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IJA Air Force aircraft data 1941-45 (strength, losses, distribution, serviceability)

Data tables below are based on the several tables from the IJA report “Army Air Force Aircraft Supply and Loss Statistics, November 1941 - 1945” (陸軍航空部隊 飛行機補給損耗統計 昭和16.11~20), made in late 1945. Tables are mostly bilingual, small parts in Japanese were translated by me. Original format of the tables mostly preserved. Obvious errors in adding numbers are corrected (corrected numbers are written in italics).

Note, that the data in tables is obviously rounded to the nearest “5”, “10” or even more. Calculations sometimes poorly made, so data in one table can contradict with data in another table. Nevertheless, those tables still give useful overall picture of the strength, losses, distribution and serviceability of the IJA Air Force aircraft.

This data can be compared with Data on IJN pilots and planes 1941-1945, I’ve also published on my web site.

Eugen Pinak

 

AIRCRAFT STRENGTH OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE

 

Aircraft assigned to tactical units

 

 

Aircraft assigned to training units

 

 

 

 

 

Reserves

 

 

 

GRAND

Date

 

Combat aircraft

 

Trainers

 

 

 

 TOTAL

 

Fighters

Bombers

Other

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

Advance

Elementary

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

Advance

Elementary

Transports

TOTAL

 

7 December 1941

550

720

300

1570

300

250

150

300

1200

2200

340

390

110

30

70

50

990

4760

1 August 1942

1080

760

320

2160

460

310

200

470

1300

2740

300

300

160

50

150

30

990

5890

1 August 1943

1315

940

385

2640

1000

600

300

650

1650

4200

550

370

200

150

100

40

1410

8250

1 March 1944

1740

860

450

3050

1200

700

400

700

1800

4800

1000

380

220

200

100

80

1980

9830

1 August 1944

2400

600

500

3500

1500

650

350

1060

2050

5610

1100

410

140

250

200

100

2200

11310

31 August 1945

2240

580

3330

6150

550

250

100

500

1130

2530

110

30

200

20

30

30

420

9100

[2800 of those "Other" are kamikaze aircraft,

mainly from training units]

NOTE. Aircraft in the "Reserves" category were:

1.Aircraft in air arsenals/depots in Japanese Islands, including freshly delivered aircraft, aircraft undergoing repair, aircrafts waiting to be repaired;

2.Spare aircraft assigned to air armies and smaller units/formations.

 

 

`

DISTRIBUTION OF THE AIRCRAFT OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE BY REGIONS (TACTICAL UNITS ONLY)

Date\ Region

Japan

Manchuria

Taiwan (Formosa)

China

French Indo-China

Malaya

Burma and Thailand

Java and Sumatra

Philippines

New Guinea

GRAND TOTAL

7 December 1941

Fighters

50

200

40

60

200

 

 

 

 

 

550

1570

Bombers

 

220

140

40

320

 

 

 

 

 

720

Other

20

50

80

40

110

 

 

 

 

 

300

TOTAL

70

470

260

140

630

 

 

 

 

 

1570

1 August 1942

Fighters

360

450

 

90

 

40

100

40

 

 

1080

2160

Bombers

40

300

 

100

 

 

180

40

100

 

760

Other

40

60

 

40

 

30

70

30

50

 

320

TOTAL

440

810

 

230

 

70

350

110

150

 

2160

1 August 1943

Fighters

450

335

 

 

 

210

70

 

250

1315

2640

Bombers

110

320

 

120

 

120

90

 

180

940

Other

40

140

 

40

 

60

45

20

40

385

TOTAL

600

795

 

160

 

390

205

20

470

2640

1 March 1944

Fighters

550

210

 

230

 

 

 

400

 

350

1740

3050

Bombers

150

180

 

140

 

 

 

190

 

200

860

Other

40

160

 

85

 

 

 

75

30

60

450

TOTAL

740

550

 

455

 

 

 

665

30

610

3050

1 August 1944

Fighters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2400

3500

Bombers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

600

Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

500

TOTAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3500

15 August 1945

Fighters

1750

70

50

70

300

 

 

2240

6150

Bombers

300

30

30

20

200

 

 

580

Other

2530

200

140

40

420

 

 

3330

TOTAL

4580

300

220

130

920

 

 

6150

 

 

AIRCRAFT LOSSES OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE

Date

Lost in combat

 

 

Destroyed on the ground

 

Operational losses by tactical units

 

Ferrying losses

 

 

Losses by training units

GRAND

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

TOTAL

Fighters

Bombers

Other

TOTAL

 

 

December 1941 - July 1942

100

400

200

700

110

300

280

690

20

50

30

100

30

50

20

100

610

2200

August 1942 - July 1943

740

500

200

1440

400

530

590

1520

100

60

70

230

150

60

50

260

990

4440

August 1943 - March 1944

500

500

200

1200

200

570

370

1140

80

50

60

190

120

80

40

240

470

3240

April 1944

70

10

20

100

200

100

100

400

30

10

20

60

50

20

20

90

150

800

May - July 1944

1300

290

150

1740

400

300

250

950

100

20

50

170

200

30

30

260

330

3450

August 1944

100

40

40

180

150

120

70

340

25

15

15

55

35

15

10

60

150

785

September 1944

150

30

60

240

140

100

60

300

25

15

15

55

55

15

10

80

160

835

October 1944

400

140

60

600

140

90

60

290

60

20

20

100

100

30

20

150

160

1300

November 1944

350

70

80

500

130

80

60

270

80

20

20

120

140

30

30

200

150

1240

December 1944

150

50

60

260

150

80

70

300

50

30

20

100

60

20

20

100

140

900

January 1945

120

10

20

150

90

60

50

200

30

15

15

60

70

10

20

100

120

630

February 1945

100

30

20

150

70

50

80

200

20

10

10

40

40

10

10

60

100

550

March 1945

100

30

20

150

100

150

80

330

20

10

10

40

30

10

10

50

80

650

April 1945

250

80

100

430

60

90

50

200

30

10

10

50

60

20

15

95

80

855

May 1945

120

30

50

200

100

100

90

290

30

10

10

50

40

10

10

60

100

700

June 1945

90

20

40

150

70

70

60

200

20

10

10

40

20

10

10

40

120

550

July 1945

80

30

20

130

30

30

100

160

20

10

10

40

15

5

10

30

100

460

August 1945

40

20

40

100

30

30

45

105

5

5

5

15

10

5

5

20

50

290

GRAND TOTAL

4760

2280

1380

8420

2570

2850

2465

7885

745

370

400

1515

1225

430

340

1995

4060

23875

 

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL AIRCRAFT SERVICEABILITY RATES

OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE UNITS,

percent of the total strength

Year \ Region

Japan

Manchuria and China

South-East Asia

Philippines

1941

Fighters

70

70

 

 

Bombers

75

70

 

 

Other

80

75

 

 

1942

Fighters

70

 

70

 

Bombers

70

 

75

 

Other

75

 

55

 

1943

Fighters

65

68

70

 

Bombers

73

70

70

 

Other

75

80

50

 

1944

Fighters

60

65

60

40

Bombers

70

70

60

60

Other

70

73

60

60

1945

Fighters

45

60

42

 

Bombers

65

75

70

 

Other

60

70

70

 

 

 


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