Japanese Fourth Army
Encyclopedia
The was an army
of the Imperial Japanese Army
based in Manchukuo
from the Russo-Japanese War
until the end of World War II
.
under the command of General Nozu Michitsura
out of various reserve elements, to provide support and additional manpower in the Japanese drive towards Mukden in the closing stages of the war against Imperial Russia. It was disbanded at Mukden on January 17, 1906 after the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth
and the end of the war.
, the Japanese Fourth Army was raised again as a garrison
force to guard the northern borders of Manchukuo
against possible incursions by the Soviet
Red Army
. It was based at Bei'an
, the capital of a northern Manchukuo province of the same name, that was heavily fortified with various ground emplacements. The Fourth Army afterwards came under the operational command of the Japanese First Area Army
under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. As the war situation in the southeast Asia and China fronts of World War II worsened against the Japanese, experienced men and equipment were siphoned off from the Fourth Army to reinforce other units, leaving it largely hollowed out by the start of 1945.
During the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in the final days of World War II
, the Japanese Fourth Army was no match for the experienced, battle-hardened Soviet armored and mechanized infantry
divisions, who quickly overran or circumvented the Japanese defenses, and its poorly-equipped and poorly trained forces were driven back to Harbin
by the time of the surrender of Japan
. Many of its surviving troops became Japanese POWs in the Soviet Union.
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
of the Imperial 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...
based in 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...
from 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...
until 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...
.
Russo-Japanese War
The Japanese 4th Army was initially raised on June 24, 1904 in the midst of the Russo-Japanese WarRusso-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...
under the command of General Nozu Michitsura
Nozu Michitsura
-External links:...
out of various reserve elements, to provide support and additional manpower in the Japanese drive towards Mukden in the closing stages of the war against Imperial Russia. It was disbanded at Mukden on January 17, 1906 after the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
and the end of the war.
Second Sino-Japanese War
After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond 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...
, the Japanese Fourth Army was raised again as a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
force to guard the northern borders 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...
against possible incursions by the Soviet
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....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. It was based at Bei'an
Bei'an
Bei'an...
, the capital of a northern Manchukuo province of the same name, that was heavily fortified with various ground emplacements. The Fourth Army afterwards came under the operational command of the Japanese First Area Army
Japanese First Area Army
The was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, based in northern Manchukuo and active in combat against the Soviet Union in the closing stages of the war...
under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. As the war situation in the southeast Asia and China fronts of World War II worsened against the Japanese, experienced men and equipment were siphoned off from the Fourth Army to reinforce other units, leaving it largely hollowed out by the start of 1945.
During the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in the final days 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...
, the Japanese Fourth Army was no match for the experienced, battle-hardened Soviet armored and mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
divisions, who quickly overran or circumvented the Japanese defenses, and its poorly-equipped and poorly trained forces were driven back to Harbin
Harbin
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...
by the time of the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
. Many of its surviving troops became Japanese POWs in the Soviet Union.
Commanding officer
| Name | From | To | |
| 1 | General Nozu Michitsura Nozu Michitsura -External links:... |
30 June 1904 | 12 January 1906 |
| X | Disbanded | ||
| 1 | Lieutenant General Kesaware Nakashima | 15 July 1938 | 1 August 1939 |
| 2 | Lieutenant General Jun Ushiroku Jun Ushiroku - Notes :... |
1 August 1939 | 28 September 1940 |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Kohei Washizu | 28 October 1940 | 15 October 1941 |
| 4 | Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama | 15 October 1941 | 21 September 1942 |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Tatsumi Kusaba | 21 September 1942 | 7 February 1944 |
| 6 | Lieutenant General Kanji Nishihara | 7 February 1944 | 23 March 1944 |
| 7 | Lieutenant General Mikio Uemura | 23 March 1944 | September 1945 |
Chief of Staff
| Name | From | To | |
| 1 | Uehara Yusaku>30 June 1904 | 23 January 1906 | |
| X | Disbanded | ||
| 1 | Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi Renya Mutaguchi - Notes :... |
15 July 1938 | 1 December 1939 |
| 2 | Lieutenant General Masao Yoshizumi | 1 December 1939 | 9 September 1940 |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Hiroshi Watanabe Hiroshi Watanabe is an anime director and animator.-Works:*Detective Loki*Guyver: Out of Control*If I See You in my Dreams*Jing: King of Bandits*Magical Princess Minky Momo*Orphen*Shining Tears X Wind*Slayers The Motion Picture... |
9 September 1940 | 7 July 1941 |
| 4 | Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi | 7 July 1941 | 1 December 1941 |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Hiroshi Watanabe Hiroshi Watanabe is an anime director and animator.-Works:*Detective Loki*Guyver: Out of Control*If I See You in my Dreams*Jing: King of Bandits*Magical Princess Minky Momo*Orphen*Shining Tears X Wind*Slayers The Motion Picture... |
1 December 1941 | 1 August 1942 |
| 6 | Lieutenant General Kohei Takeshi | 1 August 1942 | 11 September 1943 |
| 7 | Major General Saburo Hagi | 11 September 1943 | 26 December 1944 |
| 8 | Major General Bujo Ono | 26 December 1944 | September 1945 |