26th Air Flotilla
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| 26th Air Flotilla | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 April 1942 |
| Country |  Empire of Japan |
| Branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation unit |
| Role | Bomber, Fighter, Dive Bomber |
| Part of | 11th Air Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | Rabaul Buin |
| Engagements | Solomon Islands Campaign New Guinea Campaign |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Yamagata Seigo Masafumi Arima |
The 26th Air Flotilla (第二六航空戦隊, Dai Nijūroku Kōkū Sentai) was a combat aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
The 26th Air Flotilla was established on 1 April 1942 as a part of the 11th Air Fleet, and was originally composed of the Misawa Air Group and Kisarazu Air Group, both operating Mitsubishi G4M medium bombers. Under the command of Rear Admiral Seigo Yamagata, the unit was deployed to Rabaul on New Britain in August 1942 in order to reinforce the Japanese air power in the area and conduct operations in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands Campaigns. While being primarily a medium bomber unit, it eventually absorbed fighter (6th Air Group and Hiyō Air Group) and dive bomber (31st Air Group and 582nd Air Group) units too. The operational title for this hybrid organization was the 6th Air Attack Force. Due to vulnerability of G4M medium bombers, the unit took heavy losses in air combat over Guadalcanal.[1][2][3]
