Translation of:
Famous Airplanes Of the World No. 38
TYPE 100 COMMAND RECONNAISSANCE PLANE
Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah"



Page 2

  • Aircraft #1: Type 100 Model II. 8th Sentai, 1st Chutai 1943 Burma
  • Aircraft #2: Type 100 Model III. 15th Sentai, 3rd Chutai November 1944 Osaka, Taisho airport
  • Aircraft #3: Type 100 Model III. Otsu 28th Sentai, 2nd Chutai December 1944 Chiba, Togane airport Pilot's name:? Observer's name:?
  • Aircraft #4: Type 100 Model II. 16th Dokuritsu Chutai Summer 1944 Osaka, Aihara (?*) airport

Page 3

  • Aircraft #1: Type 100 Model II 17th Dokuritsu Chutai (second formation) Tokyo, Chofu airport
  • Aircraft #2: Type 100 Model II airborder #29445, 18th Dokuritsu Chutai, October 1944 China. Pilot's name:? Observer's name: ?
  • Aircraft #3: Type 100 Model III 18th Dokuritsu Chutai June 1943 China/ Hankow
  • Aircraft #4: Type 100 Model III airborder #54725 74th Dokuritsu Chutai July 11 1945 Sumatra island Gutarasha 2nd airfield Pilot's name: Fukui Torao (?**) Observer's name: Chibatake Taro

Page 4

  • Aircraft # 1: Type 100 Model III 82nd Dokuritsu Chutai April 1945 Okinawa scouting force
  • Aircraft # 2: Type 100 Model II 19th Dokuritsu Chutai 1944 Yamagutsi perfecture, Otsuki airport
  • Aircraft # 3: Type 100 Model II 6th Rensei Hikotai October 1944 China, Jining (former: Pingdiquan. In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region)
  • Aircraft # 4: Type 100 Model II 10th Kyoiku Hikojo 1944 Summer. Gifu perfecture, Kagamigahara airfield

Page 5

  • Aircraft # 1: Type 100 Model II 115th Kyoiku Hiko Rentai 1943 China
  • Aircraft # 2: Type 100 Model I Simosizu Maintenance School 1942 Chiba perfecture, Yachimata airport
  • Aircraft # 3: Type 100 Model II Former 10th Sentai, Rabaul Remaining forces September 13 1945 Rabaul East airfield.
  • Aircraft # 4: English markings (ATAIU - SEA) February 1946 Singapore

Page 6

Cosford base restored type 100 Shitei Model III. After the end of the war, in the Malay Peninsula, this Dinah was delivered to the RAF, carried to England with a cargo ship and undertook a careful investigation. After the investigation, it was safe kept in display at Biggin Hill, Saint Asan base. In the 1980s it was transferred to Cosford base and because of the bad condition of the fuselage, it was stored in an old warehouse. In April 1992, 60.000 pounds were appropriated for the restoration of the aircraft (half of the above sum was offered by Mitsubishi Jukogyo) which is the only example in the world of this type with the elegant lines. In this article, there are detail photos taken before and during the progress of the restoration. In the title photo, we see the aircraft undertaking restoration in the 2nd of October of 1992. The color applied by the British after the war has been erased and the skin plates have been carefully restored. On the left, we can see the two HA 112-II engines.
Lower: These five photos taken on 02. November 1990, show the condition of the plane at that time. In the old semi cylindrical warehouse of the war era, the plane was stored in parts. We can understand the shape of the wings attaching to the fuselage, the nacelles and the tail. Tail markings originally belonged to the 1 field replenishment Hikotai but the British applied a different, not original marking.

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Top Left: July 1979 photo of the cockpit at the Saint Asan base. Although instrument parts are removed and the interior is repainted, it is kept in quite its original condition. The part with the "8" shape, is the pilot's control stick. The part above the instrument panel with the "horse feet" shape was carrying the compass. The hole, below this, was carrying the bank indicator.
Top right: 02. October 1992. Cockpit under restoration. The missing parts of the instrument panel, are put to place. The lever to the left is the propeller pitch, engine adjustment. The interior color, compared with the Saint Asan, is repainted brighter. Lower Left: Back of cockpit under restoration. The absense of bulletproof board behind the pilot's headrest, enables us to see the piping at the bottom of the rear gas tank. This rear gas tank seriously hampered inter communication in the plane and that was one of the drawbacks of the design.
Lower Right: In front of the fuselage, lies under repair condition, one HA 112-II air-cooled 14 cylinder engine (1.500 hp). Although if properly restored the engine could work, under the program, only the outside of the engine was restored.

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Top Left: Photo taken from the rear pilot's seat slightly from bottom to top, facing front. On the partition, there is the piping of the gas tank. The fuselage border is installed and only an anti-rust paint is applied.
Top Right: Photo taken from rear seat, facing rear. Although the hole behind the co-pilot's seat is intended for the 7.7mm machine gun, the type III did not carry it. Both photos were taken in July 1979.
Middle Left: Right side of rear seat under restoration. The board to the left and up, is the electric switchboard. Originally, to the left, there were two aerial cameras.
Middle Right: Fuselage area of rear cockpit, under restoration. The slide canopy is open. The masked part, lower of the canopy, is a window.
Lower Left: Tail wing areas, without skin, under restoration. After the cockpit area, the rear areas of the fuselage were the most eroded, not only the skin but the border also.

Note: * We were unable to find any information regarding an airfield named "Aihara" in Osaka. Maybe the name is not pronounced like this. Still searching.
** There are various ways to pronounce Japanese names. Whenever we are not sure, we give a possible pronunciation followed by a question mark. Whenever we don't have any ideas we leave it blank.
TRANSLATION: Domoto-Eleftheriou Kiri & Eleftheriou George