The Akutan Zero

[derhexer]

FYI ONLY!

I found this on Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akutan_zero

First few paragraphs
"The Akutan Zero, also known as Koga's Zero and the Aleutian Zero, was a type 0 model 21 Mitsubishi A6M Zero Japanese fighter plane that crash-landed on Akutan Island, Alaska Territory, during World War II. It was captured intact by the Americans in July 1942 and became the first flyable Zero acquired by the United States during the war.[1] Following its capture, it was repaired and flown by American test pilots. As a result of information gained during these tests, American tacticians were able to devise tactics to defeat the Zero, which was the Imperial Japanese Navy's primary fighter plane throughout the war.

The Akutan Zero was "a prize almost beyond value to the United States",[2] and "probably one of the greatest prizes of the Pacific war".[3] Japanese historian Masatake Okumiya stated that the acquisition of the Akutan Zero "was no less serious" than the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Midway, and that it "did much to hasten Japan's final defeat".[4]

The Akutan Zero was destroyed in a training accident in 1945. Pieces of it are preserved in several museums in the United States."

[Ambassador]

Its usefulness is greatly disputed, not the less due to the fact that late '42, the Zero was already well known, and tactics had already been devised to counter it.  I guess that some more learned fellows will have a lot to say about this.

[stuman]

http://www.straggleresearch.com/2008/05/akutan-zero.html

Bit more info.

http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/WarPrizes.htm

[mdiehl]

The Akutan Zeke was important because detailed evaluation of its performance explained why the tactics developed on the fly by the USN and USMC were working. It also, as I recall, pushed the USN to increase the pace of replacement of F4Fs with F6Fs, spurred some of the changes that led to the improved FM2, and really got the USN cracking at working the kinks out of the F4U. The F6F and F4U were already in the "Y" stage of production and evaluation and would have arrived in numbers in 1943 anyhow, but my impression is that in the absence of the Akutan zero, bureaucratic inertia would have kep more USN pilots in F4F-4s a few months longer than they had them, before transitioning to F6Fs.

[88l71]

Unfortunately the myth still persists in many books I've read that the Hellcat was developed specifically because of the captured Zero.

I read somewhere of an evaluation of several Allied planes later on against a captured A6M5 (you can find it on the web if ya look for it) and I recall two really interesting things: The FM-2 was almost a dead-copy of the Zero in many performance aspects, and the F6F-5 was listed as having a 400 MPH-plus top speed, only slightly slower than the F4U-1 Corsair used in the same test, which is higher than I've read in most places though interestingly enough dovetails almost exactly with comments by Grumman test pilot Corky Meyer, who talked about the Hellcat vs. Corsair in an interview.

[mdiehl]

That's interesting. I hadn't heard that the F6F-5 topped 400 mph.

[88l71]

From: http://home.att.net/%7Ehistoryworld/TAICzero.pdf

"Top speeds attained were 413 MPH at 20,400 feet for the F4U-1D, and 335 MPH at 18,000 feet for the Zeke 52."

"Top speeds attained were 409 MPH at 21,600 feet for the F6F-5, and 335 MPH at 18,000 feet for the Zeke 52."

[lastdingo]

Top speeds are questionable for many planes involved in the Pacific Air War.
The relatively low top speed of Hellcat and most Japanese fighters (except some Ki-84) is highly suspicious.

I believe the top speed info given for many aircraft types don't tell the real top speed, but simply the top speed at a typical (medium or low) altitude or the top speed with full fuel tanks.