[Larry deZeng]

221 Kō was based at:
23 Oct 44 - Aug 45: Mabalacat/Luzon
This was a satellite of Clark located just off the north end. Mabalacat had two fighter strips: one 1500x300 and the other 1400x150. Angeles was a satellite complex of 4 or 5 fighter strips just to the southeast of Clark.
Construction of all 6 or 7 airstrips was completed in September 1944.


221 Kōkūtai

also as: Arashi Kōkūtai (“Storm” Air Group)


Formed 15 January 1944 at Kasanbara NAS/S Kyūshū with an allowance of 54 carrier fighters plus 18 more in reserve. Assigned to 62d Air Flotilla.

History
Feb - Jun 44: training at Kasanbara - by the end of June the Kōkūtai had a total of 38 Mitsubishi A6M Type 0 carrier fighters (Zero or ZEKE) on strength.
15 Jun 44: reassigned from 62d Air Flotilla to 2d Air Fleet.
10 Jul 44: expanded, reorganized into four tactical components: Fighter Hikōtai S-308 at Kasanbara NAS with an allowance of 48 carrier fighters, Fighter Hikōtai S-312 and S-313 at Kasanbara NAS each with 48 carrier fighters and Fighter Hikōtai S-407 at Kagoshima NAS/S Kyūshū likewise with 48 carrier fighters.
Aug 44: Hikōtai 312 with 51 Zeros moved temporarily to Shinchiku (Hsin-chu)/NW Formosa for air defense and convoy escort.
12-14 Oct 44: S-312 flew intercept and escort for land attack planes and carrier bombers during the massive strike on Formosa by Task Force 38's 17 carriers and claimed 23 victories for a loss of 17. Meanwhile, the main body of the group moved from Kyūshū to Shinchiku and Taichū (T’ai-chung)/NW Formosa from 14 to 18 October with 70 Zeros.
23 Oct 44: 60 Zeros transferred from Formosa to Angeles airfield on Luzon in the Philippines and the next day commenced attacks on the Allied beachhead on Leyte and the invasion shipping offshore. Operating from various bases around the Philippines, the group was quickly chewed up in the intense fighting over the next month.
Dec 44: Fighter Hikōtai S-303, S-304, S-315 and S-317 assigned to the group, but it is not thought that these had very many planes on strength or in a serviceable state.
20 Dec 44: Hikōtai S-308 transferred to Angeles with 20 Zeros, probably coming from Japan or Formosa and not previously committed in the Philippines.
26 Dec 44: group decimated following 12 days of furious air action against Allied landings on Mindoro Is., just south of Luzon, on 15 December.
8 Jan 45: reassigned to 1st Air Fleet this date and the group commander and all surviving pilots were ordered evacuated to Formosa while the remaining ground servicing and maintenance personnel were reorganized on 17 January (officially on 5 February) under 26th Air Flotilla as naval infantry and were deployed in the hills west of the Mabalacat-Clark air base complex, holding out against U.S. infantry until 6 April. Other personnel of the former group fought on as part of the Japanese Army in the mountains of Luzon to the end of the war. The Kōkūtai was never officially deactivated or disbanded prior to the end of hostilities.


Commander:
Lt.Cdr. Ichirō HIMENO (Jan 44 - Jul 44)
Capt. Masahisa SAITŌ (Jul 44 - Nov 44)
Cdr. Katsutoshi YAGI (Nov 44 - Feb 45)
Lt.Cdr. Tadao SAEKI (Feb 45 - Aug 45)


Hikōtai Components
S-313: 10 Jul 44 - 1 Feb 45
S-303: 15 Dec 44 - 1 Jan 45
S-312: 10 Jul - 20 Dec 44
S-315: 15 Dec 44 - 5 Feb 45
S-308: 10 Jul - 15 Nov 44
S-308: 20 Dec 44 - 1 Feb 45
S-407: 10 Jul - 15 Nov 44
S-317: 20 Dec 44 - 5 Feb 45
S-304: 15 Nov 44 - 10 Jan 45


Summary of Stations
15 Jan - 23 Oct 44: Kasanbara/S Kyūshū with elements at:
Kasumigaura/E Honshū (25 Feb - 7 Mar)
Katori/E Honshū (20-24 May)
Kisarazu/E Honshū (15-29 Jun)
Kagoshima/S Kyūshū (Aug - Sep)
Shinchiku/NW Formosa (Aug - Sep)
23 Oct 44 - Aug 45: Mabalacat/Luzon