re: Vader’s Model Desk: Kawasaki KI-61 Hien “Tony”

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Good one Darth my favorites, aircraft.

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Thanks!

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Is the Clover symbol emblematic of a specific squadron?

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The clover is specific to this one aircraft as far as I can tell. The markings on the tail however are for this particular air regiment.

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Your link took me down a brief rabbit hole where I learned this aircraft was reduced in weight with no guns and used in Kamikaze mode against B-29’s. The Me 109 story was also interesting reading.

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The commander of this particular air regiment, gained fame in Japan for this tactic I do believe. This particular KI-61 though isn’t his. This guy though did score like a dozen B-29 kills the old fashioned way.

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Primitive aircraft by today’s standards and advanced for their day.

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True. But if you look at the aircraft being operated at the start of the war and compare them to the ones being flown at the end, the level of advancement is astonishing.