Order of Battle Reorganization of the Japanese Combined Fleet Air Assets 14 July 1942 Contributed by Tony DiGiulian Updated 22 December 200 Background Following the severe losses at Midway, the Japanese reversed their policy from offensive operations to defensive operations. A new defensive perimeter was drawn that extended from the Aleutian Islands in the North, through the Marshall Islands in the east, through Rabaul and the northeast coast of New Guinea in the south, through to the Dutch East Indies, Malaya and Burma in the west. To defend these lines, the Combined Fleet air assets were reorganized to maximize land-based air forces while still maintaining a core of aircraft carriers for the surface fleet. The following tables show this reorganization of the new first-line Air Corps. Division, Flotilla, etc. 11th Carrier Division Warship, Air Corps, etc. Chitose (seaplane tender) Second Fleet Plane Types Pete and 16 Jake 7 Number 1st Carrier Division Kamikawa-Maru (seaplane tender) Third Fleet Pete and Jake 4 Shokaku Zero 27 Val 27 Kate 1 Zuikaku Zero 27
2nd Carrier Division 4th Naval Base 5th Naval Base 6th Naval Base Val 27 Kate 1 Junyo Zero 16 Val 1 Kate 9 Hiyo Zero 21 Val 1 Kate 9 Ryujo Zero 24 Kate 9 Fourth Fleet 21st Air Corps Jake 11 Jake 6 19th Air Corps Kunikawa-Maru ( Tender) Jake 10 Transport Planes 3 Fifth Fleet Chichijima Air Corps Jake 6 Kamikawa-Maru ( Tender) Jake 5th Air Corps Rufe 12 Kiyokawa-Maru ( Tender) Eighth Fleet Pete and Jake 4 2nd Air Corps Zero 16 Kate 16 Eleventh Air Fleet 22nd Air Flotilla Mihoro Air Corps Nell 36 Genzan Air Corps Nell 36 6
24nd Air Flotilla Chitose Air Corps Betty 36 1st Air Corps Betty 36 14th Air Corps Mavis and Emily 16 25th Air Flotilla Yokohama Air Corps Mavis 16 Rufe 12 Tainan Air Corps Zero 60 Type 9 Reconnaissance Plane Transport Plane 4 4th Air Corps Nell and Betty 4 26th Air Flotilla Misawa Air Corps Nell and Betty 36 Kisarazu Air Corps Nell and Betty 36 6th Air Corps Zero 60 Type 9 Reconnaissance Plane Transport Plane 12 Malay Area Fleet 12 Naval Base 40th Air Corps Kate 12 Sagara-Maru ( Tender) Transport Plane 1 21st Naval Base 24th Naval Base Dutch East Indies Area Fleet 33rd Air Corps Kate 36th Air Corps Jake 35th Air Corps Val 12 Sanyo-Maru ( Tender) 6 Jake 2 Transport Plane 2 Philippines Area Fleet 31st Air Corps Val 16 Sanuki-Maru
Transport Plane 1 Southwest Area Fleet 21st Air Flotilla Kanoya Air Corps Betty 4 Toko Air Corps Mavis 16 Transport Plane 3 23rd Air Flotilla Takao Air Corps Betty 60 3rd Air Corps Zero 60 Type 9 Reconnaissance Plane Transport Plane 4 Transport Plane 3 Attached to Combined Fleet Kasuga-Maru (Converted Carrier) Yawata-Maru (Converted Carrier) Northern China Fleet Zero 11 Type 96 Dive Bomber 14 Kate 14 Jake 4 Southern China Fleet Jake 3 Hainan Naval Station China Area Fleet Kate 4 Kate In addition, there were aboard the fleet's various Battleships, Cruisers, Submarines and other vessels the following aircraft: Pete and 39 Jake and Type 94 Reconnaissance 44 Type 96 Small 14 Type 9 Night Scout 3
Thus reorganized, the Combined Fleet's first-line naval forces had available for combat: Type Designation Number Carrier-based fighters (all Zeros) 492 Carrier-based dive bombers (mostly Vals) 132 Carrier-based attack bombers (all Kates) 141 Land-based reconnaissance planes (all Type 9) 24 Land-based attack bombers (Nells and Bettys) 360 Transport Planes (Type 96 and Type 0) 32 Two-seat reconnaissance seaplanes (mostly Type 95) 107 Three-seat reconnaissance seaplanes (Type 0 and Jake) 121 Fighter seaplanes (all Type 2, Rufe) 24 Small-type reconnaissance seaplanes (all Type 96) 14 Night scout planes (all Type 9) 3 Flying boats (mostly Mavis and some Emily 4 Total 1,49 This total represented an increase of only 117 aircraft over what was available on 7 December 1941. Aircraft identification in the source given below is primarily by Allied designations and for that reason these designations are used in the table above. A cross-reference with Japanese designations is shown below. Allied Designation Zero (Zeke) Val Kate Nell Betty Jake Pete Rufe Mavis Japanese Designation Mitsubishi A6M - Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Aichi D3A - Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber Nakajima B5N2 - Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber Mitsubishi G3M - Navy Type 96 Land-based Attack Bomber Mitsubishi G4M - Navy Type 1 Land-based Attack Bomber Aichi E13A - Navy Type 0 Reconnaissance Mitsubishi F1M-2 - Navy Type 0 Reconnaissance Nakajima A6M2-N - Navy Type 2 Floatplane fighter Kawanishi H6K1 - Navy Type 97 Flying Boat
Emily Kawanishi HK1 - Navy Type 2 Flying Boat Source "Zero! The Story of Japan's Air War in the Pacific: 1941-45" by Masatake Okumiya and Jiro Horikoshi with Martin Caidin