The aircrew shortage was a collective failure of Japanese admirals, including Nagano. Senior officers understood that the training pipeline limited naval aviation, yet did not reform it. Expanding routes for non-commissioned pilots was culturally difficult even though the navy plainly needed more trained airmen. Aircraft numbers could not compensate for a training system constrained by institutional and social assumptions.
Notable Point · 16:06-16:39
The aircrew training bottleneck
Japan's leaders knew their naval aircrew training system was too narrow, but cultural resistance limited the expansion of the pilot pipeline.