Battleship Mutsu launching a Nakajima E8N / Dave reconnaissance seaplane attacked on Chinese artillery batteries and shipping centers at Pudong , Shanghai ... August 22 , 1937
On February 14, 1938, the E8N piloted by Iwaki Kunihiro was damaged during a fight against a Chinese Gloster Gladiator. His main float punctured, his gunner killed, himself wounded by a bullet in the leg, Iwaki manages to return and land as best he can alongside his ship, the seaplane carrier Notoro. The plane, in which no less than 138 bullet holes are counted, is declared lost. The wreckage of his plane will be displayed in front of the Tokyo Navy Museum, riddled with wooden strips showing the impact of the projectiles. This series of five photos retraces this episode of the Sino-Japanese war.