Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

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The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service or Kaigun Koku Hombu was a major force in the Pacific War during World War II. The Japanese military acquired their first aircraft in 1910 and followed the development of air combat during World War I with great interest. They initially procured European aircraft but quickly built their own and launched themselves onto an ambitious aircraft carrier building program. They launched the world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, the Hōshō, in 1922. Afterwards they embarked on a conversion program of several excess battlecruisers and battleships into aircraft carriers. The IJN Air Service had the mission of national air defence, deep strike, naval warfare etc. It retained this mission to the end.

The Japanese pilot training program was very selective and rigorous, producing a high-quality and long-serving pilot corps, called the Kokutai, who ruled the air in the Pacific during early World War II. However, this program, and a shortage of gasoline for training, did not allow the Navy to rapidly replace lost pilots with quality and timely replacements. The resultant decrease in pilot quality, among other factors, resulted in increasing casualties toward the end of the war. The Air Service was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Navy Ministry.

The Japanese Navy Air Service as equal in functions to British Royal Navy Air Service Fleet Air Arm(FAA),American U.S Navy air branch and Italian Regia Marina air unit (Aviazione Ausiliara per la Marina) in wartimes.

Contents 1 1st Air Fleet/Carrier Air Corps 2 11th Air Fleet/Land Based Air Fleets 3 Strength 3.1 Air Group identification 4 Aircraft strength 1941 5 IJNAS vs US first encounter (1932) 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] 1st Air Fleet/Carrier Air Corps

The elite of the pilots were the carrier-based Air Corps (kokutai, later called koku sentai) whose size (from a handful to 80 or 90 aircraft) was dependent on both the mission and type of aircraft carrier that they were on. The large fleet carriers had three types of aircraft; fighters, level bombers/torpedo planes, and dive bombers. While the smaller carriers tended to have only two types of aircraft; fighters and dive bombers. The carrier-based kokutai numbered over 1500 pilots with over 1500 aircraft at the beginning of the Pacific War.

[edit] 11th Air Fleet/Land Based Air Fleets

The IJN also maintained a shore-based system of air fleets called Koku Kantai and Area Air Fleets called homen kantai containing mostly twin engine bombers and seaplanes. The controlling unit was the 11th Air Fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Nihizo Tsukuhuru.

[edit] Strength

Each Air Fleet contained one or more Air Flotillas (commanded by Rear Admirals) each with two or more Air Groups. Each Air Group consisted of a base unit and 12 to 36 aircraft, plus 4 to 12 aircraft in reserve. Each Air Group consisted of several Air Divisions or hikotai of 9, 12 or 16 aircraft; this was the main IJN Air Service combat unit and was equivalent to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service's Air Company. Each hikotai was commanded by a junior lieutenant or Warrant Officer or an experienced Chief Petty Officer, while most pilots were non commissioned officers. There were usually for sections in each division, each section or shotai had 3 or 4 aircraft and by mid 1944 it was common for a shotai to have 4 aircraft. There were over 90 Air Groups at the start of the Pacific War and each was assigned either a name or a number. The named Air Groups were usually linked to a particular navy air command or a navy base. They were usually numbered when they left Japan.

[edit] Air Group identification

• Air Groups 200 to 399 - Fighter groups.
• Air Groups 400 to 499 - Float planes
• Air Groups 600 to 699 - mixed aircraft types.

[edit] Aircraft strength 1941

The IJN had over 3,089 aircraft in 1941 and 370 trainers.

• 1,830 first line aircraft including the following:
  • 660 fighters, mostly Mitsubishi Zeros
  • 330 Carrier based strike aircraft
  • 240 twin engined bombers
  • 520 seaplanes, and flying boats.

[edit] IJNAS vs US first encounter (1932)

• During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1932 Lt Robert Short (US Army Reservist) while piloting a Boeing 218 with Chinese markings shot down at least 2 IJNAS aircraft before he was killed in action. See link on January 28 Incident to Lt. Robert Short.

[edit] See also

• List of military aircraft of Japan
• Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau
• Organization of Japanese Navy Air Service (WWII)
• List of Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force Service personnel (WWII)
• List of Japanese carriers and land air corps equipped with the Mitsubishi Zero
• List of Japanese Navy Air Force aces (Mitsubishi A6M)
• Daitai Transport Unit
• List of radar models of the Imperial Japanese Navy
• List of bombs used by the Imperial Japanese Navy
• List of weapons on Japanese combat aircraft
• List of Aircraft engines in use of Japanese Navy Air Force
• List of foreign aircraft captured by Japanese forces in WW2
• List of Japanese Navy Air Force Trainer aircrafts(WW2)
• Japanese marine paratroopers of World War II
• Giretsu special forces operations

[edit] External links

• http://www.combinedfleet.com/kaigun.htm (see the section of Japanese Navy Aircraft)
• http://www.warbirdpix.com/ (link with somes photos of Axis Aircraft (German, Italian and Japanese Army and Navy)
• http://www.j-aircraft.org/xplanes/ (about advanced Japanese Army and Navy aircraft)
• http://uk.geocities.com/sadakichi09/ (over Japanese Navy and Army armaments, vehicles, Aircraft, electronic warfare and somes local special Japanese weapon technology )
• http://www.j-aircraft.com/captured/ (somes captured aircraft or aircraft in evaluations)
• http://www.j-aircraft.com/ (general resources of Japanese aircraft)