𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

On May 21, 1943 Shigetoshi Kudo took off from Lakunai Airfield at Rabaul on a night patrol mission. Later that night they approached a group of B-17's by flying below the enemy bombers and using the upward firing oblique 20mm cannons, he shot down B-17E "Honi Kuu Okole" 41-9244 (his first confirmed victory with upward firing cannons) and later that same night B-17E 41-9011.

The Nakajima J1N1 Gekkō (月光 "Moonlight") is a twin-engine aircraft used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II and was used for reconnaissance, night fighter, and kamikaze missions. The first flight took place in May 1941. It was given the Allied reporting name "Irving", since the earlier reconnaissance version the J1N1-C, was mistaken for a fighter.

There were some spectacular missions flown by Irving crews but overall, Japan's night interceptors achieved limited results. The B-29 cruised approximately 80 kph (50 mph) faster than either the B-17 or B-24. Gekko crews usually could rarely make more than a single pass at the fast Superfortresses. Lt. Sachio Endo was credited with destroying eight B-29s and damaging another eight before he fell to the gun crews of a B-29. Another Gekko crew shot down five B-29s in one night but these combat successes were rare. Japan's night fighter forces were no match for the overwhelming number of B-29s with their great speed and defensive firepower. Escorting Allied fighter aircraft also took their toll. Many Irvings were shot down, destroyed on the ground, or expended during Tokko missions. Tokko is the Japanese term for Special Purpose Attackers, known in the West as kamikaze attacks. By war's end, Nakajima had built 486 Gekkos. Although the Irving night fighter was an able night fighter, there were never enough to significantly impact the air war.
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Text-Source: airandspace.si.edu / pacificwrecks.com