Tail of Model 21 Zero Fighter retrieved, put on display

KASAMA, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan–Rare body parts of an early model Zero Fighter that was shot down in the Solomon Islands during World War II went on display at the Tsukuba naval air corps memorial museum here.

 

The tail of the Model 21 Zero Fighter, including its vertical and horizontal stabilizers, measures 2.2 meters long, 1.8 meters high and 2.8 meters wide.

 

“It is very rare for such a large portion of the Model 21 to be discovered,” said Daisuke Kanazawa, the 43-year-old secretary-general of the management organization of the museum. “I hope this Zero Fighter can help visitors imagine how dreadful a war can be.”

 

The original aircraft belonged to the Imperial Japanese Navy’s air corps stationed in Rabaul on Papua New Guinea. It was shot down by Allied forces in 1942 or 1943, and retrieved by the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Solomon Islands.

 

Graffiti reading “JAP ZERO TAIL SECTION” on its vertical stabilizer, apparently painted by Allied troops, is still visible.