informations about navy air group , jeju island

[D.N.R]

hello


i have a set of pictures related to a navy air group , on one of thems , there is a mention of the Jeju island wich is located in south corea .
Actually i haven't find a lot of informations about this airfield , and less about the air groups wich used this airfield .

I've found some infos on a previous post on this forum (thanks to the members) , and some little things around internet , but i still don't know to wich air group were enlisted these young pilots .

here is some pictures .







thank you for your help .

yann

[fontessa]

Hello yann,

hello


i have a set of pictures related to a navy air group , on one of thems , there is a mention of the Jeju island wich is located in south corea .
Actually i haven't find a lot of informations about this airfield , and less about the air groups wich used this airfield .

I've found some infos on a previous post on this forum (thanks to the members) , and some little things around internet , but i still don't know to wich air group were enlisted these young pilots .

here is some pictures .






thank you for your help .

yann

The Unit was 光州海軍航空隊 Gwangju Naval Air Group, Training Unit. The training part of 第一出水海軍航空隊 1st Idemi Naval Air Group (Stayed in Japan Homeland) was renamed into Gwangju Naval Air Group on 11 February 1945 and it was moved to Gwangju, Korea. The trainees were 甲飛13期 甲種飛行予科練習生 Flight Preparatory Trainee Class A-13 Class. The exact number of them is unknown, but it seems to be around 300. At this point, Gwangju Naval Air Group belonged to 12th Combined Air Group which was the correction of air training units. As the war worsened, it transferred to 5th Air Fleet, which was the correction of the actual operational units. Other training units that made similar moves participated in Kamikaze, but about Gwangju Naval Air Group, I don’t know the details.

The bellow is its major officers;
Gwangju Naval Air Group 光州海軍航空隊
Training Unit - Flying
Renamed from 1st Idemi Naval Air Group 第一出水海軍航空隊 on 11 February 1945
Deactivated on 25 August 1945
Commanding Officers
CAPT / CAPT TAKAO Giroku 高尾儀六 (46): 11 February 1945 - 10 June 1945 (16 C13072105500)
CAPT / CAPT FUKUDA Taro 福田太郎 (50): 10 June 1945 - 25 August 1945 (16 C13072105500)
Hikochos
LCDR / LCDR NIKAIDO Tokuo 二階堂麓夫 (63): 11 February 1945 - 21 March 1945 (44 C13072103900)
LCDR / LCDR SHIMIZU Yoshio 志水義郎 (61): 12 July 1945 - 25 August 1945 (7 C13072106400)
Medical Officers
LT / LT MINAGAWA Kunihiko 皆川邦彦 (2Y1936): 11 February 1945 - ???
Supply Officers
LT / LT KAJII Ken’ichi 梶井健一 (2Y1940): 11 February 1945 - 5 March 1945 (29 C13072103800)
LT / LT JONO Shindo 除野信道 (Mobilized): 5 March 1945 - 25 August 1945 (29 C13072103800)

光州海軍航空隊.jpg

fontessa

[ijnfleetadmiral]

What I have for these officers:

TAKAO Yoshimi 高尾儀六
Naval Academy 46 (28/124)
BORN - ???, in Saga Prefecture
MID - 21 November 1918
ENS - 01 August 1919
LTJG - 01 December 1921
LT - 01 December 1924
HYUGA Division Officer - 01 December 1926 - 01 December 1927
NATORI Division Officer - 01 December 1927 - 10 December 1928
IZUMO Secondary Gunnery Officer - 29 August 1930 - 20 August 1931
LCDR - 01 December 1930
HOZU Commanding Officer - 15 November 1935 - 01 March 1937
CDR - 01 December 1936
YAKAZE Commanding Officer - 01 March 1937 - 01 December 1937
Kure Guard Squadron Staff Officer - 15 November 1937 - 20 April 1938
1st Combined Special Naval Landing Force Staff Officer - 20 April 1938 - 02 May 1938
1st Combined Special Naval Landing Force Executive Officer - 02 May 1938 - 15 December 1938
TAMA Executive Officer - 15 December 1938 - 25 September 1939
CAPT - 15 October 1941
Kure Naval Guard Force Staff Officer - 20 November 1941 - 15 November 1942
Kure Guard Unit Executive Officer - ??? - 03 December 1942
AKITSUSHIMA Commanding Officer - 03 December 1942 - 26 August 1943
KAIYO Chief Equipping Officer - 26 August 1943 - 23 November 1943
KAIYO Commanding Officer - 23 November 1943 - 24 July 1944
Izumi Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 19 September 1944 - 11 February 1945
Guangzhou Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 11 February 1945 - 10 June 1945
Hakata Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 10 June 1945 - 15 August 1945

FUKUDA Taro 福田太郎
Naval Academy 50 (203/272)
BORN - ???, in Aichi Prefecture
MID - 01 June 1922
ENS - 20 September 1923
LTJG - 01 December 1925
LT - 01 December 1927
HOSHO Crewmember - ??? - 01 November 1930
LCDR - 15 November 1935
Tsukuba Air Group Air Officer - 01 November 1939 - 15 September 1941
CDR - 15 November 1940
Kasumigaura Air Group Tokyo Detachment Leader - 15 November 1942 - 01 July 1943
Air Group 253 Commanding Officer - 10 July 1943 - 01 June 1944
Kanoya Air Group Commanding Officer - 01 January 1944 - 10 July 1944
Air Group 252 Executive Officer - 01 December 1943 - 01 June 1944
Gonoike Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 01 July 1944 - 15 December 1944
CAPT - 15 October 1944
Yatabe Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 15 December 1944 - 15 January 1945
Hakata Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 15 January 1945 - 10 June 1945
Guangzhou Air Group Commanding & Executive Officers - 10 June 1945 - 15 August 1945

MINAGAWA Kunihiko 皆川邦彦
Commissioned 1936
LTJG (Med.) - ??/??/1936
LT (Med.) - 15 October 1939
HAKUSA Surgeon - 15 October 1939 - 15 October 1940
16th Guard Unit Surgeon - 31 July 1941 - 20 September 1941
6th Submarine Base Unit Surgeon - 01 February 1942 - 17 March 1943
Izumi Air Group Surgeon - 01 April 1943 - ???
Guangzhou Air Group Surgeon - 11 February 1945 - 15 August 1945
LCDR (Med.) - 01 May 1945

KAJII Kenichi 梶井健一
Commissioned 1940
ENS (Sup.) - ??/??/1940
LTJG (Sup.) - ??/??/????
LT (Sup.) - ??/??/????
Izumi Air Group Paymaster - 01 April 1943 - ???
Guangzhou Air Group Paymaster - 11 February 1945 - 05 March 1945

NOZOKINO Nobumichi 除野信道
Paymaster Academy Class / Commission Date Unknown
ENS (Sup.) - ??/??/????
LTJG (Sup.) - ??/??/????
LT (Sup.) - ??/??/????
Guangzhou Air Group Paymaster - 05 March 1945 - 15 August 1945

NIKAIDO Rokuo 二階堂麓夫
Naval Academy 63 (82/124)
BORN - ???, in Fukushima Prefecture
MID - 19 March 1936
ENS - 01 April 1937
LTJG - 15 November 1940
LT - 15 November 1940
Izumi Air Group Air Officer - 01 October 1943 - ???
LCDR - 01 May 1944
Guangzhou Air Group Air Officer - 11 February 1945 - 21 March 1945
Attack Squadron 711 Commanding Officer - 21 March 1945 - 05 May 1945

SHIMIZU, Yoshio 志水義郎
Naval Academy 61 (64/116)
BORN - ???, in Kumamoto Prefecture
MID - 18 November 1933
ENS - 01 April 1935
LTJG - 01 December 1936
LT - 15 November 1938
LCDR - 01 November 1943
Tokyo Air Group Air Officer - 15 March 1945 - 05 June 1945
Guangzhou Air Group Air Officer - 12 July 1945 - 15 August 1945

[D.N.R]

hello fontessa and ijnfleetadmiral


thank you very much for your precious help .

With most of the pilots' names present on the back of the photos, do you know if the Japanese government has a registry of men who fell in action during the war? maybe some of them are still alive . it would be great to be able to give them back their photos .


yann

[ijnfleetadmiral]

I could probably tell you a few if they're all Academy graduates. I don't think a complete list of NCOs would even be possible.

[D.N.R]

here is the list of the names and grades , or other , some parts of names are missing or illegible :

the dates goes from 5 november 1944 to 28 january 1945 .

Kazuhisa Kamiura
Naval Flight Senior Petty Officer Shirakiku
Chief Petty Officer Nobumi Kusunoki
Naval petty officer 2nd class Michitoshi Shirofuji
Shinpachi Yamamoto
Yoichiro Iwakuni
Yoshi Taguchi (part of the name is missing)
Senior Petty Officer Hokoku Obuchi
14th Unit, Senior Petty Officer Fujisaki
13th Unit leader, Lt(jg) Aoyama
Section leader Senior Petty Officer Ishikawa
Group leader Chief Petty Officer Shirakawa
Group leader Petty Officer 2nd Class Noda
14th Section, 2nd Group, Naval Senior Petty Officer Isamu Itakura

and on another picture :

Hirotatsu Yajima
Masazo Nagatomi (graduated from a trade school)
Shoji Ohno (Graduated from middle school)
Yoshida , Graduated from a trade school
Michitoshi Shirofuji (graduated from Middle School)

"My fellow warriors from my time at Aoyama (Tsingtao)"

[fontessa]

Hello Yann,

With most of the pilots' names present on the back of the photos, do you know if the Japanese government has a registry of men who fell in action during the war? maybe some of them are still alive . it would be great to be able to give them back their photos .

甲飛13期 甲種飛行予科練習生 Flight Preparatory Trainee Class A-13 Class was a sailor aircrew training course.

I am very grateful for your good intentions.
Of course, records of IJN soldiers are maintained by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. (IJA7\' are managed by the prefectural office) However, unfortunately, these records will not be disclosed to anyone other than family members. After that, if there is a comrades' association with a private connection, you may be able to get information from it, but you can not find Gwangju Naval Air Group.

fontessa

[D.N.R]

thank you for your further information. Apart from these associations, there is therefore no way to find these men or their relatives.


yann

[ijnfleetadmiral]

13th Unit leader, Lt(jg) Aoyama

As most are enlisted, I don't have any information on them. About the only one I could possibly help with would be the above individual, and without his first name it's really a shot in the dark. There are two possible individuals he could be if he was an Eta Jima Graduate:

AOYAMA Keiichi 青山恵一 (Naval Academy 73; (257/902))
AOYAMA Takeshi 青山敞 (Naval Academy 73; (Class Rank Unknown))

That being said, I don't know if the individual in your photo is either of those men; from what I've read, officers didn't usually pose for casual photos like that with enlisted personnel. Other officers, sure, but the two castes (officers and enlisted) tended to stay apart.

Hope this was of some help.

[fontessa]

AOYAMA Keiichi 青山恵一 (Naval Academy 73; (257/902))
AOYAMA Takeshi 青山敞 (Naval Academy 73; (Class Rank Unknown))

Both of them were 第四十二期飛行学生 42nd Naval Air Officer Trainee 42nd class. It was an air training course for officers. Koshu Naval Air Group seems to have accepted both officer and NCO training course trainees.
Their history is;
Candidate / Air Officer Trainee Basic Course: 22 March 1944 - 1 September 1944
Promoted to ENS / Air Officer Trainee Intermediate Course: 1 September 1944 - ???

I noticed the breen part of the below photo. It says 下士官任官の■, ■ for the promotion to NCO. I think it's a commemorative photo taken with friends who got along when (maybe) the person in the center of the front row was promoted to a non-commissioned officer. They look good and have fun. I'm not sure about the military uniform, but I guess the cap of the person in the middle of the front row was for NCO and the remaining three were for recruiters.

光州海軍航空隊2.jpg

fontessa

[D.N.R]

hello

thank you again for your help, your knowledge is very appreciable and helps me a lot to shed light on these photographs .
if you want I can send you photos of the annotations, maybe you will find something that the person who translated these photos to me would have forgotten.

yann

[fontessa]

Hello yann,

if you want I can send you photos of the annotations, maybe you will find something that the person who translated these photos to me would have forgotten.

yann

I have sent you my mail address in AHF Private Message.
Please send the data to it.

fontessa

[D.N.R]

great , i'll dot it as soon as possible .


yann