24th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Its callsign was the .
, Manchukuo
on 6 October 1939,as part of the Manchukuo territorial defense force under overall command of the 5th Army group of the Kwangtung Army.
In July 1944, it was withdrawn to Japan
, and assigned to Okinawa prefecture
as part of the final defense of the Japanese home islands against the American invasion. It was annihilated during the Battle of Okinawa
.
of the 24th Division included:
IJA 24th Division
Allentown, PA: 1981
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
. Its callsign was the .
History
The 24th Division was formed in HarbinHarbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
on 6 October 1939,as part of the Manchukuo territorial defense force under overall command of the 5th Army group of the Kwangtung Army.
In July 1944, it was withdrawn to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and assigned to Okinawa prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
as part of the final defense of the Japanese home islands against the American invasion. It was annihilated during the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
.
Organization
The Order of BattleOrder of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
of the 24th Division included:
IJA 24th Division
- 24th Infantry Brigade
- 22nd Infantry Regiment (Matsuyama)
- 32nd Infantry Regiment (Yamagata)
- 89th Infantry Regiment (Asahikawa)
- 24th Security Regiment
- 42nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 24th Construction Regiment
- 24th Transport Regiment
Reference and further reading
- Madej, W. Victor, Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols]
Allentown, PA: 1981