My father was in high school when he was installing Ha-40 engine into Hien airframe in the nearby Kawasaki factory. My aunt was also making wing to fuselage fairing (large, to fill the void behind Kinsei radial engine) on Ki-100 in girl’s school. 50 years later, when I got my engineering job at the same factory, I had a chance to meet and talked to Hien’s chief engineer (Mr. Takeo Doi). Unfortunately, my father had passed away by then. Thank you Greg, for discussing this memorable plane.

@nunya9555

6 ай бұрын

That is so cool! It is a good thing to keep family history alive. And I wish there were more examples of all of these wonderful Nipponese aircraft in existence. Have a good day!

@pac1fic055

6 ай бұрын

すごい！

@bachiistsho2940

6 ай бұрын

Thank you all🙇🏻‍♂️

@kimmogensen5390

6 ай бұрын

Always very nice to hear personal connections to the production of these great machines Greetings from Denmark

@Ausf.D.A.K.

4 ай бұрын

I love the Empire of Japan !

A few (helpful?) hints about Japanese aircraft nomenclature. Hien is the word 飛燕, which means "swallow in flight". The it's two syllables, like "he" and the "en" from end. Kai is the Japanese word 改, 'revision', often translated as 'improved' and not an abbreviation. The type one Ki-61s are further subdivided into kou 甲, otsu 乙, hei 丙, tei 丁 which are used as ordinals just like the US uses A, B, C, D as suffixes to show minor revisions. Kou rhymes with "go," otsu sounds a bit like "oats," hei and tei both rhyme with "hay" or "say". The Ha in Ha-40 is indeed ハ, and read like the laugh, rather than as two letters. The "Ki" designation system is rarely used in Japan; typically it would be referred to as a ３式 or "type 3" and as mentioned, the three is the year 2603 in the Imperial Japanese calendar. It's a bit like how the Wehrmacht used informal names (Panzer III) but also a formal designation system with the Sonderkraftfahrzeug designation (Sd.Kfz. 141). Thus, the Mauser-armed San-shiki Ichi-gata Hei (三式一型丙) would be formally designated キ61-I 丙 (Ki-61-1 hei). To "Americanize" that, it's a bit like calling it an M1943-A1E3!

@leftistsarenotpeople

Жыл бұрын

What an outstandingly concise yet thorough explanation! Well done!

@francisbusa1074

Жыл бұрын

@@leftistsarenotpeople Love your handle! Rumor is that they're primarily transhumans.

@leftistsarenotpeople

Жыл бұрын

@@francisbusa1074 lol, yeah well... I'm NOT exactly a fan of the left nor their very existence. The only good leftist is one that has taken a helicopter ride... only once!

@Mishn0

Жыл бұрын

Ki is the first character of the word Kitai which carries the meaning "airframe", so Ki-61 sort of means "Army airframe type 61" more or less. It was an index number for differentiating different aircraft types. Using the type number based on year wouldn't work if more than one type was made in a particular year.

@nicolatesla9429

Жыл бұрын

@@Mishn0 For the designation to work without causing confusion you'd have to add more information (which of course could leak to the enemy). For example, the Ki-44 is the Type 2 single seat fighter, and the Ki-45 is the Type 2 two-seat fighter. And thus, as far as I know, the Ki- designations or the popular names (like Hien, Toryu, Hayabusa etc.) were used to prevent information about the planes from falling into enemy hands. I could be mistaken though, it's been a while since I've read about the subject.

Hi Greg my Grandfather was part of Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit They recovered a example that was test flown in Brisbane Australia against allied aircraft I can remember him saying that the Japanese had issues with these engines failures due to a change in design. All of his wartime photos and work were sent to America at the end of the war

@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome, thanks Tim.

@Eric-kn4yn

Жыл бұрын

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles captured trophy a/c for testing would never have been prime examples captured fw190 was superior to spit mk5 yes but Brits noted fw190s engine was rough idle when throttled back a perfect example landed undamaged in GB but unable to get engine smooth op

@dbeasleyphx

Жыл бұрын

@@Eric-kn4yn Were you driving and doing voice to text when you wrote this reply?

@lashutterbug

Жыл бұрын

The engine problem was not unique to the Ki-61. Indeed, this is one of the major issues that plagued Japan throughout the war, in multiple aircraft designs, and it directly curtailed the effectiveness of their airmens' ability to fight.

@twrea

Жыл бұрын

@@lashutterbug Very true the octane rating suffered they also had Oil issues.

Aloha Greg. Thank you for mentioning the YS-11. I was born in post war Japan to an American father and Japanese mother. My father during the war served in the SW Pacific in New Guinea, Dutch East Indies, and finally in The Philippines. He had a great appreciation for aviation of that theater both Japanese and Allied. He got me started building models on my 7th birthday, and I still have most of the 75 or so models over 55 years later. Back to the YS-11. My father was transferred to a job in Hawai'i after 21 years in Japan, and the YS-11 was a very popular plane here with various local inter-island airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines, and Mid Pacific Airlines. I had many opportunities to fly in these, and always appreciated these planes, very smooth confidence inspiring. After their careers were over a few of these YS-11 had there fuselages dumped in offshore waters off Waikiki to form artificial reefs for the scuba diving tourist industry, an inglorious end to a fine plane. Another side note, I had an uncle in Japan who flew Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" during the war. In fact my father and this uncle were on opposites sides during the US Landing at Lingayen Gulf, PI. Of course they became great friends after the war. A video if possible, on the Mitsubishi Ki-46 would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

@nunya9555

6 ай бұрын

That is a great family history!

Thanks Greg, it’s high time the lesser known Japanese aircraft got some love.

@allangibson2408

Жыл бұрын

The Ki-61 wasn’t exactly unknown… The DB 605 derivative engine was the go to high powered inline engines in late war Japan.

@thurbine2411

Жыл бұрын

@@allangibson2408 it’s still much lesser known to most people compared to spitfire, zero, bf 109 etc

@allangibson2408

Жыл бұрын

@@thurbine2411 The guys who flew allied bombers in the Med were VERY familiar with Macchi products (and took them very seriously) (but like Italian sports cars they are maintenance hogs…).

@thurbine2411

Жыл бұрын

@@allangibson2408 ok.

@tonedeaftachankagaming457

Жыл бұрын

@@allangibson2408 In most Western history circles, Japanese aircraft are by far the least widely known and spoken of. I think that’s what OP was referring to

Interesting that the FW190 would help facilitate the transition of the KI61 to a radial while it would transition to an inverted V12

@aprilius3348

Жыл бұрын

You can check other videos from Greg, on the FW 190 transition to inline engines. The main reason is that, while more durable (and more powerful) in the beginning of the war - the radial required more manufacturing time at higher precision (low tolerances). While Germany was bombed, it was more efficient to make an inline engine faster, than to spend more time, per engine, machining a radial engine. So time (and more materials used) were an issue.

@ivanthemadvandal8435

Жыл бұрын

@@aprilius3348 I'm aware

@ronjon7942

Жыл бұрын

@@aprilius3348 That’s interesting, I didn’t realize that was the case. Actually, I assumed the opposite.

@Packless1

Жыл бұрын

...the FW-190 also influenced the Hawker Typhoon and the Grumann Bearcat...!

@Packless1

Жыл бұрын

@sel724 ...the FW-190 / Ta-152 used Junkers-engines (Jumo), DB-engines were reserved for the Messerschitt-fighters...!

Fantastic, Greg, thank you! I translate Japanese-language documents into English for companies in Japan, and have translated other WWII/Airplane stuff in my free time. Before Kawasaki got the engine for the Ki-61 operable (sort of) all those engine-less 61s littering the factory grounds were called 'the headless Hien). The brass was very reluctant to fit radials to them, but when they finally did they were astonished at how well they performed. Another tidbit: among the many MX issues afflicting the 61 was Kawasaki's inability to manufacture needle bearings to the required tolerances, so they recruited school girls to hand-finish them. If I can track down the article where I found all this I'll translate it. Good of you to mention the brutal and sadistic training methods of the WWII Japanese military. Juzo Mori, in his autobiography 'The Miraculous Torpedo Squadron' (Kindle) describes this, while a much more disturbing account is given in Yutaka Yokota's autobiography 'Kaiten Special Attack Group' (Kindle).

@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this very good post.

@MW-bi1pi

Жыл бұрын

Saburo Sakai also touched upon the sadistic cruelty of Japanese training methods.

@jeffmoore9487

Жыл бұрын

Limitations in Japanese industry and substituting girls for machine tools says a lot, by itself, about the iffy state of some supplies in Japan at the time,

@oldplace2844

Жыл бұрын

@@MW-bi1pi I read one of his books and several of his accounts. It also seemed to be a mentality that soldiers or pilots were simply replaceable. The brass put no value on their experience, assuming them to be gears in the machine. Apparently it wasn't until late that they realized that experience was too valuable to simply fritter away. Sakai's encounter with the medical transport was an interesting account. (C-47? I can't remember).

@roderickcampbell2105

Жыл бұрын

@@MW-bi1pi I have read Saburo Sakai. Many years ago. Saburo was a very rare human being. The training was very difficult. Saburo was also very young.

I Built a RC model of the Hien about thirty five years ago. It had about 3 foot wingspan, no undercarriage so it meant throwing it into flight. Landing was performed over long grass to save the radiator scope from damage. It flew remarkable well considering it was to scale. A friend of mine... who was a far more accomplished flyer than I...would roll in to a very low-level 'strafing pass'... scared the hell out of me...The Tony was then a rare RC model...it looked wonderful in flight...

@JoeC88

Жыл бұрын

👍

@Mike-eq4ky

Жыл бұрын

HA! I just suggested doing one in 1/3 scale. Now that's fun!!

@JoeC88

Жыл бұрын

awesome work, I would have love too see it.

"Ki" is pronounced "kee" because it's romanized Japanese using the International Phonetic Alphabet. In the IPA the letter "I" is the "ee" sound, as in Romance languages like Spanish. The Spanish vowels are used as a basis because they are consistent, they're always pronounced the same way regardless of their position in the word. Contrast with English where vowels can make whatever noise you feel like at the moment.

@DCS_World_Japan

Жыл бұрын

Adding onto this, the Japanese is キ61, with キ being "ki."

@ThePussukka

Жыл бұрын

Greg seems like an intelligent guy but not knowing more than one language is major American cringe

@drstrangelove4998

Жыл бұрын

That’s interesting, the IPA. Thanks.

@TonboIV

Жыл бұрын

I don't think it's really about the IPA or Spanish. It's just the Japanese has five vowel sounds ( 'ah' 'ee' 'oo' 'eh' 'oh' ), and English happens to have five vowel letters (A E I O U), and it's just not possible to assign them in a totally intuitive way. If they'd assigned the "ee" sound to the letter E, then the "eh" sound would have to be assigned to a different letter, and the letter I would have to be assigned to "ah" "eh" "oo" or "oh", all of which would be even more confusing.

@PotatoeJoe69

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePussukka "major American cringe" The US is a country that's roughly the size of the entire European continent; it's native tongue is English, it's Northern neighbors native tongue is English (although there's plenty of French speakers) and the Southern neighbors native tongue is Spanish. It takes 7-9 days to drive across the entire United States in a reasonable time at a reasonable pace. This isn't Europe, where a few hours in any direction is an entirely different country, with an entirely different language and culture. In the US, there is little to no need or point in knowing any other languages than English; however you'll find that in states which border Mexico, many people do speak Spanish as a second language. Never the less, as an American, it's flattering that the rest of the world is always comparing themselves to us. We generally don't notice you or your country, as it would speak to your insignificance on the world stage; but it seems like you can't stop noticing us. Something about "living in your head, rent free."

That commentary on the inclinometer reminded me of an interview with an old P40 pilot who had served in the SWP. He said he often flew in a skid because if he got jumped the enemy pilot would lead out along the length of the fuselage and shoot off to the side.

OK This Video hit home! The Fly for your Life book brings back great memories. I had a friend I was introduced to when I was young, 13 ish he was a WW2 pilot. His call sign was Crash. He got this call sign from flying a Kingfisher on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico. So on one mission he had engine problems which made him land out in the gulf. That is how he got the call sign crash!! An this kind sole gave me that book signed by him and I have it to this day! Great episode! He also hooked me up on my first flight in a AC.

I'd love to see you do the Ki-43 or Ki-27. I think they have some of the most beautiful lines in the fuselage of any aircraft.

@Leon_der_Luftige

Жыл бұрын

Ki43 is also the most successful military aircraft with negatively swept wings. And those butterfly-flaps....

@wrathofatlantis2316

Жыл бұрын

@@Leon_der_Luftige I think the Ki-43 leading edge was straight (same as Ki-84)... You are right about the butterfly flaps though, and its success overall, despite the weak prop slowed armament which kind of ruined it... The Ki-43-II probably did better than the Zero in kills, since the Zero was used almost exclusively in hit and run tactics, which was a bit of a waste. See more on this here at the 1 hour mark: kzread.info/dash/bejne/c6SDyMSxoK-adMo.html The Ki-43 also got its wings chopped shorter by only a very small amount compared to the Zero, which probably did not help the Navy fighter in combat, though it did look good.

@Leon_der_Luftige

Жыл бұрын

@@wrathofatlantis2316 I am pretty certain the Ki43 features ever so slightly forward swept wings. It's barely noticeable. Don't know if Ki84 is the same. Atleast you get some information backing this claim up on Google but ofc that doesn't mean all that much. I really have to go visit a museum and see for myself.

@wrathofatlantis2316

Жыл бұрын

@@Leon_der_Luftige That's fascinating. Hasegawa's 1999 Ki-84 1:48 kit seems straight in the leading edge (but its wings are far too thick, even though it seems otherwise well-researched). As far as I know there no leading edge "sharpness washout", at least in the Ki-43 case, probably both). I will definitely try to find out more about this, as even a slight forward plan view sweep would be fascinating and completely unique in operational WWII fighters. Thank you for mentioning this.

@timmayer8723

Жыл бұрын

The Italian Macchi line of WW2 fighter planes are beautiful by design. Form before function

fascinating stuff. I don't think these Japanese planes are covered well enough in English media, so I look forward to what you do with the Japanese stuff.

@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Central.

@leojeidy1143

Жыл бұрын

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles I agree fully with central and thanks for all your work . Great video

@kevindolin4315

Жыл бұрын

The book you need to get is "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" by René J. Francillon. 570 pages of just about everything you could possibly want to know about the subject. It includes prototypes that never made it into production, engines, armament, rockets and a lot about production methods.

@kg_sroberth2238

Жыл бұрын

I'd also love to see some Pacific theater stuff - be it on your channel or on the simulation site. It's a pity that there hasn't been so much interest shown yet.

@StalinLovsMsmZioglowfagz

Жыл бұрын

Radio check

Love your videos Greg. I really appreciate the content you’re putting out, especially as there doesn’t seem to be many content creators out there willing or capable of going into the level of depth you do. Cheers and thanks!

This is a great, and in many ways unique, overview of this often overlooked aircraft. Thanks Greg.

I love these in depth analysis videos. You could pick a plane I've never heard of and I'll still watch it, because I know you'll make it so interesting.

I appreciate the work you do parsing through possibly contradictory sources to bring us something entertaining and informative.

Great job, Greg! Been waiting for a video on this bird.

Another great video! Love your detail, and primary source data. Not just making things up or repeating what others say on other sites! Thank you for the extra work you do

Thank you so much for the hard work you do in these videos they're informative fun to watch and historically very interesting

A fab production as usual Greg, many thanks. I always liked the look of the Tony from my aircraft picture books. Thanks for reminding me if Bob Tuck’s book, I probably read it at least two decades ago. It’s on my bookshelf somewhere, I’m going to look it out.

Love this stuff, Greg. These detailed deep dives are right up my street. Your presentation skills are excellent, like Drachinefel or Chris MAH excellent.

Greg, great video. Fascinating to have insight to these lesser known but historically important aircraft. Thank you.

Another phenomenal presentation, thank you for your incredible research on all of your work for the videos.

This is a well researched and objectively presented piece of work. I love this channel because of these attributes. Keep up the good work sir.

Greg, your videos on Japanese aircraft have been fantastic so far, and your pronunciation is actually quite good compared to most WW2 history channels. a = ah i = ee u = oo e = eh o = oh You seem to have a strong grasp on the syllable structure, but for anyone else who doesn't know, you pronounce each consonant-vowel pair separately. The only exceptions are vowels without consonants, vowel combinations, (such as Doi which Greg pronounced well,) and n at the end of a syllable.

@grizwoldphantasia5005

Жыл бұрын

Also, "ki" is one of the syllables in their two syllable alphabets.

@cumgoat

Жыл бұрын

@@grizwoldphantasia5005 ka ki ku ke ko

@icewaterslim7260

Жыл бұрын

I'm betting his pronunciations will beat my monotone Texas accent Thai in any communication contest.

@kevindolin4315

Жыл бұрын

A couple of things about Japanese: You have to think in terms of syllables, not letters. Japanese hear words as strings of syllables, not letters as we do in English. With the vowels you have to be very careful differentiating between 'short' and 'long' vowels, which has nothing to do with what it means for English vowels. 'Short' vowels means short duration, as in 'koko' (here-2 syllables) , whereas in 'kōkō' (high school-4 syllables), the vowel is held longer. In musical terms you can think of short vowels being held for one beat, long vowels for two beats. 'Vowel combinations' is a bit of a misnomer. There are no diphthongs in Japanese. Two or three vowels in a row are pronounced separately. Thus, 'aoi' (blue or green) is ah-oh-ee, three syllables. Also, doubled consonants are held for two beats. Pronounce words like 'zannen' (unfortunate) or gakkō (school) as if they were two words: 'zan-nen' and 'gak-kō'. Finally, be very careful when the 'n' (which is a syllable in its own right) at the end of one syllable in a word is followed by a vowel. 'Zenin' (approval) is 'ze-ni-n', three syllables, while 'zen'in' (everybody) is four syllables. The 'n' in 'zen' is pronounced like a short 'ng', as in 'sing' to show it's not connected to the following vowel. When you see that apostrophe in transliterations, that's what's happening.

@kevindolin4315

Жыл бұрын

@@grizwoldphantasia5005 Japanese doesn't have an alphabet. They have the two syllabaries, the cursive 'hiragana' and the angular 'katakana', plus the 'kanji' their Chinese-based characters. Japanese hear words as strings of syllables, not letters. Their syllables are: single vowels, consonant-vowel combinations and 'n', a syllable in its own right but can only come at the end of a syllable or word. 'Ki' is one syllable, 'kin' (gold) is two. Don't forget that the 'ki' in Ki-61 is short for 'kitai' (airframe).

Fantastic program as usual - thanks, Greg!

another well researched and explained aircraft with really interesting observations, thanks for putting this online for us, much appreciated.

Greg videos always remind me of university days way back. highly detailed and methodical yet at the same time with a special personal blend and a unique flexible style. Thanks and yes, more material on Japanese aircrafts.

Great video, thanks. I was familliar with this aircraft from playing IL-2's pacific expansion as a kid, but I never thought to get some more detailed info until I saw this video's thumb nail. I've put some of your videos on to listen to while I'm working on something, but I gave this one my full attention. Great work!

These videos are just amazing, highly researched, very technical, just excellent…Thank You for making these Sir!

Great video Greg. I was always intrigued by the Ki-61 and your level of detail is incredible! Keep up the good work

Hello Greg! Thank you for choosing one of the lesser known and very interesting fighters of WWII. Like many of your subscribers I have been fascinated with WWII aircraft since childhood. Choosing a more rare plane, you really sparked me into research on late war Japanese interceptors. We always have so much more to learn. I now am reading about the Indonesian war of independence because of the trail this video set me on. A conflict I never had heard of. Thank you for the many hours of entertainment.

I’m glad you hit on the turn slip indicator. I made the same observation in the IL-2 GB series, as the stock P-51 D has one attached to the gunsight, making it much more efficient in a dogfight for me.

Very good video, as always. Keep bringing them on. We will continue to watch them.

Fantastic video on one of my favorite WW2 planes! Really glad that you mentioned the pilot/radiator armor and the self sealing tanks. It's a very aesthetically pleasing aircraft and definitely looks "Italian" in design. Love your channel!

There are three Ki-61 that have been in reconstruction in New Zealand for many years, using recovered wrecks. Two will by flyable examples, although I think there is only one Ha40 engine that is "good enough" for the project. Kermit Weeks owns one of them and I think I heard him say that he was going to use a DB-601 instead. Another of the three will be going to the museum in Virginia Beach, and I don't know where the third example will go.

@LolTollhurst

Жыл бұрын

Kermit is a blessing to the art of aviation isn't he

@miquelescribanoivars5049

Жыл бұрын

Nice to know that efforts for an airworthy Ki-61 are still on-going.

@spottydog4477

Жыл бұрын

Hey Fivecents...alway great to see you around...love your comments/interest....hope your well...regards, Spotty

@FiveCentsPlease

Жыл бұрын

@@spottydog4477 Thanks for the shout, Spotty. Keep making those videos.

I've waited so long for a video about this plane, now all I need is for someone to make a video on the J2M and I can die happy.

Thanks for sharing as always. Funny. I'm in Japan and been to a museum, where I saw an engine you've shared in your video. I immediately recognised it.

Fascinating and in a juicy level of depth, thank you. Also appreciated the little epilogue about the designers.

Great presentation, as well as covering the airplane the information on tactics and operations was priceless. Explains how and why the P-38 was so successful in the Pacific.

As a kid, I always wanted to learn more about this airplane. As I got older, I forgot that there were resources out there with more readily available jnformation. Thank you Greg for taking the time to do these videos.

@k9killer221

Жыл бұрын

This is basically just a Japanese Bf 109. It has some of the same attributes but is actually inferior because the Bf 109 was constantly improved way beyond this basic copy.

@FirstDagger

Жыл бұрын

It really is a great time in human history to get information on really any topic one desires. Which is also why we have to make sure that this new Alexandrian library isn't burned by people at the top.

I enjoy looking at your example as you have a high production value and I'm learning how to KZread so channels like you're giving me a good road map

Very interesting, well researched, edited and presented. Thank you.😃

Another fantastic video from Greg's Airplanes 👍👍

Thanks, Greg for another great research project! My Revell 1/72 scale Tony is still hanging from a ceiling, where it has spent the last 55 years or so. I better replace the suspension lines soon!

Great video on a very interesting airplane. I also enjoyed you covering the New Guinea area of operations.

Very good presentation. Lots of information of which I was previously unaware. Good job!

You did a video on the my favorite US aircraft, the P-39, and now your doing my favorite Japanese plane, the Ki-61 Hien.

Excellent video as always, bonus info at the end is nice too. I'm probably more interested in J aircraft than alot of people, but im quite sure the people who find your videos as interesting as i do, will love to hear about others, ki44, the shitshow that was the n1k prior to the n1k2, the ki43's early development and plenty more. Hell even the a5m and g3m would make excellent videos pending sufficient info being available. Prior to finding your channel i never thought id be that interested in a p47, but ive watch the series a few times over now haha

Great vid Greg ,would love some more vids on tactics too. Keep up the good work mate.

Amazing video Greg! I've only just discovered your channel yesterday, but I absolutely love how you format your videos, and your easy to understand explanations on aircraft capability. I would love to see you cover more Japanese planes! My favorite is the A6M, but I would love to see analysis of the N1k2 Shiden Kai and the J2M Raiden, both amazing and underreported Japanese fighters.

This was a great video. I've never understood this water cooled Ki-61. I would've love to see the Ki-100 more in this video. Both of these fighters were great.

Great video Greg and good to highlight the often overlooked New Guinea theatre. Those B25s had no bombardier the nose was packed with 50 cals and or Canon so all ground attack to beat up those airfields.

since my childhood, this rather unknown bird was one of my favourite! so glad you did a video on it!

Fascinating video! Thanks for taking a chance on producing this episode. Based on the comment count, I'm guessing I'm not the only person who thoroughly enjoyed this video. I have often wondered about this aircraft and why Japan didn't produce more of them.

The Ki-61 is my second favorite series of Japanese WWII Fighters… Right behind the Ki-84 series. Great Video! Please Continue to turn out Outstanding Content!

This is a phenomenal video, in both quality and amount of detail, Greg. I love military aviation history, and have learned a lot about world War 2 era aviation, even when I was a young boy I loved it all and I'm coming up on my 38th birthday soon, but I've never heard about the Japanese primarily using offensive tactics or their lack of competent training before. I always wondered why the Pacific theater Allied fighters had such higher kill ratios than the European theater, but now it all makes sense, especially when you factor in the lack of radios in the Japanese fighters. I mean I always knew Japan had put a lot of eggs into the expansion and offensive basket but I didn't think it was to that extreme extent. Thanks again for a very interesting and entertaining aviation video 👍🏻

Great video! Your video was so informative and just what I was looking for. I wanted to know more because I’ve always been into WW2 aircraft and recently bought a model of the Ki Tony to add to the collection. Thank you for all you do.

Glad to see an article on the Tony Fighter, over the years I have found vary little information on them.

I have been interested in the DB 600 series engines used on Japanese and Italian aircraft. Enjoyed the well presented and informative video. We thank you Sir! ✈

Thanks Greg, I knew about this plane from playing Aces Over the Pacific when I was a kid. Interesting to see a detail analysis of it.

@vmoney9106

Жыл бұрын

Same here, that game had a great user manual

What a great video, absolutely feel free to make more videos about Japanese aviation or this plane specifically anytime.

Fantastic video, Greg. Most informative. All your productions are top notch, in my book. Please keep up the good work. I always look forward to your videos.

Just stumbled on this channel. Wow. What a video. That’s probably some of the most informative and expanded content I’ve seen regarding ww2 aircraft on yt. Love the hour (ish) long format. You really got into this aircraft and it’s history. I look forward to more

@cinnamanstera6388

Жыл бұрын

Oh, you've got to dig into his archive a bit. Greg digests this stuff like no other. The series on the FW190 and his Wright Brothers video are two of my personal favourites.

@Mike-eq4ky

Жыл бұрын

Watch the supercharger/turbocharger videos!! I make all my gearhead buddies watch them. You won't find this caliber of information available along with proper context anywhere else. Enjoy!

@saiajin82

Жыл бұрын

I highly recommend Greg’s previous videos, the man is just amazing. Glad you found your way here!

@korbendallas5318

Жыл бұрын

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

I really enjoyed this. I hope you do more. Quick Japanese primer for ya though, Japanese is a syllabary language. That means that they typically will use letters in pairs, except for vowels which can exist on their own. (And sometimes n) You wondered why they listed ki instead of phonically writing Kii it was probably because they pulled the information from Japanese as ki instead writing it in English. Ki is short for kitai meaning airframe. It was the naming system of the Japanese army airforce. Ki 61 is literally airframe project 61. That is why ki 100 and ki 61 have different name designations. Instead of just calling it ki 61 mark 25. They would instead use things like ko and otsu to refer to the increasing forms of modifications to an aircraft. Kai would refer to major modifications from the original but not enough to give a new ki designation.

@icewaterslim7260

Жыл бұрын

And as I understand it is not a tonal language so reading of it as described without hearing it spoken would give a westerner the impression that it might be simpler than a five tonal language until you hear it's subtleties in a syllable structured language as spoken. I'm betting "Rosetta Stone" might verify what you're doing with it quickly . . . or show you what you're doing to it. ..

@SnakebitSTI

Жыл бұрын

@@icewaterslim7260 Standard Japanese uses pitch accent and moraic timing, as opposed to stress and syllables. Though I wouldn't worry about it for an English language video. When speaking English, it makes sense to adapt foreign words to English phonetics. And from my experience, it takes practice for native English speakers to be able to hear the differences anyway.

Greg, you have the ability to keep the interest flowing while supplying technical points without becoming overly complicated. Don’t know how but please keep up the good work. You have the loyal following while remaining objective.

*100k subscribers - well deserved and congratulations Greg!*

25:18 another advantage the Lighting had was the nose layout of its guns and how the rounds didn't have impact configuration at set distance. Another excellent video Greg! You are knocking it out of the park Sir! Have a wonderful day! Thanks

@20chocsaday

Жыл бұрын

Good video, wasn't it. Some aircraft were set up so their eight 0.303 guns would converge at ?00 yards. Some pilots wanted to know how much they missed by and wanted the two outside guns to shoot straight ahead. Eventually the survivors got cannon to replace the inboard guns.

The air war in the Pacific is so overlooked especially with the 5th air force over new guinea love the video

@pandapandapanda3659

Жыл бұрын

Jason when???

@paulcaine2603

Жыл бұрын

Very, very over looked, what the USA air force did out of Northern Australia and NG in early years is nothing short of epic. The conditions for ground crew were so very primitive and the elements were punishing day and night. It was a super human effort by all involved.

@thurbine2411

Жыл бұрын

@@pandapandapanda3659 I guess you mean give us this in il2?

@WALTERBROADDUS

Жыл бұрын

Overlooked? Try the CBI or Alaska fighting....

@thurbine2411

Жыл бұрын

@@WALTERBROADDUS what is CBI?

Fantastic video thanks for the explanation. This type was always a blind spot for me and its great to know more about it's design. Im about to start building a Hien model kit so the timing was just right!

Alrighty, great video Greg! Love the performance comparison's. Never knew the Tony has armor AND self sealing tanks.

I want to add my thanks and congratulations to Greg for doing such a detailed review, which to us plane nerds, is like manna from heaven. These detailed documentaries are now mainly found on KZread and no longer on 'normal' TV, which has abdicated its previous position from 'educate and entertain' to 'make more shows about house-improvements, cakes and Nazis'. Preferably combine all three.:) . Also, the comments section is such a delight to read. Lots of knowledgable commenters adding info to supplement Greg's excellent video and no silly political arguments. Thank you ladies and gents for your contributions.

@BlueBaron3339

Жыл бұрын

Ah, yes, the ill-fated Discovery Wings channel comes to mind 😥What's worse, the only place you can find those original programs such as Wings, Wings of the Luftwaffe, and Wings of the Red Star is on KZread in a quality so poor that they must be copies of those series made on VHS tapes when they were broadcast.

@Mango62uk

Жыл бұрын

@@BlueBaron3339 Bingo! "Battlefields" was another excellent series. They really went into great detail about how things worked out, tactics, logistics, etc. A golden age that's now vanished.

@BlueBaron3339

Жыл бұрын

@@Mango62uk Oh yes, I recall that series well. Nowadays I'm not so much surprised that it and those Wings series vanished but, rather, that they were made at all given how market-driven television is.

Amazing video. Easily the best and most comprehensive on this elusive fighter. I think the "Tony" had some of the coolest camo schemes of any faction in WW2 and certainly unique among Japanese planes.

You post undoubtedly the most informative ww2 aviation videos on the web. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

Thanks for all the informations! It’s hard to find good Kawasaki plane content

Outstanding Greg. In regards to the slip indicator. The only Western fighter I know of with something similar is the P47 non-gyro sight. It has a slip indicator and I love it. Anyway, yes more Japanese planes if you can find enough information for a good video.

Wow that one is rare. Wish there were more of Japanese aircraft vids, because once you see some IJAAF veterans interviews the world just can't be the same for you... Their passion is just too infectious...

Really enjoy all your content. Fascinating stuff.

Thank You. So interesting. I have always been fascinated by the Tony & wondered why there wasn't much information about it.

I remember reading about the Japanese having a hard time manufactuing the engines for the Ki-61 to the tolerances that were required and as a result engine performance and reliability was a pretty big issue and played into the heavy maintenance toll these aircraft demanded. I really liked flying the Ki-61 in the Pacific Theater in IL-2 1946. Hope to see this plane if the current IL-2 series ever goes to that theater.

Hey Greg, is possible to do videos on the Ki-84 or even the N1Ks ? Comparing them to their contemporaries. That would be awesome 👍.

@scullystie4389

Жыл бұрын

@Kirk Wolfe i absolutely hated running into Ki-84s in IL2: Pacific Fighters. Completely OP in the online lobbies lol

@kyle857

Жыл бұрын

@Kirk Wolfe It is a monster in War Thunder Sim, although that game always has a loose connection to reality.

@Cuccos19

Жыл бұрын

Good pick, also the Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Jack) and the Ki-61 derivative Ki-100 too, please. :)

@josephkool8411

Жыл бұрын

I also would like to learn more about the Ki-84 Frank and the P63 King Cobra

@nickmitsialis

Жыл бұрын

@Roy Szweda Then I have to post this for you: kzread.info/dash/bejne/nah2uNRvh9ifYNo.html For the men of the 64th Sentai==the first IJAN fighter unit to use the Hayabusa in combat.

I don’t know if you got the views you’d hoped for, but I for one really enjoyed learning about the Hein. As a model builder and someone who is interested in the history and engineering side of things, this video (and honestly the entire channel) is right up my alley.

Fantastic video...plenty of detail without getting too far down into the weeds. Loved it!

Always really liked the Ki-61 series, it’s a very attractive airframe and has a pretty cool shape very shark-like. It’s easy to see how the plane had some success.

@Mike-eq4ky

Жыл бұрын

It'd make an interesting RC model subject in 1/3 scale... Hmmmmm...

Was amazed when I saw the cockpit of Ki-61 from the inside in Il-2 Sturmovik 1946 - old sim that included Pacific theater. It's an oldie, but I still return to that game from time to time just because of the sheer amount of airplanes in it. Thank you Greg for this video.

@imadrifter

Жыл бұрын

Il-2 is an amazingly detailed game

@crazyforblues1967

Жыл бұрын

Best combat sim ever.👍

I love all your videos, this was great. I really like the wide track landing gear of the Tony, showing that they were not just copying the 109.

The New Guinea campaign is one the most interesting of the war. This was very informative and I enjoyed this as any you have done to date.

Thanks for this video, I hope it does well. I find the three DB-601 "cousins" BF-109, MC.202 and Ki-61 really interesting, deceptively similar but then in some ways very different.

@dieterrahm4044

Жыл бұрын

And number four the Heinkel He100.

Awesome video, great contextual analysis. You might have added the reputed issues with the manufacturing (and metallurgy - that is a vague memory from extensive reading) with the DB601 licensed copy. Of course you summation that it was a maintenance hog sums that up without adding another 2-3 minutes. Would love a Ki601-2 video. Did it's DB605 have the same "sick engine", i.e. oil system issues the German originally did. I came here hoping for some more Ki100 coverage, though it deserves its own video. The Ki100 had good range and solid performance, even though it came too late. Just like the N1K and it's unique development as a combat floatplane turned into a first class fighter, albeit much too late. I'm being greedy, that would be four videos. You mention it for the pilots, but the malaria and other tropical diseases were crippling for ground units. WW2 may have been the first war where disease did not kill more than bullets, but New Guinea tried to turn the clock back. Watch some of the limited videos of Aussies supporting McArthur's ground campaign, you can tell some of those men have had massive weight loss and frankly shouldn't be trying to march with the condition of their bodies. Their arms are almost like sticks and they're still soldiering on through those jungles. You can tell they've lost a LOT of body mass. But they are still staying with their buddies, trying to stick it out when they have no business anywhere but a hospital.

Excellent video as usual. I am sure that there are many of us who would like to see you cover on the Ki-84.

What a beautifully narrated, informative presentation. Many thanks.

If you search here on KZread "Japanese Ace Pilot Interviews" you'll hopefully end up at the video with a Hien (Ki-61) pilot... and it may be a good supplement to this video. The Kai（改 pronounced like "sky"）models indicate a "optimized / improved / modified" version. This denomination was used with the Shiden N1K (to make up for the poor release version Shiden), so those are called Shiden 改　－　紫電改 So Greg, you could say your Fiat is a 124改 due to the fact that you have modified it! edited for correction

@FirstDagger

Жыл бұрын

You are confusing the N1K Shiden and N1K2 Shiden Kai with the J2M Raiden, the use of Kai on Ki-61 Hien is different from the use on the Shiden, as with the Shiden the entire aircraft was basically changed to a new type. On the Hien the Kai refers to improvements to each sub-model (what we would call Block today).

@kalui96

Жыл бұрын

@@FirstDagger You are correct

@imadrifter

Жыл бұрын

@@kalui96 its still a pretty funny joke.

@thelonious2213

Жыл бұрын

I saw that a while ago. For some reason I found it hilarious when he would be asked about protection on japanese aircraft, and he'd say "Haha no Japanese engineers didn't bother with that!". Also when he said the rounds they fired at B-29s would bounce right back. This may be exaggeration, or maybe they mistook return fire from turrets, but it was still funny as well.

Great video as always Greg. If you could do the Ki-44 sometime in the future that would be great. My favourite Japanese fighter - small, stubby, fast!

@rickyjaworek1268

Жыл бұрын

Hi there, J2M3 Raiden for me.......... same description ! Have good days.

Yet another brilliant, fact filled but easy to understand video. Thank you Greg.

I play War Thunder and DCS. I'm so happy I found your channel. I love your videos and will be watching them all. I can watch them several times and get something new each time to try in my games. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed hearing about the model factory you visited with your dad and the 3d hand scanner not being available technology yet. So cool and interesting to think about. Thank you again good sir for some amazing content. Steve

Hey Greg, I always love your videos, and I really respect how much research you put into them. The name “ki” is the romanization for the japanese letter “キ”. The plane was named “キ61”. The “ki” was an abbreviation for “kitai” (機体), which means airframe, similar to how the USAF uses f for fighter, p for pursuit, etc. Kai is just the romanization for “改”, which denotes a modified machine. You might like this info too. As far as I can tell, the various version denotations on Japanese planes go in this order: Ko -> Otsu -> Hei -> Cho

Great stuff. Japanese aircraft besides the A6M and the eastern front with the VVS are definitely areas of WW2 aviation that I do not know much about and would be happy to learn more about.

I like to listen to your documentaries before going to sleep. I love it not just becouse of aviation stuff. But there is something nice about your voice and the way you speak. Always great.

I love this video! I knew a lot about the Zero but not much about the Tony. Great video!