343. Kokutai [1944-1945]

343rd Kōkūtai
第三四三海軍航空隊
Established in January 1944 at the base of Matsuyama as a fighter. Fought on Guam. Cancelled in July 1944.

The second time was formed again as a fighter in December 1944 on the same base as the elite unit of veterans (approximately the same as the German Gallandova JV 44) flying fighter jets Shiden-Kai. Cancelled at the end of the war.
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From December 1944 it was an elite fighter unit that had in its armament one of the most advanced naval fighters of the time Kawanishi N1K2-J


Another type in the armament was the long-range reconnaissance Nakajima C6N1Saiun/Myrt
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Organizational structure after the second form:

343. Kokutai – Curigi-butai (unit sword)

Commander: captain Minoru Genda
Deputy commander: commander Tadaši Nakašima
Chief of staff: lieutenant commander Jošio Šiga

301. squadron Šinsen-gumi (New elite section):
lieutenant Naoši Kanno

407. squadron Tenčú-gumi (Section heavenly punishment):
lieutenant Jošišige Hayashi

701. squadron Išin-tai (Unit of recovery):
lieutenant Takashi Ošibuči

T4 Kihei-tai (Riot squad):
lieutenant commander Toshio Hašimoto



15 % of the aviation personnel were veterans who completed fighter training according to the peace curriculum to the year 1942. Most of the flying as commanders of the showers.

30 % of the trained pilots of the middle class, most of the training ended in 1943, and the average of their raid was around 800 hours. Most often flew as numbers 2 and 3.
55% of the units were graduates of the pilot courses who finished training in 1944, some of them get involved in battles over the Philippines.


Source: H. Sakaida, To.Takaki-Kun – Gendův Sword 343. Kókútai – unit air ec.
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The first time was 343. Kokutai formed in Kagošimě on Kyushu. Then, during heavy fighting over the Marianami, has suffered a great loss and 10. 7. 1944 was dissolved.

On the initiative of cpt. Minoru Gendy was decided to form an elite unit and its armed fighters N1K2-J Šiden-kai. This part of her history made her a legend among the japanese naval air forces.

25.12.1944 it was decided to recreate the 343.Kokutai, which was 10.2.1945 subordinate to the 3. The air fleet. The base of the new units happened to the airport in Matsuyama on Shikoku. Even before the unit was formally established, has launched one of its new squadrons, 301. Hikotai, training in Jokosuce. 407. Hikotai was already on Kyushu, while the 701. Hikotai came back to replenish after fighting in the Philippines.

In February 1945 was to 343. Kokutai assigned to 401. (first lieutenant. Masaaki Asakawa) and 402. (first lieutenant. Ijozó Fujita) squadron. 1. 3. 1945, however, 402. Hikotai came under 601. Kokutai and the 401. Hikotai moved to the airport in Tokušimě, where she had to serve as a purely training unit.

Each squadron was formally allocated 38 machines N1K2-J. But due to production problems this never failed to fill completely.

After combat deployment 19.3. 1945 machines were the N1K1-J passed to 401. the squadron for training purposes.

1. 4. 1945 was 343. Kokutai transferred from the 3. air fleet to 5. air fleet, where should cooperate with units of kamikaze. Her new task was to open a corridor for flights machines a kamikaze heading to Okinawa. Within that, there were 4. April to transfer to the airport in Kanoji. 17. April followed by a transfer to the airport Kokubu, 24. April at the airport Ómura. 5. may was 343. Kokutai removed the reconnaissance squadron, to form the basis of a new 171. Kokutai. After a period of time at 343. Kokutai lost three Saiuny. 25. 5. was 343. Kokutai subordinated to within 5. fleet 72. the air volume in the Óitě.
In mid-August 1945 was the most aircraft 343. Kokutai due to lack of fuel grounded. Then came the end of the war...

Source: H. Sakaida, To.Takaki-Kun – Gendův Sword 343. Kókútai – unit air ec.
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Framework overview of combat operations 343. Kokutai



On 16 and 17 February 1945, pilots of the 58th Operations Group raided several airfields in and around Tokyo. On their return, they reported 344 aerial victories, although in reality the Japanese lost only 78 aircraft.


On 18 March 1945, the American strike was directed at an airfield in Kyushu. The aim of the action was to destroy assembly areas for the dreaded kamikaze suicide planes. The Japanese 5th Air Fleet sent a total of 440 aircraft against them, including 108 Zeros out of 203. Kokutai. U.S. Navy pilots reported 102 planes shot down in the air and 275 on the ground. According to Japanese sources, 110 aircraft were lost, including 32 kamikaze machines. On the ground, on the other hand, the Japanese lost a total of 50 planes, and this for all four days from 18 March to 21 March, which figure far exceeds the number of machines destroyed on the ground as reported in American records, and for 18 March only. One of the kamikaze pilots managed to hit the Enterprise's forward elevator, but the actual charge did not explode. The American planes heading for Japan were spotted by a C6M of the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, 343rd. Kokutai. Seventy-two Shiden and Shiden-kai machines took to the air, and while heading out over the sea, the base was attacked by Hellcats. Formation 343. Kokutai unfortunately did not encounter the enemy in the air and returned safely.


On 19 March 1945, four carriers of the 58. Task Force sent their aircraft to attack Kobe, Osaka, and Itami, while the other carriers sent their machines against Kure Harbor and the air bases in its vicinity. At 5.45, 3 C6N 343s took off. Kokutai on a reconnaissance mission to discover the American ships. At 6.30, seven N1K1-Js flew to an altitude above the base to cover the launch of N1K2-Js. At 6.50, one of the scouting C6Ns reported sighting enemy ships 50 km south of Cape Muroto, and moments later that a formation of enemy aircraft was heading north over the southern coast of Shikoku. The 701st Squadron took off first with sixteen fighters, followed by the 407th in equal numbers, and the 301st Squadron last, from which three machines returned due to technical problems, and so the remaining 18 continued against the enemy. Of the fifty Japanese fighters, the 701st and 407th Squadrons faced twenty F6F Hellcats from VBF-17 from the carrier Hornet, which they managed to surprise with altitude superiority and the sun at their backs. A little later, the VF-83 Hellcats attacking Macujama airfield also got into the fight. The 407th Squadron lost Lt. Kózóa Shima, Nrtm. Shiro Endo, Rtm. Haruhiko Takeshi, Rtn. Tokimasu Shinoda, des. Mihiro Nakatani and Cpl. Yoichi Saiki. The 701st Squadron lost Lt. Jukihiro Watabe, Lt. Kunio Matsuzaka, Nrtm. Kikuichi Ishikawa and Des. Icuo Waki. The pilots of the 301st encountered two F4U-1Ds from VBF-10 and fifteen Marine Corsairs from VMF-123, and then the F6F Hellcats of VF-9 from Yorktown.
In all, members of the 343rd Kokutai reported 52 aerial victories, and Task Force 58 fighters claimed 63 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air for the attack on Kure. In fact, TF 58 lost 14 fighters in aerial combat and 11 Helldivers and 2 Avengers to air defense. 343. Kokutai lost 15 fighters and 13 pilots in aerial combat, in addition to fighters, a reconnaissance Saiun was shot down.


On 12.4.1945 343. Kokutai sortie over the Amami Archipelago halfway between Kyushu and Okinawa to engage enemy fighters and clear the way for kamikaze. All combat-capable aircraft were dispatched, a total of 44 N1K2-J fighters. Two pilots were forced to abort the takeoff, and eight others returned later due to technical difficulties. At Kikaige-shima, they clashed with some of the Hellcats of the VBF-17 formation. The Hellcats of VF-17 and Corsair VMF-112 also joined the fight. Several kamikaze machines were also engaged in aerial combat. After the fight, the pilots of the 343rd Kokutai claimed the destruction of twenty Hellcats and three Corsairs. Losses amounted to four pilots and six aircraft. In contrast, the Marines claimed 20 downed and six damaged. The Marines of VF-17 claimed 13 victories. VF-82 claimed four kills. VBF-17 also claimed 13 Japanese machines.


On 15 April 1945, VF-46 Hellcats from the aircraft carrier Independence, reinforced by twenty VF-12s, arrived over Kanoji airfield. 343 fighters. Kokutai lifted off for an alarm launch. On takeoff, Corv. Capt. Weatherup was shot down by Nrtm. Sugita. Similarly, his number was shot down on takeoff by Rtm. Tojimi Miyazawa. Shoichi Sugita was posthumously promoted two steps to the rank of second lieutenant.


16.4.1945 Four hundred naval and army aircraft took part in Operation Kikusui 3. The task of securing the corridor for the suicide pilots was again assigned to 343. Kokutai. Of its 40 aircraft, four failed to take off due to technical difficulties, and three more pilots had to return during the trip. At 7.30 a.m. the Japanese formation was spotted by American radar and directed a formation of Hellcats at them. Fighters 343. Kokutai clashed with VF-17 and VF-47. VF-47 reported 22 victories, VF-17 seven. Pilots of 343. Kokutai claimed three Hellcats, but nine pilots did not return.


On 17.4.1945, 343. Kokutai moved to Kokubu airfield, which was attacked that day by B-29 superfortresses from the 313th Bombardment Wing. A day later, the 313th Bombardment Wing again returned over the 343rd airfield. Kokutai, which sent its fighters against them, but the results are unknown. Hayashi and rtm. Shimizua. Both were shot down - npor. Hayashi did not survive the emergency landing in the sea.


22.4.1945 sent 343. Kokutai against B-29 14 fighters - they claimed damage to one bomber.


On 24 April, 343. Kokutai moved to Omura airfield.


On 29 April 1945, the 343rd took to the superfortresses again. Nrtm. Itaru Shikano was severely wounded in combat.


On 4.5. 1945 as part of operation Kikusui 5, 343. Kokutai again to fight for the kamikaze corridor heading to Okinawa. They encountered 12 VBF-12 Hellcats from the aircraft carrier Randolph and a VF-9. The pilots claimed 12 victories, but actually only achieved three damage, the good thing was that there were no losses.


The 5.5.1945 pilots of 343. Kokutai used air-to-air missiles against B-29 formations of the 29th Bombardment Wing. Three bombers did not return home, one of which crashed after colliding with a fighter piloted by Rtn. Kinzó Kasujou crashed into the sea.


On 7.5.1945 it was two more B-29 bombers, one of them after a collision with Rtn. Hisao Sugita.


On May 8 and 10, there were further B-29 raids, but no losses according to American records.
For this series of raids against airfields, the pilots of 343. Kokutai scored 12 superfortresses to their credit, with the loss of three aircraft.


On 11.5.1945 at 11.20 a patrol Rufe of 951. Kokutai two Martin PBM-5 Mariner machines from VPB-21 flying along the Korean coast. At 12.35, an alert swarm of the 301st Squadron took off against them. Npor. Masaji Macumura, Nrtm. Yashikaze Miyamoto, Nrtm. Seiichiro Sato and Rtm. Mahito Yoshihara. After contact was made, an attack was made in pairs, with air-to-air missiles used in the first attack. Sato struck with his second Mariner missile, Nnr. Hook. Sixteen minutes of further attacks followed before the fighters broke off to return. They only claimed damage to one machine, in fact the machine of Lt. Simms was later forced to make an emergency landing on the surface, where it then sank. The other heavily damaged machine managed to make it to its seaplane ship, the AV-10 Chandeleur.


On 13.5.1945, he collided with Lt. Goru Ichimura with nrtm. Cuneo Ozeki of 407 Squadron with two reconnaissance Hellcats from VF-82, one of which was shot down and the other broke apart due to damage when landing on the aircraft carrier Bennington.


On 15 May 1945, two PBM-5s from VPB-18 of St. George (AV-16) were withdrawing along the west coast of Kyushu due to damage from a combat flight when eight fighters from the 701st Squadron were sent against them. Two pilots had to turn back due to engine trouble. Lt. Macuba and Rtm. Nobimicu Minoura attacked from the front the aircraft of Lt. Marra. They set fire to its right engine and hit the cockpit. The front gunner hit Minoura's plane and managed to hit the engine. Minour's undercarriage fell out and his machine fell into the water and immediately afterwards the American who was hit also fell on the water. The remaining 5 fighters took turns attacking the remaining Mariner, Lt. Hart. The fighters managed to damage nrtm Jagi's aircraft, which broke away and made an emergency landing off the coast of Kumanota. The gunners also wounded Lt. After 45 minutes of combat, the remaining Japanese pilots began to gradually withdraw. The damaged Mariner continued to fly, but was forced to land at sea after the left engine stalled and began to burn.


On 16 May 1945, two PB4Y-2 Privateers of VPB-118, on a rescue mission for the Mariner crews shot down the previous day, collided with four machines of the 407th Squadron, and the eight fighters of the 301st Squadron who were also searching for them did not find them. At 8.55, the fighters launched their frontal attacks. They made eight in all. Nrtm. Cuneo Ozeki, while the damaged Americans managed to fly back safely.


On 17 May 1945, two PB4Y-2s from VPB-109 headed for the coast of Korea. At 14.12, 11 343s took off against them. Kokutai, one of which had to turn back due to engine trouble. Phosphorus bombs were used in the first attack. Seven of them landed quite accurately and the wing surfaces of both reconnaissance machines were hit. This was followed by attacks from above and from the front. Rtn. Akira Hoshino crashed into the sea in flames after the gunners fired. After 35 minutes of combat, the fighters broke away and the price for damaging the two Privateers was still the life of Nrtm. Toshiro Hiro's life.


On the morning of 28.5.1945, twenty pilots of the 701st and 407th took off and not long after takeoff clashed with a P-47 of the 19th Fighter Squadron that was attacking the Zer group. The initial frontal attack proved fatal to the nrtm. Takeo Yamada, who fell into a corkscrew and crashed in flames. Its leader, Nort. Ryoichi Yamada made an emergency landing with the damaged machine. Around noon, two more four-man swarms took off, two of the machines had to turn back, and the remaining six fighters got into a dogfight over Kanoya. The opponents were P-47s of the 318th FG. Nrtm. Seiichiro Sato was shot down, as was Nrrtm. Motoo Isogawa, Rtm Masaru Morikawa. The pilots claimed four American machines, but in reality no success was achieved.


On 2 June 1945, Corsairs FG-1D, F4U-1D and F4U-1C from VF-85 of the aircraft carrier Shangri-La, numbering 33 machines, set out to raid the kamikaze airfield on Kyushu Island. Fighter formations from Shangri-La were diverted to protect seaplanes rescuing downed Hellcat pilots. Twenty-one 343 fighters went against the American formations. Kokutai. They managed a surprise attack on the Corsair formation, of which nine machines did not return to the mothership's decks. The pilots of 343. Kokutai claimed 18 aerial victories while losing nrtm. Jiro Funakoshi and Nrtm. Eiji Mikami.


3.6.1945 with 343. Kokutai clashed with Hellcats of VF-9 from Yorktown and Corsairs of VBF-85 from Shangri-La. A photographic swarm of Hellcats was shot down by Rtm. Kiyoshi Miyamoto of the 407th Squadron into the Kagoshima race. The VBF-85 Corsairs engaged the 301st Squadron, losing three aircraft in the engagement.


On 22 June 1945, Operation Kikusui 10 meant the 343. Kokutai's last long-range ice over Amami-oshima. Twenty Marine Corsairs from VMF-113 stood up to them. The Japanese fighters claimed seven aerial victories, the Americans actually lost four machines totally, a number of others were damaged. The price of victory was the loss of Lt. Keijiro Hayashi, Nrtm. Sue Ishizue and Nrtm. Takashi Yanagisawa and Rtm. Susumu Tsuchiya.


On 2.7.1945, Corsairs VMF-224 and VMF-331 went on a fighter sortie over Kyushu. Off the east coast they encountered 24 343s. Kokutai. The Americans took advantage of their superiority in altitude and attacked first. After the ensuing battle, both American units claimed four kills each. 343. Kokutai lacked only four nrtm pilots. Shojiro Ishii, Rtm. Ichimura Naruse and Nrtm. Takumi Sugitaki and nrtm. Takashi Sakuma.


5.7.1945 with 343. Kokutai clashed with 40. 35th Fighter Squadron. FG on P-51D Mustangs. During a midday alert takeoff, the 701st's standby eight over the Nishisonogi Peninsula encountered 13 Mustangs, which had the advantage of surprise. The Americans claimed 4 certain and 2 probable kills. The Japanese lost three airmen: Lt. Kazuchika Kinoshita, Nrtm. Akira Takahashi and Nrtm. Kiyoshi Toyoharu. Rtn. Teruichi Sato was wounded and strafed by Mustangs after jumping out of a parachute plane - the evidence was three bullet holes in the canopy.


On 24.7.1945, Task Force 38 aircraft went to raid the airfield near Kure harbor. 343. Kokutai sent 24 machines into the air. The combat occurred over the Bungo Strait with Hellcat VF-49s from the aircraft carrier San Jacinto. They were later joined by two FG-1D Corsairs from VBF-1. Lt. J. A. Gibbs on a Hellcat managed to shoot down Lt. Takashi Oshibuchi. In the fierce fighting that day came 343. Kokutai lost six pilots and claimed 16 enemy kills, but the death of 701st Squadron Commander Oshibuchi and legend Lt. Kaneyoshi Muto did not make up for it.


On 1.8.1945, twenty machines of 343. Kokutai against a B-24 formation raid. They attacked a formation of nineteen B-24s from 494. BG. Over Yakushima, while attacking a pair of Liberators of the 866th Bombardment Squadron, the right wing of Lt. Kannoa's right wing had a defective munition, broke off to return to base, and was never seen again after that. The rest of the pilots were ambushed by four Mustangs from the 348th when they attacked the bombers. FG. Mrj. Popek shot down two Shiden-kai machines, Col. Dunham and Lt. Sheets shot down one each. The bombers claimed two destroyed and three damaged Japanese fighters. 343. Kokutai lost three pilots in the fight, in addition to Lt. Naoshi Kannoa, it was Rtm. Sakutaru Moriyama and Nrtm. Sukea Yashioka. The Japanese pilots claimed one fighter and one bomber, but all the American machines were recovered, although one B-24 was badly damaged.


The 8 August 1945 sent 20. Air Force 245 B-29s from the 58th, 73rd, and 313th BW with protection from over 100 P-47s and P-51s from the 318th, 413th. And the 507th FG to raid the steel mills of Jawata. Behind 343. Kokutai they were opposed by 23 Shiden-kai fighters. Nrtm. Yoshinori Macumoto tangled with the Thunderbolts of the 333rd Fighter Squadron, but after dropping his auxiliary tank, air got into his fuel supply and his engine stalled, forcing him to make an emergency landing. Overall, 343. Kokutai suffered heavy losses. During the fight nine pilots were killed and one was wounded. Micu Ishizuka, Nrtm. Sakae Masumoto, Nrtm. Masayuki Kutami, Rtn. Nobuyuki Nishimoto and Rtn. Tatsuo Kuse. The 701st Squadron lost Nrtm. Jokia Tauru, Nrtm. Kameon Yokobori and Sgt. Sueji Aburaba. Lt. Keishichiro Hattori's arm was shot off but he was rescued by parachute. Nrtm. Shigeo Suzaki of the 301st Squadron collided head-on with a B-29 Nip Clipper (42-63512) of the 482nd Bombardment Squadron, 9th BG, and was killed in the process. Several fighters and bombers were claimed.


On the morning of 12 August 1945, Army air defenses shot down three 343. Kokutai of the patrol swarm. On the same day, the last combat encounter of 343. Kokutai. During a solo training flight, Lt. Sadao Oshio of the 407th Squadron was shot down. He was attacked by a P-51D from the 460th Fighter Squadron, Lt. K. A. Allen hit the undertank, which exploded, then the Shiden-kai hit the cockpit several times and the Japanese fighter went down in a twist into the sea. Lt. Oshio thus became the last of 343's fallen. Kokutai.


Source. Kokutai - Air Force Unit
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