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Nakajima J1N1 Gekko (Irving)

1942 SECRET WEAPONS OF THE IJA/IJN WORLD WAR 2

History

[Page. In this way, these designs can be used to engage enemy fighters one-on-one, escort friendly bombers, or intercept incoming enemy bombers as needed. The Germans have had success with their twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 and the British with their de Havilland DH. 98 Mosquitoes. For the Japanese Empire, the Nakajima J1N1 "Gekko" (translated as "Moonlight") stood out as a model of a twin-engine heavy fighter, used several times in conflicts.

It initially served as a three-person long-range reconnaissance platform, and until properly equipped and with a reduced crew, it had brief success as a night fighter. By the end of the war, Gekko's role was reduced to a bomb-laden suicide plane used in kamikaze attacks on the Allies in the Pacific.

The origin of the Gekko lies in the 1938 IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) requirement for a twin-engine heavy fighter jet capable of performing long-duration missions as an escort aircraft for bombers. The success of the German Bf 110 design prompted consideration of a twin-engine heavy-duty model to suit the mission and required armament. The Nakajima Aircraft Company continued to take the prototype of the Sakae series radial engine, which was mounted on a low-wing wing along a smooth fuselage. The crew consisted of three people and the landing gear was in a "tail" arrangement. The tail uses a single vertical tail and a low-mounted horizontal plane.

Weapons are 1 x 20mm Type 99 cannon and 2 x 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns. A turret with additional 4 x 7.7mm machine guns is also provided. The aircraft was designated J1N1.

During testing, the prototype could not be used as a companion platform, but was converted to a J1N1-C for reconnaissance missions. Coming into service in April 1942, albeit slowly, the first operations against Allied forces took place over the Solomon Islands, then code-named "Owen".

Meanwhile, the J1N1-C served its intended role well, as the Japanese still maintained their superiority in the Pacific theater.

However, as night raids on key positions increased, the fortunes of the Empire changed. In 1943, the Japanese commander of the 251st Kokutai Yasuna Koyuan came up with the idea of ??equipping the J1N1 with heavier weapons.

This resulted in the installation of 2 x 20mm guns in the observer's cockpit, angled up 30 degrees to fire on the vulnerable bottom of unsuspecting enemy bombers. A J1N1-C was quickly converted in the field and successfully field tested when two Allied heavy bombers were shot down.

Along with other J1N1-C models modified in a similar way, the designation J1N1-C KAI was born - these aircraft carried armament of 4 x 20mm Type 99 cannons, divided into two up and two down mounts.

IJN authorities noted the successful modification and ordered Nakajima to rapidly produce a special night fighter form, establishing the designation J1N1-S. In this design, the original crew was reduced from three to two, and the position of the observer was disguised.

Production began as soon as August 1943 and continued until December 1944.

In practice, the J1N1-S night fighter has proven itself against lower-flying and slower American bombers such as the Joint B-24 Liberator. The J1N1-S aircraft soon carried basic radar and searchlights for nighttime scanning. Her down-firing 20mm gun was soon considered seldom used and was removed. As the Americans introduced the higher-flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the Gecko night fighter didn't fare as well. Gekko's crew did a couple of big bomber kills, but overall, the guy was outdone.

Even adding another 20mm gun (producing the J1N1-Sa brand) was unsuccessful.

With her wartime role more or less over and Japan's war effort collapsing, Gekko is outfitted with bomb racks that can deploy a pair of 550lb drop bombs to play the kamikaze role. These aircraft were in use until August 1945.

The other variant in this series is the J1N1-R, with a 20mm Type 99 cannon and a rear-firing 13mm Type 2 machine gun in the dorsal turret. These were later renamed J1N1-F.