Hikōtaichō

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 ''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, torpedo bomber or fighter). The ''Hikōtaichō'' was one of the two flight command ratings in the naval air hierarchy, the other being 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 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 first strike wave against the United States Navy carriers was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Shigeharu Murata ( ''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō''), where ''Shōkaku'' contributed Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers and ''Zuikaku'' contributed Aichi D3A dive bombers. The second strike wave was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Mamoru Seki (''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō''), where ''Shōkaku'' contributed Aichi D3A dive bombers and ''Zuikaku'' contributed Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers.

In some instances, the ''Hikōtaichō'' 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, where Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi (''Shōkaku'' ''Hikōtaichō'') and Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki (''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.

A ''Hikōtaichō'' was not necessary a pilot. For example, during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida ( ''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 Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway, Lieutenant Takehiko Chihaya (''Akagi'' ''Hikōtaichō'') was an observer; his Aichi D3A dive bomber was piloted by Petty Officer First Class Kiyoto Furuta. 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.

See also

*''Buntaichō''

References

; Sources
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* {{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