26th Air Flotilla
Active1 April 1942
CountryEmpire of Japan Empire of Japan
BranchEmpire of Japan Imperial Japanese Navy
TypeNaval aviation unit
RoleBomber, Fighter, Dive Bomber
Part of11th Air Fleet
Garrison/HQRabaul
Buin
EngagementsSolomon Islands Campaign
New Guinea Campaign
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Yamagata Seigo
Masafumi Arima

The 26th Air Flotilla (第二六航空戦隊, Dai Nijūroku Kōkū Sentai) was a combat aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

History

The 26th Air Flotilla was established on 1 April 1942 as a part of the 11th Air Fleet, and was originally composed of the Misawa Air Group and Kisarazu Air Group, both operating Mitsubishi G4M medium bombers. Under the command of Rear Admiral Seigo Yamagata, the unit was deployed to Rabaul on New Britain in August 1942 in order to reinforce the Japanese air power in the area and conduct operations in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands Campaigns. While being primarily a medium bomber unit, it eventually absorbed fighter (6th Air Group and Hiyō Air Group) and dive bomber (31st Air Group and 582nd Air Group) units too. The operational title for this hybrid organization was the 6th Air Attack Force. Due to vulnerability of G4M medium bombers, the unit took heavy losses in air combat over Guadalcanal.[1][2][3]

Organization

DateHigher unitAviation units
1 April 1942 (original)11th Air FleetMisawa Air Group, Kisarazu Air Group[4]
12 September 1942Misawa Air Group, Kisarazu Air Group, 6th Air Group (detachment), Chitose Air Group (detachment)[4]
10 October 1942Misawa Air Group, Kisarazu Air Group, 753rd Air Group[lower-alpha 1] (detachment), 6th Air Group, 31st Air group[5]
11 November 1942705th Air Group[lower-alpha 2], 707th Air Group[lower-alpha 3], 204th Air Group[lower-alpha 4], 582nd Air Group[lower-alpha 5], 703rd Air Group[lower-alpha 6], 956th Air Group, Hiyō Air Group (detachment)[6]

Commanding officers

RankNameDateNote
1Rear AdmiralSeigo Yamagata1 April 1942
2Rear AdmiralKanae Kosaka25 February 1943
3Rear Admiral / Vice AdmiralMunetaka Sakamaki1 September 1943Vice Admiral on 1 November 1943.
4Rear AdmiralMasafumi Arima9 April 1944Vice Admiral (posthumous) on 15 October 1944.
xvacant15 October 1944
5Rear AdmiralUshie Sugimoto27 October 1944Vice Admiral (posthumous) on 12 June 1945.
xvacant12 June 1945
xdissolved15 August 1945

References

Footnotes
  1. Renamed Takao Air Group.
  2. Renamed Misawa Air Group.
  3. Renamed Kisarazu Air Group.
  4. Renamed 6th Air Group.
  5. Renamed 2nd Air Group.
  6. Renamed Chitose Air Group.
Citations
Bibliography
  • Hata, Ikuhiko; Izawa, Yasuho; Shores, Christopher (2011). Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and their aces, 1932-1945. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 9781906502843.
  • Lundstrom, John B. (2005). First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-472-8.
  • Tagaya, Osamu (2001). Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko 'Betty' Units of World War 2. Osprey Combat Aircraft #22. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 184176082X.
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