WWII Japanese Transport Mitsubishi MC 20 \'Topsy\' Training W.E.F.T.U.P. ID Poster for Sale

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WWII Japanese Transport Mitsubishi MC 20 \'Topsy\' Training W.E.F.T.U.P. ID Poster For Sale

$WWII Japanese Transport Mitsubishi MC 20 \'Topsy\' Training W.E.F.T.U.P. ID Poster$
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WWII Japanese Transport Mitsubishi MC 20 \'Topsy\' Training W.E.F.T.U.P. ID Poster:
$212.50

Shipping is a little more because I need to purchase a hard mailing tube to roll and protect the WWII artifact poster.

Comes with C.O.A.

Size: 19 x 25 inches

This original ‘RESTRICTED’ aircraft identification poster was published by the U.S. Naval Aviation Training Division Jan. of 1943. This poster was posted as a training tool as well as an in theater ID poster to help U.S. and other Allied pilots, bomber crews and Naval personal to identify Allied and enemy aircraft. W.E.F.T.U.P. or Wing, Engine, Fuselage, Tail, Undercarriage, Peculiarities was a system set up for the purpose of aircraft identification and recognition.

World War II saw some of the first introduction of these aircraft ID poster to prevent friendly fire and more accurate plane recognition in combat. It was believed these posters alone could save countless lives from friendly aircraft-on-aircraft or friendly anit-aircraft fire. These posters also could cut down precious second pilots, bomber gunners, and naval gun crews would have to ID a plane flying towards them intern saving their lives by shooting first.

Each poster provides the silhouettes, dimensions, and relevant information to educate both air and ground personnel in aircraft identification. Immediate identification of aircraft, friendly or not, was essential in order for the observer (whether in the air e.g., pilot, gunner, or patrol observer, or on the ground, e.g., anti-aircraft crew) to determine his next course of action (e.g., acknowledge, attack, evade, or report). Each poster details a large clean sky and background image of the specified aircraft located as the main top imagine on the poster. It also contains important ‘peculiarities’ such as where certain gun emplacements are located, other special aircraft features, as well as wing and length measurements.

Mitsubishi Ki-57:

TheMitsubishi Ki-57was aJapanesepassenger transport aircraft, developed from theKi-21bomber, during the early 1940s.

In 1938, when theKi-21heavy bomberbegan to enter service with theImperial Japanese Army, its capability attracted the attention of theImperial Japanese Airways. In consequence a civil version was developed and this, generally similar to the Ki-21-I and retaining its powerplant of two 708kW (950hp) Nakajima Ha-5 KAIradial engines, differed primarily by having the same wings transferred from a mid to low-wing configuration and the incorporation of a newfuselageto provide accommodation for up to 11 passengers. This transport version appealed also the navy, and following the flight of aprototypein August 1940 and subsequent testing, the type was ordered into production for both civil and military use.

This initial productionKi-57-Ihad the civil and military designations ofMC-20-IandArmy Type 100 Transport Model 1, respectively. A total of 100 production Ki-57-Is had been built by early 1942, and small numbers of them were transferred for use by the Japanese navy in a transport role, then becoming redesignatedL4M1. After the last of the Ki-57s had been delivered production was switched to an improvedKi-57-II, which introduced more powerful 805kW (1,080hp) Mitsubishi Ha-l02 14-cylinder radial engines installed in redesigned nacelles and, at the same time, incorporated a number of detail refinements and minor equipment changes. Civil and military designations of this version were theMC-20-IIandArmy Type 100 Transport Model 2, respectively. Only 406 were built before production ended in January 1945. Both versions were covered by the Alliedreporting name\"Topsy\".