[2] After the disaster at Midway, the plan for Operation FS was canceled and the unit was ordered to move to Rabaul on New Britain.

They arrived at Rabaul on 6 August with 16 D3A dive bombers and 15 A6M3 Zero fighters, just one day prior to the unexpected Allied invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Nevertheless, after being shocked by the unexpected invasion on 7 August, Rear Admiral Sadayoshi Yamada sent nine unescorted D3A dive bombers under the command of Lieutenant Inoue to strike the Allied shipping near Tulagi.

However, they were intercepted by a dozen VF-5 and VF-6 Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters from US carriers that were covering the invasion force, where five D3A dive bombers were lost.

The surviving four (including Inoue) then ditched near the Shortland Islands where they were picked up by the seaplane tender Akitsushima and one Kawanishi H8K flying boat.

The group covered unsuccessful invasion of Milne Bay, before returning to Rabaul via Lae: bombers on 28 August and fighters on 8 September, respectively.

[1][6][7] For example, they covered high-speed transport Nisshin when it delivered heavy equipment to Guadalcanal on 3 and 8 October, after which they withdrew to Rabaul and 6th Air Group took over the Buka–Bougainville area.

On 12 September, Lieutenant Kurakane led 15 Zero fighters (including three from 6th Air Group) to escort 26 Mitsubishi G4M medium bombers to Rabaul.

[9] Two days later, on 14 September, Lieutenant Kurakane made a reconnaissance sweep over Guadalcanal to see if the ground forces under Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi managed to capture Henderson Field.

[11] On 11 October, Lieutenant (jg) Tokitane Futagami led eight 2nd Air Group fighters in a large strike consisting of 45 G4M bombers and 29 Zeros against Guadalcanal.

On 7 April, the group's new Hikōtaichō, Lieutenant Tatsuo Takahata, led 17 dive bombers against Allied shipping around Tulagi, which were escorted by Suzuki's 21 Zeros.

The group's fighters escorted medium bombers in raids against Port Morseby and Milne Bay on 12 and 14 April, respectively.