Came across this picture of a captured Ki-109 and thought this would be appropriate place to put it. Taken from https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/17884602/

 

[VictorXL188]

Also found these two via Pinterest.

 

[blackkite]

This video shows Mitsubishi HA214 Fu(HA42-31) engine which tested in 1944 using Ki-67 bomber. Later development was terminated.
No connection with Ki-91 heavy bomber. You can see Ki-67 model located side of the engine.
Fu means フルカン継手(Furukan tsugite), Valkan coupling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFxvstEUwg&t=91s

 

[blackkite]

Explanation of this site for Ha42 engine is little strange.
This picture shows HA-214Fu(Ha42-31). Ru means turbocharged engine as you already know.
But I don't know why Ru means turbocharger.

Picture of the Day - Miscellaneous

WWII 1938 Japanese Soldiers Playing Baseball North China Original Wire Photo | eBay

ww2aircraft.net

 

[Me109Emil]

I made a model of the 桜弾機 (Sakuradanki) and put pictures on my website here: https://nedreif.wixsite.com/ned-reif-paper-model

 

[Me109Emil]

Dark gray in the whole.
A cockpit was dark, pilot seat was one, no armament, and a 3 ton bomb of the cup shape applied orange color and 1.5 meters of diameter located immediately behind the cockpit.
A bomb was a liquid explosive and six fuses were installed at the front of the bomb. It was said that three kilometers of front and two kilometers(another opinion 300m) of rear were become sea of the fire.
(Memory of survived crew)

前村 弘・飛龍特攻の記

Here is another crew member tellling his story:

特攻「ト号機」　視界不良で生還

１９歳の春、陸軍特別幹部候補生１期生として宇都宮飛行学校を卒業、航法士として飛行第６２戦隊へ配属された。四式重爆撃機「飛龍（ひりゅう）」を主体とする特攻部隊だ。私は当初、飛龍を改造して約３トンの爆弾を積んだ「桜弾機」に搭乗予定だったが、それが駐機中に放火で焼失したため、「ト号機」への搭乗を命ぜられた。

ト号機という特攻機は、飛龍に８００キロ爆弾２本を積みワイヤで縛りつけた、桜弾機に代わる私の新しい「棺桶（かんおけ）」だった。１９４５年５月２５日早朝、沖縄周辺にいる米機動部隊の艦船めがけ、桜弾機２機と私も乗ったト号機２機の計４機が大刀洗（たちあらい）飛行場（福岡県）から出撃した。機体が重い桜弾機は片道燃料の「殺人機」だった。

当日、沖縄は天候不良。雲低く一時は雨のため、低空飛行で索敵を余儀なくされた。海面すれすれで敵レーダーから逃れた。視界不良で敵を発見できず、燃料を使い果たした。大刀洗にも戻れず、鹿屋飛行場（鹿児島県）に不時着。「生きながらの棺桶」から出ることができ、命を拾った。

あれから６５年。本物の棺桶が迎えに来るのも近い年になった。あと何回、あの日を迎えることができるであろうか。

(Here is a google translation

Kamikaze "T" plane survived poor visibility

In the spring of my 19th year, I graduated from Utsunomiya Air School as the first batch of Army Special Officer Candidates and was assigned to the 62nd Air Squadron as a navigator. It was a kamikaze unit mainly using the Type 4 heavy bomber "Hiryu". I was originally scheduled to board the "Sakura-danki", a modified Hiryu plane loaded with about 3 tons of bombs, but it was burned down in an arson attack while parked, so I was ordered to board the "T".

The kamikaze plane, T, was my new "coffin" to replace the Sakura-danki, a Hiryu loaded with two 800 kg bombs and tied with wire. In the early morning of May 25, 1945, two Sakura-danki planes and two T planes, including me, set off from Tachiarai Airfield (Fukuoka Prefecture) toward the ships of the US task force around Okinawa. The heavy Sakuradan aircraft was a "killer plane" with only enough fuel for a one-way trip.

The weather in Okinawa was bad that day. The clouds were low and it rained at one point, so the plane was forced to fly low to search for the enemy. It escaped enemy radar by skimming just above the sea level. Poor visibility meant it was unable to find the enemy and it ran out of fuel. Unable to return to Tachiarai, it made an emergency landing at Kanoya Airfield (Kagoshima Prefecture). It managed to get out of its "coffin alive" and survived.

65 years have passed since then. It will soon be the year when a real coffin will come to collect it. How many more times will we be able to celebrate that day?

声　語りつぐ戦争：朝日新聞デジタル

20代が、10代が、幼い子らが問答無用で戦争に巻き込まれた時代がありました。若い人たちが実際に体験した「戦争」は、どんなものだったのか。一人ひとりの「声」に耳を傾けてください。「戦争の現実」を伝える証言集です。

www.asahi.com