Chitose Air Group

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Chitose Air Group
Chitose Kōkūtai
Active 1 October 1939-December 1942
Disbanded December 1942
Country Japan
Allegiance Imperial Japanese
Branch Navy Air Service
Type Air group
Role To support Japanese Navy's 4th Fleet
Aircraft flown
Bomber Mitsubishi G3M Type 96
Fighter Mitsubishi A5M Type 96

The Chitose Air Group (Chitose Kōkūtai) was an air group of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II. The group was formed on 1 October 1939 at Chitose Airfield, Hokkaidō equipped with Mitsubishi G3M Type 96 bombers. The group was later supplemented with Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 fighters. In December 1941, it was assigned to support Japanese Navy's 4th Fleet for operations in the central Pacific as part of the 24th Air Flotilla. [1] It was renamed the 201 Air Group in December 1942. Not to be confused with IJN Chitose.

Kōkūtai

A Kōkūtai (航空隊) was a term used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) to designate a military aviation unit, similar to the Air Groups in other air arms and services of the time. A Kōkūtai could be based at land or on board aircraft carriers and could contain up to hundreds of men and aircraft. For example, the famous 343 Kōkūtai was a land based fighter group while the 652nd Kōkūtai was a carrier-based bomber group. Kōkūtai were divided into smaller units called Hikōtai, which were the equivalent of a squadron. Kōkūtai were usually divided into three Hikōtai. In general, most pilots and aircrew in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service were non-commissioned officers. The word Kōkūtai is abbreviated with the abbreviation "Ku". 343 Ku, for example, stands for 343 Kōkūtai. In the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) the equivalent unit was the Sentai.

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

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References

Notes

  1. Bullard, p.20.

Bibliography

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