Japanese Forces

Mother and baby ... "Betty" and "Okha".

IJN.

Mitsubishi G4M2 ("Betty II") medium attack bomber, carrying Yokosuka MXY7 "Okha" kamikaze rocket-powered manned flying bomb. This aircraft belonged to the Okha Squadron of the 721st (Japanese) Naval Air Group, which came into existence on 1 October, 1944. The 721st was one of those Japanese naval air units specifically organized for high-risk attack and kamikaze operations. The "Betty", with its various marks and sub-marks, was originally developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy as a long-range bomber, designed primarily to operate from land at long range. The "Betty II" was a substantially modified version of its predecessor, with better defensive armament and armor, but at the expense of reduced maneuverability (although speed was maintained by improved engines). The "Betty II" was the usual delivery system for "Okha" ("Cherry Blossom") suicide rocket planes, which would release their "child" (a short-range rocket aircraft) close to the target. While this tactic achieved some initial success, US fighter pilots discovered early that while intercepting an Okha under rocket power was virtually impossible, intercepting the relatively slow and clumsy "Betty" prior to separation of the Okha was very feasible. This was part of the reason for the development of longer-range, jet-powered Okhas that could be launched from land bases - although the shortening of operational ranges in the late stages of the Pacific War also made this feasible. Best regards, JR.