Mitsubishi J2M Raiden, foreign users

 

The Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Japanese word for 'Lightning Bolt') was a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the World War II. Although there were not any official foreign users, some captured exemplars were used by:

• United Kingdom: Two Raidens, originally belonging to the 381st Kokutai, were captured at the end of the war. They were evaluated at RAF Tebrau airbase, in Malaysia, with officer from RAF Seletar, in Singapore shortly after the war, in 1946. Their ultimate fate is unknown.
• United States of America: At least one J2M3 was captured by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) during the latest stages of the war. It was par of the 301st Kokutai and was assigned to the aerial defense of Manila, capital city of the Philippines. It had previously belong to the 381st Kokutai as it was found to have its original codes overpainted, however other reports claim it didn't have any code when it was captured.
  Anyway, it was found in February 1945 at Dewey Boulevard, in Manila, which was used as an ad-hoc air strip. The Raiden was taken to Clark Field, an air base close to Manila, for testing with the TAIU-SWPA (Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South West Pacific) where it was assigned the code S-12, was stripped of any paint and received US markings with pre-war tail stripes. It was only tested twice, for a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes of duration, before an oil pipe failed, causing the engine to seize up. It was later destroyed on the ground when a B-25 Mitchell collided with it when landing.
  Another Raiden, belonging originally to the 302nd Kokutai, was captured after Japan's surrender, at Atsugi airfield. It was sent to the United States for performance tests It was later acquired by Frank Wiggins Trade School, in Los Angeles, to be used as an instructional airframe. By 1952 it was being used as a park attraction at Travel Town in Griffith Park. It was later donated to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, where it's on static display nowadays.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_J2M

2. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/Category:Mitsubishi_J2M

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_Air_Intelligence_Unit

4. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/ATAIU-SEA

5. https://planesoffame.org/aircraft/plane-J2M3

6. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/C/n_3008

For more profile drawings of captured Japanese planes:
http://www.risingdecals.com/DyingSun/DyingSun_A.htm