Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:34:03-2:34:19

How much carrier training did Japanese pilots receive?

A training question clarifies that Japanese aviators did practice aboard carriers, but not at the depth later operational demands required.

Carrier OperationsFleet CarriersJapanese NavyNaval AviationPilot Training
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Question

Did the Imperial Japanese Navy train pilots to land on carriers, or only qualify them from land bases?

Short answer

Japanese pilots received some carrier training, but substantially less than an expanding wartime carrier force needed.

Notes

Imperial Japanese Navy pilots did practice carrier landings at sea, but not in the quantity needed by a force expected to replace heavy wartime losses. The institutional shortfall was insufficient deck experience rather than a total absence of carrier qualification.