World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
13 Jan 2012 05:04:55 PM

Tail code letter "K" used from December 1938
to November 1940. During the late 1930s the
Carrier Kaga's Air Group was made up of.

Sixteen Mitsubishi A5M4 "Claude" fighters,
Sixteen Aichi D1A2 "Susie" Dive bombers and
Twentytwo Yokosuka B4Y "Jean" Carrier bombers

In 1941 the Carrier received replacement
aircraft: Sixteen Mitsubishi A6M2-21 Zeros,
Twentyfour Aichi D3A1 "Val" Dive bombers and
Sixtyfour Nakajima B5N "Kate" bombers.

WHAT ABOUT SUSIE, CLAUDE AND JEAN:

Aichi D1A "Susie" assigned to training and second-line units. Late 1941 at the time of Pearl Harbor the Imperial Navy still had over Sixty D1As. Aircraft were replaced with more modern types and disappeared from service.

Mitsubishi A5M4 "Claude" This was the Navy's
first all metal Carrier-based low-wing monoplane fighter. Claude was phased out and replaced by the new A6M Zero Carrier fighter
saw action during the Philippine campaign and assigned to fighter training schools,
last combat action Battle of Coral Sea was flying from the Carrier Shoho.

Yokosuka B4Y "Jean" operated aboard carriers until 1940, saw action during the China war,
replaced with more modern types.
Survivors were assigned to second-line units and training schools.

2.  Bill says:
14 Jan 2012 07:10:19 PM

The Carriers Hosho and Unyo were operated as
training carriers, and aircraft transport ships. At times, the air group was made up of about Nine fighters, Eighteen attack bombers. Hosho was the Imperial Navy's
first aircraft carrier survived the Battle of Midway, June 1942, at that time, she still
operated A5M "Claude" fighters, B4Y "Jean" torpedo bombers with a section of the new
A6M Zero fighters.
Later during the war, Hosho had her flight deck extended to operated B6N "Jill torpedo
bombers and D4Y "Judy" dive bombers.

The Unyo was a transport ship converted into a carrier and could carry about Twentyseven aircraft, she was sunk by US submarine in 1944 both ships operated a mix of aircraft for training like the Yokosuka B4Y "Jean and the A5M "Claude" as late as 1943.
Later her aircraft were replaced with A6M Zero, D3A Val and B5N Kate. After WWII Hosho was used to transport Japanese troops and civilians back to Japan, she was later scrapped in 1947.