634th Naval Air Group

The 634th Naval Air Group was a military aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Pacific campaign of the Second World War. Its Japanese designation was Dai Roku-San-Yon Kaigun Kōkūtai, written 第六三四海軍航空隊. It was established on 1 May 1944 as a carrier air group and was initially assigned to the 4th Carrier Division. In this role, its organization included fighter elements, with the 163rd Fighter Squadron joining on 1 August 1944 and the 167th Fighter Squadron on 15 August 1944. The group’s carrier-oriented phase ended on 14 November 1944, after which it was transferred to the 2nd Air Fleet and converted from a carrier air group into an airbase-oriented garrison formation. From late 1944 onward, the unit’s command and organizational affiliations changed as the Imperial Japanese Navy reorganized its air forces for the defense of the Japanese homeland and remaining strategic positions. It served under the 2nd Air Fleet from 15 November 1944 to 7 January 1945, the 1st Air Fleet from 8 January to 24 May 1945, the 5th Air Fleet from 25 May to 2 August 1945, and the 32nd Air Flotilla from 3 August 1945 into the postwar period. Its later structure emphasized reconnaissance rather than the fighter squadrons associated with its original carrier formation. The 301st Reconnaissance Squadron was assigned from 1 January 1945, and the 302nd Reconnaissance Squadron from 1 July 1945. The available reference material identifies three commanding officers. Commander, later Captain, Takehisa Amagai led the group from 1 May to 15 November 1944. Commander Nichio Emura commanded it from 15 November 1944 until 3 July 1945, and Captain Katsumi Korokuro held command from 3 July until 15 September 1945. The final date falls after Japan’s surrender and reflects the unit’s recorded postwar termination or demobilization period rather than continued wartime operations. The 634th Naval Air Group was not a commercial brand or civilian enterprise. It was an Imperial Japanese naval aviation formation whose identity, functions, subordinate squadrons, and higher commands changed in response to wartime operational requirements. Its historical importance lies in illustrating the Imperial Japanese Navy’s shift from carrier aviation toward land-based defense and reconnaissance during the later stages of the Pacific War. No separate consumer products, commercial offerings, marketing campaigns, corporate ownership, or financial records are applicable to the unit.

The 634th Naval Air Group was formed on 1 May 1944 within the Imperial Japanese Navy’s naval aviation system. It began as a carrier air group under the 4th Carrier Division. Its early organization included the 163rd Fighter Squadron, attached on 1 August 1944, and the 167th Fighter Squadron, attached on 15 August 1944. These assignments indicate that the group initially possessed a fighter component consistent with its carrier-air-group designation. On 14 November 1944, the carrier phase of the unit’s organization ended. The following day, the 634th Naval Air Group was placed under the 2nd Air Fleet and converted into an airbase garrison formation. This change occurred during a period when the Imperial Japanese Navy increasingly relied on land-based aviation and reorganized its remaining air units for territorial defense, reconnaissance, and the protection of strategic bases. The group’s higher-command affiliations changed several times during 1945. It belonged to the 2nd Air Fleet until 7 January, the 1st Air Fleet from 8 January through 24 May, the 5th Air Fleet from 25 May through 2 August, and the 32nd Air Flotilla from 3 August into the postwar period. Its later structure included the 301st Reconnaissance Squadron from 1 January 1945 and the 302nd Reconnaissance Squadron from 1 July 1945. The surviving organizational record therefore presents a unit whose mission and internal composition had shifted substantially from carrier aviation toward reconnaissance and garrison duties. Three commanders are recorded. Takehisa Amagai led the group from its formation until 15 November 1944, receiving the rank of captain during his tenure. Nichio Emura commanded from 15 November 1944 until 3 July 1945. Katsumi Korokuro then served as captain from 3 July until 15 September 1945. The latter date is part of the unit’s recorded postwar command chronology and marks the end of its documented existence as an active Imperial Japanese Navy formation. The 634th Naval Air Group’s history is consequently one of institutional adaptation during the final phase of the Pacific War. It moved from a carrier-divisional structure to a land-based garrison and reconnaissance role, while passing through several air-fleet and flotilla commands. The available references do not provide a complete operational narrative, a definitive list of aircraft, or detailed accounts of individual missions, so those aspects are not added here.

• 1945

  Reconnaissance organization established

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 301st Reconnaissance Squadron became part of the group on 1 January, followed by the 302nd Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 July.

• 1945

  Transfer to the 32nd Air Flotilla

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group came under the 32nd Air Flotilla on 3 August and remained recorded under that affiliation into the postwar period.

• 1945

  End of documented command history

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Captain Katsumi Korokuro’s command ended on 15 September 1945, marking the final date in the unit’s recorded history.

• 1944

  Formation under the 4th Carrier Division

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 634th Naval Air Group was established on 1 May 1944 as a carrier air group assigned to the 4th Carrier Division.

• 1944

  Fighter squadrons added

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 163rd Fighter Squadron joined on 1 August, followed by the 167th Fighter Squadron on 15 August.

• 1944

  Conversion to an airbase garrison unit

  [1]634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 14 November, the carrier air group phase ended; from 15 November the unit served under the 2nd Air Fleet as an airbase garrison formation.

A wartime Imperial Japanese Navy aviation formation, initially organized for carrier operations and later employed as an airbase garrison and reconnaissance unit.

• 1944

  Conversion from carrier aviation to airbase defenseStrategy

  Background

  After 14 November 1944, the unit was no longer organized as a carrier air group and was transferred to the 2nd Air Fleet.

  Action taken

  The Imperial Japanese Navy converted the formation into an airbase garrison unit, later emphasizing reconnaissance elements.

  Aftermath

  The group operated under successive air-fleet and flotilla commands and no longer had the carrier-oriented structure recorded for its initial period.

  Source

1. 1634th Naval Air Groupen.wikipedia.org