The Japanese Mitsubishi A6M7 Navy Type Zero Carrier-Based Fighter, better known as Type Zero Fighter, or Rei-sen (Reisen), was a single-seat monoplane, long-range fighter that came to represent Japanese Imperial forces during World War II to most Americans.  It was the staple fighter plane of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and initially was able to out-fly American fighter planes at the time.  It was built in response to a 1937 IJN spec that called for a carrier-based fighter, which was fast, armed with cannon, as maneuverable as the Claude, had long range, and climbed quickly.  

At the time of Pearl Harbor there were only 420 Zeros active in the Pacific. The carrier borne Model 21 was the type encountered by the Americans, often much further from its carriers than expected, with a mission range of over 1600 miles. They were superior to all current Allied fighters in the Pacific and remained unchallenged until early 1943; although in competent hands, the Zero was deadly until the end of the war. Because of their reputation and ease of manufacture the Zero remained in production until the end, with over 11,000 of all types produced.  

This series contains materials used to restore the A6M7 Mitsubishi Type Zero fighter plane that was used in WWII.  Some materials include painting information, such as colors and decal placement, engine specifications, building manuals, guns and mounting, cockpit information, and correspondence between restorators and manufacturers. Much of the collection is in Japanese and documents the restoration. 

For more about this collection, see the Descriptive Finding Guide.

To see images of the Zero, browse our collections on Flickr.