You got one of them spot-on. The other was the balloons that Japan launched–they launched something like 9,000 of these, and while about 300 of them were either found or observed as having reached the US, later research puts it at about 1,000 that reached North America. The goal of these was initially to destroy forests and farmland, not cities. They were fitted with incendiary bombs, designed to burn the land and not people or cities like someone else here said. Japanese planners undoubtedly knew that the common building structures in America were not at all like the ones in Japan–and so the use of incendiary bombs shows that their initial target was not cities.
They both used radar for reconnaissance? They both used radar while scouting for the enemy…the Jake for Pearl Harbour and Guadalcanal, the Swordfish for the Bismark and the Italian Fleet.[%-)]
This aircraft was re-developed, and then sold to a country, which most certainly the designer/original manufacturer would have opposed, if he had lived. Since then, this new version aquired two nicknames. One refers to it’s handling and/or origins. The other however, which is used by a kit manufacturer, is completely wrong, it being the English translation of it’s real nickname, re-translated in the language of the host country.
What was the second nickname, used in the kit, that’s wrong, and why did it come about (there’s a very good reason)?
This aircraft company’s name, translated into English, is an excellent name for a company that produces weapons. It’s most famous aircraft was later developed, and indeed built, by others, but the company name became a nickname for it’s famous aircraft. Pilots would often call it by it’s nickname, or, the first half of it’s nickname. Later it was exported to a country, where it’s pilots also used the first hald of the nickname.
A confusion arose because people, knowing what this country’s pilots called the aircraft, and knowing the English translation of the nickname, re-translated the nickname into the language of the country that bought it. A Korean/Canadian model kit then used this re-translation of the nickname as it’s official name for this aircraft.
OK, more clues needed - the aircraft designer in question had a name,which translated into English would mean Knife Smith. From that, can you deduce the error in the nickname it was supposed to have? The kit in question, that used the fake name, was by Hobbycraft, but also marketed by Academy, in 1/48 scale.
Still no bites? OK, here’s another one, getting easy now! The aircraft was a German aircraft, sold to the Israelis, who used a nickname popular during WWII, but, was misunderstood, and so, via a re-translation, it was given later a new name. The nickname was based on the designer’s name, which means, in English, Knife Smith. His company was also later called this, but, after this aircraft had been designed.
