Photos Japanese Army Airforce

[Larry deZeng]

Clint -

That's a tough question because, quite frankly, I don't remember anything I've ever seen that breaks down the 144 mixed aircraft types for 7/8 December 1941. The 19 Naval Historical Center microfiche were compiled by Naval Signals Intelligence on Nebraska Avenue in WashDC. Each entry is from the translation of JN-20 and other decodes, so the details are reliable. Long, complex OBs were not usually sent over the radio using JN-20 and, on top of that, signal intelligence intercepts from the Japanese home islands were not being picked up that early in the war. The only sources I would use for early war details like this would be Japanese language documents and published works, such as Senshi Sōsho, both translated and untranslated. Below is the Table of Contents for NHC microfiche F 2076:

Order of Battle of the JNAF Table of Contents
[Naval Historical Center Microfiche F 2076]


Contents Page

Section I Supreme Command 1
Section II History and Organization of the JNAF 1
A. General 1 - 5
Historical Summary, Japanese Naval Organization (Navy
Ministry, Over-all Naval Command, Striking Forces, Naval
Districts and Naval Guard Districts, Area Fleets, Area
Forces, Bases Forces, Area Defense Force, Area Base
Forces, Outer Combat Force and Inner Combat Force,
Guard Sectors).
B. Organization of the Japanese Navy Air Force 5 - 11
General, Administrative and Supply (Naval Air HQ,
Naval Air Technical Depot, Branch Naval Air
Technical Depot, Yokosuka Air Group, Naval Air Depots,
Branch Naval Air Depots, Branch Workshops,
Replacement Shops, Administration of Air Bases, Supply).
Tactical Units 12 – 16
General, Air Fleets and Base Air Forces, Air Flotillas
and Air Attack Forces, Air Groups, Flying Units, Base
Expeditionary Units or Base Detachments, Misc. Units,
Special Attack Units, Special Tactical Units, Combat
Formations in the Air, Airborne Troop Units.
Training 17 – 18
Combined Air Training Command, Combined Air Groups,
Training Air Groups, Yokosuka Air Group, The Training
Program, Classification of Trainees.
Air Transport 18
Transport Plane Units, Transport Air Group, Other
Transport Units, Transport Aircraft, Civil Airlines.
Weather 19
General, Navy Meteorological Department, Naval
Weather Units, Air Groups, Other Interested Agencies.
Section III Organizations: Japanese Navy Air Force 20
Administrative, Supply and Service 20 – 43
Naval Air HQ, Naval Air Technical Depot, Naval Air
Technical Branch Depot, Air Depots, Air Base Units.
Tactical 43 – 237
Air Fleets and Bases Air Forces (43-49), Air Flotillas
And Air Attack Forces (49-60), Combined Air Training
Command (60), Combined Air Groups (61-66), Named
Air Groups (66-120), Numbered Air Groups (121-191),
Flying Units (Hikotai – 192-235), Special Attack Units
(236-237).
Section IV Japanese Navy Air Officers 238-249
Section V Unit Designations - JNAF 250
Attachment A Naval Air Code Names 250
Attachment B Naval Post Office Code Designations 251

L. deZ.

[Larry deZeng]

Clint -

Here's another Table of Contents for you - in particular, see III.(3)c where there are c. 47 pages on flight training with elaboration on the different types of aircraft employed by the training schools:


Order of Battle
JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE
Military Intelligence Division
War Department
Washington 25, D.C.
1 October 1945


[Note: includes ULTRA-derived intelligence and goes to August 1945.]

VOLUMES 1 and 2

Section I Supreme Command 1
1. Imperial General Headquarters 1
2. Councils and Boards 1

Section II History and command Organizations: JAAF 1
1. Historical Summary 1
2. Command and Administration 3
3. Charts 10

Section III Organizations: JAAF 17
1. Administrative 17
a. Inspectorate General of Aviation 17
b. Air Headquarters 17

2. Tactical 17
a. Air General Army 17
b. Air Armies 18
c. Flying Divisions 25
d. Flying Groups 36
e. Flying Brigades 39
f. Flying Regiments 59
g. Independent Flying Units 136
h. Independent Flying Squadrons 141
i. Direct Cooperation Flying Units 158
j. Special Attack (suicide) 160
k. Field Replacement Flying Units 175
l. Air Photographic Units 176
m. Miscellaneous Units 177
n. Raiding 178

3. Training 189
a. History 189
b. Organization 192
c. Units and Schools 196
(1) Flight Training (Divs., Brigades, Units) 196
(2) Ground Training (Brigades and Units) 231
(3) Schools 238

4. Supply and Repair 250
a. Organization 250
b. Units 251
(1) Air Depots 251
(2) Air Supply Depots 257
(3) Field Air Supply Depots 258
(4) Field Air Repair Depots 263
(5) Independent Maintenance Units 272
(6) Mobile Air Repair Sections 276
(7) Air Sub-Depots 277
(8) Shipping Air Depots 278

5. Service 279
a. Airfield 279
(1) Air Sector Commands 279
(2) Airfield Battalions 311
(3) Airfield Companies 342
b. Airfield Construction (Org. and Units) 353
c. Communications (Org. and Units) 360
d. Intelligence (Org. and Units) 374
e. Meteorological (Org. and Units) 379

6. Transport 384
a. Air Transport (Org. and Units) 384
b. Air Route (Org. and Units) 391

Section IV Japanese Army Air Officers (c. 2,325 names) 401

Section V Unit Designations, JAAF 476
1. Code Names 476
2. Home and Depot Designations 477
3. Code Numbers 496

Section VI Glossary and Abbreviations 517

Section VII Types of JAAF Aircraft (by “Ki” No. and by Code Name) 527

Section VIII Tail Markings of JAAF 538

[prepared 01 Feb 2005]

L deZ.

[musec04]

Hello Larry,


Thanks once again for all your assistance. I really hope that you have not had to type in these details in full and thst you've been able to copy and paste.!


However,this has been very useful and I shall be following this up with the IWM as I believe that they have the same information this side of the pond.


https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ect/1500006311


Interestingly, it would appear much information from the Victor Madej edited publications - I take it that we're talking about the same information - seems to have been included here and I shall start reviewing the information therefore before contacting the IWM.



http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/oob/jap_1.htm


It also appears that this information,again,if we're discussing the same information,was available in the 1980s in book form,but I don't intend spending 400 dollars! Again something to pursue further I think.



https://www.abebooks.com/book-search.../victor-madej/





Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a photo of a Mitsubishi Ki-2-I


https://www.ebay.com/itm/37530246339...QAAOSwcE1l7SOv


Returning to the theme of an earlier post in this thread, I am still looking for information on which unit or units flew the Ki-2 post Pearl Harbour. Bernard Baeza states that in December 1941 the Ki-2-II equipped certain advanced training units (?) (original french formation avancee) in Manchuria and North China.So my question is which units fit this description in these locations?


Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a photo of Nakajima Ki-43-I of 11 Sentai


https://www.ebay.com/itm/15615409727...Bk9SR67H1vTWYw


Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay isa photo of a Kawasaki Ki-61 in the markings of 19 Sentai


https://www.ebay.com/itm/32619304376...Bk9SR-6_3tGWZA



Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

HHello,


Currently on ebay are a number of photos of damaged Japanese aircraft,both Army and Navy machines,but predominantly Army



https://www.ebay.com/itm/36507121520...Bk9SR46W9MWsZA



Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a photo of the rear end of a Mitsubishi Ki-21. The unit symbol is unfamiliar. Has anyone seen this marking before and if so is the unit known?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/25661527834...Bk9SR6Dtv_GxZA



Regards,


Clint

[Buckeye30]

Looks like a simplified version of the Utsonomia Communications School, usually in a circle on a coloured band.



Nick
Could be a Ki.54 "Hickory" (?).

[musec04]

Nick,


I considered a Ki-54 as a possibilty,but I thought that the photo appeared to show the fairing usually containing a machine gun on Ki-21 aft of the tail.


With regard to the unit. You may be correct,frankly I don't know. But what I would like to mention is that Arawasi's book on the Ki-21 has two photos of Ki-21 with that symbol but surrounded by a circle,captioned as belonging to a Headquarters transport unit under the Third Air Division. So possibly different sub-units of the same transport unit, or perhaps another HQ transport unit. Purest speculation on my part obviously.


Regards,


Clint