Rise and Fall of Zero: A6M and Its Struggle for Pacific Supremacy

[@KingsandGenerals]

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[@ISAF_Ace]

FINALLY, the Zero gang has long awaited this day.

[@dionking3512]

Banzai🇯🇵

[@RoughRouser]

Zero gang rise up! But don’t rise up too much or those Hellcats will mess you up 💀💀💀

[@SohanLalwani]

FOR REAL. It's such a incredible plane

[@SohanLalwani]

@@RoughRouser Or Corsairs for that matter

[@UkrainianPaulie]

What doomed the Zero was the emphasis on speed and maneuverability at the expense of survivability and firepower.

[@guaporeturns9472]

You don’t say?

[@Autobotmatt428]

Well said. The lack of self sealing fuel takes added to these issues as well.

[@onebritishboi9892]

not neccisarily, the issue was a combination of japans logistics, lack of naval supremacy (which these aircraft were built for bear in mind) and a failure to plan ahead and upgrade the design as needed.

[@jameshannagan4256]

@@onebritishboi9892 And the huge improvement of the US pilots combined with better tactics.

[@Findinavia]

Great episode as always! I would absolutely love to see an episode on the Corsair. One of my favorites growing up yet I don’t see much about it

[@guidor.4161]

Your AI video creation software doesn't seem up to the task. Pictures of Vals? standing in for open cockpit fighters? Ridiculous 3 cylinder radials?

[@dominicpodom]

So happy for this upload!!

[@ronjohnson6916]

The long promised video. Looking forward to this.

[@iKvetch558]

Really good stuff...thank you for detailed historical content about technologies like the Zero fighter. I look forward to similar treatments for a whole list of planes...many of which others have already suggested. 👍💯😁 Though...you could teach your reader AI how to say Grumman a lot better. LOL

[@michaelporzio7384]

"never dogfight with a Zero" advice that held true to the end of the war. America's number 2 ace, Thomas McGuire made this mistake late in the war and paid with his life. Yes, it was an Oscar but very similar plane.

[@ohnoa2]

The A7M Reppu was intended to be its sucessor but as with Japan, it lacked the time and resource to bring it into service

[@collintrytsman3353]

excellent as always

[@Vessel3791]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="138">2:18</a> The Wind Rises. Great movie (historical fiction, I know)

[@user-kx6wl8hz8v]

They didn't independently design it though. They were helped by the British prior to joining the axis and then were helped by a someone who defected to Japan. The reason they had carrier in the first place was also because of help from the British. They were allies during ww1 so weren't expected to join the axis

[@adambane1719]

The Japanese worked with British engineers and then improved and bettered their technology.... overnight !

[@sergeipohkerova7211]

The Zero was like the battlecruiser concept: heavyweight firepower but the chin of a lightweight fighting heavyweights, banking on speed and maneuverability to compensate. You might score some rounds or even wins if your opponents haven't figured you out yet, but once they do, there's a reason classes exist. Zero was outclassed as a concept and even as a machine from late 1942 onward, just as Japan was, with all punching above their weight which was cute until they take a right hook called a Thatch Weave or 1000lb bomb to a flight deck defended by magazine-fed canNOTS.

[@richardbanker3910]

This metaphor sounds all very good but it takes a fighter to be able to get on the tail of a Zero to shoot it down. In the early years, the Zero had its way over Buffaloes, Airacobras, Tomahawks and the British Hurricane. Only when faster and manoeuvrable fighters like Hellcats and Corsairs) came on board and later mark of Spitfires were the Zeroes matched. ( Not the initial Mark V) . Once hit by fire, the Zeroes exploded in flames and its vulnerability came to the fore.

[@Vierzehn014]

Thatch weave isnt some uncounterable manuever lol

[@sergeipohkerova7211]

​@@Vierzehn014true. But it was good enough and the Zero pilots couldn't really unlock it especially as time wore on with the untrained personnel and equipment on hand, so even though it could be theoretically countered, reality was it wasn't.

[@sergeipohkerova7211]

​@@richardbanker3910 you're right but even with marginally inferior equipment as far as performance goes (Wildcat, Tomahawk, etc.) the Allied still held their own with improved tactics. The steady output of adequate pilots and adequate equipment from an industrial powerhouse was inevitably going to win against a country with marginally superior equipment but industrial pauper-hood and initially vastly superior pilots whose attrition would result in inadequate numbers of inadequate pilots.

[@ironboy3245]

Yeah not really, the zero was kicking the Americans in the teeth and holding it's own until the Americans introduced the Hellcat

[@garion742]

Yay! It's here! 🎉🎉🎉

[@thomasknobbe4472]

Excellent summary of the history of the Zero. In defense of its creators, at the time it was being developed and fielded the use of pilot and engine armor and fuel tank protection in fighter aircraft was just emerging-the American F4F only receiving its protection around the time of the first carrier engagements at Coral Sea and Midway. Japanese designers were well aware of the benefits of pilot and engine armor and fuel tank protection, but the excellent performance of the Zero depended upon its light weight. Tests to add such severely limited its range, which was unacceptable in light of IJN doctrine, which itself depended upon maintaining a fighting advantage by keeping the carriers out of the range of enemy attack planes. So, the Zero soldiered on to its own destruction, pretty as it had been originally created.

[@augustosolari7721]

This Is the best comment, understanding the plane not as a collection of performance stats, but as a result of war doctrine. Very good!

[@mcfk9623]

Sidenote: Nakajima Aircraft (Engine maker of Zero) is a predecessor to Subaru today. Like BMW, they survived as car manufacturer.

[@DistantLights]

One of the most iconic planes of WWII

[@colinbarron4]

The aircraft which appears early in the video at about 3 minutes looks like an Aichi D3A Val, complete with bomb.

[@joshuaburke9516]

Long promised, and finally delivered!

[@Coco3Pirata]

Nk2 Shinden fighter: Am i late!?

[@vitorpereira9515]

Dogfights was my favorite program in the History Channel. Remember the old 666!

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

If you can't beat them, learn from them. Since the planes of the US weren't fast enough to catch up to the Zero. You have to develop tactics against it, such as taking advantage of its weak armor.

[@augustosolari7721]

That happened all the Time... Even experienced Japanese Pilots knew how to counter the Tatch wave... The problem Is that there wer few of those later on!

[@Ghostrex101]

Loved the back ground music

[@ubuntuber1619]

There was a very popular band in Bombay named after this plane.

[@tenzinalexander]

Please do more videos covering aircraft. Including Cold War jets!

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I've been waiting for this and I love the writing and the art is awesome!

[@kokutai3331]

Like all their equipment, they were in service for a long time. They didn’t have to industry to replace/update everything

[@shabeenahamed9954]

Make a video on the history of lakshadweep islands please

[@Roargus]

Good video.

[@mayurkanth6987]

It's crazy how Japam became so much powerful in so less time and gave tough time to western powers. Only country on planet to do that.

[@soulknife20]

And once Japan met the full might of the American Military Industrial Complex, they folded like a bad poker hand

[@adambane1719]

@@soulknife20 You can't win a fair fight against unscrupulous people

[@soulknife20]

​@@adambane1719Yup.

[@jameshannagan4256]

@@adambane1719 It's hard to have that much sympathy for Japan considering the way they conducted themselves, especially with civilian populations.

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

This arrogance also applied to the Allied beliefs about the Yamato Class. The expected that at most the ship 'might' have 16 inch guns, but believed more likely they were 15 inch guns. It was unthinkable for the Allies to conceive that the Japanese could make something vastly superior to their own vessels. It was not until after the war that they learned the Yamato class carried 18.1 inch guns. Similarly the Allies disregarded the Long Lance Torpedo at the start of the war, believing that no torpedo could be so effective at such long range, choosing to believe instead that IJN submarines were secretly getting close to their ships instead of torpedoes launched from more than 24 kilometers away.

[@BHuang92]

It was a very good fighter plane of the 1930s. Unfortunately, it was a 1930s fighter in a war of the 1940s.

[@soulknife20]

Yup. Then it met the Hellcat.

[@adambane1719]

They dominated the Pacific theater and decimated the Americans in the early 40's

[@augustosolari7721]

It was a good fighter for the fight it had to do. If the Zero was any heavier, it would have been unable to fly to Guadalcanal from Rabaul AND back. Imperfect fighter coverage Is better than no coverage at all.

[@clivevanzyl3287]

Very good history 👍

[@banerjeesiddharth05]

Very nice video 📹 👍 👌

[@lorenzoroman7952]

Show the F4U Corsair some love

[@ervinveshi9545]

More pacific war episode compilation

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.

[@RENEGADEJon19]

Until it's finally decided you've marinated in your arrogance long enough - then it moves swiftly and mercilessly

[@adambane1719]

@@RENEGADEJon19 You can't win a fair fight against unscrupulous people

[@jameshannagan4256]

@@adambane1719 It was never a fair fight to begin with, it was a foolish huge gamble that had little chance of success.

[@jameshannagan4256]

I always loved the Zero, it's truly a beautiful plane that dominated in the early war.

[@arc187]

What a coincidence, yesterday I started a game of civ 5 as Japan. One of two Japanese unique units is the zero! 😁

[@augustosolari7721]

Lack of armor and self sealing tanks was not uncommon at the time. The main issue of the zero is that its tiny frame and lack of power could not incorporate those additions later on. The main culprit was that the Japanese lacked the expertise in producing powerful engines for small planes. And when did come up with a good design, they lacked the alloys and resources.

[@wilfredogaringa3554]

Hi, you uploaded a great video. I wish to raise a small but significant issue and I hope you will provide the requested action. My request is to put metric units on ALL measurement units. 95% of the world are not as familiar with US units as US-based people. And I'll hazard a guess that majority of your viewers are from metric countries as well (that is to say not USA, Liberia (?) and Myanmar (?)). Again, good job as always, but please be consistent in providing metric units. Thanks!

[@Talosbug]

I’ve always thought of the zero as a scooter with machine guns strapped to its side lol

[@nomcognom2332]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="410">6:50</a> Mr Miyagi?

[@muhazreen]

What are song on background? Love it

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Like many surviving World War II Japanese aircraft, most surviving Zeros are made up of parts from multiple airframes. As a result, some are referred to by conflicting manufacturer serial numbers. Other planes, such as those recovered after decades in a wrecked condition, have been reconstructed to the extent that the majority of their structure is made up of modern parts.

[@krievondhahrknes4259]

WWIII?! Are you from the future?

[@willywonka4340]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="210">3:30</a> Taihoku = Taipei = Formosa Taiwan under Japanese rule during ww2

[@augustosolari7721]

All these nerds talking about what people already know. What is lacking is the basic notion that a plane is a tangible expression of the tactics and strategy of a nation. The zero was the perfect expression of Japans war philosophy: hit hard, fly far and fast. Its demise has more to do with the inadequacy of such philosophy rather than lack of self fueling tanks. If they added those, the zero would have had far less range, which was very important for the Japanese war effort.

[@AEsir2023]

The Hellcat was less maneuverable but not so much less maneuverable to where it mattered anymore.

[@don_5283]

Okay, what in the world is going on at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="480">8:00</a>? I think you'd be better off with a table of statistics than a graphic of representations that aren't in any but the loosest possible senses representative. I'd understand simplifying, but three "cylinders" that are cubic? Where did that come from? And is that a Kate at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="166">2:46</a>? It's definitely not a "single-seat open cockpit fighter," with that long, entirely enclosed greenhouse-style cockpit. Seriously, I'd like to know what happened here. This is stuff I consider properly basic, that anyone who knows the subject should immediately see is profoundly flawed, and therefore dangerous to distribute as fact to anyone who doesn't know the subject.

[@TheOsu22]

Shitty AI video making program. Sad that this channel has stooped to the level of using AI for videos.

[@krimzon7622]

The West: Hah! the Japanese could never build a good plane! Japan: *Bettu*

[@soulknife20]

And then the Zero got wrecked. Due to lack of good pilots and the US having better pilots

[@adambane1719]

@@soulknife20 You can't win a fair fight against unscrupulous people

[@jameshannagan4256]

@@adambane1719 You keep repeating the same thing like it's really deep or something. Why don't you elaborate on your profound statement so we can humiliate you.

[@augustosolari7721]

​@@soulknife20doesnt take away the fact that however bad the Japanese were, the western Powers were blinded by their arrogance AND racial prejudice at the start.

[@WestSideGorilla1980]

I thought the zero was designed by Hughes aircraft.

[@dennisud]

The ONLY Critique is the color of Navy personnel in the video. Navy was either White or Black, while Army was dull green.

[@kidpeligro7878]

Japanese sacrificed armor and firepower for speed and range. And for a time it worked. But it can only get you so far in a war of attrition against the US with her massive war production. Add to that Japans continued loss of her best pilots some veterans since the Sino-Japanese war. It was doomed to fail

[@janlindtner305]

👍👍👍

[@Algenro]

Next : Rise and fall of German uboat

[@phucvinh2883]

Yamamoto Isoroku would have ordered Japaneses to collect any Hellcat so that he could learn American technique to make deals with it, if he hadn’t been killed in 1943. But it barely change anything

[@batticusmanacleas510]

Bumpity bump bump

[@tayyabelpana]

I am still waiting for the ottoman empire documentary

[@guidor.4161]

Early war fighters of all nations in general usually lacked armo(u)r.

[@citynomad13]

'Open cockpit' ?!

[@thestanleys3657]

i doubt the zero being wrapped in tin foil helped much

[@classicforreal]

Shorts having a poor engagement to actual payout ratio eh?

[@EAGLE29-TIME]

Dr. William Draper in 'History of Intellectual Development of Europe' *"Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born in Mecca, in Arabia, the man who, of all men, has exercised the greatest influence upon the human race... To be the religious head of many empires, to guide the daily life of one-third of the human race, may perhaps justify the title of a Messenger of God."*

[@brucepoole8552]

The zero was built for airshows not the rigors of warfare

[@TheOsu22]

As a YT member for 16 months now, i feel the need to say I heavily disapprove of the AI used in this video. Please do not use AI. A channel like yours that has been known for its quality will only suffer through the use of these programs. Love the videos, love the channel, but if AI becomes a regularly occurring feature of your videos i wont hesitate to cancel my membership. AI shit isnt worth my money

[@ekmalsukarno2302]

Kings and Generals, can you please make a video on the Srivijaya Empire and another video on the Malacca Sultanate. Please accept my request.

[@augustosolari7721]

Again? This topic has already been covered to the death and all sources say more or less the same...

[@towgod7985]

Great video, the ROBOVOICE IS A COLOSSAL PAIN IN THE ASS! and ruins the video.

[@SvenElven]

His name is OfficiallyDevin and that's his real voice. He has Letsplay videos on his own channel where you can hear (and see) him speak in a more colloquial manner.

[@EAGLE29-TIME]

“Jews under medieval Islam never suffered from the same general negative perception as in the Christian West. Despite regional variations and high medieval political instability, in medieval Islam multicultural environments, combined with active engagement in sciences and literature, led to something of an Islamic golden age for the Jews, at least according to most historical accounts. It has been primarily in the context of recent political developments that the once assumed positive views of Jewish life under medieval Islam have been seriously questioned.” Professor Dean Phillip Bell, who is dean and professor of Jewish history at Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago Jews in the Early Modern World. New York, 2008, p. 25.

[@jameshannagan4256]

It's a shame they failed to evolve into something we could all be proud of and every theocracy on the planet is a hell-hole whose populous is trying to escape. Losing your most educated portion of your society isn't a great way to push things forward, maybe that's why all the Islamic countries aren't considered a good place to live.

[@adambane1719]

This plane outclassed American technology in the early 40's and dominated the Pacific theater.