The unit was formed on 1 April 1942 in Kisarazu, Japan, and was initially equipped with only six Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, under the command of Lieutenant Hideki Shingō.

Its new Hikōtaichō, Lieutenant Mitsugi Kofukuda, led a 5,000-kilometer over-water ferry flight of 18 Zero fighters from Kisarazu to Rabaul via island bases (Iwo Jima, Saipan, Truk and Kavieng), which was unprecedented for a single-seat aircraft at the time.

The US forces from Henderson Field scrambled 35 Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters to intercept the strike, after receiving an early warning from coastwatchers and radar.

[7] On 8 October 1942, the 6th Air Group under Lieutenant Kofukuda moved from Rabaul to a newly completed airstrip at Buin on Bougainville.

From Buin, the group was able to operate the new Model 32 Zero fighters, which previously did not have the combat range to reach Guadalcanal from Rabaul.

[15] Afterwards it was involved in covering the evacuation of Japanese troops from Guadalcanal in February 1943, and the convoy to reinforce Lae on New Guinea in March 1943.

They tested this on 16 June during the Operation SE, when the group's 24 Zeros covered Lieutenant Tamotsu Ema's 24 Aichi D3A dive bombers that attacked the Allied ships off the coast of Guadalcanal.

[1][16] Later, the air group saw extensive action during Operation RO and the defence of Rabaul from late 1943 to early 1944, before being disbanded on 4 March 1944.