IJN
Tainan Kokutai
Via Don Marsh
Via "Zero 3647" 1994
Pilot ?
(see below)
Crashed ?
(August - November 1942)
Discovered 1993
Aircraft
History
This Zero was built on March
3, 1942. A 15cm red diagonal strip of a Shotai leader was painted on the fuselage. Also a white strip 10cm on the tail above
the number. Painted
in a overall gray color with a black cowl. Saburo Sakai confirmed
that he flew the A6M2 Zero Tail V-103 while flying
from Rabaul.
Wartime History
The pilot who crashed in a swampy area on Guadalcanal, five miles east
of Henderson Field, and died in the wreck is unknown. There are several possibilities:
Kenichi Kumagai (KIA, August 26, 1942)
Takeichi Kokubu (KIA September 2, 1942)
Toraichi Takatsuka (KIA September 13, 1942)
Noboru Sato (KIA September 13, 1942)
Yoshifusa Iwasaka (KIA October 15, 1942)
Yozou Sugawara (KIA October 18, 1942)
Isao Ito (KIA November 12, 19423)
Discovery
in Swamp
In 1993 the remains of this A6M2 were found in a water filled crater with
the remains of the pilot in the cockpit. The fuselage was largely destroyed
in the crash. Guadalcanal resident John Chotu and American Charles Hagen
examined the remains, reporting the color scheme as "Overall scheme was
a severely weathered flat, pale gray. Pieces, which were protected by
overlying coats of paint or overlapping pieces of metal, were dirty light
olive or gray-green"
Recovery
American Pat Murphy excavated the site with a Japanese
television crew in 1994, to recover the remains of the pilot
for forensic tests in Japan. Most of the Zero wreckage was removed, including the fin
and rudder. Other parts were crated for export. Murphy is reported to have kept the main dataplate, pistol and control stick himself.
Documentary in Japan
An NHK documentary aired in 1994 titled "A6M2 Zero
3647". From the length of the femur bone discovered,
there were seven possible Tainan Kokutai pilots of who might have
been piloting the plane. Dr. Minoru Kawamoto, is still attempting to
contact with several families
from the list to conduct a comparative DNA test. Possible pilots include:
Katsuhito Takahashi confirms:
"The marking of the V-103 Zero indicated that the pilot who flew
the Zero was the leader of a Shoutai. There were only two chief pilots of
Shoutai in Tainan-Koukutai who killed in the Guadalcanal mission during August
7 to October 25."
References
Saburo
Sakai states in the book "Zero Fighter":
“Here is a piece of Zero Fighter brought to me, and I am safe
keeping it. It was a part of the wreckage of Zero fighter discovered
in Guadalcanal in 1994. Surprisingly, the tail number of V-103 was my Zero
fighter. After getting injury and my evacuation, my comrade flew it and
was killed on this plane. His bones were discovered around the cockpit.”
References
Thanks to Katsuhito Takahashi for
the translation and Jim Lansdale for additional information.
"Zero 3647" NHK documentary history, recovery and research
Zero
0-5'
Dataplate
