2,202 Pilots in the Starting Pool on 06.12.1941 is Completely Unhistorical

1️⃣ Historical Reality of the IJAAF
· The Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) never had a “surplus” pool of thousands of fully trained pilots.
· In 1941 the IJAAF had around 35,000–40,000 men total, of which only ...

IJAAF – Reconnaissance & Specialist Schools (as of 06.12.41)

Main Schools (Gakkō)
· Shimoshizu Gakkō (Tokyo) → 40 pilots
Central school for reconnaissance. Training on Ki-15 "Babs" and later Ki-46 "Dinah". Focus: photo-reconnaissance, high-altitude reconnaissance, tactical scouting ...

IJAAF Reconnaissance Training Aircraft

Tachikawa Ki-55 "Ida" – the Standard Reconnaissance Trainer
· Derived from the Ki-36, a light liaison and reconnaissance aircraft.
· Specifically developed as a trainer version for reconnaissance crews (pilot + observer/navigator).
· More than 1,300 units ...

IJAAF – Bomber & Attack Aircraft Schools (as of 06.12.41)

Main Schools (Gakkō)
• Hamamatsu Gakkō (Nagoya) → 60 pilots
Central bomber and attack school since 1933. Prepared bomber crews for types like the Ki-21 "Sally" or Ki-30 "Ann." Later also trained for lighter attack aircraft ...

Next, for the bomber pilot training I will use the...
Kokusai Ki-9 "Spruce" – Advanced Trainer of the IJAAF for Bomber Pilots
Ki-9 Spruce.png
Ki-9 Spruce Data.png

General:
The Ki-9 was a two-seat biplane introduced in 1935 and used extensively by the IJAAF. Originally designed for advanced ...

IJAAF – Army Flight Schools (Fighter Training, as of 06.12.41)

Main Schools
· Akeno Gakkō (Nagoya) → 60 pilots
Central fighter school, elite training, focus on tactics and front-line preparation.
· Tachiarai Gakkō (Fukuoka) → 60 pilots
Large Kyūshū school, focus on fighter training and conversion ...

Even with PDU on, the Japanese player gains no real advantage by upgrading training schools to front-line aircraft. On the contrary:

Aircraft shortage : Every modern fighter placed in a training school is one less available at the front. In the early months, those aircraft decide battles ...

Implementation of Training Aircraft Ki-27 and Ki-79 in the Game

The Ki-27 "Nate" was the standard fighter of the Japanese Army until 1941, before gradually being replaced by the Ki-43. However, as of December 1941, the Ki-27 was still in frontline service. At the same time, many older machines ...

Historical Reality of Japanese Flight Schools
Both the IJAAF and the IJNAS operated a vast network of training centers.

IJAAF: Akeno, Tachiarai, Kumagaya, Mito, etc., with many branch schools.
IJNAS: Kasumigaura, Yatabe, Oita, Tainan, etc.

These schools were not “minor facilities,” but the ...

1. Pilot Numbers and Game Balance
Very good question – I have also given this a lot of thought.
My approach does not give Japan any additional pilots compared to the stock version. The overall numbers in the pool remain the same; I simply moved part of them into the flight schools. This means ...

Response on Trainer Aircraft and Upgrades

I decided to clearly separate trainer aircraft for both IJN and IJAAF schools from front-line aircraft, and I am implementing this directly in the editor:


IJN Flight Schools (Navy)
→ I will activate production of the K5Y Willow .
→ These aircraft ...

I have started to recreate the IJAAF Army Flight Schools in the editor of War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition .
My first focus is on fighter training , later bomber and reconnaissance schools will follow.

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Implementation in the Editor – Example: IJAAF Fighter Schools

I have included the ...

001 1st Hiko Sentai ========= Takeda, Kinshiro (Commander)
002 Kimura, Takaji
003 Mori, Kazuo
004 Tarui, Mitsuyoshi
005 Matsuura, Toshio
006 Shiromoto, Naoharu
007 Shishimoto, Hironojio
008 Saigo, Sadamasa
7001 Koyanagi, Takejiro
7002 Okazaki, Goro
7003 Fujisaki, Tomoichio
7004 Tokunaga ...

001 1st Hiko Sentai ========= Takeda, Kinshiro (Commander)
002 Kimura, Takaji
003 Mori, Kazuo
004 Tarui, Mitsuyoshi
005 Matsuura, Toshio
006 Shiromoto, Naoharu
007 Shishimoto, Hironojio
008 Saigo, Sadamasa
7001 Koyanagi, Takejiro
7002 Okazaki, Goro
7003 Fujisaki, Tomoichio
7004 Tokunaga ...

What matters most to me in this project is to reconstruct the historical realities of the Japanese Air Force in the Pacific War with the greatest possible care and accuracy.
I am not trying to tell heroic epics, nor do I glorify war or its violence.
Instead, I want to give a face to those often ...

Suggestion: Historical Japanese Squadron Structures
Topic: Squadron organization in WITP-AE for more realism & roleplaying

Hello everyone,

I've recently spent a lot of time researching the Chitose Ku S-1 (Zero unit) and thought about how to structure it in-game in a historically accurate and ...

Chitose Kōkūtai (千歳航空隊)
A Complete Unit Biography, 1939–1942

I. Origins and Formation (1939)
The Chitose Kōkūtai was established on October 1, 1939, at the Chitose Naval Air Base on Hokkaidō. Originally conceived as a land-based fighter unit, it was first assigned to the Ominato Naval ...

224. Ohashi Fujiro (大橋 藤郎)
Ohashi Fujiro was the first officially confirmed commander of the Chitose Kōkūtai when it was formed in 1939 in anticipation of conflict in the Pacific. An experienced officer of the Kaigun Kōkūtai, he had already led combat missions in China and was considered a ...

224 Chitose Ku S-1 Ohashi, Fujiro (Commander)

225 Asano, Jiro
226 Ida, Fusata
227 Oishi, Hideo
228 Shibagaki, Hiroshi
229 Shibayama, Sekizen
230 Shiga, Masami
231 Takahashi, Shigeru
232 Komatsu, Yoshitomi
233 Fukumoto, Shigeo
234 Okumura, Takeo
235 Iwasaki, Nobuhiro
236 Nishizawa ...

0011st Sentai=========
002 Kimura, Takaji
003 Mori, Kazuo
004 Tarui, Mitsuyoshi
005 Matsuura, Toshio
006 Shiromoto, Naoharu
007 Shishimoto, Hironoj
008
009 4th Sentai=========
010 Kashide, Isamu
011 Takamiya, Keiji
012 Kimura, Sadamitsu
013 Yokoto, Hiroshi
014 5th Sentai=========
015 Ito, Fujitaro ...