The opening image captures the rare sight of a J2M6 Model 31 Raiden, bearing the code “YoD-183.” Only 5-6 of these aircraft were ever produced, with three assigned to the 302nd Kokutai. The technical specifics of this variant have been covered before, but I’ll revisit them in future installments focusing on the unit’s equipment. The Model 31 entered service in the late spring of 1945, roughly a year after the events described below. For now, this beautiful illustration serves mainly to catch your eye.
As you’ll recall, in the fall of 1943, Commander Kozono bade farewell to his loyal 251 Ku (which he had skillfully led in Rabaul for ten months) and returned to Japan. Quite literally, he came “home” since he was assigned to the 1st Naval Technical Arsenal in Yokosuka, a research and development center where he had served nearly 20 years in his pre-war career. His experience and remarkable skills were put to use in two main ways. The first involved collaboration with the Arsenal and Kugisho workshops to design, build, and refine new night fighter types, with substantial support from his former subordinate, Lieutenant Kudo, the Empire’s first night ace. The second task involved working with the Yokosuka Naval Base’s air command to develop organizational and tactical principles for “night hunter” formations. Both of these assignments were crucial and even satisfying, but the ambitious officer continued pushing for command of another combat unit. His “prayers” were answered on March 1, 1944.
Beginnings
The encyclopedia entry reads as follows: “302 Kokutai was established on March 1, 1944, in Kisarazu. It was a fighter unit assigned to the Yokosuka Naval Base to defend the airspace over the Empire’s capital. Commander Yasuna Kozono was appointed as its leader.” All true, but this brief summary doesn’t fully capture the reality of the time. According to Kozono’s plan (non-negotiable), the unit was to have three Hikotai. The 1st and 2nd Hikotai were to be equipped with daytime fighters, while the 3rd Hikotai would serve night operations (and potentially some daytime roles). However, by the spring of ’44, the IJNAF was struggling with increasing equipment and staffing issues.
Thus, the 302nd existed on paper with a force of 48 daytime and 24 night fighters. Great. But what could the base offer the new commander? Approximately 30 brand-new A6M5 Model 52s, plus another 20-30 refurbished A6M3s and old A6M2s (for maintaining skills). The Model 52s were to arrive “at the next possible opportunity,” a date hard to pin down, as current production primarily went to frontline units. As a consolation, the unit would receive 24 Gekko aircraft, though mostly in reconnaissance versions rather than night fighter variants. The daytime aircrew consisted of “rookies” straight out of flight school, with no pilots trained for night combat.
The final part of this paper-based plan was the home base itself. While Kisarazu was a sizable airfield, it was already crowded with other units, mainly training and research units (many of you may recall this as the site of the Nakajima Kikka’s first flights). Thus, only one squadron of the 302 Ku (the 3rd Hikotai on Gekko aircraft) could fit in Kisarazu. There was no room for any unit headquarters. The 1st and 2nd Hikotai were forming and remaining in Yokosuka, where Kozono and his officers occupied a few rooms “begged” from contacts in the Yokosuka Kokutai command building.
It all looked quite bleak, raising the question: how did Kozono forge his sword, given that he had to start from scratch? I’ll cover the details in future installments, but in short, he was a man who viewed any adversity as an obstacle to overcome, one way or another. He also had an “ace up his sleeve.” His connections with the Arsenal, the Kugisho workshops, and acquaintances throughout the base and surrounding units allowed him to… let’s say, use unconventional methods. Personally, I believe (though I can’t prove it) that the base command, struggling with a difficult situation, counted on the dynamic, charismatic commander to somehow rise to the challenge. The “turning a blind eye” began as soon as the signatures on the order establishing the 302nd were inked.
To start, Kozono decided to accept everything initially offered to him and then find his own way forward. Everything? Not quite. There was one significant exception.
The First Step
The idea of accepting the Zero fighters (old or new, it didn’t matter) seemed inadequate for the situation. By the spring of 1944, the threat to the Home Islands from carrier aviation was practically nonexistent. Intelligence indicated, however, an increase in the numbers and activity of four-engine bombers based in India, which used bases in China for refueling stops. Missions over Burma, Siam (Thailand), and Manchuria showed that they typically operated at high altitudes. Kozono concluded that the nearest threat to Japan would likely come from these bombers (even though they didn’t yet know about the B-29). The A6M5 was entirely unsuited to high-altitude combat above 6,000 meters. Another aircraft was needed—and was available in the form of the unwanted and unpopular Raidens. Some combat units preferred to wait for the scarce and irregular Zero deliveries rather than accepting the available J2Ms. In no uncertain terms, Kozono immediately seized the available “sausages.” Thus, the original composition of the unit was established: 48 Raidens in Yokosuka and 24 Gekkos in Kisarazu.
To be continued.
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