Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21, 4340
History
Aircraft serial number 4340 was part of a group of 12 late-model Zeros captured on Saipan Island in April 1944 after the U.S. Army 27th Infantry Division secured the airfield. These aircraft were sent to the United States for evaluation at Wright Field, Ohio, and later at Eglin Field, Florida. In Allied custody, the aircraft was stripped of all markings and colors. The only remaining clue to its original identity is the manufacturer's serial number 4340, etched and painted on major components.
Between August 1974 and July 1975, the aircraft was restored by museum technicians to prepare it for display in the new National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall. During restoration, several Japanese messages were discovered scribed inside the metal skin of the aft fuselage, reflecting the sentiments of the time. The aircraft was restored to represent a unit from the 261st Naval Air Corps, known as the "Tiger Corps," which participated in some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
As of now, the A6M5 Model 52 is not on public display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.