958 Kōkūtai (958 Air Group)
Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN)

Background
On November 1, 1942 the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) 958 Kōkūtai (958 Air Group) was established operating floatplanes and seaplanes including the Mitsubishi Type 0 Observation Seaplane / F1M2 Pete and Aichi Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane Reisen Shiki Sui Tei / E13A1 Jake.

By August 28, 1942 assigned to the R-Area Air Force (Homen Koku Butai) and operated from Rekata Bay Seaplane Base and Shortland Habor Seaplane Base while the remainder of the unit based at Simpson Harbor at Rabaul operating from both Matupi Seaplane Base and Malaguna Seaplane Base.

During late 1943 a detachment of F1M2 Petes operated from Kairiru Seaplane Base off Kairiru Island and flew patrols and protected convoys arriving or departing from the Wewak area and patrolling as far north as the Admiralty Islands. By late March 1944 this base was heavily bombed and all the seaplanes were destroyed or disabled with a single floatplane withdrawing to Hollandia by April 1944.

During 1945, two pilots and three observer/radio operators were borrowed from the 958 Kokutai to learn to fly two B5N2 Kate torpedo bombers that were repaired from wreckage by the 108th Aircraft Repair Shop at Rabaul. One of the pilots was Ensign Tokuya Takahashi.

Tail Codes
Tail code P3- and 58- in late summer 1943.
58-XXX (three digit tail code)

References
The Siege of Rabaul (1996) page 73

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