Order of Battle
Reorganization of the Japanese Combined Fleet Air Assets
14 July 1942

Contributed by Tony DiGiulian
Updated 12 December 2011

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. Warship, Air Corps, etc. Plane Types Number
.
Second Fleet
.  
11th Carrier Division Chitose (seaplane tender) Pete and Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 16
. Jake 7
 .  
Kamikawa-Maru (seaplane tender) Pete and Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 8
Jake 4
. 
Third Fleet
 .
1st Carrier Division Shokaku Zero 27
Val 27
Kate 18
.
Zuikaku Zero 27
Val 27
Kate 18
.
2nd Carrier Division Junyo Zero 16
Val 18
Kate 9
.
Hiyo Zero 21
Val 18
Kate 9
.
Ryujo Zero 24
Kate 9
 .
Fourth Fleet
.
4th Naval Base Force 21st Air Corps Jake 11
.
5th Naval Base Force (Attachment) Jake 6
.
6th Naval Base Force 19th Air Corps Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 8
Jake 10
.
(Attachment) Kunikawa-Maru
(Seaplane Tender)		 Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 6
.
(Attachment) Transport Planes 3
.
Fifth Fleet
.
(Attachment) Chichijima Air Corps Jake 6
.
(Attachment) Kamikawa-Maru (Seaplane Tender) Jake 8
.
(Attachment) 5th Air Corps Rufe 12
.
Eighth Fleet
.
(Attachment) Kiyokawa-Maru (Seaplane Tender) Pete and Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 8
Jake 4
.
(Attachment) 2nd Air Corps Zero 16
. Kate 16
.
Eleventh Air Fleet
.
22nd Air Flotilla Mihoro Air Corps Nell 36
Genzan Air Corps Nell 36
. Zero 36
.
24nd Air Flotilla Chitose Air Corps Betty 36
Zero 36
.
1st Air Corps Betty 36
Zero 36
.
14th Air Corps Mavis and Emily 16
.
25th Air Flotilla Yokohama Air Corps Mavis 16
Rufe 12
.
Tainan Air Corps Zero 60
Type 98 Reconnaissance Plane 8
Transport Plane 4
.
4th Air Corps Nell and Betty 48
.
26th Air Flotilla Misawa Air Corps Nell and Betty 36
.
Kisarazu Air Corps Nell and Betty 36
.
6th Air Corps Zero 60
Type 98 Reconnaissance Plane 8
Transport Plane 12
.
Malay Area Fleet
.
12 Naval Base Force
(Attachment) 40th Air Corps Kate 12
(Attachment) Sagara-Maru (Seaplane Tender) Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 8
(Attachment) Transport Plane 1
.
Dutch East Indies Area Fleet
.
21st Naval Base Force 33rd Air Corps Kate 8
.
24th Naval Base Force 36th Air Corps Jake 8
.
(Attachment) 35th Air Corps Val 12
(Attachment) Sanyo-Maru (Seaplane Tender) Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 6
Jake 2
(Attachment) Transport Plane 2
.
Philippines Area Fleet
.
(Attachment) 31st Air Corps Val 16
(Attachment) Sanuki-Maru Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 8
(Attachment) Transport Plane 1
.
Southwest Area Fleet
.
21st Air Flotilla Kanoya Air Corps Betty 48
Zero 36
.
Toko Air Corps Mavis 16
(Attachment) Transport Plane 3
.
23rd Air Flotilla Takao Air Corps Betty 60
.
3rd Air Corps Zero 60
Type 98 Reconnaissance Plane 8
(Attachment) Transport Plane 4
(Attachment) Transport Plane 3
.
Attached to Combined Fleet
.
Kasuga-Maru (Converted Carrier) Zero 11
Type 96 Dive Bomber 14
.
Yawata-Maru (Converted Carrier) Kate 14
.
Northern China Fleet
.
(Attachment) Jake 4
.
Southern China Fleet
.
(Attachment) Jake 3
.
Hainan Naval Station
.
Kate 4
.
China Area Fleet
.
(Attachment) Kate 8
.

In addition, there were aboard the fleet's various Battleships, Cruisers, Submarines and other vessels the following aircraft:
 
 

Type Number
.
Pete and Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane 39
Jake and Type 94 Reconnaissance Seaplane 44
Type 96 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane (used on Submarines) 14
Type 98 Night Scout Seaplane   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 98)      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 98)        3
Flying boats (mostly Mavis and some Emily)      48
Total 
 1,498

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 given primarily by Allied designations and for that reason these same designations are used in the table above.  A cross-reference with Japanese designations is shown below for clarity.
 

Allied Designation Japanese Designation
.
Zero (Zeke) Mitsubishi A6M - Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter
Kate Nakajima B5N2 - Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber
Val Aichi D3A - Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber
Nell Mitsubishi G3M - Navy Type 96 Land-based Attack Bomber
Betty Mitsubishi G4M - Navy Type 1 Land-based Attack Bomber
Alf  Kawanishi E7K - Navy Type 94 Reconnaissance Seaplane
Babs Mitsubishi C5M - Navy Type 98 Reconnaissance Plane (Land Based)
Laura Aichi E11A - Navy Type 98 Reconnaissance Seaplane
Jake Aichi E13A - Navy Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane
Pete Mitsubishi F1M-2 - Navy Type 0 Observation Seaplane
Slim Watanabe E9W - Navy Type 96 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane
Mavis Kawanishi H6K1 - Navy Type 97 Flying Boat
Emily Kawanishi H8K1 - Navy Type 2 Flying Boat
Rufe Nakajima A6M2-N - Navy Type 2 Floatplane fighter
Tina Yokosuka L3Y -  Navy Type 96 Transport
Tabby Showa L2D - Navy Type 0 Transport
.
Source

"Zero!  The Story of Japan's Air War in the Pacific:  1941-45" by Masatake Okumiya and Jiro Horikoshi with Martin Caidin
.

Page History

22 December 2008 - Benchmark
12 December 2011 - Minor additions and corrections