The H8K was a larger successor to the Mavis, with a range approaching 3,862 nautical miles. Radar capability, a bomb or depth-charge load of about 4,400 pounds, five 20 mm cannon, and five 7.7 mm machine guns made it a heavily equipped maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The 4 March 1942 second raid on Pearl Harbor sent only two H8Ks against fighter opposition. Sending so few large aircraft into defended airspace made the operational logic doubtful. Heavy defensive armament could not remove their vulnerability to fighters, and the tiny force limited what the attack could achieve.
Notable Point · 19:44-22:20
H8K Emily's long-range gamble
Japan's H8K Emily combined a 3,862-nautical-mile range, reconnaissance equipment, and strong defensive firepower, but its use on a second Pearl Harbor raid exposed the risks of the mission.