was a unit of the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first air ...

(IJNAS) during the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

that was involved in

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

and then extensively in the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

and

Solomon Islands Campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

. The air group was redesignated as the 204th Air Group on 1 November 1942.

History

The unit was formed on 1 April 1942 in

Kisarazu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 136,023 in 63,431 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kisarazu is located in the midwest ...

, Japan, and was initially equipped with only six

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

fighters, under the command of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Hideki Shingō. The group made an unsuccessful interception attempt during the

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japan ...

on 18 April. By 30 May, the group's fighter strength increased to 33 Zeros and Lieutenant

Tadashi Kaneko (25 February 1912 – 14 November 1942) was an officer, ace fighter pilot, and leader in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Before his death in combat, Kaneko was officially credited with de ...

was appointed as its commander (''

Hikōtaichō The was a senior naval aviation position in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, normally held by a Lieutenant Commander or a very senior Lieutenant, who commanded all flight personnel in an air group. Administrative role On the ground, the ' ...

''). It was intended to serve as a garrison for

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

after it would be captured in the upcoming

Operation MI The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Ad ...

in June. Six fighters were embarked on the carrier ''Akagi'', nine ''Kaga'', three each on ''Hiryū'' and ''Sōryū'', while 12 were on ''Jun'yō''. Some of the fighters were involved in the

under Lieutenant Kaneko, and in Attack on Dutch Harbor under Lieutenant Zenjirō Miyano. The disaster at Midway meant that the intended plan for the 6th Air Group was now infeasible. At the end of August 1942, the group was sent to

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

to be used in operations in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. Its new ''Hikōtaichō'', Lieutenant Mitsugi Kofukuda, led a 5,000-kilomer over-water ferry flight of 18 Zero fighters from

to Rabaul via island bases (

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, Truk and

Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...

), which was unprecedented for a single-seat aircraft at the time. Initially, 6th Air Group was assigned to provide air defence for Rabaul base and air cover for ship convoys in the area. Their first operation against

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

came on 11 September 1942 and from then on they regularly flew missions from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. In one such mission on 28 September, Lieutenant Kofukuda led 27 Zeros to escort 27

Mitsubishi G4M The Mitsubishi G4M was a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber formerly manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. Its official designati ...

bombers. The US forces from Henderson Field scrambled 35

Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...

fighters to intercept the strike, after receiving an early warning from

coastwatchers The Coastwatchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section C, Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II t ...

and

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

. During the ensuing air battle, 6th Air Group Zeros were unsuccessful at protecting the Japanese bombers and eight of them were lost. As a consequence, Japanese changed the tactics and Lieutenant Kofukuda led a fighter sweep of 28 Zeros (18 from 6th Air Group and ten from

Tainan Air Group was a fighter aircraft and airbase garrison unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The flying portion of the unit was heavily involved in many of the major campaigns and battles of the first year of ...

) ahead of nine G4M bombers and eight Zeros. The latter acted as a decoy and turned back before reaching Guadalcanal, while Kofukuda' Zeros continued on. After arriving above Guadalcanal, they managed to surprise the intercepting 36 Wildcats and shot down six of them for the loss of one Zero. In addition, when they withdrawn, they found and destroying two

Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/div ...

dive bombers above

Savo Island Savo Island is an island in Solomon Islands in the southwest South Pacific ocean. Administratively, Savo Island is a part of the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. It is about from the capital Honiara. The principal village is Alialia, ...

. On 8 October 1942, 6th Air Group under Lieutenant Kofukuda moved from Rabaul to a newly completed airstrip at Buin on Bougainville. The day before, Lieutenant Miyano (6th Air Group ''

Buntaichō The was a naval aviation position in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), normally held by a Lieutenant, who commanded a division of flight personnel ( ''buntai'') in an air group. Administrative role On the ground, the ''Buntaichō'' ...

'') ferried 30 Model 32 Zeros from the carrier ''Zuihō''. From Buin, the group was able to operate the new Model 32 Zero fighters, which previously did not have the combat range to reach Guadalcanal from Rabaul. There they provided air cover for high-speed resupply convoys bound for Guadalcanal. While doing so, they lost five Zeros to bad weather on 11 October and six Zeros to

ditching In aviation, a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an Landing, aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as a normal operation. Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the ...

on 14 October when they were sent on an evening patrol. On 16 October, nine 6th Air Group Zeros under

Lieutenant (jg) A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Katsutoshi Kawamata escorted a strike of nine

Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A Type 99 Carrier Bomber ( Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was involved in almost all IJN actions, including the at ...

dive bombers from 31st Air Group against Allied ships off Guadalcanal. On 22 October, nine 6th Air Group Zeros under Lieutenant Kufukuda escorted a strike of 12 Aichi D3A dive bombers from 31st and

2nd Air Group was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific War that was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign, Solomon Islands Campaign and New Guinea Campaign. The air group was redesignated as the 582nd Air Group on 1 No ...

in a similar anti-shipping mission. The next day they provided a standard fighter sweep of 12 Zeros under Kufukuda went ahead of G4M bombers and attacked Henderson Field. On 1 November 1942, 6th Air group was redesignated as the 204th Air Group. Under the new name, the air group continued to participate in

. In another classic engagement over Guadalcanal, a combination of 18 Zeros from ''Hiyō'' Air Group (operating from Buin) and 204th Air Group, under the command of

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Kaneko (ex-6th Air Group ''Hikōtaichō'', now with ''Hiyō'') and Lieutenant Miyano, respectively, fought with 21 F4F Wildcats and shot down six of them for the loss of two zeros. The group then participated in the

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...

, where they protected the crippled battleship ''Hiei'' on 13 November. The next day, Lieutenant Miyano and Lieutenant Commander Kofukuda led two separate patrols that included six Zero fighters each in order to cover Rear Admiral

Raizō Tanaka was a rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during most of World War II. A specialist in the heavy torpedoes that were carried by all the destroyers and cruisers of the IJN, Tanaka mainly commanded destroyer squadrons, with a cruise ...

's transports carrying fresh troops and supplies to Guadalcanal. Afterwards it was involved in covering the evacuation of Japanese troops from Guadalcanal in February 1943, and the

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

to reinforce

Lae Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...

in March 1943. In March 1943, Lieutenant Commander Kofukuda was replaced by Lieutenant Miyano as the group's ''Hikōtaichō''. Having noticed in previous missions that friendly dive bombers were often shot down after they released their bombs, Lieutenant Miyano proposed that his group should go to low altitude and provide fighter cover after the bomb release point. They tested this on 16 June during the Operation SE, when the group's 24 Zeros covered Lieutenant Tamotsu Ema's 24 Aichi D3A dive bombers that attacked the Allied ships off the coast of Guadalcanal. While this helped to better protect the dive bombers, Lieutenant Miyano was killed during the action. Later, the air group saw an extensive action during the Operation RO and the defence of Rabaul from late 1943 to early 1944, before being disbanded on 4 March 1944. During that period, the famous aces

Tetsuzō Iwamoto Lieutenant Junior Grade was one of the top scoring aces among Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) fighter pilots. He entered the Imperial Navy in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over Chi ...

and Sadamu Komachi were its members.

Notes

Citations

Sources

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Combat reports

* * {{Imperial Japanese Navy air units Groups of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944