1942, June 4-6

Battle of Midway

(BII- )

21 Zero fighters, 21 dive bombers, 21 torpedo bombers

On 4 June 1942 she launched one wave of planes against the American base on Midway Island.

Note: plausible estimation
not based on a photographic record
However, her code letter was recorded as 201 (Page 114, Mechanism of Military Aircraft No11, Kojinsha June 2000)

First wave torpedo

In MA 573
the only Soryu Kate with
double blue command stripes on the tail

Soryu received three direct hits on her elevator, starting fires and exploding the armed and fueled planes on the hangar deck.

At 10:40 she stopped and her crew were taken off by the destroyers Isokaze and Hamakaze.
Soryu sank at 19:13 with the loss of 718 crew, including Captain Ryusaku, who had chosen to remain on board.

I haven`t done most of the skins or  any of models for  CFS2.
All of these are either from the stock CFS2-game/-simulation by MICROSOFT,
or freeware, available at the main download sites.

www.sim-outhouse.com

is a good start to get them or further sites around CFS2.

-----------------
None of the kit-models/profiles you can see here was done by me, too.
For more info/pics of these, please visit:

www.j-aircraft.org

The author/builder of these planes  should normaly be in the pics name.
Both sites feature forums for each topic where you can ask/look for more information.

Thanks, Jaxon

   Hierarchy
   =======
   On carrier Hikotais up to around 1943, aircrews were led by the following commanding chain:

   1. Shotaicho (led three aircraft including himself. This is the smallest tactical unit)
   2. Buntaicho (Chutaicho on informal base) led two to three Shotais.
   3. Hikotaicho (is just one person for each carrier and led the whole air crews of that particular carrier in the air.
         He might be the most seniour pilot of Fighter Hikotai or the most seniour observer of Torpedo (Dive) Bomber Hikotai.
         You can imagine various cases. In short, the most senior officer (pilot or observer) of the particular carrier's aircrews.)

   4. Chutai : Is often to read in sources about the IJN. It is an informal word describing a little group of aircraft (informal synonym for Buntai)
                      Chutai(-cho)s are not to find on formal papers !

    If the plane has a crew of more than only a pilot, the commander of the plane (and the unit) often was the observer.
    (Similar to a tank commander, who does not drive the tank himself)

   Vertical Tail Stripes
   =============
   Zero, Val and Kate on Kido-Butai up to the end of 1942

   Those stripes were called "Shikikan-Hyoshiki" or "Leader Insignia" indicating air crew's position among commanding chain.
   The General Rules are as follows:

   In case of ZEROs

   1. Shotaicho:  One stripe over code letters
   2. Buntaicho:  One stripe over code letters plus one stripe below them
   3. Hikotaicho: Two stripes over code letters plus one stripe below them

   In case of VALs and KATEs

   1. Shotaicho:  One stripe below code letters
   2. Buntaicho:  Two stripes below code letters
   3. Hikotaicho: One stripe over code letters plus two stripes below code letters

   Colour of stripes are generally the same of the Air Squadron Colour.
   However, in case of 1st Air Squadron (Akagi & Kaga), they generally employed yellow stripes instead of red.
   Also, you could recognise various exceptions.

    The names are presented in "western" fashion with the surname last.