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HISTORY

Red = 0’s and 10’s tail codes

Blue = 20’s and 30’s tail codes

White = 40’s and 50’s tail codes

Yellow = 60’s and 70’s tail codes

Black = 80’s and 90’s tail codes

The color wheel on image Nr. 8 shows

a way to visualize the progression of the

fuselage band colors used for Tainan

Kōkūtai Chūtai identification.

Tail Codes

The tail code was structured to give information about the unit assignment and aircraft type. As an example, an aircraft with

the V-128 tail code had the following meaning:

V = The unit code letter for Tainan Kōkūtai

1 = The aircraft type (1 = Fighter, 2 = Dive

Bomber, 3 = Bomber)

28 = The individual aircraft number

From formation until April 1, 1942, the Tainan Kōkūtai tail codes were painted white

with red edging.

At Formation on October 1, 1941

Tail Code (V-101 to V-113), Red

band (Shingō Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-121 to V-133), Blue

band (Asai Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-141 to V-153), White

band (Wakao Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-161 to V-173), Yellow

band (Kawai Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-181 to V-193), Black

band (Inano Chūtai)

Tail Stripe Colors

The Shōtai colors for Tainan Kōkūtai are as

follows. These are the same colors as used

for fuselage bands, but used in a different

order. For most of the existence of the Tainan Kōkūtai the Chūtai structure had only

three Shōtai, so black and yellow stripes

were exceptions.

White = 1st Shōtai

Blue = 2nd Shōtai

Red = 3rd Shōtai

Black = 4th Shōtai

Yellow = 5th Shōtai

A longstanding error regarding the tail stripe color for Buntaichō marked aircraft is

that the color for these was always blue.

This notion has its origin in the use of blue

as the Sentai Hombu (HQ) color in some

Japanese Army Air Force units. This Army

concept has no place within the marking

systems of Japanese Navy Air Force units.

Instead, the color used for Buntaichō tail

stripes matches the color of the Shōtai that

the aircraft was assigned to.

The color wheel in image Nr. 9 shows a way

to visualize the progression of the tail stripe colors used for Tainan Kōkūtai Shōtai

identification.

INFO Eduard

fuselage

On December 8, 1941, after strengthening to

six Chūtai

Tail Code (V-101 to V-109), Red fuselage

band (Shingō Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-110 to V-118), Red fuselage

band (Setō Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands on

Buntaichō aircraft)

Tail Code (V-121 to V-129), Blue fuselage

band (? Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-130 to V-138), Blue fuselage

band (Asai Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands on

Buntaichō aircraft)

Tail Code (V-141 to V-149), White fuselage

band (? Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-150 to V-158), White fuselage

band (Wakao Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands on

Buntaichō aircraft)

Note: One of the unknown Chūtai above

was the Maki Chūtai

After reorganization and merging with the

4th Kōkūtai at Rabaul, New Britain, Tainan Kōkūtai tail codes were painted black.

This color was a carryover from 4th Kōkūtai. Also carried over from 4th Kōkūtai

was the use of aircraft numbers 20 and 40.

Because the numbering began at 20 in the

Sasai Chūtai, V-128 was marked with a red

(3rd Shōtai) tail stripe, rather than V-129 as

before.

After April 1, 1942 at Rabaul, after merging

with 4th Kōkūtai fighter group

Tail Code (V-101 to V-109), Red fuselage

band (? Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-110 to V-118), Red fuselage

band (Yamashita Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands

on Buntaichō aircraft)

Tail Code (V-120 to V-128), Blue fuselage

band (Sasai Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-129 to V-138), Blue fuselage

band (Nakajima Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands

on Buntaichō aircraft)

Tail Code (V-140 to V-148), Yellow fuselage

band (? Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-149 to V-157), Yellow fuselage

band (Kawai Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands on

Buntaichō aircraft)

Tail Code (V-161 to V-169), Black fuselage

band (? Chūtai)

Tail Code (V-170 to V-179), Black fuselage

band (Inano Chūtai, 2 fuselage bands on

Buntaichō aircraft)

The Kawai Chūtai had used a Yellow fuselage band throughout their existence.

While part of 4th Kōkūtai, they used the

tail code range F-140 to F-153, painted in

black. This explains why there was no reappearance of the White fuselage band after this date. The F was simply overpainted

and replaced with the V, and Kawai kept his

Yellow Chūtai color. And when the Inano

Chūtai rejoined the Tainan Kōkūtai, they

used aircraft numbers in the 60’s and 70’s

range, picking up where the Kawai Chūtai

had left off.

After receiving 20 crated Model 32 on July

29, 1942

Tail Code (V-160 to V-169), Red fuselage

band (no aircraft assigned)

Tail Code (V-170 to V-179), Blue fuselage

band (9 aircraft assigned, starting at V-171)

Tail Code (V-180 to V-189), Yellow fuselage

band (10 aircraft assigned)

Tail Code (V-190 to V-199), Black fuselage

band (1 aircraft assigned, V-190)

Color photos of Reisen from the Rabaul

time period show the red, blue, yellow, and

black colored fuselage bands. The aircraft

shown below are:

Photo Nr. 10:

Mitsubishi-built Model

21, V-117, MN 2641, Hōkoku-529 (順英號

= donation by Japanese citizen Shibuya

Yoshihide), Pilot Lt Yamashita Joji (Buntaichō), KIA when crashed near Rabi, New

Guinea (Northeast side of Milne Bay) after being hit by ground fire while strafing

Gurney Field August 27, 1942, Double Red

fuselage bands

Photo Nr. 11: Mitsubishi-built Model 32,

V-177, MN 3017, Possibly flown by FPO2c

Yamazaki Ichirōbei who was seriously

injured in a landing accident after Milne

Bay raid (wounded during raid?) on August

23, 1942?, Wreckage at Buna, Single Blue

fuselage band

Photo Nr. 12: Mitsubishi-built Model 32,

V-187, MN 3028, Hōkoku-870 (洪源號

= Hongwon), Pilot unknown, Wreckage at

Buna, Single Yellow fuselage band

Photo Nr. 13: Mitsubishi-built Model 21,

V-171, MN 5779, Hōkoku-550 (聯合紙器號

= Union Paper Container), Pilot unknown,

Wreckage at Lae, Single Black fuselage

band.

October 2022