Question for Japanese Aircraft Experts

[Big B]

From an historical perspective;

Approximately how many A6M2 Zeros should be in production per month from Dec 1941 to June 1942 (as an average)?

I believe the games' stock starting total of 104 per month is too high. Anyone know?

Brian

[treespider]

ORIGINAL: Big B

From an historical perspective;

Approximately how many A6M2 Zeros should be in production per month from Dec 1941 to June 1942 (as an average)?

I believe the games' stock starting total of 104 per month is too high. Anyone know?

Brian

Funny you should ask... I happen to have the USSBS factory reports sitting right here...give me a few minutes and I'll get you the totals...

[Big B]

ORIGINAL: treespider

ORIGINAL: Big B

From an historical perspective;

Approximately how many A6M2 Zeros should be in production per month from Dec 1941 to June 1942 (as an average)?

I believe the games' stock starting total of 104 per month is too high. Anyone know?

Brian

Funny you should ask... I happen to have the USSBS factory reports sitting right here...give me a few minutes and I'll get you the totals...

Cool!

[treespider]

Monthly totals for A6M series at Nagoya (Tsu) plant starting Dec' 41
 
Dec 41 -60
60
58
55
54
58
45
46
51
64
65
67
69
68
69
73
73
73
73
77
85
93
105
110
130
125
115
105
109
95
100
115
135
135
145
115
62
35
59
40
37
38
23
15
Aug 45 -52

[treespider]

If you bother to add them it comes to 3436

[Big B]

Thanks treespider.

The list is for the Nagoya plant - was there another plant making them during the first 6 months (as in the game)?

[treespider]

Yes...Nakajima also produced the A6M series...The previous figures were for the Mitsubishi plant...Let me eat lunch and I'll get you the Nakajima numbers.

[Kereguelen]

ORIGINAL: Big B

From an historical perspective;

Approximately how many A6M2 Zeros should be in production per month from Dec 1941 to June 1942 (as an average)?

I believe the games' stock starting total of 104 per month is too high. Anyone know?

Brian

According to this

http://www.lemaire.happyhost.org/avion/ ... html#18167

site there were 66 A6M2 produced in Japan in December 1941 altogether. Seems that roduction did not reach 100+ planes/month before August 1942.

[Big B]

Thank you very much.

[Big B]

ORIGINAL: Kereguelen

ORIGINAL: Big B

From an historical perspective;

Approximately how many A6M2 Zeros should be in production per month from Dec 1941 to June 1942 (as an average)?

I believe the games' stock starting total of 104 per month is too high. Anyone know?

Brian

According to this

http://www.lemaire.happyhost.org/avion/ ... html#18167

site there were 66 A6M2 produced in Japan in December 1941 altogether. Seems that roduction did not reach 100+ planes/month before August 1942.

Nice site!
Very Nice site!

[treespider]

ORIGINAL: Kereguelen


According to this

http://www.lemaire.happyhost.org/avion/ ... html#18167

site there were 66 A6M2 produced in Japan in December 1941 altogether. Seems that roduction did not reach 100+ planes/month before August 1942.

Oops misread the chart....


...figures coming shortly...

[Big B]

ORIGINAL: treespider

ORIGINAL: Kereguelen


According to this

http://www.lemaire.happyhost.org/avion/ ... html#18167

site there were 66 A6M2 produced in Japan in December 1941 altogether. Seems that roduction did not reach 100+ planes/month before August 1942.

The Nakajima plant alone manufactutured 89 in January 42...figures coming shortly...

(waits)

[treespider]

A6M series produced by Nakajima starting Nov 41
 
Nov 41 - 1
6
19
22
35
22
28
29
41
52
62
72
80
96
jan 43 - 89
100
112
120
126
132
146
156
170
182
202
225
Jan 44 - 238
154
271
230
232
200
163
232
245
194
109
206
jan 45 - 216
108
207
230
247
185
138
85
 

[Big B]

ORIGINAL: treespider

A6M series produced by Nakajima starting Nov 41

Nov 41 - 1
6
19
22
35
22
28
29
41
52
62
72
80
96
jan 43 - 89
100
112
120
126
132
146
156
170
182
202
225
Jan 44 - 238
154
271
230
232
200
163
232
245
194
109
206
jan 45 - 216
108
207
230
247
185
138
85

Great!!! That's what I needed!

Thanks!

The totals for Production Dec 1941-May 1942 averge about 83 per month combined (26 by Nakajima and 57 at Nagoya).

[msaario]

Gee, those guys sucked back then in the 40s - they made like two of these, I make THOUSANDS and RULE THE SKIES!

J7W1 prototype fighter Watanabe 2 2 2

Ho-hum...

--Mikko

[Big B]

ORIGINAL: msaario

Gee, those guys sucked back then in the 40s - they made like two of these, I make THOUSANDS and RULE THE SKIES!
...
--Mikko

Y-e-a-h....I guess the real Japanese were under-achievers!

Anyway, back to the point - Kereguelens' information dovetails perfectly with treespiders' information... which brings up an amusing difficulty in modeling Zero Production.

It seems when the war began A6M2-21 production had ceased at Nagoya, and its replacement, A6M3-32, production was in full swing.

Meanwhile A6M2-21 production is just ramping up at Nakajima and stays continuous through 1942.

Then in March 1942, Nogoya STOPS building A6M3-32's and goes back into producing A6M2-21's ....

That will be difficult to model correctly in WitP!

[Yamato hugger]

10,499 A6M series aircraft were produced. I cant break it down by type or month right now.

[Marc]

René J. Francillon "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" has the following numbers:

At the start of the war there were 328 Zeros active.

Production from Mar 39 - Mar 42 was 837 in total (722 Mitsubishi and 115 Nakajima).


Here comes my calculation:
This means 837 - 328 = 509 produced from Dec to Mar 42. But...

Let's subtract a few because not all built before the war should still be active.

-> 480 divided by 4 months = approx. 120 built per month from Dec 41 to Mar 42.

But maybe I forgot something important...

Anyway:
Francillon states that conflicting production figures for the A6M have been reported by Mitsubishi and Nakajima and various Japanese Government agenices. The numbers above are based on the Japanese fiscal year that appear to be the most accurate to him.