The 244th Naval Air Group was formed in May 1945 and was based at the Atsugi airfield located near Tokyo. The unit was equipped with a variety of aircraft, including the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, the Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” torpedo bomber, the Yokosuka P1Y “Frances” twin-engine bomber, and the Ki-61 Hien (code-named “Tony” by the Allies). The Ki-61 was a fighter aircraft developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, was the only aircraft of Japanese origin to use a liquid-cooled inline engine, and was capable of reaching high speeds and had a good rate of climb. It was armed with two 20 mm cannons and two 7.7 mm machine guns.
The 244th’s main mission was to defend the Tokyo area against Allied bombing raids. They also conducted reconnaissance and ground attack missions. The unit’s pilots were experienced, but due to the shortage of fuel and spare parts, their aircraft were not in good condition and their training was limited.
As the war progressed and the US forces approached the Japanese mainland, the 244th was forced to engage in more intense combat. They were involved in several dogfight engagements with US fighter aircraft and also suffered heavy losses in bombing raids.
The 244th Naval Air Group was active until the end of the war in August 1945. Despite their best efforts, the unit was unable to prevent the bombing of Tokyo by the US Air Force, which caused significant damage to the city and resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. It is worth mentioning that the 244th Naval Air Group was not the only unit that defended Tokyo, multiple other units were also deployed to defend different parts of the Japanese mainland. The defense of Tokyo was part of the greater defense of Japan which was led by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS), and was not limited to the IJNAS.
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