Direction indicator plate from Zero : Pilot Officer Katsuro Nagatomo, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force

Pressed aluminium plate with stamped detail, consisting of a directional arrow pointing to the left, followed by the word 'Open' in Japanese characters. The arrow and the characters have been left in plain aluminium while the remaining surfaces have been painted black, most of which has rubbed off. A 3 mm hole has been provided at each end for mounting.

Stated by the donor to be taken from the 'first Jap Zero plane shot down in the New Guinea area'. The first Zero to be shot down was that of Pilot Officer First Class Katsuro Nagatomo of the Rabaul based 4th Air Group Fighter Squadron which strafed and sunk four Catalinas of 11 and 20 Squadrons RAAF as they were being prepared for a mission to Rabaul on 28 February 1942. The attack killed 27601 Leading Aircraftman Roderick 'George' Nancarrow, whose body has never been found.

Nagatomo was brought down over Bootless Inlet by members of C Company, 39 Battalion who were manning a group of Lewis guns on the headland, commanded by Lieutenant Noel Hall, who relates that a short burst fired at the last Zero 'penetrated the aircraft, hit its radio, fractured the fuel tank, shot the pilot through the calf of the leg and disabled the aircraft because it banked to the left, then to the right, then climbed very steeply and began to smoke. ... The pilot bailed out and the plane crashed into Bootless Bay. The other Zeros flew past to see what had happened and, apparently thinking that the aircraft had developed some mechanical fault, went on their way without any retaliatory action.'

The aircraft was recovered and assessed while Nagatomo was rescued in a badly burned state, taken to the Port Moresby hospital and later flown to Base Hospital, Laverton, where he made a good recovery. After assisting Intelligence with language matters at the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre until mid 1943, Nagatomo insisted on being treated like all other prisoners and was transferred to Cowra POW camp, where he was among those instrumental in planning and inciting the mass breakout. He was shot in the escape, died of his wounds and is buried at Cowra.