9th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Its call sign was the .
in Kanazawa
, Ishikawa Prefecture
. It consisted of troops primarily from the Hokuriku region
of Japan, mostly from the prefectures of Ishikawa , Toyama
and Fukui
.
Under the command of General Oshima Hisao, it joined General Nogi Maresuke's Japanese Third Army
at the Siege of Port Arthur
in the Russo-Japanese War
, where it took massive casualties. Survivors were further mauled at the subsequent Battle of Mukden
.
After the Russo-Japanese War, it was assigned to garrison duty in Korea
, and elements of the 9th Division participated in the Siberian Intervention
.
In January 1932, it participated in the first Shandong Intervention
, and from 1935 it was stationed in Manchuria
. Elements of the 9th Division were at the Marco Polo Bridge Incident
, and the Division subsequently saw combat at the Battle of Shanghai
.
The 9th Division was at the Battle of Nanjing
, and has been accused of participation in the subsequent Nanjing Massacre. After Nanjing, the 9th Division was in the Battle of Xuzhou
before being ordered back to Japan in June 1939. From 1940-1943, the 9th Division was assigned to the Manchukuo
garrison under the control of Kwangtung Army. After 1943, it was reassigned to the Japanese Thirty Second Army based in Okinawa, where it formed part of the Taiwan
garrison.
of the 9th Division included:
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 call sign was the .
History
The 9th Division was formed on 1 October 1898, as a reserve division after the First Sino-Japanese WarFirst Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
in Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, Ishikawa Prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
. It consisted of troops primarily from the Hokuriku region
Hokuriku region
The is located in the northwestern part of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern Japan....
of Japan, mostly from the prefectures of Ishikawa , Toyama
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
and Fukui
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
.
Under the command of General Oshima Hisao, it joined General Nogi Maresuke's Japanese Third Army
Japanese Third Army
The 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:...
at the Siege of Port Arthur
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
in 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 took massive casualties. Survivors were further mauled at the subsequent Battle of Mukden
Battle of Mukden
One of the largest land battles to be fought before World War I, the , the last major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, was fought from 20 February to 10 March 1905 between Japan and Russia near Mukden in Manchuria...
.
After the Russo-Japanese War, it was assigned to garrison duty in Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
, and elements of the 9th Division participated in the Siberian Intervention
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
.
In January 1932, it participated in the first Shandong Intervention
Jinan Incident
The Jinan Incident or May 3rd Tragedy , was an armed conflict between the Japanese Army allied with Northern Chinese warlords against the Kuomintang's southern army in Jinan, the capital of Shandong in 1928 during the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition.-Background:During the Northern Expedition,...
, and from 1935 it was stationed 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...
. Elements of the 9th Division were at the Marco Polo Bridge Incident
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident was a battle between the Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker for the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War .The eleven-arch granite bridge, Lugouqiao, is an architecturally significant structure,...
, and the Division subsequently saw combat at the Battle of Shanghai
Battle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
.
The 9th Division was at the Battle of Nanjing
Battle of Nanjing
The Battle of Nanking began after the fall of Shanghai on October 9, 1937, and ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanking on December 13, 1937 to Japanese troops, a few days after the Republic of China Government had evacuated the city and relocated to Wuhan...
, and has been accused of participation in the subsequent Nanjing Massacre. After Nanjing, the 9th Division was 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....
before being ordered back to Japan in June 1939. From 1940-1943, the 9th Division was assigned to the 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...
garrison under the control of Kwangtung Army. After 1943, it was reassigned to the Japanese Thirty Second Army based in Okinawa, where it formed part of the Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
garrison.
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 9th Division included:
- 6th Infantry Regiment (Nagoya)
- 7th Infantry Regiment (KanazawaKanazawa, Ishikawais the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
) - 19th Infantry Regiment (Tsuruga)
- 35th Infantry Regiment (ToyamaToyama, Toyamais the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
)
Reference and further reading
- Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols]
Allentown, PA: 1981