Mitsubishi G4M Betty

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一式陸上攻撃機

Aircraft
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-based attack bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-based attack bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy — Imperial Japanese Navy (Public Domain)

The Mitsubishi G4M Betty was the primary land-based naval bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy throughout WWII. Famous for its long range but vulnerability to fire, it carried Admiral Yamamoto on his final flight in 1943.

Class / type
一式陸上攻撃機一一型（G4M1）
Displacement
6,741 Tons
Complement
7
Launched
23 October 1939
Commissioned / formed
2 April 1941
Armament
20mm九九式機銃1挺（尾部）・7.7mm九二式機銃4挺（機首/腰部/上部）・爆弾または魚雷800kg

History

The Mitsubishi G4M (一式陸上攻撃機), known to the Allies as "Betty," was first flown on October 23, 1939, by test pilot Katsuzo Shima, and entered service on April 2, 1941. Designed for extreme range, it could cover 2,852 km in standard configuration and up to 5,040 km in ferry configuration.

The G4M was armed with one 20mm cannon in the tail and four 7.7mm machine guns, and could carry bombs or torpedoes up to 800 kg. Its seven-man crew included pilot, co-pilot, navigator/bombardier, top gunner, radio operator, engineer, and tail gunner. Despite its impressive range, the G4M was notorious for catching fire easily due to unprotected fuel tanks, earning derisive nicknames such as "flying lighter" and "one-shot lighter" from Allied fighter pilots.

On April 18, 1943, a G4M1 carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down over Bougainville Island by USAAF P-38 Lightnings in Operation Vengeance, killing Yamamoto and dealing a severe blow to Japanese naval morale. The G4M also participated in the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse off Malaya in December 1941. Total production reached 2,435 aircraft.

Related sites (4)

  • Battle3.560, 104.480

    South China Sea off the east coast of Malaya – G4M and G3M bombers sank HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse on December 10, 1941.

  • Deployed-4.200, 152.183

    Rabaul, New Britain – main forward operating base for G4M units during the Solomons campaign.

  • Crashed-6.786, 155.552

    Southern Bougainville, in the jungle north of Buin – site where Admiral Yamamoto's G4M1 was shot down by P-38s on April 18, 1943.

  • Factory35.181, 136.907

    Mitsubishi Nagoya Aircraft Factory – primary production site for the G4M Betty.

Images

Formation of Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers in flight
Formation of Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers in flight — Imperial Japanese Navy (Public Domain)

Sources

  1. Mitsubishi G4M - WikipediaWebsite
  2. 一式陸上攻撃機 - WikipediaWebsite
  3. Operation Vengeance - WikipediaWebsite