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During the Pacific War of 1941–1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service disposed of an increasing number of "air fleets" - airborne combat units attached to the Navy. The 1st Air Fleet was the primary carrier unit, while other Air Fleets were for defence, training or supporting naval operations in particular theatres.
The 1st Air Fleet (第一航空艦隊, Dai-Ichi Kōkū Kantai) formed the primary carrier fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), a grouping of naval aircraft and aircraft carriers that at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet. As losses mounted, the carriers were removed and the 1st Air Fleet was transformed into a land based Naval aviation force forward based on islands and land masses along the perimeter of the Japanese controlled sphere.
The 2nd Air Fleet (第二航空艦隊, Dai-Ni Kōkū Kantai) was organized late in the War to defend the National Defence Zone along with 1st Air Fleet. Their area of responsibility was based in the Kyūshū-Okinawa-Formosa district. In October 1944 Vice admiral Shigeru Fukudome moved his HQ from Taiwan to Manila. There he was reinforced and charged with a share of the air defense of the Philippines. However, most of the airplanes and pilots disappeared in November 1944 as a result of fighting against the Halsey Fleet from the front during the Philippines campaign. Soon thereafter, in Jan 1945, the 2nd Air Fleet was dissolved and merged into the 1st Air Fleet.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 1944 (original) | Imperial General Headquarters | 141st NAG,[1] 345th NAG, 762nd NAG | |
| 10 July 1944 | Combined Fleet | 21st Air Flotilla, 25th Air Flotilla, 141st NAG, 221st NAG, 341st NAG, 762nd NAG, 763rd NAG, Kyūshū NAG[2] | |
| 8 January 1945 | disbanded | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | Shigeru Fukudome | 15 June 1944 | |
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Ushie Sugimoto | 15 June 1944 | |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | Tomozō Kikuchi | 27 October 1944 | |
The 3rd Air Fleet (第三航空艦隊, Dai-San Kōkū Kantai) was in charge of air defense of Eastern Japan.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 July 1944 (original) | Combined Fleet | 27th Air Flotilla | |
| 15 December 1944 | Combined Fleet | 25th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla, 131st NAG, 210th NAG, 252 NAG, 343rd NAG, 601st NAG, 706th NAG, 722nd NAG, 752nd NAG, 801st NAG 1023rd NAG | |
| 25 May 1945 | Combined Fleet | 13th Air Flotilla, 25th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla | |
| 15 October 1945 | disbanded | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | Shun'ichi Kira | 10 July 1944 | |
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | Kinpei Teraoka | 17 November 1944 | |
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | Sadayoshi Yamada | 26 August 1945 | |
| x | vacant post | 1 October 1945 | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Kanzō Miura | 10 July 1944 | WIA on 30 July 1944 |
| x | vacant post | 31 July 1944 | ||
| 2 | Captain | Tarō Taguchi | 1 August 1944 | |
| x | vacant post | 26 December 1944 | ||
| 3 | Captain | Chūzaburō Yamazumi | 1 January 1945 | |
| 4 | Captain | Chihaya Takahashi | 26 August 1945 | |
| x | vacant post | 1 October 1945 | ||
The 5th Air Fleet (第五航空艦隊, Dai-Go Kōkū Kantai) was in charge of the air defense of Western Japan.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 February 1945 (original) | Combined Fleet | 203rd NAG, 701st NAG, 721st NAG, 762nd NAG, 801st NAG, 1022nd NAG, Kyūshū NAG, Nansei-Shotō NAG | |
| 25 May 1945 | Combined Fleet | 12th Air Flotilla, 72nd Air Flotilla, Takuma NAG, 171st NAG, 634th NAG, 701st NAG, 721st NAG, 762nd NAG, 801st NAG, 931st NAG Kyūshū NAG, San'in NAG, Nansei-Shotō NAG, Naikai NAG, Saikai NAG | |
| 10 October 1945 | disbanded | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | Matome Ugaki | 10 February 1945 | KIA on 15 August 1945 |
| x | vacant post | 16 August 1945 | ||
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | Ryūnosuke Kusaka | 17 August 1945 | |
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain Rear-Admiral | Toshiyuki Yokoi | 10 February 1945 1 May 1945 | |
The 10th Air Fleet (第十航空艦隊, Dai-Jū Kōkū Kantai) was a training unit.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 March 1945 (original) | Combined Fleet | 11th CAG,[3] 12th CAG, 13th CAG | |
| 1 June 1945 | Combined Fleet | Kasumigaura NAG, Yatabe NAG, Hyakurihara NAG, Jinmachi NAG, 2nd Kōriyama NAG, Matsushima NAG, Tōkyō NAG, Genzan NAG | |
| 10 October 1945 | disbanded | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | Minoru Maeda | 1 March 1945 | |
| x | vacant post | 1 October 1945 | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Chikao Yamamoto | 1 March 1945 | |
| 2 | Captain Rear-Admiral | Shigenori Kami | 20 June 1945 15 September 1945 | LODD on 15 September 1945 |
| x | vacant post | 16 September 1945 | ||
The 11th Air Fleet (第十一航空艦隊, Dai-Jūichi Kōkū Kantai) was a grouping of naval aviation and surface units based in Formosa that moved through the Philippines and New Guinea then supported the Solomon Islands campaign during the Japanese advance at the start of the war. Heavily engaged in the Guadalcanal Campaign. From the end of 1942 they provided air cover to the Southeast Area Fleet.
The 12th Air Fleet (第十二航空艦隊, Dai-Jūni Kōkū Kantai) was in charge of air cover for the Northeast Area Fleet.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1943 (original) | Combined Fleet | No units, they were existence only in the documents. | |
| 5 August 1943 | Northeast Area Fleet | 24th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla, 51st Air Flotilla, Horomushiro Communication Unit, 5th Weather Observation Unit | |
| 1 April 1944 | Northeast Area Fleet | 27th Air Flotilla, 51st Air Flotilla, Horomushiro Communication Unit, 5th Weather Observation Unit, 41st Air Base Unit | |
| 5 December 1944 | Combined Fleet | 452nd NAG, Hokutō NAG, Chishima Base Force | |
| 1 March 1945 | Combined Fleet | Hokutō NAG, Chishima Base Force | |
| 30 November 1945 | disbanded | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | Michitarō Tozuka | 18 May 1943 | |
| 5 August 1943 | Commander in chief of the Northeast Area Fleet | |||
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | Eiji Gotō | 15 September 1944 | Commander in chief of the Northeast Area Fleet |
| 5 December 1944 | ||||
| 15 February 1945 | Commander in chief of the Ōminato Guard District | |||
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | Kanji Ugaki | 15 March 1945 | Commander in chief of the Ōminato Guard District |
| x | vacant post | 1 October 1945 | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Yoshiyuki Ichimiya | 18 May 1943 | |
| 5 August 1943 | Chief of staff of the Northeast Area Fleet | |||
| 5 December 1944 | ||||
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | Tsuyoshi Matsumoto | 6 February 1945 | |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Zensuke Kanome | 15 February 1945 | Chief of staff of the Ōminato Guard District Commander of the Ōminato Transportation Department |
| x | vacant post | 1 October 1945 | ||
The 13th Air Fleet (第十三航空艦隊, Dai-Jūsan Kōkū Kantai) was in charge of air cover for the Southwest Area Fleet.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units |
|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1943 (original) | Combined Fleet | No units, they were existence only in the documents. |
| 1 January 1944 | Southwest Area Fleet | 23rd Air Flotilla, 28th Air Flotilla, 732nd NAG |
| 15 August 1944 | Southwest Area Fleet | 28th Air Flotilla, 381st NAG, 102nd Air Base Unit, 104th Air Base Unit |
| 15 December 1944 | Southwest Area Fleet | 28th Air Flotilla, Malay NAG, Tōin NAG |
| 5 February 1945 | 10th Area Fleet | 23rd Air Flotilla, 28th Air Flotilla, 11th AG,[4] 12th AG, 13th AG, 31st AG, 936th NAG, Malay NAG, Tōin NAG |
| 1 June 1945 | 10th Area Fleet | 28th Air Flotilla, 31st AG, 381st NAG |
| 12 September 1945 | Surrendered to United Kingdom in Singapore. | |
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral Admiral | Shirō Takasu | 20 September 1943 1 March 1944 | Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | Gun'ichi Mikawa | 18 July 1944 | Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet |
| 15 August 1944 | Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet | |||
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | Denshichi Ōkawachi | 1 November 1944 | Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 4 | Vice-Admiral | Minoru Tayui | 8 January 1945 | Commander in chief of the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 5 | Vice-Admiral | Shigeru Fukudome | 13 January 1945 | IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 5 February 1945 | Commander in chief of the 10th Area Fleet and the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet | |||
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral Vice-Admiral | Takeo Tada | 20 September 1943 1 November 1943 | Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral Vice-Admiral | Hidehiko Nishio | 1 March 1944 15 October 1944 | Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Kaoru Arima | 1 November 1944 | Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet Commander of the 31st Special Base Force |
| 17 November 1944 | Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet | |||
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | Bunji Asakura | 8 January 1945 | Chief of staff of the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| 5 February 1945 | Chief of staff of the 10th Area Fleet and the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet | |||
The 14th Air Fleet (第十四航空艦隊, Dai-Jūyon Kōkū Kantai) was in charge of air cover for the Central Pacific Area.
| Date | Higher unit | Lower units |
|---|---|---|
| 4 March 1944 (original) | Central Pacific Area Fleet | 22nd Air Flotilla, 26th Air Flotilla, Seaplane tender Akitsushima |
| 5 May 1944 | Central Pacific Area Fleet | Seaplane tender Akitsushima |
| 8 July 1944 | HQ was annihilated | |
| 18 July 1944 | disbanded | |
| Rank | Name | Date | Note, additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral Admiral | Chūichi Nagumo | 4 March 1944 8 July 1944 | Commander in chief of the Central Pacific Area Fleet KIA on 8 July 1944 |
| x | vacant post | 9 July 1944 | ||
| Rank | Name | Date | Additional post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear-Admiral Vice-Admiral | Hideo Yano | 4 March 1944 8 July 1944 | Chief of staff of the Central Pacific Area Fleet KIA on 8 July 1944 |
| x | vacant post | 9 July 1944 | ||
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