Kokusai Ku-8
| Kokusai Ku-8 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Glider |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 1941 |
| Production time: |
1941-1945 |
| Number of pieces: |
700 |
The Kokusai Ku-8 ( Japanese 国際 ク 8 四 式 特殊 輸送 機 , Kokusai Ku-8 Yonshiki Tokushū Yusōki , German "Type 4 special transporter", allied code name : Gander or Goose ) was a Japanese cargo glider of the Army Air Force from World War II . The first flight as a cargo glider took place in June 1942. He is the only cargo ship that was used by the Japanese Empire in World War II.
history
Emergence
At the end of the 1930s, the Imperial Japanese Army was looking for transport aircraft and had the twin-engine Kokusai Ki-59 developed by aircraft manufacturer Nippon Kokusai Kōkū Kōgyō , which had its maiden flight in June 1939 . When the army began to set up its own parachute troops in December 1940 , cargo gliders were urgently needed in addition to the transport aircraft. For this purpose, a Ki-59 was converted into a cargo glider with the designation Kokusai Ku-8 in December 1941 . The wingspan was extended to 23.20 m and the landing gear was replaced by smaller wheels and runners . This sailor, entitled Ku-8-I , formed the basis for the Ku-8-II , the only cargo glider used by Japan during World War II. In addition to the two pilots, it could transport 18–20 soldiers or a mountain gun.
The cargo sailors were subordinated to the 1st and 2nd Glider Infantry Regiment of the Dai-1 Teishin Shūdan (1st Air Storm Division). Each glider infantry regiment had three transport companies, each equipped with nine Type 100 Topsy transport aircraft and nine Ku-8 Type 4 Gander.
By the end of the war in August 1945, around 700 Ku-8s had been produced.
Calls
The Ku-8 was probably never used in combat. During the reconquest of the Philippines by the Allies , the Japanese army used the Ku-8 between May and October 1944 for supply purposes on Luzon . After landing, the gliders and their crews stayed on Luzon.
After the unsuccessful attack of the Giretsu-Kūteitai -Special Airborne Unit on the US airfields on Okinawa in May 1945, in which all paratroopers had been killed, the Japanese leadership planned further, similar operations. A few months later the airfields on Okinawa were to be attacked again. Twelve Type 95 off-road vehicles armed with 2 cm Type 98 automatic cannons and Ku-8 gliders were to be deposited. At the beginning of August 1945 the unit was relocated to Fussa Airfield near Tokyo, and the operation was scheduled for the end of August. However, it never came to fruition as Japan announced on August 15, 1945 its intention to surrender.
technology
While in the experimental cargo glider Kokusai Ku-7 double tail girders were used to insert a large rear door, in the Ku-8 a hinged bow section was constructed. Like the Kokusai Ki-59, the Ku-8 was a shoulder- wing aircraft that was produced in a composite construction. The wings were made of wood and the fuselage was made of tubular steel, both of which were covered with fabric. 18 to 20 fully equipped soldiers or an adequate cargo such as B. a Type 94 75 mm mountain gun can be added.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 (pilot, copilot) |
| Passengers | 18–20 soldiers |
| length | 13.31 m |
| span | 23.20 m |
| Empty mass | 2880 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 3500 kg |
| Top speed | 224 km / h |
| Range | 300 km |
See also
literature
- Army Military Intelligence's Special Series: Japanese Parachute Troops , July 1945
- Rottman & Takizawa: Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II , Osprey, London 2005, ISBN 978-1-84176-903-5
Web links
- Japanese Aircraft Designations 1939–1945. Aviation History Site, accessed October 6, 2016 .
- The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies 1941-1942. Dutch East Indies, accessed October 6, 2016 .
- Ku-8 "Gander", Japanese Glider. The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia, accessed October 6, 2016 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Japanese Aircraft Designations 1939-1945. Aviation History Site, accessed October 6, 2016 .
- ^ A b c The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies 1941–1942. (No longer available online.) Dutch East Indies, archived from the original on July 8, 2015 ; accessed on October 6, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d Ku-8 "Gander", Japanese Glider. The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia, accessed October 6, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Rottman & Takizawa, p. 12