First Air Fleet

E8220

Imperial Japanese Navy unit naval aviation formation

The First Air Fleet was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s main carrier strike force during World War II, responsible for major operations including the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Aliases (1)

First Air Fleet (Kido Butai) ×1

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Imperial Japanese Navy unit → naval aviation formation →
activeFrom	1941 →
activeUntil	1944 →
aircraftType	Aichi D3A dive bombers → Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters → Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers →
alsoKnownAs	Kido Butai →
branch	Imperial Japanese Navy →
commander	Chuichi Nagumo → Jisaburo Ozawa →
componentUnit	Akagi → Hiryu → Kaga → Shokaku → Soryu → Zuikaku → supporting cruisers → supporting destroyers →
conflict	World War II →
country	Empire of Japan →
disbandedAfter	heavy losses in 1944 →
doctrine	mass employment of carrier air power →
flagship	Akagi → Shokaku →
formedFrom	1st Carrier Division → 2nd Carrier Division → 5th Carrier Division →
headquarters	at sea with flagship →
historicalSignificance	pioneered large-scale carrier task force operations →
nativeName	第一航空艦隊 →
notableAction	launched surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 →
notableOperation	Attack on Pearl Harbor → Battle of Midway → Battle of the Coral Sea → Indian Ocean Raid → Operations in the Pacific War →
opponent	Royal Navy → United States Navy →
parentOrganization	Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff →
partOf	Combined Fleet →
role	carrier strike force → naval air offensive operations →
strategicObjective	achieve naval air superiority in the Pacific →
strength	six fleet carriers at Pearl Harbor →
theater	Indian Ocean → Pacific Ocean →

Referenced by (11)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Chuichi Nagumo →	commandedUnit
Kido Butai →	commandStructure
Hiryū →	fleet
Kaga ("First Air Fleet (Kido Butai)") →	fleetAssignment
Akagi →	fleetFlagshipOf
Commander of First Air Fleet →	hasCommandOver
Operation MI →	involvedUnit
5th Carrier Division →	partOf
First Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy →	shortName
2nd Carrier Division →	subordinateTo
Combined Fleet →	subordinateUnit