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29-680: The Yokosuka L3Y (Allied reporting name " Tina "), was a transport variant of the aircraft manufactured by the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal . The G3M bomber saw extensive use in the Pacific War . Attacks by G3M and G4M bombers resulted in the sinking of the Royal Navy battleship HMS  Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS  Repulse , the first time capital ships actively defending themselves were sunk solely by air power while in

58-559: A Nagasaki airfield belonging to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and landing at Haneda Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo . The G3M first saw combat in Japan's expansionist campaigns on the Chinese mainland in what became known as the " Second Sino-Japanese War ", where the G3M was able to exploit its long-range capability when, during August–November 1937, the 1. Rengo Kōkūtai (a special unit)

87-511: A minimum attack time. Thus the G3M was an embodiment of Japanese military aircraft design in the brief period leading to the Pacific War , with powerful offensive armament (in this case in the form of bombs and torpedoes) and range and speed emphasised over protection and defensive capabilities. The G3M was originally designed without any form of defensive weaponry, with its high-altitude performance being regarded as sufficient to evade enemy anti-aircraft guns and its high speed in combination with

116-490: A severe impact on Nakajima as one of the two largest aircraft manufacturers in Japan; the second was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Unlike MHI, Nakajima did not diversify into shipbuilding and general machinery, and so was forced to dissolve into a number of spin-off companies set up by its former managers, engineers, and workers. As a result, leading aeronautical engineers from the company, such as Ryoichi Nakagawa , helped transform Japan's automobile industry. The company

145-550: The Genzan Kōkūtai provided important support during the attack on HMS  Prince of Wales and Repulse (Force Z) near the Malayan coast. Prince of Wales and Repulse were the first two capital ships ever sunk exclusively by an air attack while at sea during war. The attack on Darwin , Australia on 19 February 1942, by 188 Japanese aircraft, included 27 G3Ms of the 1. Kōkūtai (1st Air Group) based at Ambon , in

174-534: The Battle of Shanghai and Nanjing . The attacking G3M bombers and escorting fighters were often engaged by Curtiss Hawk III and Boeing P-26/281 fighters of the Chinese Air Force early on in the war. Later, from bases in occupied Chinese territories, it took part in the strategic carpet bombing of the Chinese heartland, its combat range being sufficient for the great distances involved. Most notably, it

203-572: The Chitose Kōkūtai on the first day of the war, with both civilian and US Navy infrastructure being heavily damaged on the ground. Other G3Ms of Chitose Kōkūtai , based in Kwajalein Atoll , attacked US Navy and civilian installations on Howland Island in the same period. The G3M was famous for taking part, along with the more advanced Mitsubishi G4M "Betty", in the sinking of two British capital ships on 10 December 1941. Nells from

232-566: The Dutch East Indies . G3Ms attacked alongside 27 Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers. These bombers followed an 81-strong first wave of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, Aichi D3A dive bombers and Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers. G3Ms of the 701 Air Group put two torpedoes into heavy cruiser USS  Chicago on January 29, 1943 during the Battle of Rennell Island , paving the way for her sinking by further torpedoes dropped by G4M bombers

261-660: The Hiro Naval Arsenal ( Hiro Kaigun Kōshō , which is often abbreviated as Hirosho) . Aircraft designed by the arsenal are usually designated by the manufacturer's letter "Y" for "Yokosuka". An example of the above is the Yokosuka D4Y1 which was mainly produced by Aichi. The D4Y1 and later models were also produced by the 11th Naval Arsenal ( Dai-Jūichi Kaigun Kōkū-shō ) at Hiro . Nakajima Aircraft Company The Nakajima Aircraft Company ( 中島飛行機株式会社 , Nakajima Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha )

290-599: The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) established a naval arsenal at Yokosuka, about 13 miles south of Yokohama on Tokyo Bay . The arsenal provided ship building, repair and replenishment to the Japanese Navy. It was also a storage depot where munitions and other assorted supplies were brought as they were purchased. When a number of foreign aircraft were purchased for evaluation, the Navy brought them to

319-583: The Mitsubishi G4M , whose design so strongly emphasized fuel and bomb load for long-range strikes at the expense of defence that its vulnerability to fighters and ground and surface gunfire earned it the unofficial nickname of "one shot lighter" by Allied fighter pilots. The bombsight used in the G3M was primitive compared to the mechanisms used in the G3M's contemporaries such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and Heinkel He 111 . Aside from

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348-673: The Takao Kōkūtai were deployed from Formosa in the opening of the Battle of the Philippines . On 8 December 1941, (7 December across the International Date Line ), G3Ms from the Mihoro Kōkūtai struck Singapore from bases in occupied French Indochina as one of many air raids during the Battle of Singapore , resulting in thousands of British and Asian civilians dead. Wake Island was similarly bombed by G3Ms from

377-613: The additional crew necessary to operate them (features in the early prototype design) were considered essential to maintain the speed and high-altitude performance of the G3M with a heavy payload. Even after the modified final prototype, which did include three defensive machine gun emplacements, the G3M kept its lightweight structure and lacked any form of defensive armour or self-sealing fuel tanks , as these were considered to retard speed and altitude. This trait in Japanese bomber and fighter design manifested itself again in its successor,

406-537: The arsenal for processing. The arsenal assembled the aircraft from their shipping boxes, and when assembled, they were flown by the pilots who had been sent abroad for flying lessons and evaluate the aircraft flown. Modifications to these aircraft were done as weaknesses were found, or when an improvement was incorporated. To facilitate this work, the IJN established the Aeroplane Factory, Ordnance Department at

435-468: The arsenal was moved to Tsukiji with several other Naval support units. The entire Tsukiji facility was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . Several names were used when the navy began establishment of the arsenal. Research was started again in 1924 when several aircraft were evaluated. Under the command of the newly formed Naval Air Headquarters, the Kaigun Kokusho (Naval Air Arsenal)

464-507: The arsenal's torpedo factory in May 1913. The next year, the first acronym was used was Yokosho, a contraction of Yokosuka Kaigun Kōshō (Yokosuka Naval Arsenal) . The arsenal was renamed Kaigun Kōkū Shiken-sho (Naval Establishment for Aeronautical Research) in December 1919. The name Kaigun Gijutsu Kenkyūsho (Naval Technical Research Institute) was assigned by April, 1923, when

493-507: The capacity to accommodate an aerial torpedo capable of sinking an armoured battleship . The speed requirement submitted by the naval department was again also unprecedented, not only in Japanese but also in international bomber aviation, where in relation to the envisaged Japanese battlegrounds of China and the Pacific, the bomber would need to not only cover long distances, but necessarily have exceptional speed to strike distant targets with

522-503: The limited precision necessary in its naval role as a long-range torpedo bomber against Allied naval fleets, the G3M frequently operated with other G3M units in massive "wave" formation. Use of these large formations eliminated the need for singular high-precision bombing attacks. Later the Nakajima Company redesigned the G3M into the improved G3M3 (Model 23) with more powerful engines and increased fuel capacity. This version

551-706: The next day. From 1943 until the end of the war, the majority of G3Ms served as glider tugs , aircrew and paratroop trainers, and transports for high-ranking officers and VIPs between the home islands, occupied territories, and combat fronts. Data from The Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" ; Imperial Japanese Navy Bombers of World War Two ; General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal ( 海軍航空技術廠 , Kaigun Kōkū Gijutsu-shō , lit. Naval Air Technical Arsenal) had many names, each depending on

580-476: The open sea. G4Ms and G3Ms also sunk the heavy cruiser USS Chicago in an air attack during the Battle of Rennell Island . In order to maintain the speed and high-altitude performance of the G3M with a heavy payload, it lacked any form of defensive armour or self-sealing fuel tanks . This trait was maintained in the G3M's successor the G4M. The vulnerability of these bombers to fighters and surface gunfire earned them

609-507: The period of its existence, and the circumstances at that time. Many of the names were acronyms that were derived from its military name or designation, which changed from time to time. The arsenal was sometimes known as "Kūgi-shō" (空技廠, a contraction of "Kō kū Gi jutsu- shō " 航空技術廠). The name Yokosuka prevailed however, even though it referred to the Arsenal's location at Yokosuka , Japan . The air arsenal's roots go back to 1869 when

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638-440: The planned high performance Mitsubishi A5M fighter envisaged as an armed escort considered sufficient to counter any enemy fighters. Even in the low-speed, low-level role of torpedo bomber, the superior fighter escort – combined with the G3M's high speed – was considered sufficient against any form of ship-based AA guns or carrier-based fighters. The lightweight structure and complete lack of defensive machine guns and

667-686: The two founders split and Nakajima bought out Nihon Aircraft's factory with tacit help from the Imperial Japanese Army . The company was renamed Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1919. The company's manufacturing facilities were: After Japan's defeat in World War II , the company was forced to close, as the production and research of aircraft was prohibited by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers . This had

696-538: The unofficial nickname of "one shot lighter" or "the flying lighter" by Allied fighter pilots. The G3M has its origins in a specification submitted to the Mitsubishi company from the Imperial Japanese Navy requesting a bomber aircraft with a range unprecedented at the time. This principally stemmed from Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto 's influence in the Naval High Commission. The bomber was to have

725-409: Was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II . It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru . The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, and was founded in 1918 by Chikuhei Nakajima , a naval engineer, and Seibei Kawanishi , a textile manufacturer, as Nihon Hikoki (Nippon Aircraft) . In 1919,

754-775: Was established, operating alongside the Kanoya and Kizarazu Kōkūtai based in Taipei , Formosa , Omura , Kyūshū and Jeju Island . On 14 August of that same year, 42 G3Ms and seven Hiro G2H 1s, escorted by 12 Nakajima A4Ns and 12 Mitsubishi A5Ms of the 2. Rengo Kōkūtai (a unit consisting of the 12th and 13th kōkūtai ), departed from their bases to cross the East China Sea for the bombing of Hangzhou and Kwanteh , and performed, amongst other actions, terror bombing of coastal and inland targets in China, including bombing during

783-599: Was formed at Yokosuka on 1 April 1932. A large amount of draftsmen and Designers were transferred from the Hiro Naval Arsenal , ending aircraft production there. During World War II , the arsenal was responsible for the design of several IJN aircraft, although the arsenal itself did not manufacture more than a few prototypes of the aircraft it designed. Its designs were mass-produced by companies such as Aichi Kokuki , Watanabe Tekkōjo steel foundry, (renamed in 1943 to Kyūshū Hikōki Kabushiki-kaisha ( 九州飛行機株式会社 , Kyushu Aircraft Company Ltd , a.k.a. Kyushu Armaments) ), and

812-416: Was involved in the round-the-clock bombing of Chongqing . When the Pacific War erupted with the invasion of Malaya and bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the G3M was by this time considered to be antiquated, but still three front-line units (the 22nd to 24th koku sentai ) were operating a total of 204 G3M2s in four kōkūtai (naval air corps) in the central Pacific and of these 54 aircraft from

841-505: Was manufactured only by Nakajima, being the most rapidly produced in wartime. This version entered service in 1941, and was maintained in service for two years, and later used in 1943 alongside the G3M2 for long-range maritime reconnaissance with radar, due to its excellent long-range performance. Other G3M derivations were the transport versions, G3M-L and L3Y, the latter built by Yokosuka . The G3M flew for first time in 1935, taking off from

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