Zeros in Blood Red Skies part 3 - Swansong - the A6M5

A6M5

The last version of the Zero to see widespread service is also the first one to be released officially in Blood Red Skies, the A6M5. As the Allies came to know the early Zero and developed tactics to take advantage of it’s weaknesses the Zero lost most of the aura of invincibility. Japanese designers tried to counter this by squeezing as much out of the design as they could, and at the same time trying to improve on the now apparent problems of speed, durability and protection. They also managed to put right some of the issues with the A6M3 Mod 32. Unfortunately, there was a limit to what they could achieve within the tight restrictions of the original design, and so even though they redesigned the wings, added some armour and protection, better guns and more powerful engines, there was simply not enough flexibility in the original design to work with. The A6M5 was marginally faster and marginally better protected than previous models, and was widely thought of as the best version of the Zero, but against the new generation of F4U Corsairs and F6F Hellcats it was no longer king of the hill. This coincided with a drop off in pilot quality as the war progressed and casualties on experienced aircrew mounted. 

The Zero was always an easy plane to fly, and for this reason it was often the preferred choice of aircraft for Kamikaze attacks because it needed less pilot training. As a result many A6M5s were expended as the war neared its end in desperate suicide attacks against Allied shipping.

A6-M5 Zero

1943

7 (354mph)

3

2

Tight turn -Vulnerable -

33 points

In BRS our A6M5 is still a challenge to engage, but it is now noticeably slower than most historical opponents. In fact this is the most manoeuvrable of the Zeros in BRS because it has a full hand of Tight Turn cards available. I'm not 100% sure why Deep Pockets didn't make a return, but by the time the A6M5 was reaching the front the circumstances had changed and the Japanese were on the defensive, so long range was no longer essential. Unfortunately the general trend for heavier firepower in allied planes is now really making the Vulnerable Trait more pronounced, and the A6M5 will regularly be running into FP 2 & 3 fighters, some of which have Heavy Hitter, which will be an absolute nightmare.  In the hands of a good pilot it can certainly hold its own, particularly against enemies who want to stay in close turning fights, but if they use their speed and other advantages the Zero will struggle as it did in real life. 

So that’s the Zero. When first encountered it was a shock to the Allies from which it looked like they may never recover. However, improvements in tactics started to offset that initial shock, and the limitations of the design meant ongoing improvements were difficult and it could not keep up with newer enemy designs. To the end a well flown Zero was a dangerous opponent, particularly if you tried to out turn it, but by 1944 it was clear that the days of Zero supremacy were long gone. In some ways it bucks the trend in BRS because it does manage to keep high Agility through each step in development, however the price for that is a poor overall top speed in comparison to competitors.

Any comments gratefully received.

If you like this sort of thing why not hit the "follow" button up there on the right?