Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft on the Aircraft Carrier

ZUIHO

"Happy Phoenix"

Version_2006_04_28 :  7 pics of Aircraft

early-WW2-Code (CII-_)
middle-WW2-Code (A1-3- )
late-WW2-Code (333- )

8-5"/40cal
68-25mm

Flight Deck: 590'6"x75'4" (see note)
Machinery: 2 shaft Kanpon turbines
Boilers: 4 Kanpon
S.H.P.: 52,000=28 knots
Oil: 2,363 tons
Radius: 9,236 miles @ 18 knots

 

 

1935

Oiler TAKASAKI

Built and commissioned as Oiler Takasaki

 

 

late 1930`s

Submarine Tender TAKASAKI

At the end of the 1930`s the Japanese Navy needed Tenders for their growing Submarine fleet and decided to convert their oilers Takasaki and Tsurugisaki into submarine tenders.

 

 

1940

TAKASAKI

converting to CVL

She began to be converted to an aircraft carrier in 1940.
Commissioned as CVL on december 27, 1940
Stayed in japanese waters till june 1942

 

 

Third Koku Sentai  "C"

Hosho : CI   
Zuiho  : CII

Note: No colors or stripes assigned

 

 

1942, June 4-6

Operation MI - Battle of Midway

(CII-   )

 12 Fighters + 12 Divebombers = 24 aircraft
12x Mitsubishi A6M2 M.21 Rei-Sen ZEKE 12x Aichi D3A1 VAL

(CII-101)
-No Pic Yet-

 

 

1942, July 14

(EII- )

After Midway losses ship-assignments to Carrier Divisions changed.

Alphanumeric codes and color stripes principally retained, though

First Koku Sentai "E"
Shokaku:  EI,    1 white stripe  
Zuikaku :  EII,   2 white stripes
Zuiho:       EIII, 3 white stripes

 

 

 

1942, October

(I-III- )

Alphanumeric codes retained, color stripes abolished
Change only in CarDiv1: letter E replaced by I
Changes was applied probably as much as after battle of Santa Cruz where CarDiv1 aircraft still have letter E
First Koku Sentai "I"
Shokaku:  I-II
Zuikaku :  I-II
Zuiho:       I-III

 

 

1942, October

(I-III-   )

Light damaged by two bombs, but lost nearly all planes.

 

 

1943, in January

(A1-I- )

Just new Coding system
First Koku Sentai "A1"
Zuikaku :  A1-1
Shokaku :  A1-2
Zuiho:       A1-3

 

 

1943, January

Evacuation of Guadalcanal

 (A1-3-   )

After that, mostly stayed in japanese waters.

12x Mitsubishi A6M2 M.21 Rei-Sen ZEKE Nakajima B5N2 KATE
- -No Pic Yet-
(A1-3-305)
March 1943

 

 

1944, June

Marianas

(333-   )

Again lost most of their planes.

12x Mitsubishi A6M5 M.52 Rei-Sen ZEKE 4x Nakajima B5N2 KATE
-No Pic Yet- -No Pic Yet-

 

 

1944, Oktober

 Battle off Cape Engaño (Chapter of the Battle  of Leyte)

(653-__)

Without own Aircraft (After the heavy losses at the Marianas, a Carrier-Airforce actually did not exist anymore), she went to sea on 20. Oktober 1944, together with the CV Zuikaku, CVL Chiyoda and CVL Chitose and the hybrid-ships Ise and Hyuga targetting the Philippines.

The normally landbased unit 653.Ku operated from the Zuiho at this time

Mitsubishi A6M5 M.52 Rei-Sen ZEKE Mitsubishi A6M5 M.52 Rei-Sen ZEKE Yokosuka D4Y1 M.12 Suisei JUDY

(653-13)

(653-207
)

(653-292)

(653-28)
- -

(653-111
)
- -

(653-117
)
- -
- SUNK -

Attacked by Aircraft of the Carriergroup 38 on 25. Oktober several times and deadly hit, at 15.00h the order to abandon the ship was given.
Already at 15.26h she sunk at the position 19°20' Nord und 125°15' East and took 215 men down in the deep.
759 men were rescued

 

 

Please Note:

I haven`t done most of the skins or  any of models for  CFS2.
All of these are either from the stock CFS2-game/-simulation by MICROSOFT,
or freeware, available at the main download sites.

www.sim-outhouse.com

is a good start to get them or further sites around CFS2.

-----------------
None of the kit-models/profiles you can see here was done by me, too.
For more info/pics of these, please visit:

www.j-aircraft.org

The author/builder of these planes  should normaly be in the pics name.
Both sites feature forums for each topic where you can ask/look for more information.

Thanks, Jaxon

 

General Info

   

   Hierarchy
   =======

   On carrier Hikotais up to around 1943, aircrews were led by the following commanding chain:

   1. Shotaicho (led three aircraft including himself. This is the smallest tactical unit)
   2. Buntaicho (Chutaicho on informal base) led two to three Shotais.
   3. Hikotaicho (is just one person for each carrier and led the whole air crews of that particular carrier in the air.
         He might be the most seniour pilot of Fighter Hikotai or the most seniour observer of Torpedo (Dive) Bomber Hikotai.
         You can imagine various cases. In short, the most senior officer (pilot or observer) of the particular carrier's aircrews.)

   4. Chutai : Is often to read in sources about the IJN. It is an informal word describing a little group of aircraft (informal synonym for Buntai)
      
               Chutai(-cho)s are not to find on formal papers !

    If the plane has a crew of more than only a pilot, the commander of the plane (and the unit) often was the observer.
    (Similar to a tank commander, who does not drive the tank himself)

   Vertical Tail Stripes
   =============

   Zero, Val and Kate on Kido-Butai up to the end of 1942

   Those stripes were called "Shikikan-Hyoshiki" or "Leader Insignia" indicating air crew's position among commanding chain.
   The General Rules are as follows:

   In case of ZEROs

   1. Shotaicho:  One stripe over code letters
   2. Buntaicho:  One stripe over code letters plus one stripe below them
   3. Hikotaicho: Two stripes over code letters plus one stripe below them

   In case of VALs and KATEs

   1. Shotaicho:  One stripe below code letters
   2. Buntaicho:  Two stripes below code letters
   3. Hikotaicho: One stripe over code letters plus two stripes below code letters

   Colour of stripes are generally the same of the Air Squadron Colour.
   However, in case of 1st Air Squadron (Akagi & Kaga), they generally employed yellow stripes instead of red.
   Also, you could recognise various exceptions.

  

   The names are presented in "western" fashion with the surname last.

 

any help appreciated:

E-Mail me

 

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