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World War II Wiki

The 87th was a sentai or fighter regiment that served under Japan during World War II. The 87th Sentai was formed in March of 1941 from elements of the 11th Sentai and 24th Sentai. The sentai then served until the end of the war. During the war, the sentai had operated the Nakajima Ki-27 and subsequently the Nakajima Ki-44

Commanders[]

The first commander of the 87th Sentai was Lt. Colonel Tsune-enon Shindo who had maintained his command until November of 1942. Succeeding him would be Major Kunio Yamada who himself had maintained command until January of 1945. The final regiment commander would be Inohachi Nakano.[1]

Structure[]

The 87th Sentai originally consisted of two chutai or squadrons and remained that way for a mere few months before eventually gaining its third chutai. The colors of the tail insignia varied from chutai to chutai but in order the colors matched up with white for 1st Chutai, red for 2nd, and yellow for 3rd. However, the rear tail "wave" type insignia was kept for all aircraft, regardless of Chutai. 

Unit History[]

Following the 87th Sentai's formation in 1941, the regiment operated in and out of China in relatively low risk assignments. Thus, the bases that the unit operated out of also varied but the unit did not travel around the Pacific extensively. It was not until 1944 that the unit began to receive battle honors and citations for excellent combat. Here, the 87th operating Ki-44 "Shoki"s in Burma achieved many victories over the course of just a few month. On one occasion, the regiment achieved 17 aerial victories for the loss of a mere six planes. The regiment would stay fighting in Burma and the Dutch East Indies for the rest of the war. 

References[]

  1. Hata, Ikuhiko and Izawa, Yasuho. Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units and their Aces:1931-1945. Grub Street Publishing, Page 170
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