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In search of information on the Nakajima C3N1

I picked up a copy of this Japanese pre-war reconnaissance plane from NKR, but I can't find any data of value on it anywhere. The Francillon "bible" merely says it "was not proceeded with," the usual exhaustive encyclopedias have no mention of it, and searching the web results in more questions than answers (they were deployed on carriers during the 1938-39 time frame). Even

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is a bust for this airplane, which looks like what would have resulted if a B5N and a D3A had a baby.

If anyone has a suggestion for a simple developmental and operational history, please clue me in on where it might be found!

--Chris Bucholtz

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Chris Bucholtz
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"Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941," by Mikesh & Abe, Anaval Institute Press (also Putnam) 1990, pp236-7. First flew in late 1936, two prototypes built, tested by the JNAF beginning in September 1937, but lost out to the B5N1 (Kate), which was a more versatile aircraft. Nakajima Hikari II, 750-840hp, fixed spatted LG, crew of three, 2 7.7mm guns, max speed about 240 mph, max range 1415 miles. Both prototypes were supposedly used as recon craft from the Shanghai area for quite a while, beginning in late 1937. The entry has one photo, no drawings.

The same picture shows up in "Japanese Aircraft: Code Names and Designations," by Mikesh, where he observes that it might have been confused with the B5M1 "Mabel," which also lost out to the Kate, meaning that it might have been described as "Mabel" itself.

And that's just about all I can find.

Mark Schynert

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Mark Schynert

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