Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Encyclopedia
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: 大日本帝國海軍航空隊, Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun Koukuu-tai) was the air arm 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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare
Aerial warfare
Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift...
in 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...
.
It was controlled by the Navy 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:...
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...
and the Navy Ministry
Ministry of the Navy of Japan
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It existed from 1872 to 1945.-History:...
. The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was equal in function to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
(FAA), the U.S. Navy's Naval Aviation branch, the Italian Navy's
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
Aviazione Ausiliara per la Marina, or the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
's Morskaya Aviatsiya.
The Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau
Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau
The Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan was responsible for the development and training of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service...
(Kaigun Koku Hombu) of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan
Ministry of the Navy of Japan
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It existed from 1872 to 1945.-History:...
was responsible for the development and training.
The Japanese military acquired their first aircraft in 1910 and followed the development of air combat during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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, 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...
, 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, and so forth. 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, who ruled the air in the Pacific during early World War II. However, the long duration of the training program, combined with a shortage of gasoline for training, did not allow the Navy to rapidly provide qualified replacements in sufficient numbers. Moreover, the Japanese, unlike the U.S. or Britain, proved incapable of altering the program to speed up training of the recruits they got. The resultant decrease in quantity and quality, among other factors, resulted in increasing casualties toward the end of the war.
Japanese navy aviators, like their Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
counterparts, preferred manueuverable aircraft, leading to lightly built but extraordinarily agile types, most famously the A6M Zero, which achieved its feats by sacrificing armor and self-sealing fuel tanks.
Origins
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 informally established its own flying branch — 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...
. The Japanese admirals, whose own 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...
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.
Siege of Tsingtao
On 23 August 1914, as a result of its treaty with Great BritainAnglo-Japanese Alliance
The first was signed in London at what is now the Lansdowne Club, on January 30, 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
, Japan declared war on Germany. The Japanese, together with a token British force, then laid siege to the German held territory of Kiaochow and its administrative capital Tsingtao on the Shandong peninsula. During the siege, starting from September, Maurice Farman
Maurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman was a French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.-Biography:...
seaplanes onboard (two active and two reserve) 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...
conducted reconnaissance and aerial bombardments on German positions and ships. On 30 September the Wakamiya was later damaged by a mine, but the seaplanes (by transferring to land) continued to used against the German defenders until their surrender on 7 November 1914. The Wakamiya conducted the world's first naval-launched aerial raids in history and was in effect the first aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. By the end of the siege the aircraft had conducted 50 sorties and dropped 200 bombs, although damages to German defenses were light.
Interwar Years
The Japanese navy had closely monitored the progress of aviation of the three Allied naval powers during World War I and concluded that Britain had made the greatest advances in naval aviation
Sempill Mission
The Sempill Mission was a British aeronaval technical mission led by Captain the Master of Sempill and sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces...
was a British aeronaval technical mission led by Captain Sempill and sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces. The mission consisted in a group of 29 instructors, headed by Captain Sempill, and stayed in Japan for 18 months. It provided the Japanese navy with a quantum leap in aviation training and technology
The Japanese were trained on several new aircraft, such as the Gloster Sparrowhawk, in various techniques such as torpedo bombing and flight control. The Mission also brought the plans of the most recent British aircraft carriers, such as the HMS Argus and the HMS Hermes, which influenced the final stages of the development of the carrier 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...
. The Hōshō became the first designed aircraft carrier from the keel up to be built.
Under the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
two incomplete battlecruisers were allowed to be rebuilt as carriers, for the Japanese; the 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...
and the Amagi. However the Amagi was damaged during an earthquake in 1923 and the 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...
became a replacement. With these two carriers much of Imperial Japanese Navy's doctrines and operating procedures were established.
IJNAS vs US first encounter (1932)
- During the Shanghai Incident on February 22, 1932 Lt Robert Short (US Army Reserve) while piloting a Boeing 218 with Chinese markings damaged one IJN Type 13 carrier attack aircraft, killing the pilot, Lt. Kotani and wounding the observer, before he was killed in action. Reportedly three days previously Short had shot down IJN Lt. Kidokoro.
Sino-Japanese War
From the onset of hostilities in 1937 until forces were diverted to combat the Americans in 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service played a key role in military operations on the Chinese mainland. Despite the fierce rivalry between military branches, in the fall of 1937 General Matsui Iwane, the Army general in command of the theater, admitted the superiority of the Naval Air Services. His combat troops relied on the Navy for air support.Aircraft attacked Chinese positions in Shanghai and surrounding areas, naval bombers such as the G3M and G4M were used to bomb Chinese cities. Japanese fighter planes, notably the Mitsubishi Zero, gained tactical air superiority; control of the skies over China belonged to the Japanese. Unlike other naval airforces, the IJNAS was responsible strategic bombing and operated long ranged bombers.
The Japanese strategic bombing
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
were mostly done against Chinese big cities, such as Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
and Chonging
Bombing of Chongqing
The bombing of Chongqing was part of a terror bombing operation conducted by Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the Chinese provisional capital of Chongqing, authorized by the Imperial General Headquarters.A conservative estimate places the...
, with around 5,000 raids from February 1938 to August 1943.
The bombing of Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, which began on 22 and 23 September 1937, called forth widespread protests culminating in a resolution by the Far Eastern Advisory Committee of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. Lord Cranborne, the British Under-Secretary of State For Foreign Affairs, expressed his indignation in his own declaration.
World War II
In April, 1941 the First Air Fleet
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...
was created, concentrating the Navy's carriers into a single powerful striking unit The Japanese had a total of ten aircraft carriers: six fleet carriers, three smaller carriers, and one training carrier. The 11th Air Fleet contained most of the Navy's land based strike aircraft.
On December 7, 1941, 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...
attacked 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...
crippling the U.S Pacific Fleet and destroying over 188 aircraft for a loss of 29 aircraft. On December 10, land based bombers of the 11th Airfleet were also able to sink HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse
Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse
The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a Second World War naval engagement that took place north of Singapore, off the east coast of Malaya, near Kuantan, Pahang where the British Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse were sunk by land-based bombers and...
.
There were also air raids on 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...
and on attacks Darwin in northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
From 16 December 1941 to 20 March 1945 IJN aviation casualites killed were 14,242 aircrew and 1,579 officers.
Aircraft strength 1941
The IJNAS had over 3,089 aircraft in 1941 and 370 trainers.- 1,830 first line aircraft including:
- 660 fighters, 350 Mitsubishi Zeros
- 330 Carrier based strike aircraft
- 240 land based twin engined bombers
- 520 seaplanes (includes fighters and reconnaissance) and flying boats.
World War II Aircraft
Fighters:- Mitsubishi A5MMitsubishi A5MThe Mitsubishi A5M, Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'...
(Type 96 carrier-based fighter) Claude - Mitsubishi A6M (Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter) Zeke
- Kawanishi N1K-J/N1K2-J (Navy Land based Interceptor Fighter 'Shiden'/'Shiden Kai') George
- Mitsubishi J2M RaidenMitsubishi J2MThe Mitsubishi J2M Raiden was a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Jack".-Design and development:...
(Land based fighter) Jack - J1N1-SNakajima J1N-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, Réne J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
(Navy Night Fighter 'Gekko') Irving
Bombers:
- Yokosuka P1YYokosuka P1Y|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam 7 Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00033-1 ....
(Navy bomber Model 11 'Ginga') Frances - Mitsubishi G4MMitsubishi G4MThe Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
(Type 1 land-based attack aircraft) Betty - Mitsubishi G3MMitsubishi G3MThe Mitsubishi G3M was a Japanese bomber used during World War II.-Design and development:...
(Type 96 Land-based Attack Aircraft 'Rikko') Nell
Torpedo & Dive Bombers:
- Aichi D1AAichi D1A|-See also:-External links:*...
(Navy Type 94 Carrier Bomber) Susie - Aichi D3AAichi D3AThe , Allied reporting name "Val") was a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and participated in almost all actions, including Pearl Harbor....
(Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber) Val - Yokosuka D4YYokosuka D4YThe D4Y Navy Type 2 Carrier Dive bomber was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its Allied reporting name was "Judy". The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war, and only the delays in its development hindered its service, while its predecessor, the slower fixed gear Aichi D3A...
(Navy Type 33 Carrier Bomber 'Suisei') Judy - Nakajima B5NNakajima B5N|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgwater, H.C. and Peter Scott. Combat Colours Number 4: Pearl Harbor and Beyond, December 1941 to May 1942. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Guideline Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-9539040-6-7....
(Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber) Kate - Nakajima B6NNakajima B6NThe Nakajima B6N Tenzan was the Imperial Japanese Navy's standard carrier-borne torpedo bomber during the final years of World War II and the successor to the B5N "Kate"...
(Navy Type 11 Carrier Attack Aircraft 'Tenzan') Jill - Yokosuka B4YYokosuka B4Y-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
(Navy Type 96 Carrier Attack Aircraft) Jean
Float planes & Flying Boats
- Aichi E13AAichi E13A-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Dorr, Robert E. and Chris Bishop. Vietnam Air War Debrief. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-874023-78-6....
(Navy Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane) Jake - Yokosuka E14YYokosuka E14Y|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
(Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) Glen - Aichi E16AAichi E16A|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
(Navy Type 16 Reconnaissance Seaplane 'Zuiun') Paul - Mitsubishi F1MMitsubishi F1M-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, R.J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London:Putnam, 1970. ISBN 370 00033 1.* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Six: Floatplanes. London: Macdonald & Co., Ltd., 1962....
(Type 0 Observation Seaplane) Pete - Nakajima E8NNakajima E8N|-See also:-References:*Francillon, R.J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London:Putnam, 1970. ISBN 0 370 00033 1....
(Navy Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane) Dave - Kawanishi E7KKawanishi E7K-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., Réne J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
(Navy Type 94 Reconnaissance Seaplane) Alf - Kawanishi H8KKawanishi H8K|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Kawanishi H8K2 “Emily”" Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0....
(Type 2 Large Flying Boat) Emily - Kawanishi H6KKawanishi H6K|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Doubilet, David. "The Flying Boat". Sport Diver Magazine. Volume 15, Number 8, September 2007.* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995.* Green, William. Warplanes of the Second...
(Type 97 Large Flying Boat) Mavis - Kawanishi N1K1 (Navy Fighter Seaplane 'Kyōfū') Rex
- Nakajima A6M2-N (Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber) Rufe
Reconnaissance Planes:
- Nakajima C6NNakajima C6N-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00033-1 ....
Myrt
Trainers:
- Mitsubishi A5M-4k (2 seat version of Mitsubishi A5M)
Transports:
- Mitsubishi Ki-57Mitsubishi Ki-57|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. The Mitsubishi Ki-21 . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967....
(Type 100 Transport Model 2 Topsy - Nakajima Ki-34 (Navy Type AT-2 Transport) Thora
- Nakajima G5NNakajima G5N|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Collier, Basil. Japanese Aircraft of World War II. New York: Mayflower Books, 1979. ISBN 0-8317-5137-1....
(Experimental 13-Shi Attack Bomber) Liz (used as transports)
Carrier aviation flotillas
Sentai
in Japanese language is a word for a military unit and may be literally translated as "squadron", "task force", "group" or "wing". The terms "regiment" and "flotilla", while sometimes used as translations of Sentai, are also used to refer to larger formations....
, 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. Fleet carriers had three types of aircraft: fighters, level/torpedo planes, and dive bombers. Smaller carriers tended to have only two types, fighters and dive bombers. The carrier-based kokutai numbered over 1,500 pilots and just as many aircraft at the beginning of the Pacific War.
Eleventh Air Fleet and land-based air fleets
The IJN also maintained a shore-based system of naval air fleets called Koku Kantai and area air fleets called homen kantai containing mostly twin-engine bombers and seaplanes. The senior command was the Eleventh Naval Air Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Nishizō Tsukahara.Land based aircraft provided the bulk of Japan's naval aviation up to the eve of World War II.
Strength
Each naval air fleet contained one or more naval air flotillas (commanded by Rear Admirals) each with two or more naval air groups. Each naval air group consisted of a base unit and 12 to 36 aircraft, plus four to 12 aircraft in reserve. Each naval air group consisted of several hikotai (squadron/s) of nine, 12 or 16 aircraft; this was the main IJN Air Service combat unit and was equivalent to a chutai in the Imperial Japanese Army Air ServiceImperial Japanese Army Air Service
The , was the land-based aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army. As with the IJA itself, the IJAAF was developed along the lines of Imperial German Army Aviation so its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground troops while maintaining a limited air interdiction...
. Each hikotai was commanded by a Lieutenant (j.g.), Warrant Officer, or experienced Chief Petty Officer, while most pilots were non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s. There were usually four sections in each hikotai, and each section (shotai) with three or four aircraft; by mid-1944 it was common for a shotai to have four aircraft. There were over 90 naval air groups at the start of the Pacific War, each assigned either a name or a number. The named naval air groups were usually linked to a particular navy air command or a navy base. They were usually numbered when they left Japan.
Naval Air Group identification
- Naval Air Groups 101 to 199 - Night Fighter groups, Reconnaissance aircraft groups.
- Naval Air Groups 201 to 299 - (Carrier-borne) Fighter groups.
- Naval Air Groups 301 to 399 - Fighter Interceptor groups.
- Naval Air Groups 401 to 499 - Float plane groups.
- Naval Air Groups 501 to 599 - (Carrier-borne) Dive Bomber groups, (Carrier-borne) Torpedo Bomber groups.
- Naval Air Groups 601 to 699 - Carrier Air Groups, Submarine-launched Floatplane Groups.
- Naval Air Groups 701 to 799 - Land-based Bomber groups, Land-based Torpedo Bomber groups.
- Naval Air Groups 801 to 899 - Flying boat Groups.
- Naval Air Groups 901 to 999 - Maritime patrol aircraft (Maritime Escort) Groups.
- Naval Air Groups 1001 to 1099 - Military airlift Groups.
Naval Aircraft identification System
The IJN had, at the beginning of the Pacific War, three aircraft designation systems: The Experimental Shi numbers, the Type numbering system and an aircraft designation system broadly similar to that used by the U.S. Navy from 1922 until 1962.Each new design was first given an experimental Shi number, based upon the current Japanese imperial year of reign. The Mitsubishi Zero so started its career as Navy Experimental 12-Shi Carrier Fighter.
Upon entering production the aircraft was given a Type number. The 'Zero' was so fully known as Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter, as the Zero was accepted in 1940, or 2600 in the Japanese calendar.
The aircraft was also given a "short designation" consisting of a group of Roman letters and numbers.
- The first letter (sometimes two) indicated the basic type or purpose of the aircraft.
- Second came a series number indicating the number of major sub-types produced for that type of aircraft. (Unlike USN practice, the digit "1" was not ignored in this system and was included.)
- Third was the second letter which was the manufacturer's code, and included some non-Japanese companies.
(G4M
Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
designated attack bomber (G), the fourth in the Navy's sequence, designed or produced by Mitsubishi, while G5N
Nakajima G5N
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Collier, Basil. Japanese Aircraft of World War II. New York: Mayflower Books, 1979. ISBN 0-8317-5137-1....
would be the next attack bomber in sequence, built by Nakajima.)
- Fourth was a number indicating the version of the aircraft.
The first production version of the 'Zero' thus became A6M1.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Japanese Navy Air Service short designation system, data from
! style="color: white; height: 10px; background: navy;"| Letter
! style="color: white; height: 10px; background: navy;"| Type
! style="color: white; height: 10px; background: navy;"| Manufacturer
|-
| A || Carrier Fighter || Aichi (Aichi Tokei Denki and Aichi Kokuki)/North American Aviation (US)
|-
| B || Carrier Attack Bomber (Torpedo or Level Bomber) || Boeing Aircraft (US)
|-
| C || Carrier Reconnaissance || Consolidated Aircraft (US)
|-
| D || Carrier Bomber (Dive Bomber) || Douglas Aircraft (US)
|-
| E || Reconnaissance Seaplane || -
|-
| F || Observation Seaplane || -
|-
| G || Attack Bomber (land based) || Hitachi Kokuki/Grumman Aircraft Engineering (US)
|-
| H || Flying Boat (Reconnaissance) || Hiro (Dai-Juichi Kaigun Koskusho)/Hawker Aircraft (UK)
|-
| He || - || Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke (Germany)
|-
| J || Land-based Fighter || Nihon Kogata Hikoki/Junkers Flugzeug und Moterenwerke (Germany)
|-
| K || Trainer || Kawanishi Kokuki
|-
| L || Transport || -
|-
| M || Special Floatplane || Mitsubishi Jukogyo
|-
| MX || Special Purpose Aircraft || -
|-
| N || Float Fighter || Nakajima Hikoki
|-
| P || Bomber (land based) || Nihon Hikoki
|-
| Q || Patrol Plane (Anti-Submarine Warfare) || -
|-
| R || Land-based Reconnaissance || -
|-
| S || Night Fighter || Sasebo (Dai-Nijuichi Kaigun Kokusho)
|-
| Si || - || Showa Hikoki
|-
| V || - || Vought-Sikorsky (US)
|-
| W || - || Watanabe Tekkosho/Kyushu Hikoki
|-
| Y || - || Yokosuka (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho)
|-
| Z || - || Mizuno Guraida Seisakusho
Further minor changes were indicated by adding letters after the subtype number as in the Type/Model scheme above. The first two letters and the series number remained the same for the service life of each design.
In a few cases, when the designed role of an aircraft changed, the new use was indicated by adding a dash and a second type letter to the end of the existing short designation (e.g., the H6K4 was the sixth flying boat (H6) designed by Kawanishi (K), fourth version of that design (4). When the plane was equipped primarily as a troop or supply transport, its designation was H6K4-L.)
See also
- Japanese military aircraft designation systemsJapanese military aircraft designation systemsThe Japanese military aircraft designation systems for the Imperial period are rather difficult to keep track of, primarily because multiple designation systems were in use by each armed service...
- List of military aircraft of Japan
- Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation BureauImperial Japanese Navy Aviation BureauThe Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan was responsible for the development and training of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service...
- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
- List of A6M Reisen operators
- 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
- Japanese marine paratroopers of World War IIJapanese marine paratroopers of World War IIThe Imperial Japanese Navy fielded naval paratroopers during World War II. The troops were officially part of the Special Naval Landing Forces . They came from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Yokosuka SNLFs. The 2nd Yokosuka took no part in any airborne operations and became an island defensive base unit...
- Giretsu special forces operations
- WWII Battle of Japan (Air War)
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://web.archive.org/web/20091027182301/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)