Author: Hiroshi Ishii
Ishii, Hiroshi, 2023 Archaeology and Anthropology of World War II Japanese Aircraft in Australia: The Case Study of Hajime Toyoshima’s Zero, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and Army carried out a series of air raids in northern Australia. The Bombing of Darwin by the IJN on 19 February 1942 was the largest foreign attack in mainland Australia since the colonisation of Australia by the British Empire. One of the IJN Zero fighters flown by a petty officer, Hajime Toyoshima, was force-landed on Melville Island, north of Darwin. Later, he was captured by an Indigenous man, Matthias Ulungura, and became the first Japanese prisoner of war on Australian soil. This study examines historical records and remains of Toyoshima’s Zero and related materials currently displayed in several museums around Darwin to answer the research question of why and how the utilisation of the wreckage of Toyoshima’s Zero and related materials has changed over time. Close examination with photogrammetry recording of the wreckage shows characteristics of the early model of Mitsubishi M6A2b Model 21 Type 0 carrier fighter, as well as evidence for utilisation of this wreckage. Further, examinations of related materials indicate debatable authenticities. This study focuses on human interactions between Australians, which includes the Indigenous people, and the IJN technology.
Keywords: World War II, Japan, Australia, aviation, archaeology, anthropology, modern conflict, battlefield.
Subject: Archaeology thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2023
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Wendy Van Duivenvoorde