JAPANESE NAVY AIR FORCE (JNAF)
OPERATING IN THE AUSTRALIAN AREA
DURING WW2

The Japanese Navy and Japanese Army each had their own air force. There was no independent Japanese air force.

A6M2 Zeroes of the Japanese Navy Air Force (JNAF) were involved in the surprise attach on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. At about the same time the Japanese attacked the Philippines, Hong Kong and the Dutch East Indies. It was now the turn of Australia and New Guinea to be threatened by the Japanese Navy Air Force.

There were about 90 different Air Groups in the Japanese Navy Air Force. These were known as Kokutai's. These Air Groups were either assigned Names or Numbers. (The Japanese Army Air Force referred to their Air Groups as Sentai's.)

The Named Air Groups were linked to either a particular air command or an air base in Japan. When the Air Groups left Japan they were usually issued with an Air Group number. e.g. the Kanoya Air Group became the 253rd Air Group.

Air Group     Type of 
Number        Aircraft

200 - 399      Fighter Groups
400 - 499      Float Planes
600 - 699      A mixture of aircraft

Air Groups were usually divided into 3 or 4 squadrons or Hikotai's. A Squadron based on an aircraft carrier or other vessel usually had the name of the aircraft carrier assigned to their squadron name. A squadron normally comprised 12 to 16 aircraft commanded by either a junior Lieutenant or Warrant Officer or experienced Chief Petty Officer. Most pilots were non commissioned officers.

There were usually 4 Flights or Sections (Shotai's) of between 3 to 4 aircraft in each Squadron. By 1944 it was normal for a Flight to comprise 4 aircraft.

At the start of the war in the SWPA, the Japanese Navy Air Force comprised:-

The following is a list of some of the Air Groups in the Japanese Navy Air Force:-

REFERENCE BOOKS

Imperial Japanese Navy Aces of World War 2
by Osprey Aviation

Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War
by Rene J. Francillon

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"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 11 May 2002

This page last updated 15 January 2020