I am lucky to get reply from Sidnei Maneta from Brazil, who has with the help of the well known researcher from USA, David Aiken, done this very accurate color profiles which represent Fuchida machine in various times.AI-301 – first color profileIn his book, MIDWAY: THE BATTLE THAT DOOMED JAPAN, Fuchida detailed that the back of his plane had red and yellow stripes...we now know that this referenced a single red "carrier identification" stripe and three yellow hikotaicho stripes. In 1966, Dr Michael Hawkins wrote a B5N monograph for the Profile series in which the artist used raw notes from Fuchida that his plane was the number "301" plane, and came up with a silver/natural metal finish plane with red and yellow horizontal stripes across the vertical surfaces. The B5N profile In 1967, Chuck Graham illustrated Al Makiel's article for IPMS-USA a page on Japanese aircraft "at Pearl Harbor" including an dotted outline of AI-301 based on movie film found at the US National Archives. So the markings at select stages may be determined - like peeling away layers of an onion. AI-301 had a pre-war scheme of natural metal with red tail that had three yellow command stripes and a red vertical "carrier" stripe.
Info Credit www.pearlharborattacked.comAI-301 – second color profileIn the mid-1970s, Don Bratt interviewed Fuchida for more details to discover that AI-301 was kept "gleaming" during training to let his men know of his location in the air, yet en route to Hawaii AI-301 was camouflaged to hide the plane from American pursuit. The commanding info on the vertical surfaces was retained to keep his aviators informed of his presence. The plane was painted, IF WE BELIEVE FUCHIDA: "en route to Hawaii" with SEMI-GLOSS green upper surface camouflage. The TRAINING numbers on the wing's undersurface conform to PRE-war use were black and the undersurface is painted with the same GLOSS Gray-GREEN viewed on Akagi VALs.....and the painting of the plane was accomplished NOT "enroute", but where the landing base paint shops sprayed the plane...with gray-GREEN, then the dark green upper surface.
Info Credit www.pearlharborattacked.comAI-301 – third color profileAI-301 was flown by a hikotaicho. The crew was: Pilot: Lt. Mitsuo Matsuzaki, Observer: Lt. Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida and Gunner/radioman: PO1c Tokunobu Mizuki. AI-301 has three horizontal tail's stripes = for the Hikotaicho or carrier group leader. B5N2 with two horizontal tail's stripes = it was led by a Buntaicho or leader of 9 aircraft. B5N2 with one horizontal tail's stripe = it was led by a Shotaicho or leader of 3 aircraft. B5N2 with no horizontal tail's stripe = a wingman. Val and Zeros have these tail's stripes too, means the position of its leader.
AI-301 – third color profileFuchida’s plane at Pearl harbor attack
AI-301 – fourth color profileFuchida’s plane at Ceylon raid.
In GOD'S SAMURAI by Gordon Prange, a biography of Fuchida, that author calls attention to a March 1942 crash in Borneo of a KATE in which Fuchida was riding. It suggests that the plane was AI-301 with three yellow command stripes. Further research has revealed that the crashed plane in Borneo should be AI-311 flown by Shigeharu Murata, the other B5N hikotaicho from Akagi...which also had three yellow command stripes. This is perhaps why AI-301, used at Pearl Harbor, was landing on Akagi in April 1942. Fuchida was to lead the strikes in the Battle of Midway, but -enroute to Midway- Fuchida's vermiform appendix became inflamed causing him to pass the leadership to the next in command...Tomonaga on Hiryu [flying BI-310]... AI-301 was at Midway and aboard Akagi...which was sunk.
Info Credit Mr. David Aiken via
http://www.pearlharborattacked.comAI-301 - Note the green paint has flaked in this April 1942 photo. The camouflage is: gray-green (Hairyokushoku "M1" color) under surface, dark green upper surface, vertical red tail and horizontal stabilizers, with yellow codes and hikotaicho markings. This film of AI-301 landing on Akagi in April 1942 was found at the National Archives by Koku-Fan, a Japanese magazine. On viewing stills printed in the magazine, Japanese researcher M. Asano determined that AI-301 had a "pre-war" red tail which had received the yellow command markings. Another researcher, H. Yoshimura, published this in Japan in Jan 1990 in Replica magazine in the article, "Shinjuwan no 101 Ki".
Info Credit Masaru Asano, David Aiken, et al.
AI-301 was the machine of Lt. Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida, the Hikotaicho or Group Leader of the Akagi Air Group and flew as the observer in this machine. The photo was taken during a foray into the Indian Ocean. This film of AI-301 landing in April 1942 reveals that salt water does prevent good adhesion of paint as the aircraft's surfaces are peeling paint. Note the style of red tail is left over from China [there were about three styles of horizontal to vertical tail 'scallop curves on Kates...one is unique to the prototype]. Given the errors in Fuchida's memory, I side with the movie film and the layers of paint FLAKING to NMF shining brightly on the uppersurface/fuselage side...while the undersurface is darker, like the darker appearance in the photo of BI-323, which reveals BI-323 is covered OVERALL with the first layer of 'undersurface' paint before application of the upper surface dark green.
Info Credit Mr. David Aiken via
http://www.pearlharborattacked.comColor profiles Sidnei Maneta, Brazil, text David Aiken, USA
