Matrix Games Forums

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 roleplay-friendly way. I'd like to share my solution here — maybe it's useful for others or you have additional suggestions:

Objective:
Realistically organize 27 aircraft of the Chitose Ku S-1 into:

• 3 Chūtai (medium squadrons of 9 aircraft each)
• Each Chūtai split into 3 Shōtai (combat elements of 3 aircraft each)

This reflects the actual organizational structure used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service.

Implementation in WITP-AE (simple & practical):

In the Editor:
• Split Chitose Ku S-1 into three 9-pilot units:
- Chitose Ku S-1 / 1st Chūtai
- Chitose Ku S-1 / 2nd Chūtai
- Chitose Ku S-1 / 3rd Chūtai

In the game:
• Each 9-plane unit can be further split into 3 groups of 3 (Shōtai)
• Example internal notation (for savegames or AAR tracking):
- Chitose Ku S-1 / 2nd Chūtai / 1st Shōtai → e.g., Yamashita (leader), Komatsu, Fukumoto
- Chitose Ku S-1 / 2nd Chūtai / 2nd Shōtai → e.g., Okano (leader), Yoshino, Watanabe

Advantages:
• Historically accurate: mirrors IJNAS structure (1 Chūtai = 3 Shōtai)
• RP-friendly: lets you assign individual Shōtai leaders (e.g., Nishizawa as wing leader)
• Technically safe: no conflict with auto-upgrades or script logic
• Easy to remember: 1x27 → 3x9 → 9x3 (clean structure)

Question for the community:
Has anyone already implemented this kind of setup?
Are there better ways to preserve Shōtai-level structure in-game or manage them more elegantly ?

Personally, I think that is too complicated for this game. Also, for aircraft carriers with a limit of 5 air units, that could quickly mean that none of those aircraft fly from the carrier unless it is to land and an airfield on solid ground.