This segment is the best place to watch the terminology change into something closer to a squadron system. By 1944, fighter and attack hikotai received numbered ranges that distinguished carrier fighters, interceptors, night fighters, dive bombers, and land-based attack roles. Those formations could now be treated as squadron designations, yet they still sat inside kokutai that handled administration and support. The resulting hybrid structure records the pressure of wartime expansion while continuing to mislead readers who expect one-to-one Western equivalents.
Chapter · 1:14:27-1:17:59
Wartime reorganization from kokutai to squadrons
The late-war organization section explains how Japanese air-unit labels moved closer to squadron use without losing the kokutai support structure.