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2nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Its call-sign was .
in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Sendai Garrison had responsibility for northern region of Honshū
(Tohoku district), ranging from Fukushima Prefecture
to Aomori Prefecture
. The six regional commands were transformed into divisions under the army reorganization of 14 May 1888.
The headquarters of the 2nd Division was located in the Ni-no-maru of Sendai Castle, where the campus of Tohoku University
is now located. Its original composition included the 4th Infantry Regiment (raised in Sendai
), 5th Infantry Regiment (raised in Aomori
), 16th Infantry Regiment (raised in Shibata
) and the 17th Infantry Regiment (raised in Akita
). In the reorganization prior to World War II
, the 29th Infantry Regiment (raised in Wakamatsu
) was added.
As one of the oldest Divisions in the Imperial Japanese Army, the 2nd Division saw combat in the First Sino-Japanese War
and the Russo-Japanese War
, where it gained a reputation for excellence in night operations.
Some of its more noteworthy commanders included Sakuma Samata
, Nogi Maresuke, Nishi Kanjiro, Nitahara Shigeyuki, HIH Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, and Umezu Yoshijiro.
From 1930 to 1933, the 2nd Division was under the command of Lieutenant-General Jiro Tamon
. In 1931, transferred to the Kwangtung Army in Manchuria
, it took the lead in the initial operations of the invasion of Manchuria, then in the Jiangqiao Campaign
, Chinchow Operation
, and in overcoming the defense of Harbin
, following the Mukden Incident
.
Later in 1939, the 2nd Division was under 3rd Army which was facing the southern half of the border of the Maritime province
of the Soviet Union
from Korea
northward. The Katayama Detachment
from 2nd Division, (consisting of the 15th Infantry Brigade, with 16th and 30th Infantry Regiments, and a field artillery battalion) fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997 on 6th -10 September 1939. 2nd Division (and the 4th Division) was attached to Japanese Sixth Army
in the Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol Campaign
as reinforcement for a projected counterattack that was canceled when a cease fire was signed.
With the start of hostilities in the Second Sino-Japanese War
, 15th Mixed Brigade from the 2nd Division saw combat in the invasion
of Chahar
and in the Battle of Xuzhou
where 3rd Infantry Brigade was temporarily assigned to the North China Area Army.
After the start of the Pacific War
the 2nd Division was reassigned to the southern front under Field Marshal Terauchi Hisaichi
's Southern Command, and was one of the divisions which occupied the Dutch East Indies
. It lost over 7,000 men in the disastrous Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands
. Afterwards, it was assigned to garrison duties in occupied Malaya
and Singapore
.
In 1944, it was ordered to Burma to resist the British reoccupation. After performing coastal duties in Arakan
the division was reassigned directly to Burma Area Army in May. Used as a strategic reserve it was largely annihilated in the subsequent conflict. Its remnants were assigned to the Japanese 38th Army
in French Indochina
, and disbanded at the end of World War II
.
Operated in the Invasion of Manchuria and later the Pacification of Manchukuo
.
Detached 15th Mixed Brigade served in Operation Chahar
.
For the operation against Java
.
for the 2nd Division was:
2nd Division
After the Battle of Nomonhan and prior to the outbreak of war with the United States
, the Division was made triangular:
2nd Division
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 call-sign was .
History
The 2nd Infantry Division was formed in Sendai, MiyagiSendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Sendai Garrison had responsibility for northern region of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
(Tohoku district), ranging from Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
to Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
. The six regional commands were transformed into divisions under the army reorganization of 14 May 1888.
The headquarters of the 2nd Division was located in the Ni-no-maru of Sendai Castle, where the campus of Tohoku University
Tohoku University
, abbreviated to , located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region, Japan, is a Japanese national university. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is a member of the National Seven Universities...
is now located. Its original composition included the 4th Infantry Regiment (raised in Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
), 5th Infantry Regiment (raised in Aomori
Aomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
), 16th Infantry Regiment (raised in Shibata
Shibata, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 103,101 and the density of 194 persons per km². The total area is 532.82 km².The city was founded on January 1, 1947....
) and the 17th Infantry Regiment (raised in Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
). In the reorganization prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the 29th Infantry Regiment (raised in Wakamatsu
Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.As of May 2011, the city has an estimated population of 125,341. The total area is 383.03 km².-History:...
) was added.
As one of the oldest Divisions in the Imperial Japanese Army, the 2nd Division saw combat in the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
and the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, where it gained a reputation for excellence in night operations.
Some of its more noteworthy commanders included Sakuma Samata
Sakuma Samata
-External links:*...
, Nogi Maresuke, Nishi Kanjiro, Nitahara Shigeyuki, HIH Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, and Umezu Yoshijiro.
From 1930 to 1933, the 2nd Division was under the command of Lieutenant-General Jiro Tamon
Jiro Tamon
-External links:* * - Notes :...
. In 1931, transferred to the Kwangtung Army in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, it took the lead in the initial operations of the invasion of Manchuria, then in the Jiangqiao Campaign
Jiangqiao Campaign
- External links :*****Topographic maps of campaign area.* San-chien-fang 三间房 area, Angangxi , Tsitsihar* Nenjiang Bridge area...
, Chinchow Operation
Chinchow Operation
The Chinchow Operation was an operation during the invasion of Manchuria as part of the campaign of the Invasion of Manchuria by forces of the Empire of Japan in the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Background:...
, and in overcoming the defense of Harbin
Defense of Harbin
The Defense of Harbin occurred during the early Second Sino-Japanese War, as part of the campaign of the Invasion of Manchuria by forces of the Empire of Japan from 25 January to 4 February 1932.-Background:...
, following the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
.
Later in 1939, the 2nd Division was under 3rd Army which was facing the southern half of the border of the Maritime province
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
northward. The Katayama Detachment
Katayama Detachment
The Katayama Detachment from the IJA 2nd Division fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997 on 6th-10th of September 1939. 2nd Division was attached to Japanese Sixth Army in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol as reinforcement for a projected counterattack that was canceled when a cease...
from 2nd Division, (consisting of the 15th Infantry Brigade, with 16th and 30th Infantry Regiments, and a field artillery battalion) fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997 on 6th -10 September 1939. 2nd Division (and the 4th Division) was attached to Japanese Sixth Army
Japanese Sixth Army
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army initially based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. At the end of World War II] it was active in east China.-History:...
in the Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol Campaign
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
as reinforcement for a projected counterattack that was canceled when a cease fire was signed.
With the start of hostilities in the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, 15th Mixed Brigade from the 2nd Division saw combat in the invasion
Operation Chahar
Operation Chahar, known by the Japanese as チャハル作戦 and by the Chinese as the 长城抗战 , occurred in August 1937, following the Battle of Beiping-Tianjin at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War....
of Chahar
Chahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
and in the Battle of Xuzhou
Battle of Xuzhou
The Battle of Xuzhou was fought between Japanese and Chinese forces in May 1938 during Second Sino-Japanese War. In contemporary accounts in English, the event was usually referred to as the "Battle of Hsuchow", using the Chinese Postal Map Romanization....
where 3rd Infantry Brigade was temporarily assigned to the North China Area Army.
After the start of the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
the 2nd Division was reassigned to the southern front under Field Marshal Terauchi Hisaichi
Terauchi Hisaichi
|-...
's Southern Command, and was one of the divisions which occupied the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. It lost over 7,000 men in the disastrous Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. Afterwards, it was assigned to garrison duties in occupied Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
In 1944, it was ordered to Burma to resist the British reoccupation. After performing coastal duties in Arakan
Arakan Campaign 1942–1943
The Arakan Campaign of 1942–1943 was the first tentative Allied attack into Burma, following the Japanese conquest of Burma earlier in 1942...
the division was reassigned directly to Burma Area Army in May. Used as a strategic reserve it was largely annihilated in the subsequent conflict. Its remnants were assigned to the Japanese 38th Army
Thirty-Eighth Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The was formed on September 9, 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group following the Japanese invasion and occupation of French Indochina....
in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, and disbanded at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Assignments
- April 1931: Kwantung Army, ManchuriaManchuriaManchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
.
Operated in the Invasion of Manchuria and later the Pacification of Manchukuo
Pacification of Manchukuo
The Pacification of Manchukuo, was a campaign to pacify the resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo between the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies of Manchuria and later the Communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and the forces of the...
.
- 10 February 1937: Kwantung Army, ManchukuoManchukuoManchukuo 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...
.
Detached 15th Mixed Brigade served in Operation Chahar
Operation Chahar
Operation Chahar, known by the Japanese as チャハル作戦 and by the Chinese as the 长城抗战 , occurred in August 1937, following the Battle of Beiping-Tianjin at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War....
.
- 21 July 1938: 3rd ArmyJapanese Third ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army during World War II, but its history dates to the Russo-Japanese War.-History:...
, Kwantung Army, Manchukuo.
Detached 15th Mixed Brigade served in Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol CampaignBattle of Khalkhin GolThe Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
.
- 27 September 1940: Eastern Army, Japan.
- 6 November 1941: 16th Army,Japan.
For the operation against Java
Battle of Java (1942)
The Battle of Java was a battle of the Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java from 28 February-12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Japan, which invaded on 28 February 1942, and Allied personnel...
.
- August 1942: 17th Army, Solomon Islands.
Guadalcanal campaignGuadalcanal campaignThe Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II... - January 1944: 18th Army, South Burma.
- February 1945: 38th ArmyThirty-Eighth Army (Japan)The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The was formed on September 9, 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group following the Japanese invasion and occupation of French Indochina....
, Indochina.
Organization
Originally a square division 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...
for the 2nd Division was:
2nd Division
- 3rd Infantry Brigade
- 4th Infantry Regiment
- 29th Infantry Regiment
- 15th Infantry Brigade
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 30th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 2nd Engineer Regiment
- 2nd Transport Regiment
After the Battle of Nomonhan and prior to the outbreak of war with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Division was made triangular:
2nd Division
- 2nd Infantry Brigade Group
- 4th Infantry Regiment (Sendai)
- 29th Infantry Regiment (WakamatsuWakamatsuis a name used in several Japanese locations. It is also a Japanese family name.-Locations:* Wakamatsu Island, one of the Gotō Islands* Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, a city in Fukushima Prefecture* Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyūshū, a ward of Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture...
) - 16th Infantry Regiment (ShibataShibataShibata may refer to:Place* Shibata, Miyagi, a town in Miyagi Prefecture* Shibata District, Miyagi, a district in Miyagi Prefecture* Shibata, Niigata, a city in Niigata Prefecture*** Shibata Station , a railway station in Niigata Prefecture...
) - 17th infantry Regiment (AkitaAkita, Akitais the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
)
- 2nd Recon Regiment
- 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 2nd Engineer Regiment
- 2nd Transport Regiment
Sources
- Madej, W. Victor, Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols], Allentown, PA: 1981.
- Coox, Alvin D., Nomonhan, Japan Against Russia, 1939. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA: 1985. ISBN 0-8047-1835-0