The was an army

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...

 during 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...

.

History

The Japanese 21st Army was formed on September 19, 1938 under the Imperial General Headquarters

Imperial General Headquarters

The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...

. It was transferred to the control of the China Expeditionary Army on September 23, 1939 and assigned the primary role in the Canton Operation

Canton Operation

The Canton Operation was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials...

 (the invasion of Guangdong

Guangdong

Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

 Province in southern China

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...

), together with the Imperial 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...

’s 5th Fleet

IJN 5th Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.-China Expeditionary Fleet:...

.

On October 12, the 18th and 104th Divisions landed, followed by command units the following day. By October 21, the provincial capital of Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

 was under Japanese control. The IJA 5th Division continued to advance up the Pearl River

Pearl River (China)

The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...

 and by November 5 had taken the city of Foshan

Foshan

Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....

. By the end of November, the entire province was under Japanese control.

The Japanese 21st Army was disbanded on February 9, 1940. Its command staff joined the staff of the Japanese Southern China Area Army

Japanese Southern China Area Army

-Notes:* On March 9, the 106th division was recalled to Japan for demobilization from Central China. It was disbanded in Central China in April 1940 never having reached South China....

, and its divisions were reassigned to other areas.

Commanding officer

	Name	From	To
1	General Motoo Furushō Motoo Furusho - Notes :...	8 September 1938	9 November 1938
2	General Rikichi Andō Rikichi Ando -See also:* Taiwan under Japanese rule...	9 November 1938	10 February 1940

Chief of Staff

	Name	From	To
1	Lieutenant General Hisaichi Tanaka Hisaichi Tanaka -External links:* - Notes :...	8 September 1938	1 August 1939
2	Lieutenant General Yuitsu Tsuchihashi	1 August 1939	1 December 1939
3	Major General Hiroshi Konpon	1 December 1939	10 February 1940

Organization (as of February 9, 1940)

21st Army

• 5th Infantry Division
  • 9th Infantry Brigade
    • 11th Infantry Regiment
    • 41st Infantry Regiment
  • 21st Infantry Brigade
    • 21st Infantry Regiment
    • 42nd Infantry Regiment
  • 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment
  • 5th Cavalry Regiment
  • 5th Engineer Regiment
  • 5th Transport Regiment
• 18th Infantry Division
  • 23rd Infantry Brigade
    • 55th Infantry Regiment
    • 56th Infantry Regiment
  • 35th Infantry Brigade
    • 114th Infantry Regiment
    • 124th Infantry Regiment
  • 22nd Cavalry Battalion
  • 18th Mountain Artillery Regiment
  • 12th Military Engineer Regiment
  • 12th Transport Regiment
• 38th Infantry Division
  • • 228th Infantry Regiment
    • 229th Infantry Regiment
    • 230th Infantry Regiment
• 104th Infantry Division
  • 107th Infantry Brigade
    • 108th Infantry Regiment
    • 170th Infantry Regiment
  • 132nd Infantry Brigade
    • 137th Infantry Regiment
    • 161st Infantry Regiment
  • 104th Field Artillery Regiment
  • 104th Cavalry Regiment
  • 104th Engineer Regiment
  • 104th Transport Regiment
• 106th Infantry Division
• 111th Mountain Artillery Regiment
• 10th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment
• 15th Independent Military Engineer Regiment