1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

(日本海軍, Nihon Kaigun) at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet. At the centre, was the 1st Air Fleet (第一航空艦隊, Dai-ichi KōKū Kantai) which was a grouping of naval aircraft and aircraft carriers. With the Kido Butai (being its primary carrier battle group

Carrier battle group

A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...

) the Imperial Japanese Navy would reign supreme for the first six months after Japan's entry to World War II.

Origins

The origin of the 1st Air Fleet had to do with creating the first carrier based air fleet. In 1912, the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

had established its own flying branch, the Royal Naval Air Service

Royal Naval Air Service

The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...

(RNAS). The Japanese admirals, whose own Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

had been modeled on the Royal Navy and whom they admired, themselves proposed their own Naval Air Service. The Japanese Navy had also observed technical developments in other countries and saw that the airplane had potential. The following year, in 1913 a Navy transport ship, the Wakamiya

Japanese seaplane carrier Wakamiya

Wakamiya was a seaplane carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the first Japanese aircraft carrier. She was converted from a transport ship into a seaplane carrier and commissioned in August 1914. She was equipped with four Japanese-built French Maurice Farman seaplanes...

was converted into a seaplane tender, a number of aircraft were also purchased. The 1st and 2nd Air Fleet were to be the primary attack force of the IJNAS.

Organisation

The Navy Air Service

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...

s' carrier-based Air Corps or Naval Air Group (Kokutai) was a major component of the Combined Fleet

Combined Fleet

The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....

(Rengo Kantai), and 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. Several Kokutai formed a Koku Sentai (Naval Air Flotilla or Carrier Division), while a Naval Air Fleet (Kantai) was made up of several Koku Sentai.

First half as Carrier Task Force

On 10 April 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

formed the First Air Fleet (Dai-ichi KōKū Kantai) consisting of all seven of Japan's aircraft fleet carriers and light carriers with a total of 474 aircraft. This was a naval battlegroup with the single most powerful concentration of naval aviation in the world. The groundwork for the true carrier task force had been laid.

The large fleet carrier

Fleet carrier

A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier that is designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during the Second World War, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other lesser types...

s had three types of aircraft; fighters

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

, level/torpedo bomber

Torpedo bomber

A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...

s, and dive bomber

Dive bomber

A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...

s. The smaller carriers tended to have only two types of aircraft, fighters and torpedo bombers. The carrier-based kokutai numbered over 1500 pilots with over 1500 aircraft. At the beginning of the Pacific War, there would be 10 large carriers with a total aircraft capacity of about 600.

Kido Butai

The Kido Butai (機動部隊 literally Mobile Unit/Force) was the Combined Fleet

Combined Fleet

's tactical designation for its carrier strike force. The title was used as a term of convenience, it was not a formal name for the organization. It consisted of Japan's six largest carriers, carrying the 1st Air Fleet. This mobile task force was created for executing the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

under Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

in 1941. For the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Kido Butai consisted of 6 aircraft carriers (commanded by Chuichi Nagumo, Tamon Yamaguchi and Chuichi Hara

Chuichi Hara

-External links:*...

) with 414 airplanes, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 8 tankers, 23 submarines and 4 midget submarines. However, these escort ships were borrowed from other fleet and squadrons. On 14 July 1942, all carriers were moved to the 3rd Fleet

IJN 3rd Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions.-Russo-Japanese War:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 3rd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as an administrative unit to manage various vessels considered too obsolete for...

. It was considered the single most powerful naval fleet until four of the six aircraft carriers of the unit were destroyed in the disastrous Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...

.

{| class="wikitable"
!style="color: white; height: 5px; background: navy;"| Carriers of the Kido Butai, 1941 !! style="color: white; height: 5px; background: navy;"|
|-
! 1st Carrier Division
|-
| align=center | Akagi

Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi

Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty...

|| align=center |

|-
| align=center | Kaga

Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga

Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture...

|| align=center |
|-
! 2nd Carrier Division
|-
| align=center | Sōryū

Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu

was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...

|| align=center |

|-
| align=center | Hiryū

Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu

was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...

|| align=center |

|-
! 3rd Carrier Division

Third Carrier Division

The was an seaplane tender unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet at first.-Organization:-Commander:-Bibliography:*"Monthly The Maru" series, and "The Maru Special" series, *"Monthly Ships of the World" series,...

|-
| align=center | Zuihō

Japanese aircraft carrier Zuiho

was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she participated in many operations, including the battles of Santa Cruz, Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf where she was finally sunk by American aircraft.-Design:...

|| align=center |
|-
| align=center | Hōshō

Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho

Hōshō |phoenix]]") was the world's first commissioned ship that was designed and built as an aircraft carrier,The HMS Argus pre-dated Hōshō and had a long landing deck, but was designed and initially built as an ocean liner. and the first aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy...

|| align=center |
|-
! 4th Carrier Division

Fourth Carrier Division

The was a seaplane tender and aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.-Organization:-Commander:-Bibliography:*"Monthly The Maru" series, and "The Maru Special" series,...

|-
| align=center | Ryūjō

Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo

Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...

|| align=center |
|-
| align=center | Taiyō

Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyo

Taiyō was the lead ship of Taiyō-class of escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and Conversion:...

|| align=center |
|-
! 5th Carrier Division
|-
| align=center | Shōkaku

Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku

Shōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...

|| align=center |

|-
| align=center | Zuikaku

Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku

Zuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...

|| align=center |

Transition (extract)

{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Lower units || Lowest units and ships
|-
| rowspan="5"| 10 April 1941 (original) || rowspan="2"| 1st Carrier Division

First Carrier Division

was an aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, the First Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Akagi and Kaga. The division participated in the Attack on Pearl Harbor and Indian Ocean Raid...

|| Akagi
Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi
Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty...

, Kaga
Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga
Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture...

|-
| Destroyer Division 7 : Akebono
Japanese destroyer Akebono
was the eighteenth of twenty-four destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world...

, Ushio
Japanese destroyer Ushio
was the twentieth of twenty-four destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well...

|-
| rowspan="2"| 2nd Carrier Division

Second Carrier Division

was an aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, the Second Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Sōryū and Hiryū...

|| Sōryū
Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu
was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...

, Hiryū
Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu
was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...

|-
| Destroyer Division 23 : Kikuzuki
Japanese destroyer Kikuzuki (1926)
was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...

, Uzuki
Japanese destroyer Uzuki (1925)
was one of twelve destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...

|-
| 4th Carrier Division

Fourth Carrier Division

The was a seaplane tender and aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.-Organization:-Commander:-Bibliography:*"Monthly The Maru" series, and "The Maru Special" series,...

|| Ryūjō
Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo
Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...

|-
| rowspan="7"| 10 December 1941 || rowspan="2"| 1st Carrier Division || Akagi, Kaga
|-
| Destroyer Division 7 : Akebono, Ushio
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2nd Carrier Division || Sōryū, Hiryū
|-
| Destroyer Division 23 : Kikuzuki, Uzuki
|-
| rowspan="2"| 4th Carrier Division || Ryūjō, Kasuga Maru
Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyo
Taiyō was the lead ship of Taiyō-class of escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and Conversion:...

|-
| Destroyer Division 3 : Shiokaze
Japanese destroyer Shiokaze
was a destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...

, Hokaze
Japanese destroyer Hokaze
was a destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...

|-
| 5th Carrier Division

Fifth Carrier Division

was an aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, the Fifth Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku. These two ships participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, using their aircraft...

|| Shōkaku
Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku
Shōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...

, Zuikaku
Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Zuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...

, Oboro, Akigumo
Japanese destroyer Akigumo
Akigumo was a Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer of the .Shortly after the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the early hours of 27 October 1942, Akigumo along with the destroyer Makigumo sunk the heavily damaged and abandoned USS Hornet...

|-
| rowspan="8"| 10 April 1942 || 1st Carrier Division || Akagi, Kaga
|-
| 2nd Carrier Division || Hiryū, Sōryū
|-
| 4th Carrier Division || Ryūjō, Shōhō
Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho
Shōhō , the lead ship of her class, was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II...

|-
| 5th Carrier Division || Shōkaku, Zuikaku
|-
| rowspan="4"| 10th Cruiser-Destroyer Squadron || Nagara
Japanese cruiser Nagara
was the lead ship of her class of light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was named after the Nagara River in the Chūbu region of Japan.-Background:...

|-
| Destroyer Division 4 : Nowaki
Japanese destroyer Nowaki
was a Kagero-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 3 March 1942 the Nowaki help sink the gunboat . In the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, Nowaki took part in the torpedo attack on the U.S. escort carriers and assisted in sinking of...

, Arashi
Japanese destroyer Arashi
Arashi was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.The Arashi ship played a vital role in World War II by inadvertently guiding US attack planes to the Japanese carrier fleet at the Battle of Midway. It had been separated from the fleet during an attack on the USS Nautilus and was steaming to join them...

, Hagikaze
Japanese destroyer Hagikaze
Hagikaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Participating at the Battle of Midway, the heavily damaged was scuttled by her two torpedoes, Kaga being fatally damaged by US aircraft of during the battle....

, Maikaze
Japanese destroyer Maikaze
Maikaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 17 February 1944, while evacuating convoys to Yokosuka from Truk following Allied attack on Truk, Maikaze, the cruiser , and the auxiliary cruiser Akagi Maru were sunk by gunfire from the cruisers and 40 miles northwest of Truk...

|-
| Destroyer Division 10 : Kazagumo
Japanese destroyer Kazagumo
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Clouds Driven by Heaven's Winds".On 8 June 1944, Kazagumo was escorting Myōkō and Haguro from Davao to support Biak troop transport operations. She was torpedoed and sunk by at the mouth of Davao Gulf . rescued 133 survivors.-External...

, Makigumo
Japanese destroyer Makigumo
Makigumo was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Cirrus Clouds" .Following the Battle of Midway in June 1942, downed American aircrew SBD Ensign Frank W. O'Flaherty and AMM1c Bruno P. Gaido were pulled from the water by Makigumo...

, Yūgumo, Akigumo
|-
| Destroyer Division 17 : Urakaze
Japanese destroyer Urakaze
Urakaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 9 June 1944, she rescued 126 survivors from , including her commander Lieutenant Commander Ikeda, which was sunk by , near Tawitawi...

, Isokaze
Japanese destroyer Isokaze
Isokaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It is the second ship to carry the name after the lead ship from Isokaze-class destroyer.On 7 April 1945, Isokaze escorted the battleship from the Inland Sea on her Operation Ten-Go attack on the Allied forces on Okinawa...

, Tanikaze
Japanese destroyer Tanikaze
Tanikaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Wind from the Mountain to the Valley".In June 1942 the ship participated in the battle of Midway where she was damaged by air attacks...

, Hamakaze
Japanese destroyer Hamakaze
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 7 April 1945, Hamakaze escorted the battleship from the Inland Sea on her Operation Ten-Go attack on the Allied forces on Okinawa. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 58 and sank 150 miles southwest of Nagasaki .-External links:**...

|-
| 14 July 1942 || colspan="2"|disbanded

Commanders

Commander in chief

{| class=wikitable
! !! Rank !! Name !! From !! To
|-
|1|| Vice-Admiral || Chūichi Nagumo

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

|| 10 April 1941 || 14 July 1942

Chief of Staff

{| class=wikitable
! !! Rank !! Name !! From !! To
|-
|1|| Rear-Admiral || Ryūnosuke Kusaka|| 10 April 1941 || 14 July 1942

Second half as Land-based Air Fleet

On 1 June 1943, the 1st Air Fleet was reborn as the land-based Air Fleet. On 30 September 1943, a cabinet meeting planned the strategy. The plan intended the Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands

The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...

, Bonin Islands, Mariana Islands

Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...

, Caroline Islands

Caroline Islands

The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...

, Geelvink Bay

Cenderawasih Bay

Cenderawasih Bay , also Teluk Sarera , formerly Geelvink Bay is a large bay in northern Province of Papua and West Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia, at . The Dutch name comes after a Dutch ship and family called Geelvinck...

(Biak

Biak

Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...

), Sunda Islands

Sunda Islands

The Sunda Islands are a group of islands that form part of the Malay archipelago.They are further divided into the Greater Sunda Islands and the Lesser Sunda Islands.-Administration:...

and Burma to be unsinkable aircraft carriers. The 1st Air Fleet became the main force of this plan. However, it was soundly beaten in the Battle of Philippine Sea. The IJN then moved the air fleet to the Philippines to regroup. However, the IJN lost the air fleet, as it was not combat ready in the Aerial Battle of Taiwan–Okinawa. After the battle it had only 30 aircraft. The only tactic left for them was the Kamikaze Attack

Kamikaze

The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....

Transition (extract)

{| class="wikitable"
! Date !! Higher unit !! Lower units !! Lowest units
|-
| 1 June 1943 (original) || Imperial General Headquarters

Imperial General Headquarters

The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...

|| 261st NAG, 521st NAG, 761st NAG
|-
| 1 January 1944 || Imperial General Headquarters || 121st NAG, 261st NAG, 263rd NAG, 265th NAG, 321st NAG,
341st NAG, 344th NAG, 521st NAG, 523rd NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
| rowspan="2"| 15 February 1944 || rowspan="2"| Combined Fleet

Combined Fleet

|| 61st Air Flotilla || 121st NAG, 261st NAG, 263rd NAG, 321st NAG, 341st NAG,
343rd NAG, 521st NAG, 523rd NAG, 763rd NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
|| 62nd Air Flotilla || 141st NAG, 262nd NAG, 265th NAG, 322st NAG, 345th NAG,
361st NAG, 522nd NAG, 524th NAG, 541st NAG, 762nd NAG
|-
| rowspan="3"| 5 May 1944 || rowspan="3"| Combined Fleet || 22nd Air Flotilla || 151st NAG, 202nd NAG, 251st NAG, 253rd NAG, 301st NAG,
503rd NAG, 551st NAG, 755th NAG
|-
| 26th Air Flotilla || 201st NAG, 501st NAG, 751st NAG
|-
| 61st Air Flotilla || 121st NAG, 261st NAG, 263rd NAG, 321st NAG, 341st NAG,
343rd NAG, 521st NAG, 523rd NAG, 763rd NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
| rowspan="5"| 7 August 1944 || rowspan="5"| Southwest Area Fleet

Southwest Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Southwest Area Fleet was an operational command of the Imperial Japanese Navy established on April 10, 1942 to coordinate naval, air, and ground forces for the invasion, occupation and defense of the...

|| 22nd Air Flotilla || Higashi-Caroline NAG
|-
| 23rd Air Flotilla || Gōhoku NAG
|-
| 26th Air Flotilla || Hitō NAG
|-
| 61st Air Flotilla || Mariana NAG, Nishi-Caroline NAG
|-
| 153rd NAG, 201st NAG, 221st NAG, 761st NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
| rowspan="3"| 15 December 1944 || rowspan="3"| Southwest Area Fleet || 23rd Air Flotilla || Gōhoku NAG
|-
| 26th Air Flotilla || Hokuhi NAG, Chūhi NAG, Nanpi NAG
|-
| 153rd NAG, 201st NAG, 761st NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1 March 1945 || rowspan="2"| Southwest Area Fleet || 26th Air Flotilla || Hokuhi NAG, Chūhi NAG, Nanpi NAG, 141st NAG, 153rd NAG,
201st NAG, 221st NAG, 341st NAG, 761st NAG, 763rd NAG
|-
| Taiwan NAG, 132nd NAG, 133rd NAG, 165th NAG, 634th NAG,
765th NAG, 1021st NAG
|-
| 8 May 1945 || Combined Fleet || 132nd NAG, 133rd NAG, 205th NAG, 765th NAG ||
|-
| 15 June 1945 || colspan="3"| disbanded

Commanders

Commander in chief

{| class=wikitable
! !! Rank !! Name !! Date !! Note
|-
|1|| Vice-Admiral|| Kakuji Kakuta

Kakuji Kakuta

, was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He is noted for his role in commanding Japanese naval aviation units in the Pacific War.-Biography:...

|| 1 June 1943 || KIA on 2 August 1944.
|-
|x|| vacant post || || 3 August 1944 || (after unnoticed death of Vice-Admiral Kakuta)
|-
|2|| Vice-Admiral|| Kinpei Teraoka|| 7 August 1944 ||
|-
|3|| Vice-Admiral|| Takijirō Ōnishi|| 20 October 1944 ||
|-
|4|| Vice-Admiral|| Kiyohide Shima|| 10 May 1945 ||
|-
|x|| || disbanded || 15 June 1945

Chief of Staff

{| class=wikitable
! !! Rank !! Name !! Date !! Note
|-
|1|| Captain

Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....

/ Rear-Admiral || Yoshitake Miwa|| 1 June 1943 || KIA on 2 August 1944. Posthumly promoted to Rear-Admiral on same day.
|-
|x|| vacant post || || 3 August 1944 || (After unnoticed death of Captain Miwa)
|-
|2|| Captain || Toshihiko Odawara|| 7 August 1944
|-
|3|| Rear-Admiral || Tomozō Kikuchi|| 1 January 1945
|-
|4|| Rear-Admiral || Tasuku Nakazawa|| 10 May 1945
|-
|x|| || disbanded || 15 June 1945
Some of the commanders of the Kido Butai

Operations

Pearl Harbor

The Kido Butai (also known as the Carrier Striking Task Force) set sail from Hittokapu Bay, Japan under Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral

Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

on 26 November 1941, arriving in Hawaiian waters on Sunday December 7, 1941 Hawaiian time. At around 8am, the first wave began its attack on the US Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

and on outlying airfields. By the end of the day 21 American ships were either sunk or crippled, 188 aircraft were destroyed and over 3,500 American personnel were casualties of war. Japan was now formally at war with the United States.

For the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

, this fleet had a strength of 103 level bomber

Level bomber

High level bombing is a tactic of dropping bombs while in high altitude. The term is used as a counterpart to both World War II dive bombing and low-level bombing. Before the age of precision guided munitions , it was mostly used for strategic bombing, in other words to damage enemy's economy and...

s, 128 dive bomber

Dive bomber

s, 40 torpedo bomber

Torpedo bomber

s, 88 fighter planes and plus 91 planes with a total of 441 planes. The Pearl Harbor Attack force composition

Attack on Pearl Harbor order of battle

This is the attack on Pearl Harbor's order of battle for both the Empire of Japan and the United States.-Imperial Japanese Navy:Naval General Staff—Admiral Osami Nagano*Combined Fleet **Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto...

Indian Ocean Raid

Between 31 March and 10 April 1942 the Japanese conducted a naval sortie against Allied naval forces in the Indian Ocean. The Fast Carrier Task Force(Kido Butai) consisting of six carriers commanded by Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

inflicted heavy losses on the British Fleet, with the sinking of 1 carrier, 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers and 23 merchant ships for the loss of 20 aircraft. Attacks on the island of Ceylon were also carried out.

Battle of the Coral Sea

The 1st Air Fleet dispatched the Fifth Carrier Division

Fifth Carrier Division

in the Coral Sea during the return from the Indian Ocean. On May 7 the USN sighted the Port Moresby invasion force and mistook it for the main carrier force. Admiral Fletcher

Frank Jack Fletcher

Frank Jack Fletcher was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher was the operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway. He was the nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher.-Early life and early Navy career:Fletcher was born in Marshalltown, Iowa...

sent an aircraft strike which sank the IJN light carrier Shōhō. After this loss of air cover, the Port Moresby invasion force abandoned its mission and retreated north. On the same day the IJN sighted and sank USN destroyer Sims and oiler Neosho. The primary action took place on 8 May. Both carrier forces sighted and attacked each other. As a result, Lexington was sunk and Yorktown was damaged by a Japanese air strike. USN aircraft managed to damage Shōkaku which meant that she and her sister ship were unable to participate in the following operation. The remaining fleet returned to Japan to prepare for the Midway invasion (Operation MI).

Battle of Midway

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Isoroku Yamamoto

was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....

planned to lure and destroy USN carriers by attacking the Midway Islands in June 1942. The Japanese were unaware that the United States had broken their naval code. As a result of this, USN carriers were already in the area when the Japanese attacked Midway. On 3 June US land-based bombers from Midway attacked the Japanese fleet but scored no hits. On 4 June, due to the poor reconnaissance efforts and tactical mistakes of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

, USN dive bombers were able to surprise the Japanese carrier force and destroyed three carriers (Akagi, Kaga and Sōryū). At the time of the attack the Japanese carriers were in the process of launching an air strike against the US carriers and their decks were full of loaded aircraft, bombs and aviation fuel which decisively contributed to the destruction. Carrier Hiryū managed to survive the attack and Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi launched a strike against Yorktown. Aircraft from Hiryū managed to cripple Yorktown which was later sunk by a Japanese submarine. In response, US lunched a strike against Hiryū and sunk her. That day the Japanese lost four aircraft carriers and much of their experienced aircrew.

Battle of the Eastern Solomons

The battle took place in August 1942. It was one of the two battles around the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

where the IJN carrier force engaged USN carrier force. As a response to Allied landings on Guadalcanal in early August, the Japanese planned a counterattack for late August. On 24 August the IJN carrier force (Shōkaku, Zuikaku and Ryūjō) under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Chuichi Nagumo

was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...

arrived in the Solomons area. Ryūjō was then separated and sent to attack Henderson Field

Henderson Field

Henderson Field is the name of several airports:* Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands, renamed to Honiara International Airport in 2003....

. She was spotted by US reconnaissance aircraft that morning. Admiral Fletcher

Frank Jack Fletcher

sent a strike force in the afternoon which sunk her. About the same time the Japanese sighted the US carrier force (Enterprise and Saratoga) and launched an air strike which badly damaged Enterprise.

Battle of Santa Cruz Islands

This was the second carrier battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign

Guadalcanal campaign

The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...

. The Japanese Army planned a major ground offensive on Guadalcanal for the end of October 1942. The Japanese Navy was to support this offensive. The IJN force consisted of four carriers (Shōkaku, Zuikaku, Jun'yō and light carrier Zuihō). The USN had two carriers available at the time (Enterprise and Hornet). The two forces first sighted each other in the morning of 26 October. In the following air strikes, the USN managed to heavily damage Shōkaku and Zuihō. In exchange, the IJN sank carrier Hornet and badly damaged Enterprise. Despite the tactical victory of the Japanese at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, their experienced aircrew was almost entirely wiped out in the two carrier battles around the Solomon Islands and they were no longer able to conduct carrier operations for some time.

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Invasion of Mariana Islands

Mariana and Palau Islands campaign

The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...

in June 1944 came as a surprise to the Japanese who had expected the next US target to be either the Palau Islands

Palau

Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...

or the Caroline Islands

Caroline Islands

. In response, the IJN moved to counterattack the US forces. Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa

Jisaburo Ozawa

was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of Combined Fleet. Many military historians regard Ozawa as one of the most capable Japanese flag officers.-Biography:...

had five large carriers (Taihō, Shōkaku, Zuikaku, Jun'yō and Hiyō) and an additional four light carriers under his command. By this time, the IJN was able to train new aircrew for their carriers to replace those lost during the battles in 1942. The US 5th Fleet, under the command of Raymond A. Spruance

Raymond A. Spruance

Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...

, had seven fleet carrier and eight light carriers. On 19 June Ozawa launched four successive air strikes against the USN ships but they were all destroyed by the combination of radar and new carrier-borne fighters (F6F Hellcat). That same day USN submarines managed to sink the new Japanese aircraft carrier Taihō

Japanese aircraft carrier Taiho

was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. With a heavily armored hull and flight deck , she represented a major departure in Japanese carrier design and was expected to not only survive multiple bomb, torpedo or shell hits but also continue fighting effectively...

as well as Shōkaku. The next day, a USN counter-attack sank carrier Hiyō and damaged three more carriers. Overall the Japanese lost more than four hundred aircraft with their newly trained aircrew.

Battle of Leyte Gulf

After disastrous losses at the Battle of the Philippine Sea

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...

, the Japanese carrier force was again practically without aircrew and aircraft. This meant that at the Battle of Leyte Gulf

Battle of Leyte Gulf

The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...

the IJN carrier force was only used as a decoy force where it was ultimately destroyed, the battle that saw the last Kido Butai survivor, Zuikaku, along with Zuiho, Chiyoda and Chitose succumbing to US air attacks of Admiral William F. Halsey's Task Force 38.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.