GI Joe Brunette Navy Gunner With Twin Mount Anti-Aircraft Gun White Helmet NRFB

The Kamikaze Hunter

In 1945, during the final stages of World War II, the American Fifth Fleet traveled 7,000 miles across the Pacific, carrying over half a million troops and hundreds of planes. The armada stretched over 50 miles; it was the greatest naval armada ever assembled and heading for the strategic outpost of Okinawa, the last island before Japan. In response, Japan unleashed a horrifying weapon - the kamikaze. These pilots flew planes with no landing gear and no fuel for a return journey. They were literally human-manned missiles. Hundreds of kamikaze were loaded with explosives and deployed at once on a mission to strike any Allied ship they could target.

Luckily, many American ships were equipped with a special weapon perfectly suited to battle the dreadful kamikaze threat - the Twin 40's. This 40mm mounted gun became the standard anti-aircraft weapon for its accuracy from long range and effectiveness in the intensely stressful short ranges. Loaded by ammunition clips, the Twin 40's fired over 100 rounds per minute (about as fast as the gun crews could load them) with an effective range of about two miles. They were one of a ship's last lines of defense against kamikaze. Often the Twin 40's were mounted as a dual unit, thereby doubling its firing capacity. A dual mount required a minimum gun crew of seven men: gun captain, pointer, trainer, two first loaders and two second loaders. The twin mount needed only one first loader and a single second loader, thereby requiring a minimum of five men. Ammunition was assembled into clips which held four rounds each. To fire the gun, the second loader would pass to the first loader. The first loader would load the clips into a loader assemblies. The gun captain then received firing orders and transmitted them to the pointer. The gun could then be fired from auto mode, where rounds were fed into the gun and automatically fired as long as the ammo supply lasted, or from single mode which fired one round at a time.

The Japanese carried out some 2,000 kamikaze attacks during the battle for Okinawa, resulting in numerous crippled or damaged vessels. The U.S. Navy succeeded in destroying 763 planes - many of which were eliminated by the twin and dual mount 40's, saving thousands of American lives and helping to speed the final stages of World War II.

GI Joe American Hero! - Equipment List: Twin 40 anti-aircraft gun, Two 40mm cartridges, Navy gunner figure, Life vest, Helmet, Pants, Boots, Dog tags - Limited Edition - Perfect for any G.I. Joe or history fan! - Ages 5 and Up

The box has some wear, creasing and scuffing. Some accessories have come loose in the box.