What were the zeroes?

Answer 1

Japanese fighter planes. Also a slang term for "officers". Desiree--The Zeroes were Japanese fighter planes. Our US P47s--P52s and P38s engaged them in dog fights during the war in the Pacific. While I was involved in the Battle for Okinawa I witnessed many of these dog fights in the sky over the Island. Also when our U.S. fighter planes returned from escorting our U.S. Bombers over Japan anytime one of our fighter planes was credited with a Zero kill they were allowed to put their fighter plane through aerobatics over the Island before landing. This was really something to witness. == I think the first answer is accurate. There was one Japanese fighter aircraft that was designated the Zero; the Mitsubishi A6M2. The Zero got its name from its official designation, Navy Type Zero Carrier-Based Fighter (or Reisen), though the Allies code-named it "Zeke." However, the term was used generally to describe any Japanese fighter plane as many of their aircraft looked very similiar. (I'm not sure about the officer part of the answer.) http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=471 == The zero (Zero) was one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Japanese Navy in the first half of the war. They seriously outmaneuvered every other aircraft at the time. Only at the end of 1942 and from 1943 that the US managed to counter the Zero with F4U Corsairs, F6F Hellcats, etc.