- Yes
- No
Hey guys today I’ll be suggesting the Ki-61-I tei for the Chinese tech tree.
HISTORY
The Ki-61 tei, also sometimes called Ki-61-1 KAIc, was produced by Kawasaki Kokuki K.K. starting in January 1944. It was an improvement from the earlier Ki-61 models in that it featured: stronger wings with the ability to withstand heavier wing loads and the ability to carry armament, a longer fuselage, a larger stabilizer and a fixed tail wheel (which fixed the troublesome tail wheel the earlier models had). The control surfaces were also simplified and total parts reduced making maintenance easier. It also featured the new domestically produced HO-5 20mm cannon mounted in its nose. The Ki-61 tei primarily served in the South Pacific and Japan with some operating within China.
Near the closing stages of the war the Japanese called back most of their advanced fighters to defend the Japanese homeland, however a few stayed in China. After the war there was around 1,700 Japanese aircraft in China and Taiwan however around 1/5 of the aircraft could be used in regular service. In 1945 aggressions started up again between the nationalists and communists, as a result the 6th brigade was formed and the leftover Japanese aircraft were put to use. Captured Japanese fighters and bombers from all over China were retrieved and sorted out along with personnel in Nanjing, China. Only aircraft that had an abundance of spares, non-complex engines, and were easily maintained were used. Japanese translators and prisoners explained how to operate the aircraft to the Chinese pilots and helped maintain the aircraft. The 6th brigade consisted of the 18th and 19th fighter squadron and 5th bombing squadron. The Ki-61’s were assigned to the 18th squadron of the 6th brigade along with Ki-43’s and 44’s with the Ki-61 being the least numerous of the fighters. Ki-84’s made up the majority of 19th squadron. Not many sorties were carried out mainly due to the lack of spare parts and conservation of them. The fifth bombing squadron, mainly consisting of Ki-48’s, carried out over half of them. By 1946 the 6th brigade was disbanded primarily because of the lack of spare parts, the worsening condition of the aircraft, and difficulty maintaining the planes due to the low moral of the Japanese prisoners and their ongoing repatriation.
Another Ki-61-I Tei at Nanyuan airfield:
Captured Ki-61’s after the war:
Ki-61-I tei (presumably) at an unknown location
In Game
The Ki-61-I tei would help fill a gap and add some variation for tier 3 China fighters seeing as the I-16 type 10 is the only tier 3 fighter in the PLAAF fighter line and the other fighters being the P-47’s in the ROCAF fighter line. Alternatively it could be a tier 3 premium.
Specifications
From Wikipedia
From war thunder website:
https://wiki.warthunder.com/Ki-61-I_tei
Camouflage Coloring description:
Sources
Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific war by R.J. Francillon (book)
Kawasaki Ki-61/Ki-100 in Japanese army Air Force by Richard M. Bueschel (book)
http://cwlam2000.epizy.com/captured.htm
China Airforce magazine issue 96 pages 7-6: 空小網友會: 抗戰時 中國的空軍
https://gkjlai.pixnet.net/blog/post/469200917-二戰後中國空軍接收日本軍機統計表
http://www.flyingtiger-cacw.com/new_page_545.htm
