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???

Japanese pilots in their fighters set to 90% Cap, waiting to get bombed by unescorted Allied bombers instead of getting airborne...

[8|]

Nah...looks like 30% to me.

According to my copy of this photograph, the Zuikaku Kansen-tai, taken at about the time of Operation I.  If so, could be Vunakanau in the early part of April 1943. Judging by the cowl shape, these look like Model 21 Zero, but it's hard to be sure. 

Trees or smoke in the background? Probably trees since there doesn't appear to be a sense of urgency on the guys milling around.

I think it's dust created by planes warming up.

ORIGINAL: castor troy

Japanese pilots in their fighters set to 90% Cap, waiting to get bombed by unescorted Allied bombers instead of getting airborne...

[:D]

A6M2 type 21 at Buin (5th Koku Sentai): 1943

A6M3 Zero Model 22, Zuikaku Kansen-tai, Buin, Jan-Feb 1943
 
Might be a Mod. 32 in there with the square wing tips too.

Interesting. I have a picture of Zuikaku's fighters at Rabaul that is said to have been taken prior to their transfer to Buin on 29 Jan 43 - to cover Guadalcanal evac, I think. They are clearly Model 21's (no carburettor air duct above spinner), so if the photograph here is of Model 22's it implies re-equipment at this time. The picture taken at Rabaul shows tail codes A1-1-xxx, indicating that 5th Koku Sentai had by this time been redesignated 1st Koku Sentai.

IJN air units not my thang, but I thought Zuikaku was re-equipped with Mod. 22s between Coral Sea and Jan/Feb '43?  What was the camo/paint scheme on the Mod. 21s you have a pic of?  The light olive, or the dark green?  Somewhere in that time frame is when they transitioned over to the Mod.22 and the dark green paint scheme, or so I thought.
 
Brady's pic could just as easily be of Zuke's AC later in '43?  Looks like they have the dark green paint scheme, and it's not in a pristine condition either.  This pic is generally captioned as "Zuikaku's Zeros at Buin Jan. 1943" or words to that effect IIRC, think it's in IJN Air Aces (without walking out to office and pulling it off the shelf) as such.

This is an example of typical Fuji wartime film quality. [:D]

I think they might be Japanese planes.

maybe.....

ORIGINAL: Terminus

[8|]

[>:][>:]

ORIGINAL: juliet7bravo

IJN air units not my thang, but I thought Zuikaku was re-equipped with Mod. 22s between Coral Sea and Jan/Feb '43?  What was the camo/paint scheme on the Mod. 21s you have a pic of?  The light olive, or the dark green?  Somewhere in that time frame is when they transitioned over to the Mod.22 and the dark green paint scheme, or so I thought.

Brady's pic could just as easily be of Zuke's AC later in '43?  Looks like they have the dark green paint scheme, and it's not in a pristine condition either.  This pic is generally captioned as "Zuikaku's Zeros at Buin Jan. 1943" or words to that effect IIRC, think it's in IJN Air Aces (without walking out to office and pulling it off the shelf) as such.

My pic of Model 21's is at p.275 of 'Samouraï sur Porte-Avions' and shows a line up of Zuikaku's fighters at Lakunai. If the book you're thinking of is Sakaida's 'IJN Aces 1937-45' then colour plate 18 there shows the nearest of the line up: CPO Saito Saburo's A1-1-119 apparently in the early war grey scheme overall sometimes described as 'light greenish ash' - I believe the Japanese word for this is hai-ryokushoku.

I gather that, although the Navy Dept issued an instruction for upper surfaces to be painted dark green in July 1943, units in the field had anticipated this by applying this colour from the summer of 1942 onwards, especially in the tropics. So no real help there.

Zuikaku's Kansen-tai seems to have undergone quite a few changes - she apparently had some Model 32's embarked for Santa Cruz.

Brady's picture certainly looks as though it could of the large apron at Buin. I think Vunakanau was primarily a bomber field, again making this more likely to be Buin rather than Rabaul.

A6M2 Model 21, it is[:)]
 
...........
 
 As to the locaton and unit, I am uncertain, I have some books with picks that look remarkedly similar that might sugest this is Rabaul, but I also Have books with Picks that sugest that this is Buin, in the end I am not certain, and the referance, a Japanese source, offers no clue, but it is a cool pick.

ORIGINAL: castor troy

Japanese pilots in their fighters set to 90% Cap, waiting to get bombed by unescorted Allied bombers instead of getting airborne...

The story of my brief experience as a JFB!

ORIGINAL: Brady

A6M2 Model 21, it is[:)]

...........

As to the locaton and unit, I am uncertain, I have some books with picks that look remarkedly similar that might sugest this is Rabaul, but I also Have books with Picks that sugest that this is Buin, in the end I am not certain, and the referance, a Japanese source, offers no clue, but it is a cool pick.

As you seem to know the french magazine "Le Fana de l'aviation",
this picture is in the "Hors Série N°3: Les avions de combat japonais" page 39.
Collection Nakamura via Jim Lansdale.[;)]