Manchukuo Imperial Army
Encyclopedia
The Manchukuo Imperial Army was the armed force of the Japanese dominated puppet state
of Manchukuo
, serving as the land forces, along with the Manchukuo Imperial Guards
. There was also a Manchukuo Imperial Air Force and a Manchukuo Imperial Navy.
After the Mukden Incident
, the Imperial Japanese Army
inherited approximated 60,000 troops of Marshal Zhang Xueliang
's 160,000 strong Northeastern Army
, who had defected to the Japanese with their generals. These Chinese
turncoats included many isolated units the Japanese captured and interned in the rapid invasion of Manchuria along the railroad lines, and included:
The Manchukuo Imperial Army was formed from these forces after the establishment of the state of Manchukuo
in March 1932. They were initially armed from the captured equipment and arsenals of the Northeastern Army. As many of the men were inexperienced recruits or irregular forces, and many were opium
addicts, they were not of the highest grade in combat ability. Furthermore, many were simply mercenaries willing to fight for the side with the highest pay, and consequently the reliability, if not the loyalty, of many units of the early Manchukuo Imperial Army was questionable.
In August 1932, a unit of 2,000 men deserted their garrison at Wukimiho, taking their weapons over to the anti-Japanese guerrillas. Likewise, the Manchukuo 7th Cavalry revolted around the same time. According to one ranking Japanese officer, the main source of weapons against the Japanese and Manchukuo forces was the Manchukuo Army itself, and there were a number of cases where Manchukuo troops went into battle only to desert to the enemy en masse. The most notable desertion was that of General and former Manchukuo War Minister Ma Zhanshan
in April 1932 from the Heilongjiang Provincial Guard Army with several thousand troops along with many artillery pieces.
In its first form the Manchukuo Imperial Army was organized in seven Provincial Guard Armies (one for each province), with a total of over 111,000 men. An Independent Cavalry Brigade was created to provide a garrison for the capital of Hsinking, and the Manchukuo Imperial Guard was raised in February 1933 from men of Manchu
ethnic backgrounds as part of the capital garrison to provide protection for Emperor Puyi and senior government officials.
In 1934, new regulations stated that only officers who had been trained by Manchukuo government approved schools would be permitted to serve in the Manchukuo Imperial Army. This was an effort to weed out the unreliable remnants of the former Northeastern Army, and to raise the standards and training of the army as a whole. It was also one of the first steps in an attempt to break the tradition of warlord
ism, wherein generals in command of a provincial army viewed their command area as a personal fiefdom for their own enrichment.
In 1938, military training academies were opened in Mukden and Hsinking.
was indistinguishable from that of the anti-Japanese forces and bandits. This issue was rectified by 1934, with new uniforms in a style similar to that of the Imperial Japanese Army, and using a color-code system on the collar badges (black for military police
, red for infantry
, green for cavalry
, yellow for artillery
, brown for engineer and blue for transport).
arsenals, which created tremendous problems with maintenance and supply. For example, there were 26 kinds of rifle
s and over 20 kinds of pistol
s in use in 1932.
A priority was made to unify weaponry around the Type 38 Rifle
as a standard, along with the Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun
and Type 11 Light Machine Gun
. Artillery
units were to be equipped with the Type 38 Field Gun and Type 41 75 mm Mountain Gun
.
By 1935, 50,000 Type 38 cavalry rifle
s had been imported from Japan and the machine gun
s were replaced over the next two or three years. By the start of the Pacific War
, the weaponry of the Manchukuo Imperial Army was the almost same as the Japanese Army. Mauser
pistols were used by soldiers and Browning
and Colt pistols
were used by the officers.
A military arsenal at Fengtien was established to produce rifles, machine guns and artillery. Ammunitions and small arms
were ordered from the private factories in Manchukuo.
and other border clashes, it is surprising that more emphasis was not placed on the development of tanks by the Japanese and Manchukuo forces. The Manchukuo Imperial Army had a number of armored cars built by Isuzu
and modified by the Dowa Automobile Company
of Manchukuo. From 1943, some 10 Type 94 Tankettes were passed from Japanese forces to the Manchukuo Army to form one armored company. During the war, a Manchukuo version of the Mitsubishi Light Tank (Type 95 Ha-Go
) in use in training tank schools, but did not reach substantial operational deployment.
The early Manchukuo Imperial Army organization is listed below. Unit troop strengths are in parenthesis. The total strength of the Manchukuo Imperial Army at its foundation was 111,044 men.
, each divided into two or three zones. Each zone had one or two Mixed Brigades assigned to it, as well as a training unit. The Mixed Brigades were formed of one or two infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment and an artillery or mortar company, with a strength of 2,414 men, 817 horses (in double infantry regiment units) or 1515 men, 700 horses (in single infantry regiment units). The cavalry brigades were formed of three cavalry regiments and an artillery or mortar company, with a strength of 1,500 men, 1,500 horses.
The total strength of the Manchukuo Imperial Army at this time was 72,329 men. The new organization was:
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
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...
, serving as the land forces, along with the Manchukuo Imperial Guards
Manchukuo Imperial Guards
The Manchukuo Imperial Guards was the elite unit of the Manchukuo armed forces created in 1933. It was charged with the protection of the Kangde Emperor Puyi, and senior members of the Manchukuo civil government...
. There was also a Manchukuo Imperial Air Force and a Manchukuo Imperial Navy.
History
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....
, 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...
inherited approximated 60,000 troops of Marshal Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
's 160,000 strong Northeastern Army
Northeastern Army
The Northeastern Army , was the Chinese army of the Fengtien clique until the unification of China in 1928. From 1931 to 1933 it faced the Japanese forces in Manchuria, Jehol and Hebei, in the early years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.Zhang Xueliang commanded this army after the assassination of...
, who had defected to the Japanese with their generals. These Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
turncoats included many isolated units the Japanese captured and interned in the rapid invasion of Manchuria along the railroad lines, and included:
- Lt. General Xi QiaXi QiaXi Qia , also Xi Xia , was a general in command of the Kirin Provincial Army of the Republic of China, who defected to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister in Manchukuo....
of the Kirin Army. - General Chang Hai-pengChang Hai-pengZhang Haipeng , was a Chinese Northeastern Army general, who went over to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria and became a general in the Manchukuo Imperial Army of the state of Manchukuo.-Biography:...
of the Hsingan Reclamation Army. - General Zhang JinghuiZhang JinghuiZhāng Jǐnghuì ; 1871 – 1 November 1959) was a Chinese general and politician during the Warlord era. He is noted for his role in the Japanese puppet regime of Manchukuo in which he served as its second and final Prime Minister.-Biography:...
of the HarbinHarbinHarbin ; 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...
Special District
The Manchukuo Imperial Army was formed from these forces after the establishment of the state 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...
in March 1932. They were initially armed from the captured equipment and arsenals of the Northeastern Army. As many of the men were inexperienced recruits or irregular forces, and many were opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
addicts, they were not of the highest grade in combat ability. Furthermore, many were simply mercenaries willing to fight for the side with the highest pay, and consequently the reliability, if not the loyalty, of many units of the early Manchukuo Imperial Army was questionable.
In August 1932, a unit of 2,000 men deserted their garrison at Wukimiho, taking their weapons over to the anti-Japanese guerrillas. Likewise, the Manchukuo 7th Cavalry revolted around the same time. According to one ranking Japanese officer, the main source of weapons against the Japanese and Manchukuo forces was the Manchukuo Army itself, and there were a number of cases where Manchukuo troops went into battle only to desert to the enemy en masse. The most notable desertion was that of General and former Manchukuo War Minister Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan or Ma Chan-san , was a Chinese Muslim general who initially opposed the Imperial Japanese Army in the invasion of Manchuria, briefly defected to Manchukuo, and then rebelled, and fought against the Japanese in Manchuria and in other parts of China.-Early life:Ma was born...
in April 1932 from the Heilongjiang Provincial Guard Army with several thousand troops along with many artillery pieces.
In its first form the Manchukuo Imperial Army was organized in seven Provincial Guard Armies (one for each province), with a total of over 111,000 men. An Independent Cavalry Brigade was created to provide a garrison for the capital of Hsinking, and the Manchukuo Imperial Guard was raised in February 1933 from men of Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
ethnic backgrounds as part of the capital garrison to provide protection for Emperor Puyi and senior government officials.
In 1934, new regulations stated that only officers who had been trained by Manchukuo government approved schools would be permitted to serve in the Manchukuo Imperial Army. This was an effort to weed out the unreliable remnants of the former Northeastern Army, and to raise the standards and training of the army as a whole. It was also one of the first steps in an attempt to break the tradition of warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
ism, wherein generals in command of a provincial army viewed their command area as a personal fiefdom for their own enrichment.
In 1938, military training academies were opened in Mukden and Hsinking.
Uniforms
Initially, the Manchukuo Imperial Army suffered from problems arising from the fact that its military uniformMilitary uniform
Military uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...
was indistinguishable from that of the anti-Japanese forces and bandits. This issue was rectified by 1934, with new uniforms in a style similar to that of the Imperial Japanese Army, and using a color-code system on the collar badges (black for military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
, red for infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, green for cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, yellow for artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, brown for engineer and blue for transport).
Weapons
The early Manchukuo Imperial Army inherited a hodgepodge of weapons from the former KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
arsenals, which created tremendous problems with maintenance and supply. For example, there were 26 kinds of rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and over 20 kinds of pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s in use in 1932.
A priority was made to unify weaponry around the Type 38 Rifle
Type 38 rifle
The is a bolt-action rifle. For a time it was the standard rifle of the Japanese infantry. It was known also as the Type 38 Year Meiji Carbine in Japan. An earlier, similar weapon was the Type 30 Year Meiji Rifle, which was also used alongside it. Both of these weapons were also known as the...
as a standard, along with the Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun
Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun
, also known as the Taishō 14 Machine Gun, was a Japanese air-cooled heavy machine gun, based on the design of the Hotchkiss M1914. Although the Hotchkiss used 8mm cartridges, from 1914 Japan produced the Type 3 under license from Hotchkiss using the 6.5x50mm Arisaka ammunition.It used an ammo...
and Type 11 Light Machine Gun
Type 11 Light Machine Gun
The was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the interwar period and during World War II.-History:Combat experience in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had convinced the Japanese army of the utility of machine guns to provide covering fire for advancing infantry...
. Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
units were to be equipped with the Type 38 Field Gun and Type 41 75 mm Mountain Gun
Type 41 75 mm Mountain Gun
The Type 41 75 mm mountain gun is a Japanese license-built copy of the Krupp M.08 mountain gun. Originally it was the standard pack artillery weapon. After it was superseded by the Type 94 75 mm mountain gun, it was then used as an infantry "regimental" gun, deployed 4 to each infantry...
.
By 1935, 50,000 Type 38 cavalry rifle
Type 38 Cavalry Rifle
The Japanese was a short barreled version of the bolt-action Type 38 rifle, it was used by the Japanese cavalry, engineers and artillery troops during World War II. It entered service in 1905. The rifle was very accurate. The rifle barrel was 310 mm shorter than the standard rifle...
s had been imported from Japan and the machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s were replaced over the next two or three years. By 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 weaponry of the Manchukuo Imperial Army was the almost same as the Japanese Army. Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
pistols were used by soldiers and Browning
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
and Colt pistols
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
were used by the officers.
A military arsenal at Fengtien was established to produce rifles, machine guns and artillery. Ammunitions and small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
were ordered from the private factories in Manchukuo.
Infantry small arms
This is a list of standard infantry weapons in use in the Manchukuo Imperial Army:- MauserMauserMauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
Type 1 Pistol! - Mauser Type 2 or 3Pistol!
- Browning pistolBrowning Hi-PowerThe Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
- Colt pistolM1911The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
! - Type 38 RifleType 38 rifleThe is a bolt-action rifle. For a time it was the standard rifle of the Japanese infantry. It was known also as the Type 38 Year Meiji Carbine in Japan. An earlier, similar weapon was the Type 30 Year Meiji Rifle, which was also used alongside it. Both of these weapons were also known as the...
! - Type 99 RifleArisakaArisaka is a family of Japanese military bolt action rifles, in production from approximately 1898, when it replaced the Murata rifle, until the end of World War II in 1945...
! - Type 38 Cavalry RifleType 38 Cavalry RifleThe Japanese was a short barreled version of the bolt-action Type 38 rifle, it was used by the Japanese cavalry, engineers and artillery troops during World War II. It entered service in 1905. The rifle was very accurate. The rifle barrel was 310 mm shorter than the standard rifle...
! - Mauser Model 13 Rifle
- Type 11 Light Machine GunType 11 Light Machine GunThe was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the interwar period and during World War II.-History:Combat experience in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had convinced the Japanese army of the utility of machine guns to provide covering fire for advancing infantry...
! - Czech LMGsZB vz.26The ZB vz. 26 was a Czechoslovak light machine gun developed in the 1920s, which went on to enter service with several countries. It saw its major use during World War II, and spawned the related ZB vz. 27, vz. 30, and vz. 33. The ZB vz. 26 influenced many other light machine gun designs including...
! - Type 96 Light Machine GunType 96 Light Machine GunThe was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the interwar period and in World War II. - History and development :Combat experience in the Manchurian Incident of 1931 and subsequent actions in Manchuria and northern China reaffirmed the Japanese army of the utility of machine...
- Type 3 Heavy Machine GunType 3 Heavy Machine Gun, also known as the Taishō 14 Machine Gun, was a Japanese air-cooled heavy machine gun, based on the design of the Hotchkiss M1914. Although the Hotchkiss used 8mm cartridges, from 1914 Japan produced the Type 3 under license from Hotchkiss using the 6.5x50mm Arisaka ammunition.It used an ammo...
! - Type 93 7.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun
Artillery
- Type 38 Field Gun
- Type 41 75 mm Mountain GunType 41 75 mm Mountain GunThe Type 41 75 mm mountain gun is a Japanese license-built copy of the Krupp M.08 mountain gun. Originally it was the standard pack artillery weapon. After it was superseded by the Type 94 75 mm mountain gun, it was then used as an infantry "regimental" gun, deployed 4 to each infantry...
! - KruppKruppThe Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
Mountain Guns - Chinese 7 cm-caliber mortars
- Chinese 75 mm field guns
- Hand GrenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
(stick type)! - Type 10 Grenade DischargerType 10 Grenade Dischargerwas a Japanese smoothbore, muzzle loaded weapon used during the Second World War. It first entered service in 1921. The Type 10 has a range of 175 meters, greater than other grenade dischargers of that time. It had a range control device at the base of the barrel in the form of a graduated thimble...
!
Armored vehicles
Given the effectiveness of Soviet armored units in the Battle of Khalkhin GolBattle 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...
and other border clashes, it is surprising that more emphasis was not placed on the development of tanks by the Japanese and Manchukuo forces. The Manchukuo Imperial Army had a number of armored cars built by Isuzu
Isuzu
, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
and modified by the Dowa Automobile Company
Dowa Automobile Company
was a Manchukuo-based manufacturer of automobiles, trucks and armored cars. Its head office was in Hsinking. the capital of Manchukuo.-History:Founded on March 26, 1934, Dōwa Automotive was a 50-50 joint venture between the South Manchurian Railway Company and the government of Manchukuo...
of Manchukuo. From 1943, some 10 Type 94 Tankettes were passed from Japanese forces to the Manchukuo Army to form one armored company. During the war, a Manchukuo version of the Mitsubishi Light Tank (Type 95 Ha-Go
Type 95 Ha-Go
The was a light tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army in combat operations of the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry, however, like the American M3 Stuart, it was not designed to fight other tanks...
) in use in training tank schools, but did not reach substantial operational deployment.
1932 organization
- Fengtien Guard Army (20,541 men)
- Headquarters (678)
- Teaching unit (2,718)
- 1st Mixed Brigade (2,467)
- 2nd Mixed Brigade (2,104)
- 3rd Mixed Brigade (2,467)
- 4th Mixed Brigade (1,755)
- 5th Mixed Brigade (1,291)
- 6th Mixed Brigade (2,238)
- 7th Mixed Brigade (2,014)
- 1st Cavalry Brigade (1,098)
- 2nd Cavalry Brigade (1,625)
- Kirin Guard Army - General Xi QiaXi QiaXi Qia , also Xi Xia , was a general in command of the Kirin Provincial Army of the Republic of China, who defected to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister in Manchukuo....
(34,287 men)- Headquarters (1,447)
- 2nd Teaching Unit (2,718)
- Infantry Detachment (1,163)
- Cavalry Detachment (1,295)
- 1st Infantry Brigade (2,301)
- 2nd Infantry Brigade (2,343)
- 3rd Infantry Brigade (2,496)
- 4th Infantry Brigade (3,548)
- 5th Infantry Brigade (3,244)
- 7th Infantry Brigade (2,343)
- 8th Infantry Brigade (2,301)
- 1st Cavalry Brigade (1,867)
- 2nd Cavalry Brigade (1,598)
- 3rd Cavalry Brigade (1,598)
- 4th Cavalry Brigade (2,037)
- Yilan Unit (706)
- Kirin Railway Guards (North Manchuria Railway Guard Force)
- HQ (151)
- Sanrin Unit (1,452)
- River Defense Fleet (640 men)
- Heilongjiang Guard Army - Ma ZhanshanMa ZhanshanMa Zhanshan or Ma Chan-san , was a Chinese Muslim general who initially opposed the Imperial Japanese Army in the invasion of Manchuria, briefly defected to Manchukuo, and then rebelled, and fought against the Japanese in Manchuria and in other parts of China.-Early life:Ma was born...
(25,162 men)- Headquarters (1,016)
- 3rd Teaching Unit (2,718)
- 1st Mixed Brigade (3,085)
- 2nd Mixed Brigade (3,085)
- 3rd Mixed Brigade (3,085)
- 4th Mixed Brigade (3,085)
- 5th Mixed Brigade (1,934)
- 1st Cavalry Brigade (2,244)
- 2nd Cavalry Brigade (2,244)
- 3rd Cavalry Brigade (2,666)
- Hsingan Army (4,374)
- South Hsingan Garrison (1,682)
- 3rd and 4th Cavalry Regiments
- Eastern Hsingan Garrison (1,818)
- 5th and 6th Cavalry Regiments
- Northern Hsingan Garrison (874)
- 7th and 8th Cavalry Regiments
- South Hsingan Garrison (1,682)
- Taoliao ArmyTaoliao ArmyTaoliao Army, was the former Hsingan Reclamation Army that had gone over to the Japanese during the invasion of Manchuria. It was involved in Operation Nekka that captured Rehe. Following which in 1933 it became the Rehe Guard Army...
- Chang Hai-pengChang Hai-pengZhang Haipeng , was a Chinese Northeastern Army general, who went over to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria and became a general in the Manchukuo Imperial Army of the state of Manchukuo.-Biography:...
(17,945 men)
1934 reorganization
In August 1934 the Manchukuo Imperial Army was reoganized into five district armiesCorps
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...
, each divided into two or three zones. Each zone had one or two Mixed Brigades assigned to it, as well as a training unit. The Mixed Brigades were formed of one or two infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment and an artillery or mortar company, with a strength of 2,414 men, 817 horses (in double infantry regiment units) or 1515 men, 700 horses (in single infantry regiment units). The cavalry brigades were formed of three cavalry regiments and an artillery or mortar company, with a strength of 1,500 men, 1,500 horses.
The total strength of the Manchukuo Imperial Army at this time was 72,329 men. The new organization was:
- 1st District Army "Fengtien" - General Yu Chih-shan (12,321 men)
- 6 Mixed Brigades
- 2nd District Army "Kirin" - General Chi Hsing (13,185 men)
- 4 Mixed Brigades, 3 Cavalry Brigades
- 3rd District Army "Qiqihar" - General Chang Wen-tao (13,938 men)
- 5 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade
- 4th District Army "Harbin" - General Yu Cheng-shen (17,827 men)
- 8 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade
- 5th District Army "Chengde" - General Chang Hai-pengChang Hai-pengZhang Haipeng , was a Chinese Northeastern Army general, who went over to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria and became a general in the Manchukuo Imperial Army of the state of Manchukuo.-Biography:...
(9,294 men)- 3 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade
- Independent units:
- East Hingganling Guard Army
- West Hingganling Guard Army
- North Hingganling Guard Army
- South Hingganling Guard Army
- Seian Guard Army
- 1st Xingjing Cavalry Brigade
- River Fleet
1944 organization
By 1944 the manpower of the Manchukuo Imperial Army had increased to over 200,000 men according to Soviet intelligence sources. They reported the army had the following units:- 1st Division (3 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment)
- 1st Guards Brigade (2 infantry regiments of 2 battalions, 1 mortar company)
- 1st Cavalry Division (2 cavalry brigades, 1 battalion of horse artillery)
- 10 Infantry Brigades (2 infantry regiments of 2 battalions, 1 mortar company)
- 6 Cavalry Brigades (2 cavalry regiments, 1 battery of horse artillery)
- 21 Mixed Brigades (1 infantry regiment, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 battery mountain artillery)
- 2 Independent Brigades
- 7 Independent Cavalry Regiments
- 11 Artillery Units (one per District)
- 5 Anti Aircraft Regiments
1945 organization
Army of Manchukuo- 8 Infantry divisions
- 7 Cavalry divisions
- 14 Infantry and cavalry brigades
See also
- Manchukuo Imperial Navy
- Manchukuo Imperial GuardsManchukuo Imperial GuardsThe Manchukuo Imperial Guards was the elite unit of the Manchukuo armed forces created in 1933. It was charged with the protection of the Kangde Emperor Puyi, and senior members of the Manchukuo civil government...
- Manchukuo Imperial Air ForceManchukuo Air ForceThe Manchukuo Imperial Air Force was established in February 1937, initially with 30 men selected from the Manchukuo Imperial Army and trained at the Japanese Kwantung Army aircraft arsenal in Harbin...