Hikōtaichō

The Hikōtaichō (飛行隊長) was a senior naval aviation position on an aircraft carrier in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, normally held by a Lieutenant Commander or a very senior Lieutenant, who commanded the squadron of the aircraft type that he was specialized in (i.e., either dive bomber, torpedo bomber and fighter). The senior Hikōtaichō also commanded the whole carrier air group. The Hikōtaichō was one of the two flight command ratings in the naval air hierarchy, the other being the Buntaichō (分隊長), who commanded a division of a specific aircraft type.

Aircraft flown by Lieutenant Hideki Shingō (Shōkaku fighter Hikōtaichō) taking off from carrier Shōkaku during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Notice the three horizontal stripes on the tail of the aircraft that indicates Hikōtaichō position.

Combat role

During the combat, the senior Hikōtaichō would command the strike force composed of all aircraft types, in addition to his own squadron. According to Imperial Japanese Navy doctrine, the carriers would operate in pairs and each carrier would contribute a different aircraft type to a particular strike wave, where the senior Hikōtaichō of the two carriers would command the whole wave. For example, during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the first strike wave against the United States Navy carriers was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Shigeharu Murata (Shōkaku Hikōtaichō), where Shōkaku contributed Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers and Zuikaku contributed Aichi D3A dive bombers. The second strike wave was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Mamoru Seki (Shōkaku Hikōtaichō), where Shōkaku contributed Aichi D3A dive bombers and Zuikaku contributed Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers.

In some instances, the Hikōtaichōs from both carriers would join in the same strike wave and the senior of the two would be in overall command. An example of this was during the Battle of the Coral Sea, where Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi (Shōkaku Hikōtaichō) and Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki (Zuikaku Hikōtaichō) both participated in all strike waves during the battle. In this case, Takahashi flew a dive bomber and was in overall command, while Shimazaki flew a torpedo bomber and led all other torpedo bombers.

The Hikōtaichō was not necessary a pilot. For example, during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida (Akagi Hikōtaichō) was in the observer/bombardier seat, while his Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber was piloted by Lieutenant Mitsuo Matsuzaki. In another example, during the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway, Lieutenant Takehiko Chihaya (Akagi dive bomber Hikōtaichō) was an observer; his Aichi D3A dive bomber was piloted by Petty Officer First Class Kiyoto Furuta.

Aircraft marking

The position of Hikōtaichō was marked by three horizontal stripes on the tail of an aircraft. However, this marking should not be confused with the vertical stripes around the rear of the fuselage, which indicated to which carrier the aircraft belonged.

See also

References
    Sources
    • Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-471-X.
    • Lundstrom, John B. (2005). First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-472-8.
    • Parshall, Jonathan; Tully, Anthony (2005). Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-923-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
    • Hata, Ikuhiko; Yasuho Izawa; Christopher Shores (2011). Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and their aces, 1932-1945. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 9781906502843.
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