The Zero, an Aussie design???

[Billy_Bishop]

I know, it's stupid. But there's a person on another forum who insist's that the Mitsubishi A6M series was originally an Australian design that the Aussies rejected before the Japanese picked it up, modified then kicked our collective asses 3/4 of the way across the Pacific with it, before we kicked them back.

Anyone EVER hear of this silly claim before?

And really, I AM serious, REALLY I am!!!

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Vin]

Ask him if he means the stump jump plough, Al.


Vin

[Ross_Moorhouse]

I know, it's stupid. But there's a person on another forum who insist's that the Mitsubishi A6M series was originally an Australian design that the Aussies rejected before the Japanese picked it up, modified then kicked our collective asses 3/4 of the way across the Pacific with it, before we kicked them back.

Anyone EVER hear of this silly claim before?

And really, I AM serious, REALLY I am!!!

VBR,

Al Lowe

Next he will try to sell you our Sydney Harbour Bridge..

I have never heard this load of bs before. Never seen it in any book about Australian aviation either.  

[Mark_Miller]

Never heard anything like that before. I thought the zero was based on the AT6

Mark

[MikeW]

Didn't Herbert Smith of Sopwith fame go to Japan after WW1. I thought I read he went to work for Mitsubishi - or am I muddling him with someone else?

Mike

[Barrett]

In the US there's a persistent rumor that the Zero was developed from Howard Hughes' H-1 racer, an equally loony assertion. Mitsubishi's design chief, Jiro Horikoshi, contributed to two books that I know of, including a fairly technical tome published by (IIRC) Univ. of Wash. Press many years ago. In both books he describes the internal battles involving design philosophy--it was clearly a Japanese concept. As a couple of surviving 1942 fighter pilots have said, "If the Japs copied that design from us, then why in hell didn't WE build it?"

[mike_baram]

And if the Japanese DID copy if from someone else, why didn't the Russians claim that they made it first?

M>itsubishi A6M series was originally an
>Australian design that the Aussies rejected
>before the Japanese picked it up,

Australia's indigineous aviation industry in the 1930's licensed the Texan (Wirraway) as a technological lead-in to a front line fighter and bomber. It was a pretty immature industry in the 30's. Definately nothing of Zero level of aviation technology.

The lead-in got shortened with the events in Hawaii and Pearl Harbour. It ended up being the Boomerang. The Woomera was to be the dual engined bomber unique to Australia's situation.

Fred David was with CAC in 1941, he had previously been with Heinkel and had fled from Germany to Japan to escape persecution, he left Japan for the same reasons and came to Australia. In 1941 he had to report to the police each week.

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and invaded Malaya, Alan Bolton was in the CAC offices with Fred David and Fred David asked Bolton, what they were going to do. Bolton didnt know what to reply. Fred David replied, "Design a fighter, to fight the zero and use the biggest engine we make and as much as possible of the Wirraway jigs and tools."

It was to be the Boomerang. They got the prototype into the air in 16 weeks. The same design studio created the CA-11 Woomera and the CA-15 Kangaroo.





cam

[leo]

Another rumor of doubtful authenticity stated that the Zero was a knock off of the Seversky P35

[Billy_Bishop]

I just want to thank everyone for reinforcing what little sanity I have left. I thought for the moment there was a serious gap in my library of WWII aviation. All the books I have say the Zero was an indeginous design too!

I guess you can chalk this one up to excessive patriotic zeal on the part of a slightly misinformed Aussie.

After all, we all know that Canada designed it and handed it over to Japan.

VBR,

Al Lowe