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| IJN 582 Kōkūtai |
Aircraft History Built by Aichi. Completed August 15, 1943. Uncoded serial number 357. At the factory, painted with green upper surfaces and gray lower surfaces. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as D3A2 Model 22 Val manufacture number 3357. Wartime History Assigned to the 582 Kōkūtai (582 Air Group). Tail code 82-248. During 1943, this Val force landed or was disabled on the ground while parked at Gasmata Airfield in West New Britain. Wreckage By 1973, only the rear fuselage and tail section remained. Tail number "82-248" was visible on the tail, the upper portion of the first digit was cut out and the tail hook was present. Recovery Recovered in middle of 1973 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, and transferred to HMAS Melbourne and then across the Pacific to Long Beach Naval Base. Transported to the Nimitz Museum. Display The recovered tail section is displayed at National Museum of the Pacific War indoors as part of the Guadalcanal exhibit between a pair of faux palm trees. The tail is missing the stabilizers and the tail numbers are cut out. The tail wheel and landing hook remain intact. References "Serial Number & Production Sequence D3A2 Carrier Bombers" by Jim Long Thanks to Brian Bennett for tail number Contribute
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