Donmai

Kancolle Kidou Butai pool?

Posted under General

I realized the other day how odd it is that there's no pool for images showing the six IJN fleet carriers that participated in the Pearl Harbor attack together. Figuring it might be a naming problem--the IJN's internal nomenclature was nothing if not baroque--I thought about it for a little while, and this is what I came up with.

Pool name: Kantai Collection - Kidou Butai Reunion

Pool description: Images depicting the six fleet aircraft carriers who made up the Kidou Butai (Mobile Force) of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet at the time of Operation AI, the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack: Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu, Hiryuu, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku. Should not include images where the six of them are present as part of a larger crowd scene that obviously has no relevance to Operation AI. Could be stretched to include non-carriers who were part of the Kidou Butai's escort force for the operation, for example their destroyer escort Akigumo (a full rundown of the IJN's order of battle for the operation can be found here), but only if they appear in such a context that it's an apparent reference to their participation in the raid.

Note: Since Kidou Butai is an informal term that was used for a number of different force configurations through the war, it may not be the best name for the pool. Still, when most people think of the Kidou Butai, they do think of the Pearl Harbor carrier battle group first (in much the same way that Shoukaku and Zuikaku are customarily thought of as the 5th Carrier Division in these parts, even though that was only true until July 1942). Anyway, if it's thought best to be more specific, "Operation AI Reunion" might be an appropriate substitute pool name.

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