In Japanese, sentai is a military unit and may be literally translated as "", "task force", "division ", "group" or "wing". The terms "regiment" and "flotilla", while sometimes used as translations of sentai, are also used to refer to larger formations.
Imperial Japanese aviation ''sentai''
The term was used during World War II by the military of the Empire of Japan for Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Servicemilitary aviation units equivalent to a group or wing in other air forces. However, the term had slightly different meanings in the IJAAS and the IJNAS. An IJAAS Sentai was made up of two to four squadrons. In the IJAAS, two or more Sentai comprised a hikōdan. In the later stages of World War II, the IJAAS abolished chūtai and divided its sentai into hikōtai and seibitai. A sentai commander was generally a lieutenant colonel. In the IJNAS, a sentai was a larger unit: a Kōkūtai was the equivalent of an IJAAS sentai. Several sentai made up a kantai. In the IJNAS, a Sentaichō was usually a naval captain.
Imperial Japanese naval ''sentai''
Sentai in the Japanese Navy were prescribed by the document Naval military command No. 10, Kantairei dated 30 November 1914. Paraphrased, they were defined as follows:
Sentai: comprising two or more warships of the same type.
Suirai Sentai: comprising two or more destroyers, possibly with a light cruiser as a squadron flagship.
Sensui Sentai: comprising two or more submarines, with a submarine tender or cruiser as submarine squadron leader, and some submarine divisions. The 1st Sensui Sentai was formed on 1 April 1919 from the former 4th Suirai Sentai.
Yusō Sentai: comprising two or more landing ship divisions. First unit the 1st Yusō Sentai was organized on 25 September 1944.
Tokkō Sentai: comprising a mother ship and individual suicide weapons, such as Kaiten, Kairyū, :ja:蛟竜 |Kōryū and Shin'yō. The first such unit was the 1st Tokkō Sentai, organized on 20 March 1945.
