Hosho experiments give way to Akagi and Kaga's larger air groups

Hosho provided a carrier on which Japan could explore aviation's uses after earlier seaplane attacks against German positions at Tsingtao in World War I. Akagi and Kaga, entering service in 1927 and 1929, offered much larger air groups and room to develop those experiments into operational capabilities. Kaga's crew could regard their ship as less favored than Akagi, yet both ships gave the navy substantial and flexible aviation forces. Those aircraft served a plan to weaken a superior British and Dominion or American fleet until the Japanese battle fleet could meet it on near-even terms. Torpedo bombers such as the B1M remained central to that attrition role.