Strana 51
The Kōnoike Kōkūtai was established in
mid-February 1944 and conducted training
activities until mid-December 1944. Among its
instructors were, for example, Warrant Officer
Shigeo Sugi-o, who had over 20 victories to
his credit, Warrant Officer Momoto Matsumura
(13 victories), and Lieutenant Sumio Fukuda
(11 victories). The latter two perished in October
1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf as members
of carrier-based fighter units. Already during
the fighting in the Philippines, Kōnoike Kōkūtai
selected a number of volunteers from its ranks
for special attack (Kamikaze) missions. The final
phase of training for these Kamikaze pilots was
completed in Taiwan. The Kōnoike base had two
main runways measuring 1,800 and 1,400 meters
in length and also had a number of smaller
runways. In mid-February 1945, the airfield was
the target of a devastating air raid by U.S. Navy
aircraft. Some concrete shelters still survive in
the area around the base to this day.
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. A6M2-K aircraft were also used
for target towing during training. 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. 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.
Kōnoike Kōkūtai, Kōnoike airbase, Japan, 1944
Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944
KITS 05/2026
INFO Eduard
51
May 2026