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Nakajima G5N Shinzan (Deep Mountain)

1941 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

During World War II, both Germany and Imperial Japan were unable to develop effective long-range strategic bombers like the famous four-engine heavies. While there were projects on both sides, they remained mostly on paper or as prototypes. Early in the war, Nakajima Aircraft in Japan attempted a project based on the American Douglas DC-4E aircraft it had acquired. However, this effort failed, and only six examples of the DC-4E were produced.

The DC-4E was a developmental model created by Douglas Aircraft, which later operated in the US by American Airlines and then by Imperial Japan Airlines. It had four Pratt & Whitney R-2180-S1A1-G "Twin Hornet" air-cooled radial piston engines and a distinctive three-fin tail. The aircraft had a crew of three, a passenger capacity of 42, and a range of 2,200 miles. Its first flight took place on June 9, 1939, before the official start of World War II.

Douglas eventually abandoned the DC-4E and pursued an alternative interior design that became the well-known WWII-era "DC-4" aircraft. Imperial Japan Airlines acquired the obsolete DC-4E prototype, and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) saw potential in converting it into a long-range bomber.

The Japanese reverse-engineered the DC-4E and created a short-lived bomber known as the G5N under the Nakajima Aircraft Company. The Japanese media reported that the DC-4E had crashed while covertly modifying the real aircraft for its proposed bomber role.

The G5N was developed to meet the IJN's requirement for a long-range strategic bomber capable of operating in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. The IJN and the Imperial Japanese Army lacked such bombers, while other world powers had embraced the concept of strategic bombers with long range and firepower.

The G5N had a metal construction (except for control surfaces) and featured a simplified two-wing tail instead of the original three-wing design. It was powered by four Nakajima NK7A "Mamori" 11-series air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 1,870 horsepower and driving three or four-bladed propellers.

The aircraft's passenger area was converted into a bomb bay, and the nose had glass to enhance visibility for bomb crews. The flight deck was situated above the bombardier's compartment, with thick glass for the crew's visibility.

For ground operations, the G5N utilized the original three-wheeled landing gear arrangement of the DC-4E, with main landing gear legs positioned below each inboard engine nacelle and two-wheeled front legs beneath the front of the fuselage.