Aichi D3a Val Dive Bomber

In the morning of that 7th December 1941 a pungent howl reached the ears of the
military personnel based in Pearl Harbor, who prepared for another quiet Sunday.
Apart from the momentary surprise
caused by the unexpected noise, almost nobody turned the head to check who was the
unknown disturbing. There was who pleasantly noted that the maneuvers that seemed
to be in course were specially
realistic; there was who, annoyed, thought that the pilots should give a show of
their courage farther from there; and even who, noticing the red discs in the
wings, thought that they were Soviet
aircraft announcing the arrival of a Soviet aircraft carrier. The awakening of all
of these delusions was rather unpleasant and very clear: the aircraft were Japanese
and United States had just
been thrown into the Second World War. The weapon that had started the conflict in
the Pacific was an aircraft of which the Allies had already heard of in advance and
with awe: The Aichi D3A,
promptly identified by the codename "Val". Its origin dated back from the summer of
1936, when the Japanese Imperial Navy asked for a dive bomber destined to be
embarked in aircraft carriers. Three
well-known companies - Aichi, Nakajima and Mitsubishi - started the works, and the
winner was the project presented by Aichi and designed by engineer Tokuhishiro
Goake. So, in January 1938 were
started the trials of the prototype.[p]

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The Aichi D3A1 was a low-winged monoplane of entirely metallic construction. The
landing gear was fixed and fully faired. The wings had a characteristic elliptic
shape, resembling the ones of the
German airplane Heinkel 70. Certainly this was due to the intense data exchange
between Germany and Japan. There were also two robust aerodynamic brakes, built
according to the model of the ones
used under the wings of the German dive bombers Junkers 87. The function to which
the "Val" was destined along with the physiognomy of the landing gear, the brakes
and the cockpit canopy,
caused this aircraft to be denominated "the Stuka of the Pacific". Actually, apart
from some slight external similarities, the "Val" had nothing from that famous
aircraft. Built in "semi-shell" with
lining of light alloys, this aircraft did not have the heaviness of its German
counterpart. Still, in any case it showed itself as very robust and also very
maneuverable, being undoubtedly the best
Japanese dive bomber of that time, remaining in production until the end of the
war, despite of its formula being then already outdated. Singular, if not baffling,
was the disposition of the fuel
tanks, which allowed for a good operational range. One of them was placed precisely
under the feet of the pilot, and unlike the rest of the aircraft, it was not
protected by any armor. The
defensive armament provided two 7.7-millimeter machine guns installed above the
engine and an orientable machine gun for the radio operator. Under the fuselage it
could be carried one 250-kilogram
bomb and also other smaller bombs under the wings, up to 120 kilograms.[p]
This was the standard carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Navy during the
first months of the war in the Pacific, participating in the attack against Pearl
Harbor and sinking several British
ships in the Indian (including two cruisers and the aircraft carrier Hermes along
with her escort, in waters of Ceylon, the 9th April 1942, being this one the only
British aircraft carrier lost
during an aerial attack during the entire Second World War). Already outdated when
participating in the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, in May-June 1942, it suffered
severe losses, being from that
moment gradually destined to land bases (equipping eight Kokutais) before being
relegated to second line and training missions. But it reappeared in operations
during the fight in Philippines, in
October 1944. The end of the career of this good aircraft was the same that had
almost all of the Japanese aircraft that could still fly at the end of the war. The
"Val", which had sunk more Allied
ships than any other aircraft, was used as suicide aircraft, albeit it was an easy
prey for the enemy fighters. Despite of this, there was no lack of volunteers.[p]
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[fs]Aichi D3A1 "Val" (carrier-based bomber of the Navy, Type 99, Model 11) number
31, aboard the aircraft carrier Soryu, 2nd Koku Sentai, which took part in the
attack against Pearl Harbor, the 7th
December 1941; painted fully in clear grey. The code in the tail indicates: B = 2nd
Koku Sentai; I = first aircraft carrier; 2 = carrier-based bomber; 31 = number of
the airplane.[/span][p]
[b]Development record[/span][p]
Two prototypes were made, in which different engines, wings and tail surfaces were
tested. The six test models D3A1 were fitted with engine Kinsei 3 of 840
horsepower. The initial series
model D3A1 (carrier-based bomber of the Navy, Type 99, Model 11) was fitted with
engines Kinsei 43/44 of 1000/1080 horsepower and elongated dorsal tail; 470 units
built. The D3A2 (Model 12) was a
prototype fitted with engine Kinsei 54 of 1300 horsepower, increased fuel capacity
and redesigned rear cockpit. The series model D3A2 (Model 22) had 815 units built
by Aichi and 201 by Showa Hikoki
Kogyo. The D3A2-K (bombing trainer of the Navy, Type 99, Model 12) was the training
version, converted from the D3A1/2. Total production for all the versions reached
1495 exemplars.[p]
[b]Specifications for D3A1[/span][p]
[box]
First flight: January 1938[p]
Wingspan: 14.36 meters[p]
Wing area: 34.90 square meters[p]
Length: 10.19 meters[p]
Height: 3.84 meters[p]
Weight (empty): 2408 kilograms[p]
Weight (full load): 3650 kilograms[p]
Engine: Mitsubishi MK8 Kinsei 43 of 1000 horsepower or Kinsei 44 of 1080
horsepower[p]
Time to reach 3000 meters of altitude: 6 minutes 27 seconds[p]
Service ceiling: 9300 meters[p]
Maximum speed at 3000 meters of altitude: 386 kilometers/hour[p]
Cruising speed: 296 kilometers/hour[p]
Operational range: 1473 kilometers[p]
Defensive armament: Two Type 97 7.7-millimeter machine guns installed above the
engine and one Type 92 7.7-millimeter machine gun installed in an orientable
mounting in the rear cockpit[p]
Bombs load: 370 kilograms[p]
[/div][p]
[b]Specifications for D3A2[/span][p]
[box]
First flight: June 1942[p]
Wingspan: 14.36 meters[p]
Wing area: 34.90 square meters[p]
Length: 10.19 meters[p]
Height: 3.84 meters[p]
Weight (empty): 2570 kilograms[p]
Weight (full load): 3800 kilograms[p]
Engine: Mitsubishi MK8 Kinsei 54 of 1300 horsepower[p]
Time to reach 3000 meters of altitude: 5 minutes 48 seconds[p]
Service ceiling: 10500 meters[p]
Maximum speed at 6200 meters of altitude: 430 kilometers/hour[p]
Cruising speed: 296 kilometers/hour[p]
Operational range: 1353 kilometers[p]
Defensive armament: Two Type 97 7.7-millimeter machine guns installed above the
engine and one Type 92 7.7-millimeter machine gun installed in an orientable
mounting in the rear cockpit[p]
Bombs load: 370 kilograms[p]
[/div][p]

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In the morning of that 7th December 1941 a pungent howl reached the ears of the

started the trials of the prototype.[p]

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