1945 Article on the Tony, Nick and Oscar 2.

[Pips]

Here's another great find by Eagledad, also posted over at J-Aircraft. It is an article reproduced (again) from the American magazine Air Force, this one dated June1945. It's an evaluation of the relative performance of the Ki-43, Ki-45 and the Ki-61 against current US aircraft. Link here:
http://www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php?topic=12429.0

Bear in mind it's in the language of the day.
Actual article is:

Tony, Nick, Oscar 2

By Capt W. H. Cartter
Chief, Foreign Equipment Unit, ATSC, Wright Field

The principal fighter opposition to our conquest of the Pacific islands has been provided by aircraft of the Japanese Navy. Their fighters include the Zeke 22, Zeke 32 (the Hamp), and the more recent Zeke 52. In the opinion of technical men who examined them, and the pilots who fought them, these planes could not compare with our current fighters. Now, however, as we reach territory controlled by the Jap Army, we can expect to find Army planes which differ greatly from their opposite number in the Jap Navy.

The standard Army fighters as exemplified by the Oscar 2, Tony, and Nick, reflect the Japanese attempt to make up for their original disadvantages. These planes have armor plate – a radical departure from early Jap aircraft - and they have heavier machine guns, more powerful engines and greater speed. Some have leak proof tanks, another innovation for the Japs. They can turn better than anything we have at low speeds and outmaneuver and outclimb our best at low altitudes. Nevertheless, the opinion of our experts remain the same: these Jap Army fighters have certain good characteristics, but for all around usefulness they are outclassed.

Take the Oscar Mark 2 for example. It is a single engine fighter with a radial air cooled engine, a three bladed propeller, and a top speed of 345 mph at 20,000 feet. The speed does not compare with that of our fighter aircraft which are better by at least 50 mph at 20,000 feet and about 70 mph at 25,000 feet.

However, the Oscar Mark 2 can climb faster than either the P-38G or the P-47C up to 15,000 feet and faster than the P-51C between 5,000 and 20,000 feet. Something new has been added here, for previously Jap fighters lost their rate of climb advantage in the higher altitudes. At 5,000 feet the Oscar Mark 2 goes up at over 3,000 feet per minute, and at 10,000 feet its rate of climb is about the same. At 15,000 it drops off to a bit over 2,500 fpm, but that is still slightly better than the P-38G, and still better than the P-47D.

Furthermore, there is the fact that the Oscar Mark 2 is the most maneuverable of all the present Jap fighter planes. American pilots who have tried to turn with the Zeke 52 can attest to its maneuverability. The Oscar Mark 2 can out maneuver the Zeke. The Oscar Mark 2 also has armor plate and leak proof tanks, an indication of the extent to which the Japs have improved their aircraft.

With all these advantages, why do our fighter pilots and laboratory analysts insist that we have better combat planes? One important reason is that the firepower of the Oscar Mark 2 is relatively light. Its entire armament is two 12.7 mm. machine guns synchronized through the nose cowling. While it does have leak proof tanks, the protection provided is makeshift at best, for the usual covering is nothing more than kapok fastened to the tanks. And its armor consists of 13 mm. headplate and backplate for the pilot and no other protection.

Another reason is that our planes can take a terrific beating and still continue to fight. We have superior firepower, more and heavier armorplate, and leakproof tanks of superior construction. Perhaps outweighing these technical advantages is the fact that American pilots can think better and quicker than the Japs.

The Tony is a single engine fighter with an inverted V liquid cooled engine and a top speed of about 360 mph at 15,000 feet. While it is the fastest of the three fighters, it is still slower by about 40 mph than the P-38G and slower by 75 mph than the P-51C.

Its best rate of climb is at 5,000 feet where it rises at about 2,500 feet per minute. At that altitude, the 38G outclimbs it by at least 300 feet per minute, and the 51C goes up about 700 fpm faster.

Its best characteristic is its diving speed. One of the early tactics employed by P-40’s against the Japs was to make one pass and dive away. Previously, the Nips could not or would not dive with the Warhawks. However, in simulated combat against Tony, a P-40 dove at 475 mph and the Jap stayed with it.

The Tony has respectable firepower. Tonys have been captured with three different versions of armament. One has two 7.9 mm machine guns and two synchronized 12.7 mm machine guns; another has four 12,7s; and yet another has two 12.7s and two 20 mm cannons.

The armor plate on the Tony consists of a 10 mm backpiece and a 14 mm headpiece, with no other protection. In addition to leakproof tanks in the later versions of the Tony, some carry protection on the oil and coolant radiators.

Returned pilots report that the defensive tactics employed by the Tony are very effective. Seldom is a good target presented. The principal evasive measures taken by the Tony are either a half roll and go straight down, or, in the case of a deflection shot, to turn in and under our planes. In the opinion of these pilots, the Tony is the best all around Jap fighter plane.

The Nick is a twin engine two place tandem day and night fighter with a radial air cooled engine and a three bladed propeller. Its top speed is approximately 345 mph at 21,000 feet, about 50 mph slower than the P-38G at that altitude.

The best feature of the Nick is its heavy firepower. Here the Japs have really departed from their former ideas and added a 37 mm cannon in the nose. The Nick also carried a 20 mm cannon in a bulge underneath the right side of the fuselage and a flexible machine gun in the rear cockpit. The 37 mm cannon operates on recoil and moves rearward approximately one foot. A heavy compression spring around the barrel and a hydraulic cylinder absorb the recoil. The magazine holds approximately 20 rounds and cannot be re-filled while the plane is in flight. Its effective range is about 300 yards.

The early edition of the Nick protected the pilot with a quarter inch thick armor plate backpiece and a three-eights inch headpiece. Later versions added a 10(?) mm plate under the seat and a 12.5 section around the cannon in front of the pilot. The rear gunner is protected only by insurance.

Combat reports indicate that the Nick is duck soup as a day fighter despite its heavy firepower. It is the least maneuverable of the three Jap Army planes and without that advantage its fixed firepower becomes less effective. Above 5,000 feet its rate of climb starts to fall off rapidly and its speed at any altitude, cannot begin to match our fighters.

One strange feature of the Nick is that the rear gunner fires both the 20(?) mm cannon situated underneath the right side of the fuselage and the flexible gun. It is obvious what a coordinated attack will do to his general status of well being.

Experts who are acquainted with Japanese aircraft are faced with a paradox that has not been answered satisfactorily. The Jap Navy’s Zero 52, a later plane than any of the three Army types, does not carry armor plate or leak proof tanks. The Oscar Mark 2, Nick, and Tony completed before the Zeke 52 have these essentials.

There are two possible answers to the riddle. One is the fact that there must (?) be a serious lack of coordination between the Jap Army and the Jap Navy. Second (?), the Japs have not been able to make important changes in their planes after they get them into mass production.

In summation, the three Jap planes shown (?) here have a few excellent characteristics and many serious disadvantages. The Jap is improving, witness the new 400 mph Frank I; but he has not yet been able to match our aircraft.