Fortified District
Encyclopedia
A Fortified District refers to the Japanese Army
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...

 and in certain cases the Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 defensive fortified organization in World War II. It was created in the districts of 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...

; Chosen
Chosen
Chosen can mean:*Chosen people, people who believe they have been chosen by a higher power to do a certain thing including**Jews as a chosen people-Korean:...

 in Korea; Karafuto; Southern Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands - a front of over 6,000 kilometers.

The Japanese forces had built 17 "fortified districts" and over 4,500 permanent emplacements along the USSR border. Other similar structures were constructed inland in these provinces. In similar form it organized other fortified districts inside mainland Japan (coastal and inner mountainous areas) and overseas provinces (Formosa
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...

, Ryukyu, South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...

, etc.)

Such installations that were constructed for defensive/offensive purposes were used by both sides. They were designed by the Japanese and used by the Russians during 'August Storm' operations in August 1945, when fire from heavy guns on land and coastal Tochkas was used against Japanese forces.

Examples of heavy Japanese fortified artillery:
  • Type 94 37mm anti-tank (AT) Gun
  • Type 1 37mm AT Gun
  • Type 1 47mm AT Gun
  • Type 92 70mm Infantry Gun
  • Type 98 20mm AA Cannon
  • Type 2 20mm AA Cannon
  • Type 4 20mm AA Twin Cannon
  • Type 11 75mm AA Gun
  • Type 88 75mm AA Gun
  • Type 4 75mm AA Gun
  • Type 99 88mm AA Gun
  • Type 14 10 cm AA Gun
  • Type 3 12 cm AA Gun
  • Type 5 15 cm AA Gun (Kugayama Cannon)
  • 28 cm Heavy Howitzer
  • Type 38 15 cm Howitzer
  • Type 45 24 cm Howitzer
  • Type 45 15 cm Gun
  • Type 7 30 cm Howitzer
  • Type 7 10 cm Gun
  • Type 7 15 cm Gun
  • Type 11 75mm Gun
  • Type 89 15 cm Gun
  • Type 96 24 cm Howitzer
  • Type 96 15 cm Gun
  • Experimental 41 cm Howitzer
  • Type 90 24 cm Railway Gun (Futtsu Cannon)
  • and other types of special heavy artillery


Examples remain in:
  • Chosen
    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....

     Fortifications:
    • Seishin
      Chongjin
      Ch'ŏngjin is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyŏng Province and the country's third largest city. From 1960 to 1967 and again from 1977 to 1985, Ch'ŏngjin was administered separately from North Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City...

       (now Chongjin
      Chongjin
      Ch'ŏngjin is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyŏng Province and the country's third largest city. From 1960 to 1967 and again from 1977 to 1985, Ch'ŏngjin was administered separately from North Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City...

      ) with 4,000 officers and men, protected by heavy coastal artillery, an armored train, a regular train carrying combat equipment, and eight concrete fortifications and emplacements.
    • Etetin (now Odetsin)
    • Genzan
      Wonsan
      Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...

       (now Wonsan
      Wonsan
      Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...

      ) with 6,238 Japanese officers and soldiers
    • Rashin (now Najin)
    • Yuki (called Unggi in Korean, now called Sonbong
      Sonbong
      Sonbong, formerly called Unggi , is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extension of the Sea of Japan . A uranium mine is allegedly located there, as is a 200 megawatt...

      , or "Vanguard" in North Korea.)

  • Manchoukouan Fortifications:
    • Manchouli
    • Kotou
    • Fuyuan
    • Sungari and the Japanese Army Sungari Flotilla
    • Hsinking fortified district/defense center
    • Tuntsiang defense center
    • Futsing fortified district with five permanent emplacements, a munitions depot and six mortar batteries.
    • Sun’u with 20,000 Japanese officers and soldiers
    • Sansing

  • Kwantung Fortifications:
    • Port Arthur
      Lüshunkou
      Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....

       (now Liaoshun)
    • Dairen (now Dalian)

See also

  • Organization of Karafuto Fortress
    Organization of Karafuto Fortress
    The Karafuto Fortress was the defensive unit formed by the Karafuto fortification installations, and the Karafuto detachment of Japanese forces, the88th Division...

  • Organization of Kita and Minami Chisima Fortresses
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