Japanese Camo 1 - Mitsubishi G3M

At the time of its appearance, the Nell was one of the world’s most advanced long-range bombers. It participated in many famous actions in World War II before assuming transport duties.

In 1934 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, future head of the Japanese Combined Fleet, advocated development of long-range land-based naval bombers to compliment carrier-based aviation. That year Mitsubishi designed and flew the Ka 9, an unsightly but effective reconnaissance craft with great endurance. It owed more than a passing resemblance to Junkers’s Ju 86, as that firm had assisted Mitsubishi with the design. Now a team headed by Dr. Kiro Honjo developed that craft into the even more capable Ka 15. It was a twin-engine, mid-wing design with stressed skin throughout, twin rudders, and distinctive, tapered wings. Following a succession of prototypes, it entered service in 1937 as the G3M. That year these bombers made history by launching the first transoceanic raids against the Chinese cities of Hankow and Nanking from their home island—convincing proof of Japan’s burgeoning aerial prowess. Moreover, the G3M could also function as an effective torpedo-bomber, adding even greater punch to Japanese naval aviation. By the time World War II erupted in the Pacific in December 1941, the G3M formed the bulk of Japanese naval medium bomber strength. At that time it acquired the Allied designation Nell.

Three days after Pearl Harbor, G3Ms made world headlines when a force of 60 bombers helped sink the British battleships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales off Malaysia. Several days later, Nells were among the first Japanese aircraft shot down by U.S. Navy fighters at Wake Island. The spring of 1942 then witnessed G3Ms functioning as parachute aircraft over the Dutch East Indies. Within months, however, revitalized Allied forces poured into the region, forcing the slow and under-armed Nells to sustain heavy losses. By 1942 most had ceased active combat operations and spent the rest of the war as transports. Production came to 1,048 machines.

Japanese Bombers Camo

The Japanese had a wider range of bombers. English-language terms for these aircraft derived from Western Allied identification codes, in which female names were given to bombers and male names to fighters. The Japanese Army’s Mitsubishi “Betty,” or Type-1 G4M, was famed for flaming out. It was underarmored, with almost no cockpit protection and mounted highly vulnerable fuel tanks that did not self-seal. Similar problems attended the twin-engine Mitsubishi “Sally” and “Peggy” models, with the latter appearing in small numbers from October 1944. Some thought was given to developing an interoceanic bomber called the “Fugako,” but Japan’s limited aircraft industry could not spare the needed resources. The Japanese Navy deployed several bombers, including the “Kate” torpedo bomber, “Judy” dive bomber, and “Val” altitude or level bomber.

Camo and Markings

Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service World War II aircraft camouflage
At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese navy fighters and some bombers were painted overall in a very pale grey or grey green though some aircraft were already being painted in the standard dark green over light grey that would be used for most of the rest of the war. In some instances splotches were added over the standard scheme to break up the shape. Aircraft that had been in service earlier often had a multi-colour scheme that used various shades of brown and green. Cowlings for radial engines were normally painted black, which was also used for aircraft that operated at night. Aircraft used for training were painted orange, often with green uppersurfaces later in the war. Each manufacturer used their own colors.

Imperial Japanese Army Air Forces World War II aircraft camouflage
Early in the war, Japanese Army aircraft were often light grey overall, though this was gradually replaced with various shades of green and brown, either as a solid colour or mottled. Undersides were normally left unfinished. Not all aircraft were camouflaged, with many aircraft retaining a natural metal finish even late in the war. Reconnaissance aircraft were painted light grey or light grey green and aircraft operating at night were painted black (often overall). Like the Japanese Navy, many pre-war aircraft remained in use with earlier 3 colour schemes and a lot of local variations existed.

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Colours of the Second Wave...