The Zero's Vital Statistics

In recent months there has been some correspondence in PIM about a wartime Japanese Zero obtained from Kavieng, New Guinea, by a Melbourne man, Thomas King, who restores aircraft as a hobby.

In this article Mr, King, for the first time, tells his side of the story.

It’s a tale to weep over. Yet the writer is not asking for sympathy.

Mr. King adds some statistics. He tells us that the Zero was a Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero-sen (Allied code name “Zeke 21”), serial number 11593, built by Nakajima at its Koizuma plant, Japan, early in 1942. Kavieng Airstrip was occupied by the 253rd Air Corps, flying Zeros, and the 751st Air Corps, flying Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bombers.

The 751st lost 10 “Bettys” during an attack on Port Moresby in January, 1943. There was also a unit of Aichi EI3A “Jake” and Mitsubishi FIM “Pete” floatplanes based on the shores at Kavieng.

All of the abovementioned aircraft were operated by the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force.

Mr. King adds: “From what I have been told, and have been able to figure out by the condition of the Zero, two Model 21 Zero wrecks were found in the jungle around Kavieng airstrip by a DCA employee who assembled one of them, the serial number of the other being 51553, also built by Nakajima. Going by the faded paint and corrosion on Zero 11593, it must have been lying upside-down since the war. Also there are some original repair patches on Zero 11593, which suggests that it saw considerable combat while in service.”