24th Air Flotilla

24th Air Flotilla 第二十四航空戦隊
Active	1940-1944
Country	Japan
Branch	Aviation
Part of	4th Fleet

Military unit

The 24th Air Flotilla (第二十四航空戦隊, Dai-Nijūyon Kōkū-Sentai) was a combat aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The flotilla, mainly consisting of land-based bombers, fighters, and flying boats, reported to the IJN's 4th Fleet. As originally organized, the flotilla's core units were the 4th Air Corps, Yokohama Air Corps, and 1st Air Corps.^[1]

Organization

The 4th Combined Air Group (第4連合航空隊, Dai-yon Rengō Kōkutai) was original unit of the 24th Air Flotilla, therefore, describe this section from the 4th Combined Air Group.

Date	Higher unit	Unit name	Aviation units and vessels
15 November 1940 (original)	Combined Fleet	4th Combined Air Group	Chitose Naval Air Group^{[N 1]}, Yokohama Naval Air Group^{[N 2]}, Seaplane tender Kamoi
15 January 1941	11th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla (renamed)	Chitose Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, Seaplane tender Kamoi, MV Goshū Maru
10 April 1941	11th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	Chitose Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, 1st Air Group^{[N 3]}, Seaplane tender Kamoi, MV Goshū Maru
20 December 1941	4th Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	Chitose Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, 1st Air Group, MV Goshū Maru
16 February 1942	4th Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	Chitose Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, 1st Air Group, 4th Air Group^{[N 4]}, MV Goshū Maru
1 April 1942	11th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	Chitose Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, 1st Air Group, MV Goshū Maru
1 December 1942	11th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	201st Naval Air Group^{[N 5]}, 552nd Naval Air Group^{[N 6]}, 752nd Naval Air Group
5 August 1943	12th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	531st Naval Air Group^{[N 7]}, 752nd Naval Air Group
1 December 1943	12th Air Fleet	24th Air Flotilla	281st Naval Air Group^{[N 8]}, 531st Naval Air Group, 752nd Naval Air Group
20 February 1944	dissolved

Commanding officers

	Rank	Name	Date	Note
1	Rear-Admiral	Ryūnosuke Kusaka	15 November 1940
2	Rear-Admiral Vice-Admiral	Eiji Gotō	15 April 1941 15 October 1941
3	Rear-Admiral	Minoru Maeda	1 June 1942
4	Rear-Admiral Vice-Admiral	Michiyuki Yamada	20 January 1943 6 February 1944	KIA on 6 February 1944 at Ruot (Battle of Kwajalein). Posthumly promoted to Vice-Admiral on same day.
x	vacant post		7 February 1944	After unnoticed death of Rear-Admiral Yamada.

Footnotes

^ Attack bomber unit. Renamed 703rd Naval Air Group on 1 November 1942.
^ Flying boat unit. Renamed 801st Naval Air Group on 1 November 1942.
^ Attack bomber unit. Renamed 752nd Naval Air Group on 1 November 1942.
^ Attack bomber unit. Renamed 702nd Naval Air Group on 1 November 1942.
^ Carrier-borne fighter unit. Independent from Chitose Naval Air Group (703rd Naval Air Group) on 1 December 1942. Equipped Mitsubishi A6M
^ Carrier-borne dive bomber unit. Equipped Aichi D3A
^ Carrier-borne attack bomber unit. Equipped Nakajima B6N
^ Carrier-borne fighter unit. Equipped Mitsubishi A6M

References

Notes

^ Bullard, pp.32-33.

Bibliography

Japanese army operations in the South Pacific Area New Britain and Papua campaigns, 1942–43. Senshi Sōshō (translated excerpts). Translated by Bullard, Steven. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9751904-8-7.

Imperial Japanese Navy air units

Air Fleet

Air Flotilla

Combined Air Group

Air Group

Naval Air Group
(Numbered name)

121
131
132
133
141
151
153
171
201
202
203
204
205
210
221
251
252
253
254
256
261
263
265
281
301
302
312
321
322
331
332
341
343
345
352
361
381
452
453
501
502
503
521
522
523
524
531
541
551
552
553
582
601
631
634
652
653
701
702
703
705
706
707
721
722
723
724
725
732
751
752
753
755
761
762
763
765
801
802
851
901
902
903
931
932
933
934
936
938
951
952
953
954
955
956
958
1001
1021
1022
1023
1081

Naval Air Group
(Place name)

Expeditionary unit	Chitose Genzan (I) Kanoya (I) Kisarazu Mihoro Misawa (I) Takao (I) Tainan (I) Tōkō Yokohama
Patrol / Defensive unit	Chichijima Chinkai Kure Kushimoto Maizuru Okinawa Ōminato Saeki Sasebo Tateyama Toyohashi (I) Yokosuka
Practice unit	Atsugi Genzan (II) Hakata Kaikō Kanoya (II) Komatsushima Kōnoike Matsushima Miyazaki Nagoya Ōi Ōita Ōmura San'a Seitō Shanhai Shinchiku Sukumo Suzuka Tainan (II) Takao (II) Tokushima Toyohashi (II) Tsuiki (I) Tsukuba Usa Yatabe
Basic training unit	Amakusa Fukuyama Himeji Hyakurihara Isahaya Iwakuni (I) Izumi 1st Izumi Jinmachi Kan'onji Kashima Kitaura Kobi Kōchi Kokubu 2nd Kōriyama Kōshū 2nd Kōwa 2nd Miho Mineyama 3rd Okazaki Ōryū Ōtsu Pusan Saijō 2nd Takao Takuma Tōkyō Tsuiki (II) Yamato
Mechanic training unit	Fujisawa Hitoyoshi 2nd Izumi 2nd Kanoya Katori Kōriyama 1st Kōriyama Kōwa 1st Kōwa Kushira Oihama Okazaki 1st Okazaki 2nd Okazaki Sagamino 1st Sagamino 2nd Sagamino Sunosaki 2nd Tainan Tarumi Taura
Preparatory flight training unit	Fukuoka Iwakuni (II) Kagoshima Kasumigaura Kofuji Komatsu Kōyasan Kurashiki Matsuyama Mie Miho 1st Miho Misawa (II) Nara Nishinomiya Seto Shiga Shimizu Takarazuka Tsuchiura Urado Uwajima

Naval Air Group
(Regional name)

Chōsen
Chūhi
Chūshi
Gōhoku
Higashikarorin
Hitō
Hokuhi
Hokutai
Hokutō
Inshi
Kantō
Kinki
Kyūshū
Marai
Mariana
Naikai
Nanpi
Nanpōshotō
Nanseishotō
Nantai
Nishikarorin
Ōu
Saikai
San'in
Taiwan
Tōin
Tōkai

Flying squadron

Fighter Squadron	161 162 163 164 165 166 167 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 315 316 317 318 351 401 402 403 407 601 602 603 701 804 812 851 901 902
Attack Squadron	1 3 5 102 103 105 107 161 251 252 253 254 256 262 263 401 405 406 501 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 711
Reconnaissance Squadron	3 4 11 12 61 101 102 301 302