title: Peter Kürten

text: Kürten did not lodge an appeal of his conviction, although he submitted a petition for pardon to the Minister of Justice, who was a known opponent to capital punishment. The petition was formally rejected on 1 July. Kürten remained composed upon receipt of this news, and asked for permission to see his confessor, to write letters of apology to the relatives of his victims, and a final farewell letter to his wife. All of these requests were granted.


title: Peter Kürten

text: On the evening of 1 July 1931, Kürten received his last meal. He ordered Wiener schnitzel, a bottle of white wine, and fried potatoes. Kürten ate the entire meal before requesting a second helping. Prison staff decided to grant his request.


title: Peter Kürten

text: At 6 o'clock on the morning of 2 July, Kürten was beheaded via guillotine in the grounds of Klingelputz Prison, Cologne. His executioner was Carl Gröpler. He walked unassisted to the guillotine, flanked by the prison psychiatrist and a priest.


title: Peter Kürten

text: Shortly before his head was placed on the guillotine, Kürten turned to the psychiatrist and asked the question: "Tell me... after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures." When asked whether he had any last words to say, Kürten simply smiled and replied, "No."


title: Peter Kürten

text: Following Kürten's 1931 execution, his head was bisected and mummified; the brain was removed and subjected to forensic analysis in an attempt to explain his personality and behaviour. The examinations of Kürten's brain revealed no abnormalities. The autopsy conducted upon Kürten's body revealed that, aside from his having an enlarged thymus gland, Kürten had not been suffering any physical abnormality.


title: Peter Kürten

text: The interviews Kürten granted to Dr. Karl Berg in 1930 and 1931 proved to be the first psychological study conducted upon a sexual serial killer. These interviews also formed the basis of Berg's book, "The Sadist."


title: Peter Kürten

text: Shortly after the Second World War, Kürten's head was transported to the United States. It is currently on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.


title: Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor

text: Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR) or Mumbai–Ahmedabad HSR is an under-construction high-speed rail line connecting India's economic hub Mumbai with the city of Ahmedabad. When completed, it will be India's first high-speed rail line.


text: Construction was expected to begin by April 2020, and the project was expected to be completed by December 2023. Due to delays acquiring land in Maharashtra, a completion date for the whole corridor is uncertain, though the 352 km stretch through Gujarat may open in 2027. A stretch of , from Surat to Bilimora, is expected to be completed by 2026.


text: The Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, along with five other high-speed rail corridors, was introduced for a feasibility study in the 2009–2010 Rail Budget. A long high-speed rail corridor was proposed to run from to via Mumbai. The point at which this route would touch Mumbai was to be decided when the feasibility report was prepared. The pre-feasibility study for the Ahmedabad–Mumbai–Pune corridor was completed by a consortium of RITES, Italferr and Systra. The top speed expected for the corridor was set up to . The proposed stations included Lonavala on Mumbai–Pune section and Surat, Bharuch and Vadodara on Mumbai–Ahmedabad section. It was proposed to have 32 services between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Railway officials also proposed extending the corridor up to Bengaluru.


text: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi on 14 February 2013 between the Ministry of Railways and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), the French national railways, for technical cooperation in the field of railways. The parties agreed to carry out jointly an "operations and development" feasibility project on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. The project was funded by the SNCF with support from the French Ministry of Finance. In March 2013, the Railway Board decided to drop the Mumbai–Pune section and operate the high-speed rail service only between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The Board took the decision due to financial constraints, as the ghat section between Pune and Mumbai would escalate the budget for the project. According to Vidyadhar A. Malegaonkar, Chief Public Relations Officer (PRO), Western Railway, "It's basically a Western Railway project and very little portion of Maharashtra was being covered under it. Hence, the Maharashtra government was showing little interest in the project and was also reluctant to bear a financial burden. That is the reason why the Railway Board has decided against including the Pune–Mumbai portion in the high-speed corridor".


text: India and Japan signed a MoU to undertake a joint feasibility study of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad route in New Delhi in September 2013. This was in pursuance of the Joint Statement between the then-Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh and the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, on 29 May 2013, which provided that the two sides would co-finance a joint feasibility study of the route. The objective of the joint study was to prepare a feasibility report of the system with a speed of . The cost of the study (¥500 million) was borne equally by India and Japan. The study was scheduled to be completed within 18 months from its commencement, i.e. by July 2015. The study carried out traffic forecasting, alignment surveys and undertook a comparative Study of high-speed railway technology and systems.


text: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the SNCF carried out studies on the project. JICA researched the technology, alignment and traffic-related aspects, while SNCF worked on business projections. The feasibility study included an alignment survey concerning aspects such as land acquisition, environmental challenges and building of tunnels and bridges. It also suggested a financial model based on fare and non-fare box revenue.


text: JICA officials visited Mumbai in January 2014 to discuss the details of the project, and made selective site visits to the proposed route. On 21 January, following several meetings between JICA and Indian Railways officials, it was proposed to originate the corridor at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. The proposed route would begin from BKC, go right up to Thane on the Central Line, and then take a diversion on the Trans-Harbour route which is on the Thane-Diva-Vasai-Virar stretch. The corridor would then switch over to the Western Line, before entering Gujarat and terminating at Ahmedabad. 12 stations were proposed on the route, of which 8 would have been in Gujarat. The intention behind taking the route via Thane is to keep the option open to link the corridor to Pune. The team also proposed other options for originating the line at either Bandra Terminus or Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, if the BKC option was unfeasible. Air-conditioned bullet trains are expected to operate in the corridor at speeds of , enabling commuters to traverse the distance in two hours. Currently, the fastest train operating on this sector is the Ahmedabad Duronto Express, which takes Six and Quarter hours to reach from Ahmedabad running non-stop between these two cities at a maximum speed of .


text: The project held its first full-fledged meeting at the Railway Ministry in the first week of April 2014, to bring about a broad consensus on the project, especially between the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments, and the JICA, and Railway Board officials. At the meeting, officials agreed to begin the line from BKC, and then take it to Thane and onward to Virar. The Maharashtra government was in favour of connecting the line with Belapur as well, in order to bring high-speed rail to Navi Mumbai. However, railway officials were opposed to the Belapur detour. Officials also discussed the need to ensure that the terminal at BKC would be connected to Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro, enabling commuters from South Mumbai to reach BKC.


text: In May 2014, the project was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with the chairman of the High Speed Rail Corporation of India. The feasibility study on the project was carried out by RITES, Italferr and Systra in July 2015. On 20 July 2015, a joint Japanese-Indian survey team recommended a Shinkansen-style system for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad line, including the adoption of Automatic train control and dedicated tracks. JICA's report recommended constructing 63.3% of the route an embankment slightly above the ground, 28.3% on stilts, 5.8% underground and 2.2% on bridges. Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain informed Parliament on 15 March 2017 that under a new plan the entire corridor would be elevated except for the tracks that were proposed to be built underground.


text: The Ministry of Railways, based on the recommendation of the NITI Aayog, announced that Shinkansen technology would be adopted for the line, with technology transfer to support the Make in India programme. Japan would also provide staff training. In January 2016, the Ministry of Railways fast tracked the project and set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited to build and operate the corridor. The company was registered in January 2016 in the name of Indian Railways. It was planned for the company to eventually be made into a joint venture with equity participation of the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments. The Public sector company is expected to build and also carry out train operations. The Ministry of Railways, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) and JICA signed a tripartite consultancy agreement in December 2016 to implement the project. The NHSRC is a new agency floated to implement the project. A joint venture between Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co (JIC), Nippon Koei Co, and Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd. was appointed as the general consultants for the project, and prepared design documents, bidding documents and technical standards and specifications for the project.


text: In late 2016, JICA awarded the detailed design study for the project to a consortium led by Japan International Consultants for Transportation (JIC), Nippon Koei India Pvt. Ltd and Oriental Consultants. The study formally began in March 2017. JIC will forecast demand, set fares and devise a train operation plan, handle preliminary design work for structures such as tunnels and bridges, and draw up an overall construction schedule. Japan International Consultants for Transportation (JIC) Project Manager stated that "conditions surrounding the construction of a high-speed railway in India – such as weather, which is harsh there, and the quality and standards of materials – are considerably different from those in Japan. So we are now comparing and adjusting to these technical matters." Japanese public and private sector companies conducted training programs for railway staff in India. JIC stated that the local expertise in India gained from constructing and operating various rapid transit systems could be utilized for the high speed rail project. Japan also provided training to Indian Railway Ministry officials, some of whom studied in government-sponsored programs at graduate schools in Japan. India and Japan signed an agreement to establish an HSR Training Institute in India by 2020 to train railway staff in high speed rail operations.


text: The project received clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in January 2019 to carry out construction in and around wildlife areas. The Board required the NHSRC to create safe passages for animals to pass through before beginning construction, and to erect noise barriers and fencing to prevent any disturbance to wildlife during construction.


text: The project received conditional clearance to cut down 53,467 mangrove trees spread over an area of 13.36 hectares from the expert appraisal committee (EAC) on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) projects of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on 18 March 2019. The Ministry required the NHSRCL to obtain approval from the Bombay High Court and clearance from the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority. The NHSCRL is also required to conduct a study on the impact of the vibrations from the trains on the birds and mudflats in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. The NHSRCL approached the Bombay High Court for approval on 8 April 2019. The NHSRCL announced in June 2019 that it had altered the proposed design of Thane station which would save 21,000 mangrove trees. As a result, only 32,044 mangroves are affected by the project.


text: The design for the bridges, viaducts and tunnels was made by engineers based in Delhi, Mumbai and Japan. The corridor is long and traverses the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The alignment comprises of viaducts (90.6% of route length), of tunnels (5.1%), of cut and fill (2.5%) and of bridges (1.8%). A tunnel connects Thane and Virar, of which will be undersea. The undersea tunnel was chosen to avoid damaging the thick vegetation present in the area. The corridor will begin at the underground station in the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, and then traverse underground before emerging above ground at Thane.


text: The project is estimated to cost , including the cost of 24 trainsets, interest during construction and import duties. JICA agreed to fund 81% of the total project cost , through a 50-year loan at an interest rate of 0.1% with a moratorium on repayments up to 15 years and the remaining cost will be borne by the state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. 20% of the components used on the corridor will be supplied by Japan, and manufactured in India.


text: Most of the line will be constructed on an elevated corridor to avoid land acquisitions and the need to build underpasses. It will also enhance safety by eliminating the need for level crossings. The decision to construct an elevated line raised the cost for the project by an additional .


text: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed Parliament that had been spent on the project as of June 2019.


text: The expenditure already incurred rose to by July 2022, even as analysis suggested a 48% cost escalation in the project to due to the COVID-19 pandemic and land acquisition issues.


text: Survey work on the route began in January 2017. According to NHSRC director Mukul Saran Mathur, ""The geo-technical surveys have started along the entire route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and is expected to take two to three months. The activities that have begun include geo-technical and geo-physical investigations into the 21-kilometre, under-water tunnel of the project as well as the Final Location Survey to mark the alignment, right down to the pillars on which the high speed trains will run."" RITES identified 750 locations along the entire route to carry out soil testing, including 62 locations for the underground section. The agency completed soil testing at a total of 250 locations by 24 February. Officials carried out testing of soil and rocks at a depth of 70 metres underwater for the undersea tunnel stretch.


text: Railway officials utilized a helicopter mounted with a 100-megapixel high-resolution digital camera, a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner, a data recorder and other equipment to carry out the survey. This aerial-survey method provides accurate data about land contours, buildings and vegetation, and will permit the survey work to be completed within 9–10 weeks as opposed to the six to eight months required for a regular survey. The helicopter completed its survey of the entire route within a flying time of 30 hours, and the rest of the time is required for data processing. The aerial survey was completed by JICA and the Indian Railways by the end of February 2017. Railway Ministry officials stated in April 2017 that final location surveys had been completed, and that consultants to carry out environmental and social impact studies would be appointed within a few months.


text: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the project in Ahmedabad on 14 September 2017. All geo-technical surveys and tests under the sea bed for the underground section were completed by December 2017. Civil construction of the corridor was expected to begin by June 2018, and the project was scheduled to be completed in 2023. The deadline was advanced to have the bullet train go on its first run on 15 August 2022 on the occasion of India's 75th Independence day. However, surveys and land acquisition for the project faced delays and disruptions due to protests by farmers, land owners, and members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party, which opposes the bullet train project. The deadline to complete land acquisition was postponed from December 2018 to December 2019 as a result of the protests. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stated in July 2019 that the project was expected to be completed by December 2023. In February 2020, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called the project a "white elephant" and questioned whether anyone would benefit from it. The Shiv Sena has also blocked land acquisition attempts causing delays to the project.


text: A total of 1,434.4 hectares of land will be required for the project including private, government, forest and railway land. The Railway Ministry stated that it had only been able to acquire 21.02 hectares or about 1.46% of the total land required for the project as of 18 December 2018. NHSRC officials stated on 16 January 2019 that they had received the consent for land acquisition from 61 out of the 104 villages in Maharashtra that were located along the proposed route. Officials in Gujarat stated that land acquisition was expected to be completed only by the end of 2019. As of May 2019, 60% of land acquisition in Gujarat was completed.


text: A report by news agency IANS quoted an unnamed NHSRC official as stating that 39% of the total land acquisition had been completed as of June 2019. The official stated that 471 of 940 hectares of land was acquired in Gujarat and 66 of 431 hectares in Maharashtra. In August 2019, Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi informed Parliament that 297 villages were located along the proposed route in Gujarat and 97% of land owners in the state had consented to land acquisition but the government was still facing challenges acquiring land in certain pockets of Maharashtra. NHSRC Managing Director Achal Khare stated that 45% of total land acquisition for the project was complete as of September 2019. The Gujarat High Court dismissed a batch of petitions filed by farmers challenging the acquisition of their lands for the project later in the same month.


text: On 29 January 2020, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav stated that 47% of the total land required for the project had been acquired. Maharashtra had only acquired 101.04 hectares out of the total 432 hectares required for the project, with no land having been acquired in Mumbai as of February 2021. Gujarat had completed 94% of total land acquisition (901.86 of 956.15 hectares). Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the project would not be completed by 2023 due to land acquisition delays in Maharashtra. He also confirmed that the Railways would proceed with the tendering process in Gujarat as the state had acquired 94% of required land.


text: In September 2021, the NHSRCL stated that it had acquired 30% of required land in Maharashtra, 97% in Gujarat and had completed land acquisition in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.


text: As of March 2022, Over 89% of required land has been acquired, 98% in gujarat, 68% in Maharashtra, and 100% in Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.


text: The NHSRCL has divided the civil construction work of 508 km long Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project into 8 packages as given below:


text: Note: The civil contract C8 has been awarded to the joint-venture of SCC Infrastructure Ltd and VRS Construction Ltd.


text: The NHSCRL floated tenders for the construction of the undersea tunnel on 23 April 2019. A tender for works between Vadodara and Ahmedabad was floated in August 2019. In January 2021, the NHSRCL invited final bids for the construction of the Mumbai terminal. The agency floated tenders for construction of the Sabarmati depot in August 2021.


text: The NHSRCL reinvented tender for underground HSR station at BKC grounds , Mumbai on 22 August 2022. It has also reinvented tendor for India's longest undersea tunnel of 21 km on 23 September 2022.


text: The NHSRCL stated that construction work on the project would create 90,000 direct and indirect jobs, including more than 51,000 technician jobs. The NHSRCL announced that it had cast the first full height pier for the project near Vapi, Gujarat on 31 July 2021.


text: A Full Span Launching Equipment-Straddle Carrier and Girder Transporter was deployed for use in the project September 2021. The equipment was indigenously designed and manufactured at Larsen and Toubro's manufacturing facility in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. Over 30 such machines will be used in the construction of the project.


text: Indian Railways proposes to operate two types of services on the corridor. A "Rapid Train" or express service with only two stops at Surat and Vadodara, and a slower service that stops at all stations. The "Rapid Train" would complete the journey in 2 hours and 7 minutes, while the slower service would take 2 hours and 58 minutes. In total, 70 daily services will be operated on the line, or 35 services in each direction with 3 services per hour during peak hours and 2 services per hour during off-peak hours. The Railways estimates that the high speed rail corridor will have a daily ridership of around 36,000 in 2023. Trains will operate between 6.00AM and midnight. Currently, a train journey from Mumbai to Ahmedabad takes 7 hours.


text: On 9 January 2017 at Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the Gujarat Government and the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRC) signed an MoU worth for component manufacturing for the high speed rail corridor. The Gujarat Government will bear 25% of the total project cost and provide land for the project.


text: Twenty-four red E5 Series Shinkansen trainsets will be procured to operate on the corridor, of which 6 are to be assembled in India. The trains will be modified to operate under Indian weather. Trains in Japan can withstand temperatures of up to 35 degrees celsius but the Indian trains will be able to operate at temperatures exceeding 50 degrees celsius; this can be achieved with the use of special cooling systems and air conditioners. Fine mesh dust filters will be fitted on air conditioners, blowers, and other important equipment on the Indian high speed trains to keep dust out. Another modification is the provision of extra space to store heavy luggage by removing a few seats from the last coach of each train.


text: Trains are proposed to have a length of between 10 and 16 coaches. Each train will have a passenger capacity of between 1,300 and 1,600 passengers. The system will be designed to operate trains at a maximum speed of , while the operational speed would be . Trains will be equipped with multi-purpose rooms that contain foldable beds for feeding mothers and patients, and the rooms will also be fitted with mirrors and baggage racks.


text: Signaling equipment and power systems for the corridor will be imported from Japan, per the terms of the loan agreement with JICA.


text: The NHSRCL estimated that the corridor would consume around 110 crore units of electricity annually once operational. Consumption was expected to rise in 2033, when additional services are planned to be introduced. A total of 29 substations will supply electricity to the corridor. The NHSRCL finalized the locations for the substations by January 2018, and approached power utility companies in Gujarat and Maharashtra to conduct joint surveys which were completed by April 2018. The NHSRCL acquired 39,540 square feet of land from the Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Company at Vikhroli in May 2018 to construct the ventilation shaft and distribution and traction sub-stations for the corridor.


text: Solar panels installed at the Sabarmati and Thane stations, at the High-Speed Rail Training Institute in Vadodara, and at the Sabarmati HSR Complex will generate solar power.


text: The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) was registered under the "Companies Act, 2013" on 12 February 2016. The NHSRC is a special purpose vehicle responsible for the implementation of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail project. In October 2016, the Indian Railways invited applications to fill key positions in the NHSRC.


text: The detailed project report proposed fares that would be 1.5 times that of a First-Class AC ticket on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Duronto Express. In September 2019, the NHSRCL stated that the end-to-end fare on the corridor was expected to be , and the minimum fare would be .


text: Trains will have business and standard sections with 2x2 and 2x3 seating configuration respectively. Unlike Japanese Shinkansen coaches, the last coach on Indian trains will have a few seats removed to make space to store check-in luggage. NHSRC Managing Director Achal Khare stated that Japanese passengers typically travel light but the modification was made to accommodate Indian passengers. The coaches have sufficient overhead space for hand baggage but not for heavy luggage. The NHSRC stated that it would charge passengers an additional fee for check-in luggage in order to discourage travellers from bringing too many pieces of heavy luggage. Passengers who travel with check-in luggage would be seated in the same coach in which check-in luggage is stored.


text: The corridor uses three depots at Sabarmati and Surat in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra. The depots were designed based on the operations at Japan's Sendai and Kanazawa depots for Shinkansen. The Sabarmati depot is spread over an area of 80 hectares and serves as the main depot for the line. It also houses the operation control centre for the corridor. The Thane depot is spread over an area of 60 hectares. The Sabarmati and Thane depots contain washing plants, inspection bays, sheds, workshops, and stabling lines for regular maintenance of trains. The Surat depot is the smallest with an area of 44 hectares. It contains basic facilities for train maintenance.


text: All depots contain reservoirs for rain water harvesting and collected water is passed through treatment plants within the depot before being re-used for washing trainsets. Depots also have recharge pits for recharging water back into the earth. The Thane and Surat depots are also capable of recycling and re-using effluent and sewage water. Bio-waste from the trains is stored in tanks onboard and removed at depots, where it is then treated in sewage treatment plants.


text: The line will have 12 stations. Stations are proposed for Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadiad, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. High speed rail stations will be constructed either above or next to existing railway stations to provide transfer with the Indian Railways network. The Director of the Railway Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism stated that "this makes construction extremely difficult".


text: The Indian Railways proposed making the proposed terminus at BKC as a three-storey underground station. However, the Maharashtra state government planned to construct the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at BKC on the same plot. JICA's report had cited the BKC plot as the most suitable location to build the Mumbai terminus. In February 2016, the Railways and the state government came to an agreement to construct both projects at the BKC. However, in April 2016, the state government refused to permit construction of the underground station at BKC, citing the lack of availability of land in the area for an underground station after the completion of the proposed IFSC and its multi-level underground car park. The state government also stated that IFSC would begin generating revenue for the government shortly, while the rail corridor was only expected to be completed by 2023. It instead suggested relocating the proposed BKC terminus to either Matunga or Kanjurmarg. The issue was resolved in January 2017, when the Maharashtra Government and the MMRDA agreed to provide 5.4 hectares of land in BKC to construct a terminus. Lines 2 and 3 of the Mumbai Metro will meet the HSR at BKC.


text: Platform 6 of the will be used as the platform for the bullet train. The NHSRCL will revamp the existing station to accommodate high-speed rail services. This will involve the removal of the reservation center, section engineering office, water tank and railway police station located on the existing platform. The new station building will have a height of 20–22 metres, and will be 40 metres in width. The design of the station is inspired by the banyan tree. The project requires the dismantling of platform 7. The largest girder on the high-speed rail corridor, measuring 220 metres in length, will be located at Vadodara station. The construction of the girder will require the dismantling of platform 7 of Vadodara Junction station which is used by trains arriving from Delhi. To cope with the loss of the platform, the NHRSCL will build a new as a satellite station. Chhayapuri station was inaugurated in December 2019, paving the way for officials to go ahead with the dismantling of platform 7 at Vadodara Junction.


text: The Sabarmati station will serve as the high-speed rail terminal in Ahmedabad. A new high speed rail terminal will be built on the eastern side of the station above the existing platforms 10, 11 and 12. The Ahmedabad Metro will connect the HSR at (Kalupur station).


text: Delhi-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (DAHSR) and Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (MAHSR) will together form the Delhi-Mumbai high-speed rail corridor (DMHSR).


text: DAHSR, long, will pass through Delhi, Haryana (), Rajasthan and Gujarat and will be three to four hours commute with maximum speed and average speed of . It will start from Dwarka Sector 21 in Delhi, run along Dwarka Expressway till Gurugram with stop at Manesar, then along Gurugram-Jaipur rail line to Rewari, and then along NH-48 to Jaipur and Ahmedabad.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Akagi (Japanese: 赤城, "red castle") was an aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), named after Mount Akagi in present-day Gunma Prefecture. Though she was laid down as an , "Akagi" was converted to an aircraft carrier while still under construction to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The ship was rebuilt from 1935 to 1938 with her original three flight decks consolidated into a single enlarged flight deck and an island superstructure. The second Japanese aircraft carrier to enter service, and the first large or "fleet" carrier, "Akagi" and the related "Kaga" figured prominently in the development of the IJN's new carrier striking force doctrine that grouped carriers together, concentrating their air power. This doctrine enabled Japan to attain its strategic goals during the early stages of the Pacific War from December 1941 until mid-1942.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi"s aircraft served in the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. Upon the formation of the First Air Fleet or "Kido Butai" (Striking Force) in early 1941, she became its flagship, and remained so for the duration of her service. With other fleet carriers, she took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the invasion of Rabaul in the Southwest Pacific in January 1942. The following month, her aircraft bombed Darwin, Australia, and assisted in the conquest of the Dutch East Indies. In March and April 1942, "Akagi" aircraft helped sink a British heavy cruiser and an Australian destroyer in the Indian Ocean Raid.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: After a brief refit, "Akagi" and three other fleet carriers of the "Kido Butai" participated in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. After bombarding American forces on the atoll, "Akagi" and the other carriers were attacked by aircraft from Midway and the carriers , , and . Dive bombers from "Enterprise" severely damaged "Akagi". When it became obvious she could not be saved, she was scuttled by Japanese destroyers to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. The loss of "Akagi" and three other IJN carriers at Midway was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to the Allies' ultimate victory in the Pacific. Her wreck was located in October 2019 by the Research Vessel "Petrel".


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" was laid down as an at Kure, Japan, on 6 December 1920. Construction was halted, however, when Japan signed the Washington Naval Treaty on 6 February 1922. The treaty placed restrictions on the construction of battleships and battlecruisers although it authorized conversion of two battleship or battlecruiser hulls under construction into aircraft carriers of up to displacement. The IJN had decided, following the launch of its first aircraft carrier, , to construct two larger, faster carriers for operations with major fleet units. The incomplete hulls of and "Akagi" were thus selected for completion as the two large carriers under the 1924 fleet construction program. ¥24.7 million was originally budgeted to complete "Akagi" as a battlecruiser and an estimated ¥8 million had been expended when construction stopped in February 1922. Shortly thereafter, the Diet approved an additional ¥90 million to complete "Akagi" and "Amagi" as carriers. Her guns were turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army for use as coastal artillery; one of her main-gun turrets was installed on Iki Island in the Strait of Tsushima in 1932. The rest of her guns were placed in reserve and scrapped in 1943.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Construction of "Akagi" as an aircraft carrier began on 19 November 1923. "Amagi"s hull was damaged beyond economically feasible repair in the Great Kantō earthquake of 1 September 1923 and was broken up and scrapped. "Akagi", the only remaining member of her class, was launched as a carrier on 22 April 1925 and commissioned at Kure Naval Arsenal on 25 March 1927, although trials continued through November 1927. She was the second carrier to enter service with the IJN, after "Hōshō" and before (which replaced "Amagi").


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Since "Akagi" was initially conceived as a battlecruiser, the prevailing ship naming conventions dictated that she (like her sister ships) be named after a mountain. "Akagi" came from Mount Akagi, a dormant volcano in the Kantō region (the name literally means "red castle"). After she was redesignated as an aircraft carrier, her mountain name remained, in contrast to ships like that were originally built as aircraft carriers, which were named after flying creatures. Her name was previously given to the "Maya"-class gunboat "Akagi".


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" was completed at a length of overall. She had a beam of and, at deep load, a draft of . She displaced at (standard) load, and at full load, nearly less than her designed displacement as a battlecruiser. Her complement totaled 1,600 crewmembers.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" and "Kaga" were completed with three superimposed flight decks, the only carriers ever to be designed so. The British carriers converted from "large light cruisers", , , and , each had two flight decks, but there is no evidence that the Japanese copied the British model. It is more likely that it was a case of convergent evolution to improve launch and recovery cycle flexibility by allowing simultaneous launch and recovery of aircraft. "Akagi"s main flight deck was long and wide, her middle flight deck (beginning right in front of the bridge) was only long and her lower flight deck was long. The utility of her middle flight deck was questionable as it was so short that only some lightly loaded aircraft could use it, even in an era when the aircraft were much lighter and smaller than during World War II. The upper flight deck sloped slightly from amidships toward the bow and toward the stern to assist landings and takeoffs for the underpowered aircraft of that time.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: As completed, the ship had two main hangar decks and a third auxiliary hangar, giving a total capacity of 60 aircraft. The third and lowest hangar deck was used only for storing disassembled aircraft. The two main hangars opened onto the middle and lower flight decks to allow aircraft to take off directly from the hangars while landing operations were in progress on the main flight deck above. The upper and middle hangar areas totaled about , the lower hangar about . No catapults were fitted. Her forward aircraft lift was offset to starboard and in size. Her aft lift was on the centerline and . The aft elevator serviced the upper flight deck and all three hangar decks. Her arresting gear was an unsatisfactory British longitudinal system used on the carrier "Furious" that relied on friction between the arrester hook and the cables. The Japanese were well aware of this system's flaws, as it was already in use on their first carrier, "Hōshō", but had no alternatives available when "Akagi" was completed. It was replaced during the ship's refit in 1931 with a Japanese-designed transverse cable system with six wires and that was replaced in turn before "Akagi" began her modernization in 1935 by the Kure Model 4 type (Kure shiki 4 gata). There was no island superstructure when the carrier was completed; the carrier was commanded from a space below the forward end of the upper flight deck. The ship carried approximately of aviation fuel for her embarked aircraft.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: As originally completed, "Akagi" carried an air group of 28 Mitsubishi B1M3 torpedo bombers, 16 Nakajima A1N fighters and 16 Mitsubishi 2MR reconnaissance aircraft.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" was armed with ten 50-caliber 20 cm 3rd Year Type No. 1 guns, six in casemates aft and the rest in two twin-gun turrets, one on each side of the middle flight deck. They fired projectiles at a rate of 3–6 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of ; at 25°, this provided a maximum range between . The turrets were nominally capable of 70° elevation to provide additional anti-aircraft fire, but in practice the maximum elevation was only 55°. The slow rate of fire and the fixed 5° loading angle minimized any real anti-aircraft capability. This heavy gun armament was provided in case she was surprised by enemy cruisers and forced to give battle, but her large and vulnerable flight deck, hangars, and superstructure made her more of a target in any surface action than a fighting warship. Carrier doctrine was still evolving at this time and the impracticality of carriers engaging in gun duels had not yet been realized.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: The ship carried dedicated anti-aircraft armament of six twin 45-caliber 12 cm 10th Year Type gun mounts fitted on sponsons below the level of the funnels, where they could not fire across the flight deck, three mounts per side. These guns fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of ; at 45°, this provided a maximum range of , and they had a maximum ceiling of at 75° elevation. Their effective rate of fire was 6–8 rounds per minute.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi"s waterline armored belt was reduced from and placed lower on the ship than originally designed. The upper part of her torpedo bulge was given of armor. Her deck armor was also reduced from . The modifications improved the ship's stability by helping compensate for the increased topside weight of the double hangar deck.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: In "Akagi" predecessor, "Hōshō", the hot exhaust gases vented by swivelling funnels posed a danger to the ship, and wind-tunnel testing had not suggested any solutions. "Akagi" and "Kaga" were given different solutions to evaluate in real-world conditions. "Akagi" was given two funnels on the starboard side. The larger, forward funnel was angled 30° below horizontal with its mouth facing the sea, and the smaller one exhausted vertically a little past the edge of the flight deck. The forward funnel was fitted with a water-cooling system to reduce the turbulence caused by hot exhaust gases and a cover that could be raised to allow the exhaust gases to escape if the ship developed a severe list and the mouth of the funnel touched the sea. "Kaga" adopted a version of this configuration when she was modernized during the mid-1930s.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" was completed with four Gihon geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft, that produced a total of . Steam for these turbines was provided by nineteen Type B Kampon boilers with a working pressure of . Some boilers were oil-fired, and the others used a mix of fuel oil and coal. As a battlecruiser, she was expected to achieve , but the reduction in displacement from increased her maximum speed to , which was reached during her sea trials on 17 June 1927. She carried of fuel oil and of coal that gave her a range of at .


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" joined the Combined Fleet in August 1927 and was assigned to the First Carrier Division upon its formation on 1 April 1928, serving as the division's flagship under Rear Admiral Sankichi Takahashi. The carrier's early career was uneventful, consisting of various training exercises. From 10 December 1928 to 1 November 1929, the ship was captained by Isoroku Yamamoto, future commander of the Combined Fleet.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" was reduced to second-class reserve status on 1 December 1931 in preparation for a short refit in which her arresting gear was replaced and her radio and ventilation systems were overhauled and improved. After completion of the refit, "Akagi" became a first-class reserve ship in December 1932. On 25 April 1933, she resumed active service and joined the Second Carrier Division and participated in that year's Special Fleet Maneuvers.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At this time, the IJN's carrier doctrine was still in its early stages. "Akagi" and the IJN's other carriers were initially given roles as tactical force multipliers supporting the fleet's battleships in the IJN's "decisive battle" doctrine. In this role, "Akagi's" aircraft were to attack enemy battleships with bombs and torpedoes. Aerial strikes against enemy carriers were later (beginning around 1932–1933) deemed of equal importance, with the goal of establishing air superiority during the initial stages of battle. The essential component in this strategy was that the Japanese carrier aircraft must be able to strike first with a massed, preemptive aerial attack. In fleet training exercises, the carriers began to operate together in front of or with the main battle line. The new strategy emphasized maximum speed from both the carriers and the aircraft they carried as well as larger aircraft with greater range. Thus, longer flight decks on the carriers were required in order to handle the newer, heavier aircraft which were entering service. As a result, on 15 November 1935 "Akagi" was placed in third-class reserve to begin an extensive modernization at Sasebo Naval Arsenal.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi"s modernization involved far less work than that of "Kaga", but took three times as long due to financial difficulties related to the Great Depression. The ship's three flight decks were judged too small to handle the larger and heavier aircraft then coming into service. As a result, the middle and lower flight decks were eliminated in favor of two enclosed hangar decks that extended almost the full length of the ship. The upper and middle hangar areas' total space increased to about ; the lower hangar remained the same size. The upper flight deck was extended to the bow, increasing its length to and raising aircraft capacity to 86 (61 operational and 25 in storage). A third elevator midships, in size, was added. Her arrester gear was replaced by a Japanese-designed, hydraulic Type 1 system with 9 wires. The modernization added an island superstructure on the port side of the ship, which was an unusual arrangement; the only other carrier to share this feature was a contemporary, the . The port side was chosen as an experiment to see if that side was better for flight operations by moving the island away from the ship's exhaust outlets. The new flight deck inclined slightly fore and aft from a point about three-eighths of the way aft.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi"s speed was already satisfactory and the only changes to her machinery were the replacement of the mixed coal/oil-fired boilers with modern oil-fired units and the improvement of the ventilation arrangements. Although the engine horsepower increased from 131,200 to 133,000, her speed declined slightly from on trials because of the increase in her displacement to . Her bunkerage was increased to of fuel oil which increased her endurance to at . The rear vertical funnel was changed to match the forward funnel and incorporated into the same casing.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: The two gun turrets on the middle flight deck were removed and 14 twin Type 96 gun mounts were added on sponsons. They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of ; at 50°, this provided a maximum range of , and an effective ceiling of . The maximum effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute due to the frequent need to change the 15-round magazines. Six Type 95 directors were fitted to control the new 25 mm guns and two new Type 94 anti-aircraft directors replaced the outdated Type 91s. After the modernization, "Akagi" carried one Type 89 director for the guns; it is uncertain how many were carried before then. The ship's crew increased to 2,000 after the reconstruction.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: The ship's anti-aircraft guns were grouped amidships and placed relatively low on the hull. Thus, the guns could not be brought to bear directly forward or aft. Also, the island blocked the forward arcs of the port battery. As a result, the ship was vulnerable to attack by dive bombers. The ship's 12 cm 10th Year Type guns were scheduled to be replaced by more modern Type 89 mounts in 1942. The anti-aircraft sponsons were to be raised one deck to allow them some measure of cross-deck fire as was done during "Kaga"s modernization. However, the ship was lost in combat before the upgrade could take place.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Several major weaknesses in "Akagi"s design were not rectified. "Akagi"s aviation fuel tanks were incorporated directly into the structure of the carrier, meaning that shocks to the ship, such as those caused by bomb or shell hits, would be transmitted directly to the tanks, resulting in cracks or leaks. Also, the fully enclosed structure of the new hangar decks made firefighting difficult, at least in part because fuel vapors could accumulate in the hangars. Adding to the danger was the requirement of the Japanese carrier doctrine that aircraft be serviced, fueled, and armed whenever possible on the hangar decks rather than on the flight deck. Furthermore, the carrier's hangar and flight decks carried little armor protection, and there was no redundancy in the ship's fire-extinguishing systems. These weaknesses would later be crucial factors in the loss of the ship.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi"s modernization was completed on 31 August 1938. She was reclassified as a first reserve ship on 15 November, but did not rejoin the First Carrier Division until the following month. In her new configuration, the carrier embarked 12 Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 "Claude" fighters with four disassembled spares, 19 Aichi D1A "Susie" dive bombers with five spares, and 35 Yokosuka B4Y "Jean" horizontal/torpedo bombers with 16 spares. She sailed for southern Chinese waters on 30 January 1939 and supported ground operations there, including attacks on Guilin and Liuzhou, until 19 February, when she returned to Japan. "Akagi" supported operations in central China between 27 March and 2 April 1940. She was reclassified as a special purpose ship ("Tokubetse Ilomokan") on 15 November 1940, while she was being overhauled.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: The Japanese experiences off China had helped further develop the IJN's carrier doctrine. One lesson learned in China was the importance of concentration and mass in projecting naval air power ashore. Therefore, in April 1941, the IJN formed the First Air Fleet, or "Kido Butai", to combine all of its fleet carriers under a single command. On 10 April, "Akagi" and "Kaga" were assigned to the First Carrier Division as part of the new carrier fleet, which also included the Second (with carriers "Hiryū" and "Sōryū"), and Fifth (with "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku") carrier divisions. The IJN centered its doctrine on air strikes that combined the air groups of entire carrier divisions, rather than individual carriers. When multiple carrier divisions were operating together, the divisions' air groups were combined. This doctrine of combined, massed, carrier-based air attack groups was the most advanced of its kind in the world. The IJN, however, remained concerned that concentrating all of its carriers together would render them vulnerable to being wiped out all at once by a massive enemy air or surface strike. Thus, the IJN developed a compromise solution in which the fleet carriers would operate closely together within their carrier divisions but the divisions themselves would operate in loose rectangular formations, with approximately separating each carrier.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: The Japanese doctrine held that entire carrier air groups should not be launched in a single massed attack. Instead, each carrier would launch a "deckload strike" of all its aircraft that could be spotted at one time on each flight deck. Subsequent attack waves consisted of the next deckload of aircraft. Thus, First Air Fleet air attacks would often consist of at least two massed waves of aircraft. The First Air Fleet was "not" considered to be the IJN's primary strategic striking force. The IJN still considered the First Air Fleet an integral component in the Combined Fleet's "Kantai Kessen" or "decisive battle" task force centered on battleships. "Akagi" was designated as the flagship for the First Air Fleet, a role the ship retained until her sinking 14 months later.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Although the concentration of so many fleet carriers into a single unit was a new and revolutionary offensive strategic concept, the First Air Fleet suffered from several defensive deficiencies that gave it, in Mark Peattie's words, a glass jaw': it could throw a punch but couldn't take one." Japanese carrier anti-aircraft guns and associated fire-control systems had several design and configuration deficiencies that limited their effectiveness. Also, the IJN's fleet combat air patrol (CAP) consisted of too few fighter aircraft and was hampered by an inadequate early warning system, including lack of radar. In addition, poor radio communications with the fighter aircraft inhibited effective command and control of the CAP. Furthermore, the carriers' escorting warships were not trained or deployed to provide close anti-aircraft support. These deficiencies, combined with the shipboard weaknesses previously detailed, would eventually doom "Akagi" and other First Air Fleet carriers.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: In preparation for the attack, the ship was anchored at Ariake Bay, Kyushu beginning in September 1941 while her aircraft were based at Kagoshima to train with the other 1st Air Fleet air units for the Pearl Harbor operation. Once preparations and training were completed, "Akagi" assembled with the rest of the First Air Fleet at Hitokappu Bay in the Kuril Islands on 22 November 1941. The ships departed on 26 November 1941 for Hawaii.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Commanded by Captain Kiichi Hasegawa, "Akagi" was Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's flagship for the striking force for the attack on Pearl Harbor that attempted to cripple the United States Pacific Fleet. "Akagi" and the other five carriers, from a position north of Oahu, launched two waves of aircraft on the morning of 7 December 1941. In the first wave, 27 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers from "Akagi" torpedoed the battleships , , and while 9 of the ship's Mitsubishi A6M Zeros attacked the air base at Hickam Field. In the second wave, 18 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers from the carrier targeted the battleships and , the light cruiser , the destroyer , and the fleet oiler while nine "Zeros" attacked various American airfields. One of the carrier's Zeros was shot down by American anti-aircraft guns during the first wave attack, killing its pilot. In addition to the aircraft which participated in the raid, three of the carrier's fighters were assigned to the CAP. One of the carrier's Zero fighters attacked a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber that had just arrived from the mainland, setting it on fire as it landed at Hickam, killing one of its crew.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: In January 1942, together with the rest of the First and Fifth Carrier Divisions, "Akagi" supported the invasion of Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago, as the Japanese moved to secure their southern defensive perimeter against attacks from Australia. She provided 20 B5Ns and 9 Zeros for the initial airstrike on Rabaul on 20 January 1942. The First Carrier Division attacked Allied positions at nearby Kavieng the following day, of which "Akagi" contributed 9 A6M Zeros and 18 D3As. On the 22nd, "Akagi"s D3As and Zeros again attacked Rabaul before returning to Truk on 27 January. The Second Carrier Division, with "Sōryū" and "Hiryū", had been detached to support the invasion of Wake Island on 23 December 1941 and did not reunite with the rest of the carrier mobile striking force until February 1942.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi", along with "Kaga" and the carrier , sortied in search of American naval forces raiding the Marshall Islands on 1 February 1942, before being recalled. On 7 February "Akagi" and the carriers of the First and Second Carrier Divisions were ordered south to the Timor Sea where, on 19 February, from a point southeast of the easternmost tip of Timor, they launched air strikes against Darwin, Australia, in an attempt to destroy its port and airfield facilities to prevent any interference with the invasion of Java. "Akagi" contributed 18 B5Ns, 18 D3As, and 9 Zeros to the attack, which caught the defenders by surprise. Eight ships were sunk, including the American destroyer , and fourteen more were damaged. None of the carrier's aircraft were lost in the attack and the attack was effective in preventing Darwin from contributing to the Allied defense of Java. On 1 March, the American oiler was sunk by D3As from "Sōryū" and "Akagi". Later that same day the American destroyer was attacked and sunk by D3As from "Akagi" and "Sōryū", in combination with gunfire from two battleships and two heavy cruisers of the escort force. "Akagi" and her consorts covered the invasion of Java, although her main contribution appears to have been providing 18 B5Ns and 9 Zeros for the 5 March air strike on Tjilatjap. This group was very successful, sinking eight ships in the harbor there and none of "Akagi"s aircraft were lost. Most of the Allied forces in the Dutch East Indies surrendered to the Japanese later in March. The "Kido Butai" then sailed for Staring Bay on Celebes Island to refuel and recuperate.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: On 26 March, "Akagi" set sail for the Indian Ocean raid with the rest of the "Kido Butai". The Japanese intent was to defeat the British Eastern Fleet and destroy British airpower in the region in order to secure the flank of their operations in Burma. On 5 April 1942, "Akagi" launched 17 B5Ns and 9 Zeros in an air strike against Colombo, Ceylon, which damaged the port facilities. None of the aircraft were lost and the Zero pilots claimed to have shot down a dozen of the defending British fighters. Later that day, 17 D3As from "Akagi" helped to sink the British heavy cruisers and . On 9 April, she attacked Trincomalee with 18 B5Ns, escorted by 6 Zeros which claimed to have shot down 5 Hawker Hurricane fighters (only two of which can be confirmed from Allied records) without loss to themselves. Meanwhile, a floatplane from the battleship spotted the small aircraft carrier , escorted by the Australian destroyer , and every available D3A was launched to attack the ships. "Akagi" contributed 17 dive bombers and they helped to sink both ships; they also spotted the oil tanker RFA "Athelstone", escorted by the corvette , and sank both without loss. During the day's actions, the carrier narrowly escaped damage when nine British Bristol Blenheim bombers from Ceylon penetrated the CAP and dropped their bombs from , just missing the carrier and the heavy cruiser . Four of the Blenheims were subsequently shot down by CAP fighters and one was shot down by aircraft from the carriers' returning air strike. After the raid, the carrier mobile striking force returned to Japan to refit and replenish.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: On 19 April 1942, while near Taiwan during the transit to Japan, "Akagi", "Sōryū", and "Hiryū" were sent in pursuit of the American carriers and , which had launched the Doolittle Raid. They found only empty ocean, however, for the American carriers had immediately departed the area to return to Hawaii. "Akagi" and the other carriers shortly abandoned the chase and dropped anchor at Hashirajima anchorage on 22 April. On 25 April, Captain Taijiro Aoki relieved Hasegawa as skipper of the carrier. Having been engaged in constant operations for four and a half months, the ship, along with the other three carriers of the First and Second Carrier Divisions, was hurriedly refitted and replenished in preparation for the Combined Fleet's next major operation, scheduled to begin one month hence. The Fifth Carrier Division, with "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku", had been detached in mid-April to support Operation Mo, resulting in the Battle of the Coral Sea. While at Hashirajima, "Akagi"s air group was based ashore in Kagoshima and conducted flight and weapons training with the other First Air Fleet carrier units.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Concerned by the US carrier strikes in the Marshall Islands, Lae-Salamaua, and the Doolittle raids, Yamamoto determined to force the US Navy into a showdown to eliminate the American carrier threat. He decided to invade and occupy Midway Island, which he was sure would draw out the American carrier forces to battle. The Japanese codenamed the Midway invasion Operation "MI".


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: On 25 May 1942, "Akagi" set out with the Combined Fleet's carrier striking force in the company of carriers "Kaga", "Hiryū", and S"ōryū", which constituted the First and Second Carrier Divisions, for the attack on Midway Island. Once again, Nagumo flew his flag on "Akagi". Because of damage and losses suffered during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Fifth Carrier Division with carriers "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" was absent from the operation. "Akagi"s aircraft complement consisted of 24 Zeros, 18 D3As, and 18 B5Ns.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: With the fleet positioned northwest of Midway Island at dawn (04:45 local time) on 4 June 1942, "Akagi"s portion of the 108-plane combined air raid was a strike on the airfield on Eastern Island with 18 dive bombers escorted by nine Zeros. The carrier's B5Ns were armed with torpedoes and kept ready in case enemy ships were discovered during the Midway operation. The only loss during the raid from "Akagi"s air group was one Zero shot down by AA fire and three damaged; four dive bombers were damaged, of which one could not be repaired. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the US Navy had discovered the Japanese "MI" plan by breaking the Japanese cipher and had prepared an ambush using its three available carriers, positioned northeast of Midway.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: One of "Akagi"s torpedo bombers was launched to augment the search for any American ships that might be in the area. The carrier contributed three Zeros to the total of 11 assigned to the initial combat air patrol over the four carriers. By 07:00, the carrier had 11 fighters with the CAP which helped to defend the "Kido Butai" from the first US attackers from Midway Island at 07:10.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At this time, Nagumo's carriers were attacked by six US Navy Grumman TBF Avengers from Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) and four United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-26 Marauders, all carrying torpedoes. The Avengers went after "Hiryū" while the Marauders attacked "Akagi". The 30 CAP Zeroes in the air at this time, including the 11 from "Akagi", immediately attacked the American aircraft, shooting down five of the Avengers and two of the B-26s. One of "Akagi"s Zeroes, however, was shot down by defensive fire from the B-26s. Several of the Marauders dropped their torpedoes, but all either missed or failed to detonate. One B-26, piloted by Lieutenant James Muri, strafed "Akagi" after dropping its torpedo, killing two men. Another, after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, did not pull out of its run, and instead headed directly for "Akagi"s bridge. The aircraft, either attempting a suicide ramming, or out of control due to battle damage or a wounded or killed pilot, narrowly missed crashing into the carrier's bridge, which could have killed Nagumo and his command staff, before it cartwheeled into the sea. This experience may well have contributed to Nagumo's determination to launch another attack on Midway, in direct violation of Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve strike force armed for anti-ship operations.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At 07:15, Nagumo ordered the B5Ns on "Kaga" and "Akagi" rearmed with bombs for another attack on Midway itself. This process was limited by the number of ordnance carts (used to handle the bombs and torpedoes) and ordnance elevators, preventing torpedoes from being struck below until after all the bombs were moved up from their magazine, assembled, and mounted on the aircraft. This process normally took about an hour and a half; more time would be required to bring the aircraft up to the flight deck, warm up and launch the strike group. Around 07:40, Nagumo reversed his order when he received a message from one of his scout aircraft that American warships had been spotted. Three of "Akagi"s CAP Zeroes landed aboard the carrier at 07:36. At 07:40, her lone scout returned, having sighted nothing.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At 07:55, the next American strike from Midway arrived in the form of 16 Marine SBD-2 Dauntless dive bombers of VMSB-241 under Major Lofton R. Henderson. "Akagi"s three remaining CAP fighters were among the nine still aloft that attacked Henderson's planes, shooting down six of them as they executed a fruitless glide bombing attack on "Hiryū". At roughly the same time, the Japanese carriers were attacked by 12 USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses, bombing from . The high altitude of the bombers gave the Japanese captains enough time to anticipate where the bombs would land and successfully maneuver their ships out of the impact area. Four B-17s attacked "Akagi", but missed with all their bombs.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" reinforced the CAP with launches of three Zeros at 08:08 and four at 08:32. These fresh Zeros helped defeat the next American air strike from Midway, 11 Vought SB2U Vindicators from VMSB-241, which attacked the battleship "Haruna" starting around 08:30. Three of the Vindicators were shot down, and "Haruna" escaped damage. Although all the American air strikes had thus far caused negligible damage, they kept the Japanese carrier forces off-balance as Nagumo endeavored to prepare a response to news, received at 08:20, of the sighting of American carrier forces to his northeast.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: "Akagi" began recovering her Midway strike force at 08:37 and finished shortly after 09:00. The landed aircraft were quickly struck below, while the carriers' crews began preparations to spot aircraft for the strike against the American carrier forces. The preparations, however, were interrupted at 09:18 when the first American carrier aircraft to attack were sighted. These consisted of 15 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers of VT-8, led by John C. Waldron from the carrier "Hornet". The six airborne "Akagi" CAP Zeroes joined the other 15 CAP fighters currently aloft in destroying Waldron's planes. All 15 of the American planes were shot down as they attempted a torpedo attack on "Soryū", leaving one surviving aviator treading water.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Shortly afterwards 14 Devastators from VT-6 from the carrier "Enterprise", led by Eugene E. Lindsey, attacked. Lindsey's aircraft tried to sandwich "Kaga", but the CAP, reinforced by an additional eight Zeros launched by "Akagi" at 09:33 and 09:40, shot down all but four of the Devastators, and "Kaga" dodged the torpedoes. Defensive fire from the Devastators shot down one of "Akagi"s Zeros.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Minutes after the torpedo plane attacks, American carrier-based dive bombers arrived over the Japanese carriers almost undetected and began their dives. It was at this time, around 10:20, that in the words of Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, the "Japanese air defenses would finally and catastrophically fail." Twenty-eight dive bombers from "Enterprise", led by C. Wade McClusky, began an attack on "Kaga", hitting her with at least four bombs. At the last minute, one of McClusky's elements of three bombers from VB-6, led by squadron commander Richard Best who deduced "Kaga" to be fatally damaged, broke off and dove simultaneously on "Akagi". At approximately 10:26, the three bombers hit her with one bomb and just missed with two others. The first near-miss landed to port, near her island. The third bomb just missed the flight deck and plunged into the water next to the stern. The second bomb, likely dropped by Best, landed at the aft edge of the middle elevator and detonated in the upper hangar. This hit set off explosions among the fully armed and fueled B5N torpedo bombers that were being prepared for an air strike against the American carriers, resulting in an uncontrollable fire.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At 10:29, Aoki ordered the ship's magazines flooded. The forward magazines were promptly flooded, but the aft magazines were not due to valve damage, likely caused by the near miss aft. The ship's main water pump also appears to have been damaged, greatly hindering fire fighting efforts. On the upper hangar deck, at 10:32 damage control teams attempted to control the spreading fires by employing the one-shot fire-suppression system. Whether the system functioned or not is unclear, but the burning aviation fuel proved impossible to control, and serious fires began to advance deeper into the interior of the ship. At 10:40, additional damage caused by the near-miss aft made itself known when the ship's rudder jammed 30 degrees to starboard during an evasive maneuver.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: Shortly thereafter, the fires broke through the flight deck and heat and smoke made the ship's bridge unusable. At 10:46, Nagumo transferred his flag to the light cruiser . "Akagi" stopped dead in the water at 13:50 and her crew, except for Aoki and damage-control personnel, was evacuated. She continued to burn as her crew fought a losing battle against the spreading fires. The damage-control teams and Aoki were evacuated from the still floating ship later that night.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: At 04:50 on 5 June, Yamamoto ordered "Akagi" scuttled, saying to his staff, "I was once the captain of "Akagi", and it is with heartfelt regret that I must now order that she be sunk." Destroyers "Arashi", "Hagikaze", "Maikaze", and "Nowaki" each fired one torpedo into the carrier and she sank, bow first, at 05:20 at . Two hundred and sixty-seven men of the ship's crew were lost, the fewest of any of the Japanese fleet carriers lost in the battle. The loss of "Akagi" and the three other IJN carriers at Midway, comprising two thirds of Japan's total number of fleet carriers and the experienced core of the First Air Fleet, was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to Japan's ultimate defeat in the war. In an effort to conceal the defeat, "Akagi" was not immediately removed from the Navy's registry of ships, instead being listed as "unmanned" before finally being struck from the registry on 25 September 1942.


title: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

text: On 20 October 2019, the Director of Undersea Operations for Vulcan Inc. Rob Kraft and Naval History and Heritage Command historian Frank Thompson aboard identified the wreck of "Akagi" using high-frequency sonar. Located north west of Pearl Harbor, "Akagi" was found at a depth of . It is reported that the wreck is upright, on its keel and is largely intact. Two days before the discovery of "Akagi", "Petrel" had discovered the wreck of "Kaga".


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Originally a septet, Jung Il-hoon departed from the group on December 31, 2020.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB debuted on March 21, 2012, performing "Insane" (비밀) and "Imagine" on "M Countdown". The group's debut EP, "Born to Beat" was released on April 3, 2012. They released their first full-length album, "Complete", in June 2015. In November 2014, they made their Japanese debut with "Wow" under the Japanese agency Kiss Entertainment.


title: BtoB (band)

text: Since the group's 2012 debut, they have received multiple awards, including the 30th Golden Disc Awards Best Vocal Group in 2016, 2017 Melon Music Awards Top 10 Bonsang and 25th Seoul Music Awards Ballad Award in 2018. Five of their albums topped the Gaon Album Chart, and nine of their singles peaked in top ten on the national Gaon Digital Chart.


title: BtoB (band)

text: The group was formed by Cube Entertainment. It was stated from the start that Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Im Hyun-sik, Jung Il-hoon and Lee Min-woo were on the list of original members who are waiting to be debuted under the name of "BtoB". They appeared on the JTBC sitcom "I Live in Cheongdam-dong" as an aspiring boy band working towards their debut. However, Lee Minwoo had dropped out of the list of confirmed members after their first appearance on the sitcom and the fact of him not debuting with BtoB had upset many fans. On March 23, 2012, Cube Entertainment had clarified that there were problems with Minwoo's health, resulting in him being unable to blend into the group. Adding on, he would still be a trainee under Cube. If he was to recover, he would still get a chance to debut. Minwoo was confirmed to debut as a C-Clown member (stage name T.K.) under Yedang Entertainment.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On March 21, BtoB made their debut in a showcase held in Seoul, which was streamed from their official YouTube channel. They performed their title track "Insane" (), "Imagine", and various other songs. BtoB then released their self-titled debut EP, "Born to Beat" on April 3 with songs co-written by Jörgen Elofsson. The EP includes the two debut title tracks of the group "Insane" and "Imagine", while the members of the group participated on writing the lyrics and raps for the album.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On May 3, the group released the digital single, "Father" () along with a music video, in conjunction with May being the "Month of Family". An "Asia Special Edition" of their first EP was released on May 23, containing the previously released track, "Father" and the track "Irresistible Lips" () which was first revealed on "I Live in Cheongdam-dong".


title: BtoB (band)

text: The release of the "Born to Beat (Asia Special Edition)" album marked the official start of their Asia promotions. They kick-started their promotions with a press conference in Singapore along with a promotional event in Bugis Square which attracted a crowd of 800 people. The following day, they performed at Clarke Quay for "Music Matters Live 2012", a five-night festival that featured 40 bands from 18 countries. A month later, they resumed their Asia promotions in Indonesia, participating in an interview with OneTV Asia. In addition, they held their first Indonesian showcase at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Jakarta on June 21, performing for both fans and media officials. They made their debut in Japan with a performance at the "K-Dream Live" concert at Tokyo Dome on July 29 alongside 5 other groups. In addition, the group performed at Sapporo Dome on August 1 for the "K-Pop Nonstop Live 2012 In Sapporo" concert.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On September 12, the group released their second EP, "Press Play" along with its title track "Wow", which was composed by hit maker Kim Do-hoon. On October 18, the group started promoting the follow-up single "Lover Boy" () on "M Countdown". A music video for the song was released on October 22 which consisted of a montage of the promotional events the group undertook throughout the year.


title: BtoB (band)

text: Following the end of their promotions for "I Only Know Love", the group commenced their overseas activities once again. They started off in Singapore on December 1, performing as part of a line-up for "Sundown Festival 2012", an event that invited solo and group acts from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. On December 11, the group performed as the opening act for the "2012 Asia Super Showcase" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at Kenanga Wholesale City. The group became the first Korean artist to perform at the Thai Supermodel Concert on December 13 at the Bangkok Convention Center, and later held a press conference with around 70 media outlets.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In February 2013, the group participated in the "2013 United Cube Concert" alongside other Cube Entertainment artists, 4minute, Beast, G.NA and Roh Ji-hoon. The concert took place in Seoul's Jamsil Indoor Stadium, and attracted over 7,000 fans, local and international, with additional concert dates in China and Japan.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On April 6, BtoB held their first fan-meet in Taiwan, "BTOB Press Play in Taiwan", for 1,000 fans. They later held two additional fan-meets in Thailand and Cambodia, meeting with around 2,000 fans in total.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB released their first digital single, "2nd Confession" () on April 10. The group started to promote the single with a stage performance on April 12, on "M Countdown".


title: BtoB (band)

text: On August 29, BtoB released a music video for the track "When I Was Your Man" (), ahead of their official comeback in September. On September 4, the group performed their new tracks, "When I Was Your Man" and "Thriller" () on MBC Music's "Show Champion", prior to the release of their third EP "Thriller", which was subsequently released on September 9.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 17, BtoB released the group's fourth EP "Beep Beep" (). It includes the title track of the same title, which was produced by hit composers Brave Brothers. The group also held their album showcase at the Club Wave in Apjugeong, Seoul on the same day. The EP ranked first on the Gaon Album Chart for the ninth week of 2014, making it their first album to peak at the top spot. The group then began their album promotion with a performance on "M Countdown" on February 20.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In July, the group launched their first solo live concert, "Happy Summer Vacation with BTOB", in Japan with two concerts taking place on July 19 at Osaka and two concerts on July 21 at Tokyo, for a total of four shows. Each show gathered over 2,000 fans, for a total of 8,000 fans.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On September 29, BtoB released their fifth EP, "Move", along with the lead single "You're So Fly" (). They also introduced the group's new logo image. The logo image has heart shaped symbols that represent two capital B's for BtoB, expressing BtoB's love for the fans and its desire to present heart touching music.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB held their first-ever solo concert in Korea, Hello Melody, from October 31 – November 4 at Olympic Park's Olympic Hall.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In October, BtoB signed a contract with a Japanese talent agency, Kiss Entertainment, for the group's activities in Japan. On November 12, the group released their first Japanese single, "WOW (Japanese ver.)" and began active promotions in Japan.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On December 22, the group released their winter EP "The Winter's Tale". The EP contains five tracks including the pre-released track "You Can Cry" () and the lead single "The Winter's Tale" (). "The Winter's Tale" is the group's first title track composed and produced by members Hyun-sik and Il-hoon.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 14 and 22, BtoB held their first official fan-meeting titled "Be My Valentine" in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan. All shows were sold-out, gathering a total of 5,000 fans. BtoB then released their first original Japanese single album, titled "Future" on March 25. The single recorded sales of about 70,000 and ranked second on Japan's Oricon Singles Chart. On the same day, their single charted first on the weekly overall chart for Tower Records, Japan's largest record store. They continued promoting throughout Japan (Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo) through concerts and various events until March 30.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On April 4, the group took its first exclusive concert "Hello Melody" in Busan, South Korea. It was held at the Busan KBS Hall. On April 29, the group held their first major solo concert tour in Japan, "The Secret Diary", six months after their Japanese debut, and reportedly gathered 10,000 fans.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On June 28, BtoB released their first full-length album "Complete". The album comprises thirteen tracks including the lead single "It's Okay" (), "Shake It!" which was a bonus track from their fifth EP "Move", and an acoustic version of their debut single "Insane". "It's Okay" is an R&B ballad track, and is also the group's first ever ballad single. The title track ranked at the top of multiple major music charts in South Korea upon its release, and is the first time the group topped charts since their debut in 2012.


title: BtoB (band)

text: Their third Japanese single, "Summer Color My Girl" (夏色 MY GIRL), was released on August 19, after the conclusion of their Korean promotions.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On October 12, BtoB released their seventh EP, "I Mean", along with the music video for their title song, "Way Back Home" (). On October 21, BtoB received their first music show win, after 3 years and 7 months, on "Show Champion", with the song "Way Back Home".


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB held their second solo concert, Born to Beat Time, on December 19 and 20 at Jangchung Arena. The tickets for the concert were sold-out in 5 minutes. They performed their hit songs in front of a total of 8,000 fans, and the show included special stages such as performances from their unit lines.


title: BtoB (band)

text: The group's transition to releasing ballad music achieved the group success, earning multiple nominations on year-end awards and winning the "Best Vocal Group Award" on the 30th Golden Disc Awards and the "Ballad Award" for "It's Okay" on the 25th Seoul Music Awards.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 3, BtoB released a short preview of their fourth Japanese single, "Dear Bride". The full single was released on February 24. BtoB kicked off their long-awaited Zepp Tour, entitled BTOB Zepp Tour 2016 B-Loved, from February 10 to 14. They met fans across four cities in Japan including Nagoya, Tokyo, Fukuoka and Namba.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 21, the group held their second fan-meet, "BTOB Awards", for 3,500 fans with the fan-meet being designed like an actual awards show. The group continued their successful concert events with Born to Beat Time: Encore Concert that was held on March 27–28 at Jamsil Arena for 14,000 fans. On March 28, BtoB released their eighth EP, "Remember That", with the title track "Remember That" (), concluding their ballad trilogy.


title: BtoB (band)

text: The group released their fifth Japanese single, "L.U.V", on June 15. It debuted on top of the weekly Oricon chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, selling over 77,000 copies in its first week.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On June 24, BtoB performed at the KCON 2016 NY in Newark, New Jersey. On August 6, BtoB released a special digital single for summer, "I Want to Vacation" (), as a present for fans. The song was composed and produced by Jerry.L and Sweetch, with the rap parts written by Ilhoon, Minhyuk and Peniel. It was also used as the theme song for the KBS2 variety show "Battle Trip".


title: BtoB (band)

text: On November 7, BtoB released their ninth mini album, "New Men". It includes the promotional track "I'll Be Your Man" () which marks the group's first dance title track release after two years and two months. "I'll Be Your Man" is written, composed and arranged by member Im Hyun-sik while all the members participated on the side tracks of the album. The title track, shortly after its release, topped multiple music charts.


title: BtoB (band)

text: After the promotions of "New Men" in South Korea, the group head over to Japan and released their first Japanese full-length album "24/7". The album includes BtoB's past Japanese singles "Wow" (Japanese ver.) and "Mirai Ashita", and the lead single "Christmas Time". "24/7" topped the weekly Oricon chart, selling 27,000 copies in a week.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB held their third solo concert, "BtoB Time", from January 21–22 at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On March 5, BtoB held their third official fan-meeting "BtoB's Secret Room" before the release of upcoming EP. On March 6, BtoB released their tenth mini-album, "Feel'eM". The mini-album includes the pre-released single "Someday" (언젠가) and the lead single "Movie". "Someday" is an emotional ballad track composed and written by Im Hyun-sik and co-written by Lee Min-hyuk and Jung Il-hoon. It topped multiple charts upon its release. "Movie" is a funky dance track co-written and co-composed by member Jung Il-hoon. The group released a Japanese version of the single "Movie" on May 3. On August 30, the group released their seventh original Japanese single "Brand New Days" which debuted at number 2 on the Oricon chart.


title: BtoB (band)

text: From April to September, each of the BtoB members released solo digital singles as part of the "Piece of BtoB" project. Lee Chang-sub started the project with a self-composed ballad track "At the End". It was followed by Jung Il-hoon's up-tempo hip-hop track "Fancy Shoes", Peniel's "That Girl", Im Hyun-sik's self-produced alternative-rock track "Swimming", Lee Min-hyuk's R&B hip-hop song "Purple Rain" featuring singer Cheeze, Yook Sung-jae's ballad track "Tell Me" (말해) along with the b-side, "Paradise" and was concluded with Seo Eun-kwang's ballad track "One Day" (이제 겨우 하루) and the b-side "Back Then" (그때).


title: BtoB (band)

text: After the conclusion of their "Piece of BtoB" project, the group released their second studio album "Brother Act." on October 16. The title track "Missing You" (그리워하다) is a pop-ballad produced and written by Im Hyun-sik, with rap verses written by members Lee Min-hyuk, Jung Il-hoon and Peniel, respectively. "Missing You" topped multiple major music charts upon its release. It also peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming their highest-charting single on the chart.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB held their fourth solo concert "2017 BtoB Time - Our Concert", from December 23–24 at the Ilsan Kintex Exhibition Center.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 27, 2018, BtoB was appointed as ambassadors for Korea Tourism Organization, as a boy group who has high recognition overseas and gained popularity.


title: BtoB (band)

text: They released a pre-release single, "The Feeling", on June 11, prior to the release of their 11th EP. The song is a sentimental summer song composed by Jung Il-lhoon and co-written by Lee Min-hyuk, Peniel, and Jung Il-hoon ahead of the comeback on June 18. On June 13, they made their debut on "Billboard"'s Social 50 Chart by charting at number 21.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB held their sixth solo concert "2018 BtoB Time – This Is Us" at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul for three days from August 10–12, Taiwan at Hsing Chuang Gymnasium on September 8, The Kasablanka, Jakarta on September 21. and CentralPlaza Chaengwattana, Bangkok on October 14.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In August 2018, Lee Min-hyuk was randomly selected as the second leader, during a VLive broadcast, to fill in for Eunkwang, who was due to begin his mandatory military service later that month.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On November 12, the group released a special album titled "Hour Moment" without the participation of Seo Eun-kwang, with the song "Beautiful Pain" functioning as the lead single.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On March 21, 2019, BtoB celebrated their seventh anniversary and chose a new leader now that Lee Min-hyuk has gone to the military as well. Peniel was selected to be the leader, however, due to their decision beforehand, Yook Sungjae became the third leader.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On April 5, a digital single "Sorry" was released. It was an unreleased song that Eunkwang, Minhyuk and Changsub prepared before their respective enlistments. It is a mid-tempo ballad composed by Lee Minhyuk.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On April 7, 2020, Eunkwang was officially discharged following protocols as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyunsik and Sungjae enlisted on May 11, while Ilhoon enlisted on May 28. Changsub was officially discharged on August 21, 2020, followed by Minhyuk on September 12. They were discharged earlier due to the current COVID-19 protocol. On October 27, Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub and Peniel announced that they have formed a unit called BtoB 4U. The unit debuted on November 16.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On December 31, 2020, Cube Entertainment announced that Ilhoon would leave BtoB after being investigated for using marijuana. He was under investigation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for purchasing and using marijuana over the past 4–5 years, and was also charged for violating the Narcotics Control Act. The group would then continue their activities together as a six-member group with no additional members.


title: BtoB (band)

text: The four-member lineup of BtoB participated in "", a competition show alongside five other K-pop boy groups, from April to June 2021. On August 30, 2021, BtoB released the special album "", with "Outsider" serving as the lead single. On October 27, BtoB released the Japanese special mini album "Outsider".


title: BtoB (band)

text: Hyunsik and Sungjae were discharged from the military on November 14, completing BtoB's military service. On November 18, BtoB attended BtoB's Kiss the Radio, hosted by member Minhyuk, marking their first full-group appearance in three years.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On February 21, 2022, BtoB made their first comeback as a full group of six with their third studio album "Be Together" with the title track "The Song" composed by member Hyunsik. The album was a chart success with even b-sides charting high. With "Be Together", BtoB also beat their own first-week sales record from 2018 and accumulated over a million in total album sales. "The Song" went on to win two music show wins on Show Champion and M Countdown on March 2 and 3, respectively.


title: BtoB (band)

text: The band was supposed to hold its 10th anniversary concert in March 2022. Due to multiple band members getting positive COVID-19 results a week before the concert, the three-day concert was postponed to a yet unknown later date.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In November 2022, it was announced that BTOB will hold a 10th anniversary concert "Be Together" on December 30-31, 2022, and January 1, 2023.


title: BtoB (band)

text: Five members of BtoB completed their military services during the time period between August 2018 and November 2021. In 2018, Eunkwang enlisted on August 21. In 2019, Changsub enlisted on January 14 and Minhyuk enlisted on February 7. In 2020, Eunkwang completed his military duties on April 7, Hyunsik and Sungjae enlisted on May 11. Ilhoon enlisted on May 28, before departing the group on December 31. On August 21, Changsub completed his service. On September 12, Minhyuk completed his military duties. In 2021, Hyunsik and Sungjae were the final members to complete their service, being discharged on November 14.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In September 2016, BtoB revealed their first unit group, BtoB Blue () consisting of the group's vocalists, Eunkwang, Changsub, Hyunsik and Sungjae. BtoB Blue released the digital single, "Stand By Me" (), on September 19, 2016.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BToB Blue released the digital single, "When It Rains", on August 2, 2018. The single was composed by group member Hyunsik.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In October 2020, BtoB revealed their second unit group, BtoB 4U (Korean: 비투비 포유) consisting of members Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub and Peniel. Minhyuk explained that the name means 'For you' and also refers to how there are four members in the unit. They debuted with their first mini-album "Inside" with title track "Show Your Love" on November 16, 2020.


title: BtoB (band)

text: During their "The Winter's Tale" activities in January 2015, BtoB members has donated safety gloves to donate them through National Emergency Management Agency and were soon delivered to Jeollanam Firefighting Headquarters ().


title: BtoB (band)

text: On June 30, 2015, BtoB posted their plans for "Complete" activities and began an enter-to-win event under the title, "It's Okay, Everyone". To participate in the event, people who bought BtoB's "Complete" album can enter the album's 16-digit serial number in the event homepage. BtoB will later randomly choose the winners of the events the group will hold in the near future. For every person who participates in the donation event, $0.45 is raised. The donation will eventually be made under BtoB's fan club's name, Melody. Over $1,475 was raised within three days and the number is rapidly increasing. BtoB decided to begin this special donation event to let the public know that they genuinely wish to support those who feel lonely and lost, just like the lyrics in their title track, "It's Okay".


title: BtoB (band)

text: Since 2017, BtoB has been the ambassador for Juvenile Diabetes Association. They undertakes philanthropy work such as donations, giving scholarships and performing concerts for the cause. In 2018, BtoB received a Seoul Mayoral Award, for their continuous help.


title: BtoB (band)

text: BtoB took part in 'CPP Cruise 2018 – Busan Sea Blue', Asia's first color-themed cruise designed to create domestic cruise tourism demand and promote K fashion to Asia. The ship departed from Busan to Tokyo with a variety of travel cultures such as fashion shows, musical performances, parties, and donations being held for children with disabilities and auction for low-income children with medical needs.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On April 12, 2019, World Human Bridge, an international relief development NGO announced that BtoB's fan club 'Melody' has donated ₩1,950,000 under the name of 'BtoB & Melody' to help the victims of Sokcho Fire. The donation is the sum of seven BtoB members' ages and will be used to support the daily necessities and food for 1,000 Goseong victims.


title: BtoB (band)

text: In 2020, BtoB fanclub 'Melody' donated ₩3.21 million through Gyeongsan World Human Bridge for medical staff who are struggling with COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea especially in Daegu and North Gyeongsan Province.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On June 17, 2021, BtoB was selected as the official ambassador for Shopee's K-Collection, a Korean brand exhibition in which 50 domestic small and medium-sized enterprises participate through Shopee's Live Shopee Singapore, Shopee Malaysia, Shopee Philippines, and Shopee Vietnam. The group will introduce products directly through Shopee's Live and hold an exclusive online fan meeting to actively attract local K-pop fans as customers.


title: BtoB (band)

text: On March 30, 2022, BtoB was appointed as an ambassador for "2022 Boryeong Sea Mud Exhibition" which will be held at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, from July 16 to August 15.


title: Macedonians (ethnic group)

text: Macedonians () are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians, who speak a South Slavic language, and share a cultural and historical "Orthodox Byzantine–Slavic heritage" with their neighbours. About two-thirds of all ethnic Macedonians live in North Macedonia and there are also communities in a number of other countries.


title: Macedonians (ethnic group)

text: The concept of a Macedonian ethnicity, distinct from their Orthodox Balkan neighbours, is seen to be a comparatively newly emergent one. The earliest manifestations of an incipient Macedonian identity emerged during the second half of the 19th century among limited circles of Slavic-speaking intellectuals, predominantly outside the region of Macedonia. They arose after the First World War and especially during 1930s, and thus were consolidated by Communist Yugoslavia's governmental policy after the Second World War.


title: Macedonians (ethnic group)

text: The formation of the ethnic Macedonians as a separate community has been shaped by population displacement as well as by language shift, both the result of the political developments in the region of Macedonia during the 20th century. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the decisive point in the ethnogenesis of the South Slavic ethnic group was the creation of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia after World War II, a state in the framework of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This was followed by the development of a separate Macedonian language and national literature, and the foundation of a distinct Macedonian Orthodox Church and national historiography.


title: Macedonians (ethnic group)

text: In antiquity, much of central-northern Macedonia (the Vardar basin) was inhabited by Paionians who expanded from the lower Strymon basin. The Pelagonian plain was inhabited by the Pelagones and the Lyncestae, ancient Greek tribes of Upper Macedonia; whilst the western region (Ohrid-Prespa) was said to have been inhabited by Illyrian tribes, such as the Enchelae. During the late Classical Period, having already developed several sophisticated "polis"-type settlements and a thriving economy based on mining, Paeonia became a constituent province of the Argead – Macedonian kingdom. In 310 BC, the Celts attacked deep into the south, subduing various local tribes, such as the Dardanians, the Paeonians and the Triballi. Roman conquest brought with it a significant Romanization of the region. During the Dominate period, 'barbarian' foederati were settled on Macedonian soil at times; such as the Sarmatians settled by Constantine the Great (330s AD) or the (10 year) settlement of Alaric I's Goths. In contrast to 'frontier provinces', Macedonia (north and south) continued to be a flourishing Christian, Roman province in Late Antiquity and into the Early Middle Ages.


title: Macedonians (ethnic group)

text: Linguistically, the South Slavic languages from which Macedonian developed are thought to have expanded in the region during the post-Roman period, although the exact mechanisms of this linguistic expansion remains a matter of scholarly discussion. Traditional historiography has equated these changes with the commencement of raids and 'invasions' of Sclaveni and Antes from Wallachia and western Ukraine during the 6th and 7th centuries. However, recent anthropological and archaeological perspectives have viewed the appearance of Slavs in Macedonia, and throughout the Balkans in general, as part of a broad and complex process of transformation of the cultural, political and ethnolinguistic Balkan landscape before the collapse of Roman authority. The exact details and chronology of population shifts remain to be determined. What is beyond dispute is that, in contrast to "barbarian" Bulgaria, northern Macedonia remained Roman in its cultural outlook into the 7th century. Yet at the same time, sources attest numerous Slavic tribes in the environs of Thessaloniki and further afield, including the Berziti in Pelagonia. Apart from Slavs and late Byzantines, Kuver's "Bulgars" – a mix of Byzantine Greeks, Bulgars and Pannonian Avars – settled the "Keramissian plain" (Pelagonia) around Bitola in the late 7th century. Later pockets of settlers included "Danubian" Bulgars in the 9th century; Magyars (Vardariotai) and Armenians in the 10th–12th centuries, Cumans and Pechenegs in the 11th–13th centuries, and Saxon miners in the 14th and 15th centuries.