Kisarazu Air Group/707th Naval Air Group | |
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Mitsubishi G3M1 "White 12" of Kisarazu Naval Air Group, Ōmura, 1937.
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Active | April 1, 1936 – December 1, 1942 |
Country | Empire of Japan |
Allegiance | Axis Powers of World War II |
Branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Type | Naval aviation unit |
Role | Bomber |
Size | Varied |
Part of |
Yokosuka Naval District 1st Combined Air Group 26th Air Flotilla |
Garrison/HQ |
Kisarazu Air Field Ōmura, Japan Shanghai, China Kavieng, New Ireland Rabaul, New Britain |
Aircraft flown |
G3M Type 96 "Nell" G2H Type 95 G4M Type 1 "Betty" |
Engagements |
Second Sino-Japanese War Solomon Islands Campaign |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol |
キ (Ki, Apr 1936-Mar 1942) X (1938, temporarily) R (Mar 1942-Dec 1942) |
The Kisarazu Naval Air Group (木更津海軍航空隊? Kisarazu Kaigun Kōkūtai) was an aircraft and airbase garrison unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific campaign of World War II.
The Kisarazu Air Group was formed at Kisarazu Air Field, in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture Japan on April 1, 1936 as the first land-based bomber group of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was initially equipped with six Type 96 Yokosuka B4Y biplane attack aircraft, plus two reserve aircraft.
With the start of the war in China, the aircraft of the Tateyama Air Group and the Ōminato Air Group were transferred to the Kisarazu Air Group, bringing its combat strength up to twenty operational bombers and six reserve aircraft. Its first combat mission was a bombing of the Nationalist Chinese capital of Nanjing on August 15, 1937. Subsequently, strategic bombing missions were taken against the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chongqing, as well as tactical bombing missions in support of advancing Imperial Japanese Army forces. Due to the limited range of the Yokosuka B4Y, the Kisarazu Air Group was forced to deploy from bases in Shanghai and Nanjing.