The was a senior naval aviation position in 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 ...

, normally held by a

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 ...

or a very senior

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 ...

, who commanded all flight personnel in an air group.

Administrative role

On the ground, the ''Hikōtaichō'' commanded a unit called ''hikōtai'' (飛行隊), which was composed of all flight personnel in an air group, called ''kōkūtai'' (航空隊). However, ''Hikōtaichō'' was not the commander of the whole air group (''kōkūtai''), which also included non-flight personnel that provided aircraft maintenance and air base service functions. On an aircraft carrier, the ''hikōtai'' typically consisted of three squadrons, where each was related to a specific aircraft type (i.e., either

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

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 ''Hikōtaichō'' was one of the two flight command ratings in the naval air hierarchy, the other being the ''

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'' ...

'' (分隊長), who commanded a division of flight personnel for a specific aircraft type, called ''buntai'' (分隊).

Combat role

During the combat, the ''Hikōtaichō'' commanded a strike force composed of all aircraft types. According to

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

doctrine, the carriers operated in pairs and each carrier contributed a different aircraft type to a particular strike wave, where one ''Hikōtaichō'' commanded the first wave, while the other ''Hikōtaichō'' commanded the second wave. For example, during 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 ...

, the first strike wave against the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

carriers was commanded by Lieutenant Commander

Shigeharu Murata was a torpedo bomber pilot officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He was the commander of torpedo bombers in the Attack on Pearl Harbor that crippled several United States Navy (USN) battleships and during the Battle of t ...

( ''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō''), where ''Shōkaku'' contributed

Nakajima B5N The Nakajima B5N ( ja, 中島 B5N, Allied reporting name "Kate") was the standard carrier-based torpedo bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) for much of World War II. Although the B5N was substantially faster and more capable than its Al ...

torpedo bombers and ''Zuikaku'' contributed

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. The second strike wave was commanded by Lieutenant Commander

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''), where ''Shōkaku'' contributed Aichi D3A dive bombers and ''Zuikaku'' contributed Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers. In some instances, the ''Hikōtaichō''s from both carriers joined in the same strike wave and the senior of the two was in the overall command. An example of this was during the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

, where Lieutenant Commander

Kakuichi Takahashi was a dive bomber pilot officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He is best known for leading several strikes against the United States Navy during the Battle of the Coral Sea, where they sank the carrier '' Lexington'', ...

(''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō'') and Lieutenant Commander

Shigekazu Shimazaki , was a Japanese career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II. Biography Shimazaki was a native of Ōita Prefecture and a graduate of the 57th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1929, ranking 31st of 1 ...

(''Zuikaku'' ''Hikōtaichō'') both participated in all strike waves during the battle. In this case, Takahashi flew a dive bomber and was in overall command, while Shimazaki flew a torpedo bomber and led all other torpedo bombers. The ''Hikōtaichō'' was not necessary a pilot. For example, during the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, Commander

Mitsuo Fuchida was a Japanese captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and a bomber observer in the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. He is perhaps best known for leading the first wave of air attacks on Pearl Harbor on 7 Decembe ...

( ''Akagi'' ''Hikōtaichō'') was in the observer/bombardier seat, while his Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber was piloted by Lieutenant Mitsuo Matsuzaki. In another example, during the

and the

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 ...

, Lieutenant Takehiko Chihaya (''Akagi'' ''Hikōtaichō'') was an observer; his

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-cla ...

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, ''Hikōtaichō'' was often in the observer seat.

Aircraft marking

In carrier-based units, the position of ''Hikōtaichō'' was marked by three 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 to which carrier the aircraft belonged.

References

; Sources * * * * * * {{cite book , last = Tagaya , first = Osamu , year = 2011 , title = Aichi 99 Kanbaku 'Val' Units , publisher = Osprey Publishing , location = , series = Combat Aircraft #63 , isbn = 978-1841769127 Naval aviation Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

Administrative role

Combat role

Aircraft marking

See also

References