Genzan Air Group

Genzan Air Group
Genzan A6M2b fighters at Genzan (Wonsan), Korea in April 1945.
Active	15 Nov 1940 – 1 Nov 1942 15 Aug 1944 – the end of war
Country	Empire of Japan
Allegiance	Imperial Japanese Navy
Branch	Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Type	Naval aviation unit
Role	Bomber and fighter support (1940) Education (1944)
Garrison/HQ	Wonsan, Korea Hankou, China Saigon, French Indochina Rabaul, New Britain Kanoya, Japan
Engagements	Second Sino-Japanese War Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse Battle of Malaya Battle of Singapore Dutch East Indies campaign New Guinea Campaign Battle of Okinawa
Insignia
Identification symbol	ゲン (Gen, 1940, Japan homeland)
Identification symbol	G (1940, outside Japan homeland)
Identification symbol	ケ (Ke, 1944)
Identification symbol	ゲン (Gen, August 1945)

The Genzan Air Group (元山海軍航空隊, Genzan Kaigun Kōkūtai^?) was an aircraft and airbase garrison unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific campaign of World War II.

The Genzan Air Group was founded on 15 November 1940 at Genzan, Korea, then a part of the Empire of Japan. It was initially a mixed-unit equipped with 33 Type 96 Mitsubishi G3M1 bombers and 25 Type 96 Mitsubishi A5M4 fighters under the command of the Second Air Fleet. On January 15, 1941, it was reassigned to the 22nd Kōkū Sentai and deployed to Hankou in central China.

While based at Hankou, the bombers of the Genzan Air Group was primarily assigned to strategic bombing missions in Sichuan Province, while the fighters were assigned to combat air patrol and ground support missions in support of Imperial Japanese Army operations. The Genzan Air Group was withdrawn from China in September, 1941, returning to its home base at Genzan for training, and at the end of October, 1941 was forward deployed to Takao in Taiwan.