The was a naval aviation position in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), normally held by a

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 ...

, who commanded a division of flight personnel ( ''buntai'') in an air group.

Administrative role

On the ground, the ''Buntaichō'' commanded a division of flight personnel, called ''buntai'' (分隊), which was the smallest administrative unit in IJNAS. ''Buntai'' was made up of the required number of personnel necessary to fly one ''chūtai'' (中隊), which typically consisted of nine aircraft. For example, in bomber units, there were much more personnel than the aircraft. On an aircraft carrier, the air group typically consisted of three squadrons, where each was related to a specific aircraft type (i.e., either dive bomber,

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

or fighter). The senior ''Buntaichō'' commanded all flight personnel of a specific squadron in addition to its first division, while the other two junior ''Buntaichō''s commanded the second and the third division (depending on how many divisions were in a squadron). On a light carrier, there might have been just one ''Buntaichō'' in the squadron. ''Buntaichō'' was one of the two flight command ratings in the naval air hierarchy, the other being the ''

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 ' ...

'' (飛行隊長), who commanded a unit that was composed of all flight personnel in the air group, called ''hikōtai'' (飛行隊), which was made up of several ''buntai''s.

Combat role

In flight, each ''Buntaichō'' commanded a division of nine aircraft, called ''chūtai''. Note that ''buntai'' referred to a division of flight personnel, while ''chūtai'' referred to an aircraft formation that was piloted by that personnel. Therefore, in flight, ''Buntaichō'' was referred to as ''Chūtaichō'' (中隊長). If the ''Hikōtaichō'' was flying the same aircraft type as the ''Buntaichō'', he usually commanded the whole strike force, while the Buntaichō commanded one of the ''chūtai''s. For example, both during the

Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea) took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific cam ...

and the

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, fought during 25–27 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or Third Battle of Solomon Sea, in Japan as the Battle of the South Pacific ( ''Minamitaiheiyō kaisen''), was the fourt ...

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 ran ...

Mamoru Seki was a dive bomber pilot officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He is best known for being the commander of the dive bomber squadron of carrier '' Shōkaku'' and for leading strikes against United States Navy (USN) carrie ...

( ''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō'') commanded the strike force, while Lieutenant

Keiichi Arima was a non-aviator dive bomber Officer (armed forces), officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He participated in Central China campaigns and later led Aichi D3A dive bombers from carrier Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku ...

(''Shōkaku'' dive bomber ''Buntaichō'') commanded one of the dive bomber ''chūtai''s. The ''Buntaichō'' was not necessary a pilot. For example, Lieutenant

was an observer; his

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 a ...

dive bomber was piloted by

Petty Officer First Class Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations. Canada Petty officer, 1st class, PO1, is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of petty officer 2nd-clas ...

Kiyoto Furuta was a dive bomber pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He flew Aichi D3A dive bomber from carrier ''Akagi'' during the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Indian Ocean Raid, and later from carrier ''Shōkaku'' in both carr ...

. In land-based bomber units, ''Buntaichō'' was often in the observer seat.

Aircraft marking

In carrier-based units, the position of ''Buntaichō'' was marked by two horizontal stripes on the tail of an aircraft. However, this marking should not be confused with the vertical stripes around the rear of the fuselage, which indicated the carrier to which the aircraft belonged.

References

; Sources * * * * * * {{cite interview , interviewer=Joel Shepherd and Kan Sugahara , title=Accounts - Keiichi Arima , url=http://www.cv6.org/company/accounts/arima/ Naval aviation Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

Administrative role

Combat role

Aircraft marking

See also

References