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  A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number ? Tail V-1??
IJN
Tainan Kōkūtai

Pilot  PO2/c Yoshimo Sakai (MIA / KIA)
Crashed  April 17, 1942

Aircraft History
Built by Mitsubishi or Nakajima. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as A6M2 Model 21 Zero manufacture number unknown.

Wartime History
Assigned to the Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group). Tail number V-1??.

Mission History
On April 17, 1942 took off from Lakunai Airfield near Rabaul piloted by PO2/c Yoshimo Sakai on a mission against Port Moresby. Inbound to the target over the Owen Stanley Range, this Zero lost altitude and staggered as the formation crossed the spine of the mountains and crashed into the jungle on the the southern side of the spine. Possibly, this crash was due to an oxygen failure that caused the pilot to become unconscious.

References
Winged Samurai (1985) "Tainan Kōkūtai Pilot Casualties" page 88
Thanks to Tatsuo Kamino for additional information

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Last Updated
April 15, 2021

Tech Info
Zero
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