Nakagima B5N2 Type 97  1/35

The Nakajima B5N (Japanese: 中島 B5N) (Allied code name: Kate) was a Japanese torpedo bomber in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. It was built by Nakajima Hikōki (English: Nakajima Aircraft). The aircraft was the standard torpedo bomber during World War II in the Pacific Ocean between 1940 and 1944. On December 7, 1941, they sank or damaged many American warships in Pearl Harbor with their torpedoes.

The B5N2 was developed from the B5N1, a carrier-launched bomber. Unlike the B5N1, the B5N2 could be armed with both a torpedo and bombs. The crew consisted of a commander, the pilot and the radio operator. The latter was also the gunner. Although this aircraft was one of the most modern aircraft around 1940, it was absolutely no match for the more modern Allied fighters in 1944. A total of 1,149 were produced.

During the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had attached a wooden cross construction to the back of the torpedoes, so that their torpedoes did not go too deep under water after launch. Due to the limited depth of the harbor (approx. 13.70 m), they would otherwise have gotten stuck in the mud after their dive into the water. This was also the reason that the Japanese flew just above the water during the attack.

During subsequent naval battles in the Pacific, they were again deployed against the American ships, but were given less and less opportunity to attack them in a targeted manner. The newer American fighters often shot them out of the sky before they reached their targets. In addition, due to their attack profile (low approach), they also had to deal with a barrage of escorting ships, as was evident, for example, at the end of 1944 and in June 1945 at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.