Aichi D3A Val, Luftwaffe SG77, France August 1940

[nönöbär]

The Plane:

In Spring of 1939, Germany and Japan signed a cooperation in assisting each other in aircraft development. As part of this agreement, Luftwaffe testpilots were allowed to test new Japanese Army or Navy aircraft, and Japanese pilots were able to do the same with Luftwaffe aircraft at Rechlin.
 
As part of this cooperation, the Luftwaffe tested the Aichi D3A dive bomver which was introduced by the IJN in 1938. With a higher speed and range the Aichi had some advantages compared to the Junkers Ju 87, however, the Junkers was able to carry a higher bomb load.
 
In Summer 1940 - after the fall of France - the Luftwaffe shifted its main focus on Britain. During the planning of Luftwaffe attacks on South England, Luftwaffe officers criticized the vulnarabiity of the Ju 87 which they seem to be too slow compared to the British fighters.
Surprisingly, the Luftwaffe Oberkommando listened to those warning voices and made a request to Japan to buy (or better exchange) Aichi D3A for the Luftwaffe Stukageschwader in France.
 
In late July 1940,  Aichi D3A were flown form Japan to Germany, together with the same number of Mitsubishi A6M Zeros (see https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,39028.msg643194.html), using several stops in the Soviet Union. One aircraft was damaged during the transfer flight but the 35 remaining were quickly integrated into the Stukageschwader at the French coast.
 
The Val was initally used during the attacks on Adlertag - August 13 - there it targeted the British Home Chain radar staions. Like the Stuka dive bombers, the Aichi planes could not convince in those attacks as the caused damaged could easiely be repaired.
With further progress of the Battle of Britain, the planes were mainly used against costal shipping and pin-point attacks on RAF airfields. With only 35 planes on duty, the toll of continuous attacks was high and after 4 weeks of operations, only 11 planes were left.
 
Even with the higher speed, the overall performance was not much better than the one of the Ju 87 and the planes proved to be too vulnerable against RAF fighters.
 
After the Battle of Britain, the remaining planes were used in the Mediterranian and North Africa. Additonally the planes were tested on board of the carrier Graf Zeppelin.
 
The model shows a Aichi D3A Val of the Stukkageschwader 77 just before Adlertag.


Various views of the Aichi D3A Val








Japanese aircraft in Luftwaffe service




The Model:

The Aichi D3A Val is made from an Airfix kit which seemed to use some quite old molds. Made OOB, only the colors and decals are different to the original. Decals were taken form an Italieri Ju 87 and the spare part box.
The model is airbrushed with Revel AquaColor. 

[zenrat]

Nice.  It looks right in those clothes somehow.

[PR19_Kit]

Sure beats the hell out of a Stuka in the looks department. 

Very believable backstory and the model looks great as well.

[Captain Canada]

Looks great in those colours and markings, and love the little dio as well. The story makes sense too,

[NARSES2]

Nice.  It looks right in those clothes somehow.

Totally agree. Excellent model 

I've got an old Airfix kit in the stash; Hungarian ? Possibly

[kitbasher]

Nice.  It looks right in those clothes somehow.

Totally agree. Excellent model 

I've got an old Airfix kit in the stash; Hungarian ? Possibly

Yes - to me a Stuka first flown in 1930 rather than the mid 30s.  Amazed to read that the first Ju 87 prototype was built by AB Flygindustri (sv) in Sweden and secretly shipped to Germany in late 1934.

Hungarian?  That would be smart.  Better still Spanish Civil War Condor Legion.