Although the tail markings on most seaplanes are not visible, on the trailer of one of them the katakana "サヘ" can be seen confirming that the unit is the Saeki Kokutai.
The
Saeki Kokutai, tail marking "サヘ" (SaHe), was established on December 1, 1934, under the
Kure Naval District, dedicated to patrolling the
Bungo Channel, where ships sail from Kure Naval Port to the Pacific Ocean.
Initially, it was equipped with various types of bombers. On June 5, 1943, a US submarine entered the Bungo Channel, and two planes from the unit bombed it. After that incident, there were frequent encounters with submarines in the area, and the unit engaged in anti-submarine sweeps, including preemptive bombing and guiding surface ships.
On January 1, 1944, the unit dispatched its bombers in preparation for the establishment of the 931st Kokutai, and was reorganized with 32 floatplanes in its strength.
Around September, Kyushu Q1W "Tokai" (Lorna) anti-submarine aircraft and flying boats were introduced to improve patrol capabilities.
On December 22, "Operation S1" (anti-submarine sweeps in the East China Sea area) was launched. Three floatplanes, four flying boats, and six "Tokais" participated under the command of the Sasebo Naval District Force.
From March 18, 1945, air raids against Saeki Airfield commenced.
On March 27, "
Operation Ten-go" was launched. SaekiKu performed forward patrols and anti-submarine sweeps in preparation for battleship Yamato's departure. Similar missions were conducted when the operation was carried out on April 6.
On June 1, "Tokai" and flying boat squadrons were reorganized as independent floatplane squadrons.
The clip is dated June 25, 1945, so we're not sure if this is stock futage or what mission the unit is engaged in.
Illustration by Nohara Shigeru featured in FAOW#47.
Of special interest are markings featured on some (not all) "Jake" floatplanes, consisting of a thick white (I think) line starting from the cockpit side and extending on the wing, perhaps to help during formation flying.
Another interesting detail is the repetition of the individual seaplane's number on the cowling lip.
Note the Kato Tractor we discussed in previous posts.
In this still we can make out the tail marking of one more "Jake; "サヘ-38". All Japanese sources mention that only the floatplanes equipped with jikitanchiki (磁気探知機, "Magnetic Detector") had a yellow band on the tail; however, curiously, in this still, "SaHe-38" doesn't seem to be equipped with MAD.
The "Jakes" that were assigned to anti-submarine duties were split into two "groups": the "detectors" with MAD and the "killers" with bombs. When the "detectors" spotted a submarine the "killers" started attacking. Perhaps both groups in SaekiKu had yellow bands on their tail.
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