204th Kōkūtai

The Roundel of all IJNAF aircraft

The 204th was a land-based IJNAF Kōkūtai that served under Japan during World War II. The 204th was initially created in November of 1942 from remnants of the 6th Kōkūtai. The squadron was then disbanded in January of 1944 following a severe amount of losses. During the war, the Kōkūtai only operated the A6M Zero and its variants.

Commanders

The first commander of the 204th Kōkūtai was Captain Chisato Morita who maintained command from April of 1942 during the Kōkūtai’s reformation until March of 1943. Replacing him would be Captain Ushie Sugimoto who himself would maintain command for a short time until September of 1943. The final commander of the 204th Kōkūtai was Takeo Shibata. who led until March 1944. Under their command, the Kōkūtai went on to claim almost 1,000 victories.

Structure

The 204th Kōkūtai or Air Group operated with an intended strength of around sixty combat aircraft. However, due to reinforcements, shortages, and losses, these numbers changed throughout the unit’s endeavors in the Solomons. Typically the aircraft and their pilots would be sorted into respective hikotai.

Unit History

Following its formation in 1942, the 204th was immediately sent into combat, operating out of Kahili Airfield and taking part in the Guadalcanal Campaign. Here the group saw amazing success, escorting bombers, intercepting raiders, and conducting patrols. Many victories were earned in the space of a mere year to relatively few Japanese losses.

A photograph of one of the zeroes operated by the 204th, tail number T2-190

In fact more pilots were lost to bad weather than to direct enemy action. Continuing into the new year, the 204th continued to operate in the region conducting the same tasks as well as taking part in Operation I-Go. However, the most famous instance of the group's service record in the Solomons was in 1943 when members of the group were tasked with escorting two G4M bombers, one carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. In the ensuing attack by P-38 Lightning heavy fighters, the Japanese escorts claimed several confirmed kills, yet failed to keep their target safe.

The admiral was killed after being shot down and the mission was a failure. Still operating in the region, the group decided to turn to fighter bombing, sustaining heavy losses for little gain. In the end, the group started out excellently, with ace pilots and great aircraft, however, as the war progressed, the group steadily became far less effective.