Japanese Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu aircraft at Kallang Airport, Singapore - 194509

The Japanese Third Air Army (第3航空軍, Kōkū gun) was formed on 23 July 1942 and headquartered at

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

until the end of

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when it was disbanded. Its final commander was Satoshi Kinoshita. Its units consisted of the 5th, 9th and 55th Air Divisions.Aji History Ref: C12122418800, 3rd image, "Senshi Sosho 3rd Air Army Operations", pp. 52-53 The 3rd Air Army was responsible for

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

History

The 3rd Air Army in December 1941 consisted of the following units: * 3rd Air Brigade (第3飛行団, Hikōdan) - Endo * 7th Air Brigade (第7飛行団, Hikōdan) - Phnom Penh * 10th Air Brigade (第10飛行団, Hikōdan) - Krakor * 12th Air Brigade (第12飛行団, Hikōdan) - Phiqouc * 50th Recon Squadron - Kompong Trach * 81st Recon Squadron - Phom Penh

Task

The 3rd Air Army was tasked with defending the oil fields and refineries at

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...

as well as supporting operation in the Dutch East Indies, Burma, Thailand, and French Indo China.

Commanders

* Lieutenant General Sugawara Michio (菅原道大中将) - 9 July 1942 to 30 April 1943 * Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata (小畑英良中将) - 1 May 1943 to 6 December 1943 * Lieutenant General Satoshi Kinoshita (木下敏中将) - 7 December 1943 to its disbandment

Units

The Air Army (航空軍, Kōkū gun) was made up of two or more Air Corps (飛行集団, Hikō Shudan (renamed Air Divisions (飛行師団, Hikō Shidan in 1942) plus some Independent Units. Each Air Division consisted of an Air Brigade (飛行団, Hikōdan) together with base and support units and a number of Independent Squadrons. Each Air Brigade had two or more Air Combat Groups (Air Combat Group (飛行戦隊, Hikō Sentai). The Air Combat Group was a single-purpose unit consisting typically of three Squadrons (飛行隊, Hikōtai), divided into three flights (小隊, shōtai) of three aircraft each. In 1944 the Air Combat Groups were redesignated Squadrons (飛行隊, Hikōtai). * 5th Hikō Shidan (第5飛行師団) - based in Burma and French Indo China ::

Mitsubishi Ki-21 The (Allied reporting name: "Sally" /"Gwen") was a Japanese heavy bomber during World War II. It began operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War participating in the Nomonhan Incident, and in the first stages of the Pacific War, including ...

heavy bombers ::

Mitsubishi Ki-30 The was a Japanese light bomber of World War II. It was a single-engine, mid-wing, cantilever monoplane of stressed-skin construction with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and a long transparent cockpit canopy. The type had significance in bein ...

light bombers ::

Kawasaki Ki-48 The Kawasaki Ki-48 ( ja, 九九式雙發輕爆擊機, shiki-souhatu-keibaku, shortened to 'Sokei', Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber), was a Japanese twin-engine light bomber that was used during World War II. Its Allied reporting name was ...

light bombers ::

Nakajima Ki-27 The was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service up until 1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the "China Burma India" (CBI) theater by many post war sources; Allied Intelligen ...

fighters ::

Nakajima Ki-43 The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, "Peregrine falcon", "Army Type 1 Fighter" ) is a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Oscar", but it was o ...

fighters ::

Mitsubishi Ki-15 The was a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft and a light attack bomber of the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War. It began as a fast civilian mail-plane. It was a single-engine, low-wing, Cantilever#Aircraft, cantilever monoplane with a f ...

Command Reconnaissance aircraft ::

Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army ''Shiki'' designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (); the Allied brevity code name was "Dinah". Devel ...

Command Reconnaissance aircraft * 9th Hikō Shidan (第9飛行師団) - based at

Mitsubishi Ki-51 The Mitsubishi Ki-51 (Army designation "Type 99 Assault Plane"; Allied nickname "Sonia") was a light bomber/dive bomber in service with the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It first flew in mid-1939. Initially deployed against Chines ...

light bomber/dive bomber ::

Nakajima Ki-44 The Nakajima Ki-44 ''Shoki'' (鍾馗, " Devil Queller") was a single-seat fighter-interceptor which was developed by the Nakajima Aircraft Company and operated by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Its official de ...

fighters ::

Kawasaki Ki-45 The Kawasaki Ki-45 ''Toryu'' (屠龍, "Dragonslayer") was a two-seat, twin-engine heavy fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The army gave it the designation "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter"; the Allied reporting name was "Nick". ...

heavy fighters ::

Command Reconnaissance aircraft * 55th Hikō Shidan (第55飛行師団) * Independent 10th Wing - based in Borneo in 1945 * 3rd Aviation Communications Command

Further information

Imperial Japanese Army Air Service The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the aviation force of the Im ...

* List of air divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 1942 establishments in Japan 1945 disestablishments in Japan Units and formations of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service