Ki-61 Units
The Hiko Sentai, usually referred to as Sentai, was the basic operational unit of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, composed of three or more Chutai (companies or squadrons). A Sentai had 27 to 49 aircraft, with each Chutai having 16 aircraft and pilots plus a maintenance and repair unit. Several sentai had other units under their operational control, most notably the Hagakure-Tai ("Special Attack Units") of the 244th Sentai. By 1944, with the depredations of Allied attacks on supply lines and airfields, as well as the loss of pilots and aircraft through combat attrition and accidents, few sentai were able to operate at full strength.
| Sentai | Established | Aircraft type(s) | Area of operations | Disbanded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17th | 10 February 1944 at Kagamigahara, Gifu Prefecture | Ki-61, Ki-100 | Philippines, Formosa, Japan | End of war | One of Kawasaki's main factories was located at Kagamigahara which, in 1944 was not yet a city. |
| 18th | 10 February 1944 at Chōfu from the 244th Sentai | Ki-61, Ki-100 | Philippines, Japan | End of War | Lt Mitsuo Oyake won Bukosho for shooting down three B-29s (one by ramming) 7 April 1944 and damaging three others. |
| 19th | 10 February 1944 at Akeno Fighter School | Ki-61 | Indonesia, Philippines, Formosa, Okinawa | End of War (Formosa) | |
| 23rd | 11 October 1944 at Inba, Chiba Prefecture | Ki-43, Ki-44, Ki-61 | Iwo Jima, Formosa, Japan | End of war (Inba) | |
| 26th | Late 1944 | Ki-51, Ki-43, Ki-61 | Formosa | End of war (Formosa) | |
| 28th | June 1939 in Manchuria | Ki-46, Ki-61, Ki-102 | Manchuria, Japan | July 1945 | |
| 31st | July 1938 in China | Ki-10, Ki-43, Ki-61 | Manchuria, Philippines | 30 May 1945 at Singapore | |
| 33rd | Late 1943 | Ki-10, Ki-27, Ki-43, Ki-61 | New Guinea, Manchuria (Manchoukuo), East Indies | End of war, Medan, Dutch East Indies (currently Indonesia) | |
| 53rd | 23 March 1944 at Tokorozawa, Saitama | Ki-61, Ki-45 | Japan, Eastern Defence Sector | flew Ki-61 for a short time in Home Island Defence | |
| 55th | 30 May 1944 at Taishō, Osaka Prefecture | Ki-61 | Philippines, Japan | End of war at Sana, Nara Prefecture | |
| 56th | August 1944 at Taishō Osaka Prefecture | Ki-61 | Japan | End of war at Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture | Unit claimed 11 B-29s for 30 pilots lost. Warrant Officer Tadao Sumi (five B-29s plus one P-51 Mustang destroyed, four B-29s damaged) Bukosho recipient. |
| 59th | 1 July 1938 at Kagamigahara, Gifu Prefecture | Ki-27, Ki-43, Ki-61, Ki-100 | China, Manchuria (Nomonhan), Indochina, East Indies, New Guinea, Okinawa, Japan | End of War at Ashiya, Fukuoka Prefecture | 1st Lieutenant Naoyuki Ogata Bukosho recipient. Warrant Officer Kazuo Shimizu flew with unit from February 1942 right through to August 1945; 18 victories, including nine bombers. |
| 65th | Ki-32, Ki-51, Ki-43, Ki-61, Ki-45 | Philippines, Formosa, Okinawa, Japan | End of war, Metabaru, Saga | Unit used Ki-61 from the summer of 1944 | |
| 68th | March 1942 at Harbin, Manchuria | Ki-27, Ki-61 | Rabaul (New Britain), New Guinea, Halmahera | 25 July 1944 | First unit to convert to the Ki-61. Unit was destroyed by Allied air forces in New Guinea. Most surviving ground and aircrew were used as infantry, with few survivors. A Ki-61-1-Otsu, manufacturer's No. 640 is one of the best preserved aircraft wrecks in New Guinea. Captain Shogo Takeuchi transferred from 64th Sentai, April 1942. KIA 15 December 1943 30+ victories.
Sgt. Susumu Kaijinami officially credited with eight victories plus 16 unofficially. |
| 78th | 31 March 1942 in China | Ki-27, Ki-61 | Manchuria, Rabaul, New Guinea | 25 July 1944 | Second unit to convert to the Ki-61. Unit was destroyed by Allied air forces in New Guinea. Most surviving ground and aircrew were used as infantry, with few survivors. |
| 105th | August 1944, Taichung, Formosa | Ki-61 | Okinawa, Formosa | End of war (Formosa) | |
| 244th | April 1942, reorganised from 144th Sentai | Ki-27, Ki-61, Ki-100 | Okinawa, Formosa | End of war (Yokaichi, Shiga Prefecture) | Nine Bukosho recipients. Major Teruhiko Kobayashi JAAF's youngest Sentai commander. Also had an air-to-air B-29 ramming unit. Sentai claimed 73 B-29s shot down plus 92 damaged. Most famous of the Home Defence Sentais. Captain Nagao Shirai considered the ranking ace of 244 Sentai and possibly leading B-29 "killer" of JAAF (11 B-29s plus two F6Fs destroyed, six other aircraft damaged using Ki-61 and Ki-100. Captain Chuichi Ichikawa nine B-29s plus one F6F destroyed, six B-29s damaged. Major Teruhiko Kobayashi, three B-29s plus two F6Fs destroyed. |
| Training Units | |||||
| 23rd Dokuritsu Dai Shijugo (Independent Chutai) | Chōfu, 1941 | Ki-61 | Japan | Became basis of 23rd Sentai | Evaluation and conversion unit for Ki-61. |
| Akeno Fighter School | Akeno, Mie Prefecture, 1935 | Ki-10, Ki-27, Ki-43, Ki-44, Ki-45, Ki-61, Ki-84, Ki-100 | Japan | End of war | Main flight training school for Army fighter pilots. Many of the instructors participated in missions in defence of Japan 1944-1945. Akeno Airbase still in operational use. |
| 37th Kyoiku Hikotai (Flight Training Company) | Matsuyama airfield, Formosa, 1943 | Ki-43, Ki-44, Ki-45, Ki-61, Ki-84 | Formosa | End of war | Flight training school for Army fighter pilots. Many of the instructors participated in missions in defence of Japan 1944-1945 |
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