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| IJN 582 Kōkūtai or 552 Kōkūtai |
Aircraft History Built by Aichi estimated date of assembly January 17, 1943. Uncoded serial number 105. At the factory, painted with green upper surfaces and gray lower surfaces. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 99 Dive Bomber Ku Ku Kamba (Kanbaku) / D3A2 Model 22 Val manufacture number 3105. Wartime History Assigned to either 582 Kōkūtai (582 Air Group) or 552 Kōkūtai (552 Air Group) or a Japanese aircraft carrier unit operating land based. No known markings or tail code. During 1943, while parked at Gasmata Airfield, likely damaged by a nearby bomb blast that destroyed the tail and twisted the rear fuselage upward and forced the nose forward. Afterwards, abandoned. Wreckage Until the early 1970s, this aircraft remained in situ until at Gasmata Airfield. Salvage In 1973, salvaged by Douglas Hubbard, Jr. for the Nimitz Museum. Locals felt the wreck was stolen from them without permission. The Val was taken from Gasmata by landing craft then transferred aboard HMAS Melbourne (R21) and transported across the Pacific to Long Beach Naval Base then trucked to the Nimitz Museum. Display Since at least 2000, this Val displayed unrestored outdoors in the museum extension (annex) at the National Museum of the Pacific War. References "Serial Number & Production Sequence D3A2 Carrier Bombers" by Jim Long Pacific Aircraft Wrecks page 17 (center) and 37 (center) Contribute
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