The Japanese naval air arm had more than 3,000 operational and reserve aircraft at the opening of the Pacific War, including about 1,800 combat planes. Its crews included rigorously trained aviators with combat experience, while 37 land-based air groups extended from the Kurils to French Indochina and the Marshall Islands. Peattie describes this as the most potent offensive naval air force, but Clarke challenges the implication of superiority in every respect. Size, flexibility, range, and speed did not give one service every operational advantage. Comparing the air arms requires attention to the particular capability being tested.
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Japanese naval air power at the opening of war
Japanese naval aviation combined a large aircraft establishment, experienced crews, and widely distributed land bases, though the claim of overall superiority is disputed.