In World War II, Japanese zeroes were legendary for their role in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

During the second World War, they became the tool for kamikaze suicidal pilots and became even more infamous.

Watch the video of the historic WW2 Plane below!

[rumble video_id=v5vmtk domain_id=u7nb2]

Video credit: Rumble

The history of Japanese zeroes which is fascinating recently came to light. In 2004, a villager named William Nui was free-diving for sea cucumbers to feed his family when he found the wreck of this plane. 

At first, he thought that it was the wreck of a small passenger plane that had been lost many days before following taking off from Hoskins Airport in Papua New Guinea. But when he dove again to know more about it he discovered that it was a much older wreck. 

Nui informed the local authorities and a man named Max Benjamin also got to know about the news. Max who runs the Walindi resort and dive operation dove on the wreck to investigate the mysterious discovery and learn more about it.

The plane was in remarkable condition and Max found no sign of combat damage or bullet holes. It indicates that the pilot was not shot down. The condition suggested the plane was running out of fuel that made the pilot a controlled water landing, apparently after becoming lost.

Max discovered the plane had taken off from West New Britain on December 26th 1944, flown by Tomiharu Honda. According to records, such emergency landings after running out of fuel were not unusual in the Pacific during WWII.

The wreckage of the plane revealed the story of what happened to the pilot that day but what happened to him afterwards is still a mystery. Local villagers stories suggest that honda was helped to the village of Talasea.  Nobody knows where Honda has gone and what happened to him after the landing.

 

[rumble video_id=vg6pa domain_id=u7nb2]