Nara Naval Air Corps (奈良海軍航空隊)
Nara Naval Air Corps and its predecessor, Nara Detachment of Mie Naval Air Corps, were one of the troops and educational institutions of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was an educational air corps of the preparatory pilot training course added in order to educate the students of the 13th and 14th groups of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course, which accepted a huge number of students. It installed dorms and drill courts for education and training at more than 20 offices of believers of the Tenri sect scattered over Tenri City, Yamabe County, Nara Prefecture, which has the headquarter of Tenri sect.
History
The Navy increased the number of students to accept into the 12th group of the preparatory pilot training course in order to strengthen aviation power rapidly. The 13th group of the Ko-type, which was recruited in 1943, exceeded 20000 students, including both the first and second halves of the group. It was impossible to accommodate them only at old corps such as Tsuchiura Naval Air Corps, Mie Naval Air Corps, and Kagoshima Naval Air Corps. Therefore, a new air corps for the preparatory pilot training course was installed at a naval airport, and also in remote areas with no naval airport a detachment air corps was installed as a place for basic training for the students of the preparatory pilot training course, who were not yet able to do the training for operation or maintenance of airplanes. Nara Detachment was installed in Tanba City, because the believers of the Tenri sect regularly went back and forth between their residences and their headquarters, so they had many offices for the believers around the headquarter, making easy the accommodation of the students in the preparatory course. In addition, other factors can be mentioned; since the activity of the Tenri sect was under pressure, the reform committee encouraged cooperation for the war as a means of self-defense, so it was easy for them to provide facilities.
On December 1, 1943, a dorm of the Tenri sect in Tenri City, Yamabe County, Nara Prefecture was seized, and Nara Detachment of Mie Naval Air Corps was inaugurated.
The second half of the 13th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was enrolled (16890 students in total including Mie Naval Air Corps, Tsuchiura Naval Air Corps, and Matsuyama Naval Air Corps)
On April 1, 1944, a part of the first half of the 14th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was enrolled (graduated in March 1945). On September 1, 1944, the graduates' flying training program was frozen. The candidates for the flight crews of large aircrafts in the 14th group of the Ko-type course were transferred to Komatsu Naval Air Corps.
On September 15, 1944, a part of the first half of the 15th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was enrolled.
On November 28, 1944, a part of the 15th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was transferred to Urado Naval Air Corps, Nishinomiya Naval Air Corps, and Takarazuka Naval Air Corps.
Around December 1944, a part of the first half of the 15th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was transferred to Shimizu Naval Air Corps.
On March 1, 1945, it became independent as 'Nara Naval Air Corps'. The 24th Combined Air Corps under the control of Osaka Police.
On April 1, 1945, the 16th group of the Ko-type of the preparatory pilot training course was enrolled (the last students for the preparatory pilot training course.)
On June 1, 1945, the education in the preparatory pilot training course was frozen.
On June 30, 1945, the 24th Combine Air Corps was dismissed. Transferred to a troop of Osaka Police.
On July 15, 1945, it was dismissed.
As can be seen above, active education was conducted before the independence. There were many transfers of students to other air corps of the preparatory pilot training course. After it became independent, it was busy with training for land fighting as a preparation for the homeland fighting and maintenance of Yanagimoto Airport where Yamato Naval Air Corps of Miho Naval Air Corps and Kinki Naval Air Corps of Naval Otsu Air Corps were deployed. Nara Naval Air Corps was dismissed at the end of the war, and the offices of the believers of the Tenri sect were returned to them. The Tenri sect, which was freed from the suppression during the war and restored freedom of faith, gave up its reform activity and turned to restoration, and currently is working as a powerful emerging religion.
Main Models
There were no airplanes because it was an education and training squadron.
Successive commanders
Unknown (From March 1, 1945, to July 15, 1945 [the corps was dismissed])