{"id":32434867,"date":"2026-11-12T10:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T09:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mitsubishi-g4m-betty-japanese-navy-bomber-flying-lighter\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T10:40:49","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T09:40:49","slug":"mitsubishi-g4m-betty-japanese-navy-bomber-flying-lighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mitsubishi-g4m-betty-japanese-navy-bomber-flying-lighter\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitsubishi G4M Betty: Japan&rsquo;s Long-Range &ldquo;Flying Lighter&rdquo;"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The day before, he had helped sink the British battlecruiser HMS <em>Repulse<\/em> there. Now he dropped a wreath into the water, a mark of respect for the men of both sides who had died below.<\/p>\n\n<p>Iki flew a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/g4m-betty\/\">Mitsubishi G4M<\/a>, the twin-engined bomber the Allies would call &ldquo;Betty&rdquo;. It could fly farther than almost any bomber of its day, and in the opening months of the Pacific War it struck from the Philippines to northern Australia. It also burned so easily that its own enemies gave it a nickname that stuck: the &ldquo;flying lighter&rdquo;.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Type:<\/strong> Twin-engined land-based attack bomber, Imperial Japanese Navy<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Official name:<\/strong> Navy Type 1 Attack Bomber; Allied codename &ldquo;Betty&rdquo;<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 23 October 1939<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Crew:<\/strong> Seven<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Strength:<\/strong> Exceptional range, bought by leaving out armour and self-sealing fuel tanks<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Famous for:<\/strong> Sinking <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> and <em>Repulse<\/em> on 10 December 1941, together with G3M &ldquo;Nell&rdquo; bombers<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Yamamoto:<\/strong> Killed aboard a G4M1 shot down by P-38s on 18 April 1943<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Surrender flight:<\/strong> A G4M1 and a G6M1-L2 transport, painted white with green crosses, flew Japan&rsquo;s envoys to Ie Shima on 19 August 1945<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> Some 2,400, including derivatives<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Range above everything<\/h2>\n\n<p>The Imperial Japanese Navy ordered the G4M in 1937, while its predecessor, the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/g3m-nell\/\">Mitsubishi G3M<\/a>, was still new in service over China. The requirement was startling for the time: a land-based, twin-engined attack bomber able to carry a heavy torpedo or the same weight of bombs across thousands of kilometres of ocean.<\/p>\n\n<p>A Mitsubishi team led by Kiro Honjo met it by saving weight wherever they could. The wings became giant fuel tanks, and there was no armour plate for the crew and no self-sealing protection for the fuel. The prototype first flew on 23 October 1939, after being hauled from the Nagoya factory to Kagamigahara airfield in ox-drawn carts. Navy crews nicknamed the cigar-shaped bomber <em>Hamaki<\/em>, &ldquo;cigar&rdquo;.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mitsubishi-g4m-betty-bombers-formation-flight.jpg\" alt=\"Two Japanese Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers in flight, photographed from another aircraft\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Mitsubishi G4M bombers in flight, from a Japanese photograph captured in the Mariana Islands. The long, rounded fuselage earned the type the navy nickname <em>Hamaki<\/em>, &ldquo;cigar&rdquo;. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_G4M_bombers_in_flight.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>For a while, the trade-off worked. Against weak fighter opposition, the Betty&rsquo;s speed and range let it appear from unexpected directions and leave again before defenders could react. On 8 December 1941, G4Ms bombed Clark Field in the Philippines. Two days later came their most famous mission.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Force Z: a victory shared with the Nell<\/h2>\n\n<p>On 10 December 1941, British Force Z, built around the new battleship HMS <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> and the battlecruiser HMS <em>Repulse<\/em>, was caught off Kuantan without fighter cover. The attackers were land-based bombers of the Japanese 22nd Air Flotilla flying from Indochina, and it is worth being precise about who did what, because the Betty did not do it alone.<\/p>\n\n<p>The Mihoro and Genzan air groups flew the older G3M &ldquo;Nell&rdquo;, some 60 of them, carrying bombs and torpedoes. It was a Genzan Nell&rsquo;s torpedo that struck <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> near her port propeller shaft, a single hit that crippled her. Then, at around 12:20, 26 G4Ms of the Kanoya Air Group arrived with torpedoes. They put three more into the battleship&rsquo;s starboard side and caught <em>Repulse<\/em> in a pincer attack from both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jHRczXaU0YI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The Pritzker Military Museum &amp; Library on the sinking of HMS <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> and HMS <em>Repulse<\/em> by Japanese land-based bombers.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Repulse<\/em> rolled over and sank at 12:33. <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> followed at 13:18. In all, 840 British sailors died, among them Admiral Sir Tom Phillips. The Japanese lost three aircraft in the attack itself, one Nell and two Bettys. It was the first time capital ships fighting back on the open sea had been sunk by aircraft alone.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;In all the war I never received a more direct shock. Over all this vast expanse of waters Japan was supreme, and we everywhere were weak and naked.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Winston Churchill<\/strong> &mdash; British Prime Minister, on hearing the news, in his war memoirs<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Ten RAAF Brewster Buffalo fighters of No. 453 Squadron, assigned to cover the fleet, arrived just as <em>Prince of Wales<\/em> went down. One of their pilots, Flight Lieutenant Tim Vigors, flew over the survivors in the water and never forgot what he saw.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;I had seen many men in dire danger waving, cheering, and joking as if they were holiday-makers at Brighton waving at a low-flying aircraft. It shook me, for here was something above human nature.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Flight Lieutenant Tim Vigors<\/strong> &mdash; No. 453 Squadron RAAF, after flying over the survivors, December 1941<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why they called it the flying lighter<\/h2>\n\n<p>Iki&rsquo;s wreath came at the very top of the Betty&rsquo;s fortunes. Once it met organised fighter defences, the price of all that range became clear. A few bullets into the unprotected wing tanks could turn a G4M into a torch, and Allied pilots called it the &ldquo;flying lighter&rdquo;, the &ldquo;one-shot lighter&rdquo; and the &ldquo;flying Zippo&rdquo;.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mitsubishi-g4m-betty-shot-down-burning-1944.jpg\" alt=\"A Japanese G4M Betty bomber bursting into flames after being hit by a US Navy patrol bomber, seen through the attacking aircraft&rsquo;s window\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A G4M bursts into flames after being hit by a US Navy PB2Y Coronado patrol bomber in the Central Pacific, in a photograph released in May 1944. Unprotected wing tanks made the type notoriously flammable. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_G4M_is_shot_down_in_May_1944.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>From August 1942, over Guadalcanal and the Solomons, Betty units suffered crippling losses to American fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Mitsubishi kept adding protection: rubber sheets under the wing tanks, then a tail-gun position with armour, then the G4M2 with more powerful engines. Only the late G4M3 finally received proper self-sealing tanks and crew armour, and it arrived too late to matter.<\/p>\n\n<p>The Betty could still be dangerous. Its 20 mm tail cannon was heavier than most bombers carried, and an aircraft that did not catch fire could absorb a surprising amount of damage. But for crews of seven, flying into a defended fleet in a G4M became one of the most hazardous jobs in the Japanese Navy.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The admiral&rsquo;s last flight<\/h2>\n\n<p>The best-known single Betty is one that never reached its destination. On 18 April 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, was flying on an inspection tour over Bougainville aboard a G4M1 when American <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/p-38-lightning\/\">P-38 Lightnings<\/a> intercepted the formation. Both Bettys carrying Yamamoto and his staff were shot down, and Yamamoto was killed. The full story of that interception is told in our post on <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-vengeance-16-p-38s-400-miles-one-admiral\/\">Operation Vengeance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>By 1945, the Betty had been given a grim final role. Modified G4M2s carried the <em>Ohka<\/em>, a rocket-powered piloted suicide bomb, slung under the fuselage. The heavy, slow mother ships were easy prey for American fighters long before they could release their weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/japanese-surrender-envoys-betty-landing-ie-shima-1945.jpg\" alt=\"American servicemen watch a white Japanese Betty carrying surrender envoys land at Ie Shima airfield, 19 August 1945\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">American servicemen watch one of the two white-painted delegation aircraft land at Ie Shima on 19 August 1945, viewed from under the wing of a waiting US transport. US Navy photo 80-G-490352. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_G4M_%E2%80%9CBetty%E2%80%9D_landing_at_Ie_Shima.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">White bombers with green crosses<\/h2>\n\n<p>There was one last Betty mission, and it was nothing like the others. After Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945, General Douglas MacArthur ordered a Japanese delegation to fly to Manila to arrange the formal surrender. Lieutenant General Torashir&#333; Kawabe was sent in place of the Army Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n\n<p>On 19 August, two disarmed aircraft of the Betty family took off from Kisarazu: a G4M1 bomber and a G6M1-L2, a transport version of the same design. Both were painted all white with green crosses in place of the red roundels, and the Americans gave them the call signs &ldquo;Bataan 1&rdquo; and &ldquo;Bataan 2&rdquo;. American B-25s and P-38s escorted them to the island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nQsW7XDPXzo\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Original colour footage of the Japanese peace envoys arriving at Ie Shima aboard their white-painted Betty bombers on 19 August 1945.<\/p>\n\n<p>At Ie Shima the envoys climbed out, walked across the coral runway and boarded an American <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/c-54-skymaster\/\">C-54<\/a> for the onward flight to Manila. The bomber that had helped open the Pacific War had carried the first Japanese delegates toward its end.<\/p>\n\n<p>Some 2,400 Bettys and their derivatives were built, yet no complete G4M survives in restored condition. An unrestored G4M1 recovered from Indonesia is displayed at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, and the Smithsonian holds the forward fuselage of a G4M3. For the rest, wrecks still lie across the Pacific, from Bougainville, where Yamamoto&rsquo;s aircraft fell, to the islands where Betty crews fought and died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: International Churchill Society (Finest Hour), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Pacific Wrecks, NavWeaps, HistoryOfWar.org, Historic Wings, Ren&eacute; Francillon, Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War (Putnam)<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_G4M_in_surrender_markings.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charles M. Daniels \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Why was the Mitsubishi G4M called the flying lighter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Mitsubishi G4M Betty was built for extreme range, so its designers left out armour and self-sealing fuel tanks to save weight. Its wings were essentially large unprotected fuel tanks, and a few hits could set the bomber on fire. Allied pilots nicknamed it the flying lighter, the one-shot lighter and the flying Zippo.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did G4M Betty bombers sink Prince of Wales and Repulse?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, together with older G3M Nell bombers. On 10 December 1941 some 60 G3Ms of the Mihoro and Genzan air groups and 26 G4Ms of the Kanoya Air Group attacked Force Z. A Nell torpedo crippled Prince of Wales, and the Kanoya Bettys added three more torpedo hits on her and caught Repulse in a pincer attack.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was Admiral Yamamoto killed in a G4M Betty?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. On 18 April 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was flying over Bougainville aboard a G4M1 when US Army Air Forces P-38 Lightnings intercepted his formation. Both Bettys carrying Yamamoto and his staff were shot down, and Yamamoto was killed. The mission is known as Operation Vengeance.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which aircraft flew the Japanese surrender delegation to Ie Shima?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 19 August 1945, two disarmed aircraft of the Betty family, a G4M1 bomber and a G6M1-L2 transport, flew Japanese envoys led by Lieutenant General Torashiro Kawabe from Kisarazu to Ie Shima. Both were painted white with green crosses and used the call signs Bataan 1 and Bataan 2.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many crew did the Mitsubishi G4M Betty have?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Mitsubishi G4M Betty normally carried a crew of seven, including two pilots, a navigator-bombardier, a radio operator and gunners in the nose, waist, dorsal and tail positions. Its tail position carried a 20 mm cannon, heavier than the tail armament of most bombers of the time.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Does any Mitsubishi G4M Betty survive today?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No complete restored G4M Betty survives. An unrestored G4M1 recovered from Indonesia in 1991 is displayed at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum holds the forward fuselage of a G4M3. Other wrecks remain on Pacific islands.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the Mitsubishi G4M called the flying lighter?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Mitsubishi G4M Betty was built for extreme range, so its designers left out armour and self-sealing fuel tanks to save weight. Its wings were essentially large unprotected fuel tanks, and a few hits could set the bomber on fire. Allied pilots nicknamed it the flying lighter, the one-shot lighter and the flying Zippo.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did G4M Betty bombers sink Prince of Wales and Repulse?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, together with older G3M Nell bombers. On 10 December 1941 some 60 G3Ms of the Mihoro and Genzan air groups and 26 G4Ms of the Kanoya Air Group attacked Force Z. A Nell torpedo crippled Prince of Wales, and the Kanoya Bettys added three more torpedo hits on her and caught Repulse in a pincer attack.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was Admiral Yamamoto killed in a G4M Betty?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. On 18 April 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was flying over Bougainville aboard a G4M1 when US Army Air Forces P-38 Lightnings intercepted his formation. Both Bettys carrying Yamamoto and his staff were shot down, and Yamamoto was killed. The mission is known as Operation Vengeance.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which aircraft flew the Japanese surrender delegation to Ie Shima?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 19 August 1945, two disarmed aircraft of the Betty family, a G4M1 bomber and a G6M1-L2 transport, flew Japanese envoys led by Lieutenant General Torashiro Kawabe from Kisarazu to Ie Shima. Both were painted white with green crosses and used the call signs Bataan 1 and Bataan 2.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many crew did the Mitsubishi G4M Betty have?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Mitsubishi G4M Betty normally carried a crew of seven, including two pilots, a navigator-bombardier, a radio operator and gunners in the nose, waist, dorsal and tail positions. Its tail position carried a 20 mm cannon, heavier than the tail armament of most bombers of the time.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Does any Mitsubishi G4M Betty survive today?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No complete restored G4M Betty survives. An unrestored G4M1 recovered from Indonesia in 1991 is displayed at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum holds the forward fuselage of a G4M3. Other wrecks remain on Pacific islands.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-vengeance-16-p-38s-400-miles-one-admiral\/\">Operation Vengeance: 16 P-38s, 400 Miles, One Admiral<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kugisho-yokosuka-mxy7-ohka-rocket-kamikaze-baka\/\">The Ohka: Japan&rsquo;s Rocket-Powered Kamikaze<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-dreadnought-1906-battleship-revolution-air-power\/\">HMS Dreadnought: The Battleship Revolution That Aircraft Ended<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mitsubishi-ki-67-hiryu-peggy-flying-dragon-army-bomber\/\">Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu: The Flying Dragon That Arrived Too Late<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mitsubishi G4M Betty helped sink Prince of Wales and Repulse, carried Yamamoto to his death and flew Japan&rsquo;s surrender envoys to Ie Shima, all while earning the nickname &ldquo;flying lighter&rdquo;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":32434736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32434867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mitsubishi G4M Betty: Japan&#039;s Flying Lighter | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mitsubishi G4M Betty: the long-range navy 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