Markings for KAMIKAZE TOKKŌTAI 1/48
A6M5 Zero Type 52, probably c/n 4271, Lt. Yukio Seki, 1st Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Shikishima-tai, Mabalacat airfield, Phillipines, October 1944
In October 1944, as part of the 1st Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, the first nine groups of kamikaze pilots were organized, mostly from Kōkūtai 201, including the Shikishima unit. Its CO was Lieutenant Yukio Seki. He was born in 1921 (NA 70th class, 1941), he initially served on the battleship Fusō then experienced the Battle of Midway aboard the seaplane tender Chitose. In September 1944, he was assigned to Kōkūtai 201 in the Philippines, where he helped train pilots in skip bombing. After suffering heavy losses, the unit received replacement aircraft from other formations at Mabalacat, including Hikōtai 602 (Kōkūtai 381), from which aircraft 02-112 originated. On October 25, Seki led one of seven groups of Zero pilots in an attack on Taffy 3 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, escorted by fighter ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa from Kōkūtai 203. The aircraft, most likely piloted by Seki, struck the escort carrier USS St. Lo, which sank after 30 minutes. Of the 889 crew members, 113 were killed or went missing, while about thirty others later died from their injuries. One of the survivors, ACOM Earl F. Roberts, found a A6M5 Mitsubishi Co. tail data plate no. 2968 before abandoning the ship. From this, it is estimated that the aircraft's serial number was likely 4271 and that it was manufactured between late October and early November 1943.
A6M5 Zero Type 52, Hikōtai 165, Kōkūtai 653, IJN Zuihō, Ōita base, Japan, September 1944
This Mitsubishi manufactured aircraft was assigned to Kōkūtai 653, which was established in February 1944. The division of colors on the fuselage is characteristic of aircraft produced by Mitsubishi. Kōkūtai 653 participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 aboard the carriers Chitose, Chiyoda, and Zuihō. Most of its armament consisted of A6M2 Type 21 fighter-bombers. Out of the nine carrier squadron commanders, only one survived. After the battle, Kōkūtai 653 was reorganized into four Hikōtais. Lt. Kenji Nakagawa led Hikōtai 164 and 165 with 48 A6M5 fighters each. Lt. Tetsuo Endō led 48 A6M fighter-bombers of Hikōtai 166, while bombers were assigned to Hikōtai 263. In the fall of 1944, Kōkūtai 653 suffered 50% losses in the defense of Taiwan. During the defense of the Philippines, Hikōtai 164 operated from land bases. The aircraft of Hikōtai 165 were deployed aboard aircraft carriers during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, with numbers on upper part of the tail indicating their carrier: Zuikaku (1), Zuihō (2), Chitose (3), and Chiyoda (4). After the loss of all carriers, Kōkūtai 653 fought in the Philippines. Several of its pilots escorted Kamikaze missions as part of Reisen-tai on October 29 and November 6. Kōkūtai 653 was disbanded on November 15, 1944.
A6M5 Zero Type 52, Kōkūtai 210, Meiji Base, Japan, winter 1944-1945
This Nakajima manufactured aircraft featured a fuselage color scheme characteristic of this producer. Kōkūtai 210 was established in September 1944 at Meiji Base as an operational training unit equipped with A6M Zero and N1K1-J fighters, J1N night fighters, as well as bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The Zero squadron, consisting of 48 aircraft, was commanded by Lt. Toshio Shiozuru. During U.S. carrier-based air raids on Japan on February 16–17, 1945, Kōkūtai 210 pilots claimed 14 confirmed and 4 probable victories while losing one aircraft. From late March, 32 A6Ms and 14 N1K1-Js were transferred to Kokubu No. 1 Base under Kōkūtai 601. From April 6, Kōkūtai 210 fighters engaged in battles over Okinawa, achieving 6 victories at the cost of 10 aircraft. During the Kikusui I special attack operation, Kōkūtai 210 formed several Kamikaze units, including Dai 210 Butai Reisen-tai, which was armed with Zeros. On April 6, the unit launched 12 Zeros with 10 escorting N1K1-Js against enemy forces 80 nautical miles from Tokunoshima. On April 11, three more Zeros with Kamikaze pilots were deployed against enemy carriers east of Okinawa. In mid-April, Kōkūtai 210 was reorganized as a pure fighter unit, and remained in reserve in case of an invasion of Japan.
A6M5 Zero Type 52, Lt. (jg) Seizō Yasunori, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 7 Shōwa-tai, Kanoya Base, Japan, May 1945
Although this aircraft bears the Yatabe Kōkūtai designation and was assigned to Kamikaze Unit Shōwa No. 7, which was formed from Yatabe Kōkūtai, its pilot belonged to a different unit. He was Lt. (jg) Seizō Yasunori from Fighter Hikōtai 306, which operated under Kōkūtai 721 “Jinrai Butai” (Divine Thunder Corps), providing fighter escort for G4M Betty bombers modified to carry Yokosuka MXY-7 Ōka rocket planes. Seizō Yasunori had also trained for Ōka missions, but due to heavy losses of Betty bombers, he was reassigned to Kamikaze Unit Kenmu No. 10, one of over 20 Kamikaze units formed from Zero pilots of Kōkūtai 721. This unit launched over 200 Zero fighters in Kamikaze attacks – second only to Kōkūtai 201, which deployed the most Zero Kamikaze pilots during the defense of the Philippines. On May 11, 1945, Yasunori was one of the pilots who attacked the USS Bunker Hill. The ship was first hit by a bomb and then by the aircraft of his fellow pilot, Lt.(jg) Yoshiaki Shibata. Shortly after, Ensign Kyioshi Ogawa struck the flight deck with a bomb from his burning aircraft. Yasunori attempted to deliver the final blow to the aircraft carrier, but he was shot down by an anti-aircraft fire. The USS Bunker Hill suffered 393 crew members killed or missing and 264 wounded, making it the deadliest Kamikaze attack in history.
A6M5 Zero Type 52, Lt. Nao Sugisaki, Kōkūtai 352, Ōmura Base, Japan, March 1945
On aircraft manufactured by Nakajima, such as this one, propeller spinners were left in natural metal finish during final assembly until the end of the war. At the unit level, they were typically repainted in dark green or brown, left unpainted, or given specific identification markings. Kōkūtai 352 was established in August 1944 to provide aerial defense for the cities of Sasebo, Nagasaki, and Ōmura. The unit was equipped with Zero fighters, Raiden interceptors and Gekkō night fighters and escorted the Kamikaze airmen using their Zero fighters. An unusual numbering system for tail markings was used. Zero fighter squadron was led by Lieutenant Nao Sugisaki, who was born in 1920 and graduated from the Naval Academy (69th class) in March 1941. From August 1944, the unit engaged B-29 bomber formations, and during one such battle, Sugisaki was killed on March 31, 1945, over Misumi in Kumamoto Prefecture. The aircraft 352-177 was likely assigned to him but it is not certain whether he flew it on his last mission. In April 1945, part of Kōkūtai 352, led by Lieutenant Manae Uematsu, relocated to Kokubu Air Base. There, they participated in escort missions to protect and observe the results of Kamikaze attacks during Operation Kikusui, the defense of Okinawa. However, Kōkūtai 352 was not assigned to provide its own aircraft or pilots for Kamikaze attacks.
A6M2-K, Ensign Kōzō Koizumi, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 7 Shōwa-tai, Kanoya Base, Japan, April 1945
The aircraft bears the designation Ya, indicating its affiliation with the Yatabe Kōkūtai. This training unit was established in 1939 and, after being reorganized under this name in December 1944, continued to specialize exclusively in fighter training. It operated A6M Zero, N1K Shiden, J2M Raiden, and the two-seat A6M2-K aircraft. In total, the unit had 180 aircraft at its disposal. In early 1945, the Yatabe Kōkūtai participated in Japan’s defensive battles. In April, it formed Kamikaze Shōwa Units Nos. 1 through 5 from a cadre of its instructors. One of its pilots, Kōzō Koizumi, took part in a Kamikaze attack on April 29, 1945, against Allied aircraft carriers east of Okinawa. This attack marked the final day of Operation Kikusui IV, which had been ongoing since April 21. During Operation Kikusui IV, Kamikaze attacks struck 18 vessels, sinking the minesweeper USS Swallow, Landing Craft Support (LCS-15), and the cargo ship Canada Victory, which was carrying 7,000 tons of explosives. On April 29 alone, the destroyers USS Haggard and USS Hazelwood were damaged, resulting in 57 deaths and 66 wounded. By this point, after nearly a month of relentless Japanese air offensive – combining conventional air raids with Kamikaze attacks – Allied crews were suffering from severe sleep deprivation due to constant alerts and were even unable to change their clothes.
A6M2-K, Kasumigaura Kōkūtai, Sentōki Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Chitose Base, Japan, July 1945
Kasumigaura Kōkūtai was the third oldest aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was established in November 1922, and among its first aircraft types were the Avro 504 and Sparrowhawk. This unit played a key role in training cadres of the Japanese naval air force. Among the instructors who served in this unit were Akio Matsuba (18 victories) and Kunioshi Tanaka (17 victories). One of the pilots who underwent training at Kasumigaura Kōkūtai was Wataru Nakamichi, who achieved 15 victories and was one of the escort pilots for the missions with Yokosuka MXY-7 Ōka aircraft within the Kōkūtai 721. Towards the end of the war, Kasumigaura Kōkūtai allocated twenty A6M2-K training aircraft for Kamikaze missions, but the order for deployment was never issued before the war ended. The Japanese army and naval air force were conserving their reserves and replenishing aircraft of all categories for Kamikaze attacks against the anticipated Allied landing on the Japanese home islands. The Japanese planned to strike (though not necessarily sink) approximately 50% of enemy vessels due to the expected proximity of targets during the landing.
A6M2-K, Lt. (jg) Tamotsu Kaneko, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 1 Tsukuba-tai, Kanoya Base, Japan, April 1945
The Tsukuba Kōkūtai training unit was separated from Kasumigaura Kōkūtai in December 1938. Over time, the focus of training provided by the unit changed. In November 1944, Tsukuba Kōkūtai assigned experienced instructors to form a fighter squadron equipped with Zero and Shiden aircraft. This squadron engaged in combat with B-29 bombers and U.S. carrier-based aircraft as early as January and February 1945. At the end of March 1945, Tsukuba Kōkūtai was ordered to form its own Kamikaze units, designated Tsukuba-tai No. 1 to No. 6. However, the last two Kamikaze units were staffed by Zero pilots from Kōkūtai 721. On April 6, 1945, during the first day of Operation Kikusui I, Lt. (jg) Tamotsu Kaneko was deployed with aircraft Tsu-460. Along with 16 other pilots from his unit, he attacked convoys near Okinawa. On April 6, a total of 391 naval aircraft and 133 army aircraft were dispatched from bases in Taiwan and Japan to the Okinawa area. Among them, the Navy assigned 215 and the Army 82 aircraft for Kamikaze attacks. However, a relatively large number of aircraft had to return due to malfunctions or other issues. During the Kamikaze attacks, 20 American vessels were hit. The destroyers USS Bush, Colhoun, and Emmons were sunk, and the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious was also damaged.
A6M2-K, Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
The design of the two-seat training aircraft, which was based on the A6M2 Type 21 carrier-based fighter, was developed by 21st Naval Air Arsenal at the Ōmura base. The development started in 1942, with the prototype completed in November of that year. The aircraft was designated A6M2-K Type 11. To reduce weight, the cannons were removed from the wings. Some sources state that only the starboard machine gun was retained, while others mention armament consisting of two machine guns. The front cockpit for the student pilot was not equipped with canopy and had folding doors on the sides. Two fins were added to the rear fuselage to improve stability. Production of the A6M2-K at the 21st Naval Air Arsenal began in January 1943 using components from Mitsubishi and, primarily, Nakajima. A total of 218 units were produced there by July 1945. The A6M2-K was also manufactured by Hitachi, which delivered 279 units between May 1944 and July 1945. According to a painting regulation issued in September 1942, training aircraft were painted yellow-orange on all surfaces. Due to this, the national insignia on the underside was given a white border. The use of numbers on the undersides of A6M2-K aircraft in the Tsukuba Kōkūtai is not photographically confirmed due to the angle on which the available images were taken. However, three-digit numbers on the wings on A6M2s of this unit are confirmed by photographic evidence. Therefore, their use on the A6M2-K is also possible.
A6M2-K, Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
In July 1943, a regulation was issued that, among other things, mandated that training aircraft deployed in combat operations or based in areas where the enemy was active should be painted like combat aircraft. In practice, this led to the repainting of already-produced A6M2-K trainers. One such aircraft was Tsu-415, which is known from a photograph showing it with a yellow-orange coating on all surfaces. However, in a later photograph, it appears camouflaged with dark green paint on the upper surfaces, while the original paint and markings on the tail remained unchanged. A6M2-K aircraft were also used for target towing during training. In February 1945, Tsukuba Kōkūtai was ordered to form Kamikaze units. The training program for these pilots included the following requirements: at least eight pattern flights, a minimum of seven formation flights, at least ten instrument flights, a minimum of ten special attack training flights, at least six flights in darkness, five flights to a designated target, and a minimum of five navigation flights.