Mitsubishi G4M Betty

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一式陸上攻撃機

Aircraft Type
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-based naval attack bomber in flight
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-based naval attack bomber in flight — U.S. Navy (Public Domain)

The Mitsubishi G4M Betty was the primary land-based naval bomber throughout WWII. Famous for extreme range but extreme vulnerability to fire, Admiral Yamamoto died aboard one in 1943. 2,435 built.

Class / type
三菱重工
Complement
7
Launched
23 October 1939
Commissioned / formed
2 April 1941
Armament
20mm九九式機銃×1（尾部）、7.7mm九二式機銃×4（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), codenamed "Betty" by the Allies, first flew on October 23, 1939, 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 range.

The G4M was armed with one 20mm tail cannon and four 7.7mm machine guns, carrying 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 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 by P-38 Lightnings in Operation Vengeance. The G4M also participated in sinking HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse off Malaya in December 1941. The final G4M mission carried the Japanese surrender delegation to Ie Shima on August 19, 1945. Total production: 2,435 aircraft.

Related sites (2)

  • Deployed-4.200, 152.183

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

  • Factory35.181, 136.907

    Mitsubishi Nagoya Aircraft Factory (三菱名古屋航空機製作所) – primary G4M production site, Nagoya.

Sources

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