For 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...

, please see that article.

The was the main ocean-going component 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...

. 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.

Sino-Japanese War (1894–95)

The Combined Fleet was formally created on 18 July 1894 by the merger of the Standing Fleet and the Western Fleet. The Standing Fleet (also known as the Readiness Fleet) contained the navy's most modern and combat-capable warships. The Western Fleet was a reserve force consisting primarily of obsolete ships deemed unsuitable for front-line combat operations, but still suitable for commerce protection and coastal defense. Vice-admiral Itoh Sukeyuki

Itoh Sukeyuki

- Notes :...

  was appointed the first Commander-in-Chief

Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...

 of the Combined Fleet. for the duration of the first Sino-Japanese war

First Sino-Japanese War

The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...

 against China.

Russo-Japanese War (1904–05)

The Combined Fleet was re-formed during the Russo-Japanese War

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...

 of 1904–05 to provide a unified overall command for the three separate fleets in the Imperial Japanese Navy. The IJN 1st Fleet

IJN 1st Fleet

The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet into a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to...

 was the main battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

 force, which formed the backbone of the navy and was intended to be used in a traditional line-of-battle showdown with an equivalent enemy battleship fleet (kantai kessen

Kantai kessen

The was a naval strategy adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy following the Russo-Japanese War. It called on the use of a strong battleship force, which would destroy an invading fleet as it approached Japan after suffering losses through attrition as it penetrated Japanese perimeter defenses.The...

). The IJN 2nd Fleet

IJN 2nd Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...

 was a fast, mobile strike force with armored cruiser

Armored cruiser

The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...

s and protected cruiser

Protected cruiser

The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...

s. The IJN 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...

 was primarily a reserve fleet of obsolete vessels considered too weak for front-line combat service, but which could still be used in the operation to blockade Port Arthur

Battle of Port Arthur

The Battle of Port Arthur was the starting battle of the Russo-Japanese War...

. Admiral Togo Heihachiro

Togo Heihachiro

Fleet Admiral Marquis was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He was termed by Western journalists as "the Nelson of the East".-Early life:...

 was commander-in-chief

Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...

 of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War.

Interwar years

The Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but was temporarily created when necessary—either during wartime or during fleet maneuvers. Thus, during the period from 1905–1924, the Combined Fleet was created only sporadically as the occasion or circumstances dictated, and disbanded immediately afterwards.

In 1924, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared in an edict on fleet organization that "for the time being" the Combined Fleet would be a permanent organization consisting of the IJN 1st Fleet and IJN 2nd Fleet. As the commander of IJN 1st Fleet concurrently directed the Combined Fleet, the Combined Fleet did not have a Headquarters staff of its own.

From 1933, with the Manchurian Incident and the increasing tension with China, a permanent HQ staff for the Combined Fleet was established. By the late 1930s, it included most of Japan's warships—only the base units, the Special Naval Landing Forces, and the China Area Fleet lay outside the Combined Fleet.

World War II

The Combined Fleet came under command of the 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...

 in 1937. With the start of the Pacific War

Pacific War

The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...

 with 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...

 carried out by the Combined Fleet's Kido Butai

1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet. At the centre, was the 1st Air Fleet which was a grouping of naval aircraft and aircraft carriers...

, the Combined Fleet became almost synonymous with the Imperial Japanese Navy. It comprised the battleships, aircraft carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

s, aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

, and the components that made up the main fighting strength of the IJN. It was first mobilized on the whole for the 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...

. After the devastating carrier losses at Midway and in the Solomon Islands campaign

Solomon Islands campaign

The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942...

, the Navy re-organized into a number of "Area Fleets" for local operational control of various geographic zones. The Combined Fleet then evolved into more of an administrative organization.

As the war situation deteriorated for the Japanese and the territories controlled by the "Area Fleets" fell one after another to the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, the 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...

 and the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...

 acted to force the American fleet into a "decisive battle" in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 per the kantai kessen

Kantai kessen

The was a naval strategy adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy following the Russo-Japanese War. It called on the use of a strong battleship force, which would destroy an invading fleet as it approached Japan after suffering losses through attrition as it penetrated Japanese perimeter defenses.The...

philosophy. In the resultant 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...

 and 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 Japanese fleet was decimated. The remnants of the Combined Fleet fled to Okinawa, but further operations were hindered by lack of fuel and air cover. By the time of the final suicide mission of the battleship Yamato

Japanese battleship Yamato

, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...

 in Operation Ten-Go

Operation Ten-Go

was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Other renderings of this operation's title in English include Operation Heaven One and Ten-ichi-gō....

, the Combined Fleet had ceased to exist as an effective combat force. The Combined Fleet was formally dissolved on 10 October 1945.

Commanders of the IJN Combined Fleet

Commander in chief

	Rank	Name	From	To
1	Vice Admiral	Itoh Sukeyuki Itoh Sukeyuki - Notes :...	18 July 1894	11 May 1895
2	Vice Admiral	Arichi Shinanojo Arichi Shinanojo Baron was an admiral in the early Imperial Japanese Navy, and served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff in the late 19th century.-Biography:...	11 May 1895	16 November 1895
3	Vice Admiral	Togo Heihachiro Togo Heihachiro Fleet Admiral Marquis was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He was termed by Western journalists as "the Nelson of the East".-Early life:...	28 December 1903	20 December 1905
4	Vice Admiral	Ijuin Goro Ijuin Goro -External links:...	8 October 1908	20 November 1908
5	Vice Admiral	Motaro Yoshimatsu	1 November 1915	13 December 1915
6	Vice Admiral	Motaro Yoshimatsu	1 September 1916	14 October 1916
7	Admiral	Motaro Yoshimatsu	1 October 1917	22 October 1917
8	Admiral	Yamashita Gentaro	1 September 1918	15 October 1918
9	Admiral	Yamashita Gentaro	1 June 1919	28 October 1918
10	Admiral	Yamaya Tanin Yamaya Tanin - Notes :...	1 May 1920	24 August 1920
11	Admiral	Tochinai Sojiro	24 August 1920	31 October 1920
12	Admiral	Tochinai Sojiro	1 May 1921	31 October 1921
13	Vice Admiral	Takeshita Isamu	1 December 1922	27 January 1924
14	Admiral	Suzuki Kantaro	27 January 1924	1 December 1924
15	Admiral	Okada Keisuke	1 December 1924	10 December 1926
16	Vice Admiral	Hiroharu Kato	10 December 1926	10 December 1928
17	Admiral	Naomi Taniguchi Naomi Taniguchi Naomi Taniguchi is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan. In 1959, Taniguchi became the first Japanese racer to compete at the world championship level when Honda entered him in the Isle of Man TT...	10 December 1928	11 November 1929
18	Vice Admiral	Eisuke Yamamoto	11 November 1929	1 December 1931
19	Vice Admiral	Seizo Kobayashi	1 December 1931	15 November 1933
20	Vice Admiral	Nobumasa Suetsugu	15 November 1933	15 November 1934
21	Vice Admiral	Sankichi Takahashi Sankichi Takahashi was an Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 Takahashi, an important figure of IJN's Fleet Faction, made a swift career, from commander of an obsolete cruiser in 1923 to commander of the Combined Fleet in 1934...	15 November 1934	1 December 1936
22	Vice Admiral	Mitsumasa Yonai Mitsumasa Yonai was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and politician. He was the 37th Prime Minister of Japan from 16 January to 22 July 1940.-Early life & Naval career:...	1 December 1936	2 February 1937
23	Admiral	Osami Nagano	2 February 1937	1 December 1937
24	Vice Admiral	Zengo Yoshida Zengo Yoshida was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Biography:Yoshida was born into an impoverished farming family in Saga prefecture in 1885, and was adopted into the family of a local rice merchant. He was a graduate of the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904, ranking 12th out of...	1 December 1937	30 August 1939
25	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 ....	30 August 1939	18 April 1943
26	Admiral	Mineichi Koga Mineichi Koga - Notes :...	21 May 1943	31 March 1944
27	Admiral	Soemu Toyoda	3 May 1944	29 May 1945
28	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:...	29 May 1945	10 October 1945

Chief of staff

	Rank	Name	From	To
1	Captain	Samejima Kazunori	19 July 1894	17 December 1894
2	Captain	Dewa Shigeto Dewa Shigeto - Notes :...	17 December 1894	25 July 1895
3	Captain	Kamimura Hikonojo Kamimura Hikonojo Baron was an early admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy later commanding the IJN 2nd Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War, most notably at the Battle off Ulsan and Tsushima.-Biography:...	25 July 1895	16 November 1895
4	Captain	Shimamura Hayao Shimamura Hayao Baron was a Japanese admiral during the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars as well as one of the first prominent staff officers and naval strategists of the early Imperial Japanese Navy.-Biography:...	28 December 1903	12 January 1905
5	Rear Admiral	Kato Tomosaburo Kato Tomosaburo Viscount was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 12 June 1922 to 24 August 1923.-Biography:...	12 January 1905	20 December 1905
6	Rear Admiral	Fujii Koichi	20 December 1905	22 November 1906
7	Captain	Yamashita Gentaro	22 November 1906	10 December 1908
8	Captain	Takarabe Takeshi Takarabe Takeshi - Notes :...	10 December 1908	1 December 1909
9	Rear Admiral	Nomaguchi Kaneo	1 December 1909	11 March 1911
10	Captain	Akiyama Saneyuki Akiyama Saneyuki was a Meiji-period career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was famous as a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese general Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brother.-Early life and career:...	11 March 1911	24 May 1912
11	Captain	Isamu Takeshita Isamu Takeshita was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was also a diplomat whose accomplishments included helping end the Russo-Japanese War favorably for Japan and obtaining former German possessions in the Pacific for Japan following World War I...	1 December 1912	24 May 1913
X	X	Vacant	23 May 1913	1 December 1913
12	Rear Admiral	Satō Tetsutarō Sato Tetsutaro -Notes:...	1 December 1913	17 April 1914
13	Captain	Kazuyoshi Yamaji	17 April 1914	1 December 1914
14	Rear Admiral	Shibakichi Yamanaka	1 December 1914	13 December 1915
15	Rear Admiral	Saburo Horiuchi	13 December 1915	1 December 1917
16	Rear Admiral	Hanroku Saito	1 December 1917	1 December 1918
17	Rear Admiral	Kajishiro Funakoshi	1 December 1918	1 December 1919
18	Rear Admiral	Hansaku Yoshioka	1 December 1919	1 December 1921
19	Rear Admiral	Kumazo Shirane	1 December 1921	1 December 1923
20	Rear Admiral	Bekinari Kabayama	1 December 1923	10 November 1924
21	Captain	Kanjiro Hara	10 November 1924	1 December 1925
22	Rear Admiral	Naotaro Ominato	1 December 1925	1 November 1926
23	Rear Admiral	Sankichi Takahashi Sankichi Takahashi was an Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 Takahashi, an important figure of IJN's Fleet Faction, made a swift career, from commander of an obsolete cruiser in 1923 to commander of the Combined Fleet in 1934...	1 November 1926	1 December 1927
24	Rear Admiral	Eijiro Hamano	1 December 1927	10 December 1928
25	Rear Admiral	Ken Terajima	10 December 1928	30 October 1929
26	Rear Admiral	Koichi Shiozawa Koichi Shiozawa -External links:* - Notes :...	30 October 1929	1 December 1930
27	Rear Admiral	Shigetarō Shimada Shigetaro Shimada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Navy Minister-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Shimada graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904...	1 December 1930	1 December 1931
28	Rear Admiral	Zengo Yoshida Zengo Yoshida was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Biography:Yoshida was born into an impoverished farming family in Saga prefecture in 1885, and was adopted into the family of a local rice merchant. He was a graduate of the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904, ranking 12th out of...	1 December 1931	15 September 1933
29	Rear Admiral	Soemu Toyoda	15 September 1933	15 March 1935
30	Rear Admiral	Nobutake Kondō	15 March 1935	15 November 1935
31	Rear Admiral	Naokuni Nomura Naokuni Nomura was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and briefly served as Navy Minister in the 1940s.-Biography:Nomura was born in Hioki, Kagoshima prefecture. He graduated from the 35th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, ranked 43rd out of 172 cadets. He served his midshipman tour on the...	15 November 1935	16 November 1936
32	Rear Admiral	Yasutaro Iwashita	16 November 1936	18 February 1937
33	Rear 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:...	18 February 1937	15 November 1937
34	Rear Admiral	Ibo Takahashi Ibo Takahashi - Books :...	15 November 1937	5 November 1939
35	Captain	Shigeru Fukudome Shigeru Fukudome - Notes :...	5 November 1939	10 April 1941
36	Rear Admiral	Seiichi Ito Seiichi Ito was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and commander of the battleship on its final mission towards the end of World War II.-Early career:...	10 April 1941	11 August 1941
37	Rear Admiral	Matome Ugaki	11 August 1941	22 May 1943
38	Vice Admiral	Shigeru Fukudome Shigeru Fukudome - Notes :...	22 May 1943	6 April 1944
39	Rear Admiral	Ryunosuke Kusaka	6 April 1944	24 June 1945
40	Rear Admiral	Shikazo Yano	24 June 1945	25 September 1945

External links

• War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations
• Nihon Kaigun