G4M
| Country | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Primary Role | Medium Bomber |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseNicknamed "Betty" by the Allies, the Type 1 Bombers of the G4M family were the heavy bombers of the Japanese Navy. In May 1941 they performed their first missions in southeast China, perfecting the techniques for their future missions in Malaya and the Philippines. During the Malaya campaign, they took part in the shocking sinking of British battleship Prince of Wales and battle cruiser Repulse alongside of the older G3m "Nell" bombers; it was the first time capital ships were sunk by aircraft exclusively while at sea. When unescorted, these bombers with their unprotected fuel tanks were extremely vulnerable to interceptor aircraft, leading to the Allied airmen's nickname "one-shot lighter" for them. Their vulnerabilities were greatly exaggerated by the use of these bombers as low-altitude torpedo bombers. When used as a bomber at higher altitudes, however, they could easily make their attacks and escape before Allied fighters could reach the same altitude.
ww2dbase2,479 Type 1 Bombers were built during the war.
ww2dbaseSources: Aircraft of the Second World War, Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: Mar 2006
G4M Timeline
| 28 Apr 1945 | Japanese special attack aircraft damaged 5 destroyers, 2 hospital ships, and victory ship Bozeman Victory off Okinawa, Japan. None of the four G4M bombers carrying Ohka special attack aircraft hit their targets. |
| 19 Aug 1945 | On instructions from Douglas MacArthur, a Japanese delegation led by Japanese Imperial Army Vice Chief of Staff Lt General Torashiro Kawabe traveled from Tokyo, Japan to Ie Jima just off Okinawa where they were transferred from their two specially marked Mitsubishi G4M ‘Betty’ bombers to a USAAF C-54 Skymaster for the second leg of their trip to Manila, Philippines where they met with MacArthur. |
SPECIFICATIONS
G4M1
| Machinery | Two Mitsubishi Kasei 11 14-cylinder two-row radial engines rated at 1,530 hp each |
| Armament | 3x7.7mm machine guns, 1x20mm tail gun, 1,000kg internal bombs or 800kg external torpedoes |
| Crew | 7 |
| Span | 24.89 m |
| Length | 19.97 m |
| Height | 4.90 m |
| Weight, Empty | 6,741 kg |
| Weight, Loaded | 9,500 kg |
| Speed, Maximum | 428 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 9,144 m |
| Range, Normal | 5,040 km |
G4M2
| Machinery | Two water/methanol injection Kasei 22 engines rated at 1,850 hp each |
| Armament | 3x7.7mm machine guns, 1x20mm tail gun, 1,000kg internal bombs or 800kg external torpedoes |
| Crew | 7 |
| Span | 24.89 m |
| Length | 19.97 m |
| Height | 4.11 m |
| Weight, Empty | 7,994 kg |
| Weight, Loaded | 12,500 kg |
| Weight, Maximum | 15,000 kg |
| Speed, Maximum | 437 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 9,144 m |
| Range, Normal | 4,800 km |
G4M3
| Machinery | Two water/methanol injection Kasei 22 engines rated at 1,850 hp each |
| Armament | 3x7.7mm machine guns, 1x20mm tail gun, 1,000kg internal bombs or 800kg external torpedoes |
| Crew | 7 |
| Span | 24.89 m |
| Length | 19.97 m |
| Height | 4.11 m |
| Weight, Empty | 8,391 kg |
| Weight, Loaded | 12,500 kg |
| Weight, Maximum | 15,000 kg |
| Speed, Maximum | 455 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 9,144 m |
| Range, Normal | 3,640 km |
Photographs
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