109th Division (Japanese Empire)

109th division
	; ; The island of Iwojima defended by the 109th Division during an air raid by US bombers shortly before the invasion , February 1945
active	August 24, 1937 to 1945
Country	Japanese Empire
Armed forces	Japanese armed forces
Armed forces	Japanese army
Branch of service	infantry
Type	division
Strength	approx. 11,000-14,000
Insinuation	North China Regional Army ; 31st Army
Location	Kanazawa / Kofu
Nickname	Tan-heidan ( 膽兵団 , "determination division")
Butcher	Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taiyuan; Pacific War Battle for Iwojima;

The 109th Division ( Japanese 第 109 師団 , Dai-109 Shidan ) was a division of the Imperial Japanese Army , which was established and disbanded twice between 1937 and 1945. Your Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was Determination Division ( 膽兵団 , Tan-heidan ) or Tan 18301 .

During the Battle of Iwojima , one of the most famous battles of World War II , it was the main force that defended the island against the largest amphibious landing operation to date in the Pacific War . In the extremely bloody and costly fighting from February 19 to March 26, 1945, around 20,800 men of the garrison (equivalent to 99% of the manpower) were killed, while only 216 soldiers were taken prisoner . It was the only battle of the Pacific War in which the Allies lost more losses than the Japanese.

History of unity

1937-1939

The 109th Division was on 24 August 1937 under the command of Lieutenant General Yamaoka ( 北支那方面軍, ) as Square division in Kanazawa , Japan , set up and consisted mainly of the 31st Infantry - Brigade (69th and 107th Infantry regiment) and the 118th Infantry Brigade (119th and 136th Infantry regiment) and the 109th cavalry - regiment , 109th mountain artillery regiment and the 109th pioneer - and transport regiment.

Like many of the Japanese divisions that were newly established in 1937/38, the 109th Division was shipped to the Republic of China after a very short time and was there under the Northern China Regional Army . In October 1937 she took the city of Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province and shortly afterwards attacked the capital of neighboring Shanxi Province , Taiyuan , over the Niangziguan Pass through the Taihang Mountains, together with the 20th Division . After further Japanese forces threatened the flanks of the national Chinese, panic triggered and they fled the city. In the Battle of Taiyuan , 140,000 Japanese had triumphed against a Chinese army four times as strong.

The division then took on security tasks to protect communication and supply routes in the hinterland . On December 24, 1939, the 109th Division was disbanded for the first time.

1944/45

In view of the poor war situation from the perspective of the Japanese Empire, many new divisions were set up in 1944. On May 22, 1944, the 109th Division was reactivated, and on May 27, Lieutenant General Kuribayashi Tadamichi was given command of the same. The structure chosen for the 109th Division into a Type C “Special” or “Brigade” division was unusual . The division consisted mainly of the 1st and 2nd Mixed Infantry Brigade, each of which was assigned six Independent Infantry Battalions . Most of the almost 11,000 recruits were men from the Ogasawara archipelago (also known as the Bonin Islands) who had already done their military service during the campaigns in China, Burma and the Dutch East Indies and were now tired of war and unmotivated.

On June 8, Kuribayashi was ordered by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo by means of a personally signed order to defend the strategically important islands of Iwojima and Chichi-jima . Before leaving, Kuribayashi received the honor of having a personal audience with Emperor Hirohito . Knowing about the military situation in Japan, he informed his wife that he did not expect his return.

Kuribayashi sent the 1st Mixed Infantry Brigade to Chichi-jima and the rest of the division to Iwojima, which is about 1200 km south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean and about 100 km south of Chichi-jima.

The tunnel system built by Japanese soldiers on Iwojima (drawing by a US soldier)

Arrived on Iwojima, Kuribayashi assigned all existing army troops and a few naval troops to the 109th Division (see structure 1945 below). Kuribayashi had no doubt that Iwojima would fall to the United States and that he and his entire garrison would perish. Nevertheless, he wanted to make the conquest of the island as lossy as possible for the Americans, in order to give the Allies an impression of the losses they would have to expect if they land in Japan.

Kuribayashi had carefully studied American combat tactics and had come to the conclusion that he could not seriously prevent or endanger the actual landing on the stretch of beach. The Japanese defense doctrine provided that beaches suitable for the enemy should be defended with all available forces. However, this tactic made the defenders sensitive to the preparatory fire of American battleships and planes. The naval officers present on the island insisted on maintaining the doctrine. In order not to increase the traditional tension between the army and the navy, Kuribayashi allowed a naval battalion to defend the beach. The battalion was almost completely wiped out by U.S. Navy artillery fire . Instead, he used a kind of guerrilla tactic and had his soldiers fight from caves and bunkers that were all over the island and in the interior of the Suribachi Mountain. The Japanese had provided the island with almost 30 kilometers of tunnels, 5,000 caves and pitfalls. He also issued orders that it was the duty of every soldier to kill 10 Americans before his own death.

The battle began on February 15, 1945 with three days of shelling by the naval artillery of Task Force 58 and bombing by USAAF units from the Mariana Islands , which, however, caused little damage to the well-fortified Japanese positions due to the hard rock of the island. At 8:30 am of February 19 1945, began operation Detachment , the landing of 30,000 Marines of the 4th and 5th Marine Infantry Division of the Fifth Amphibious Corps US. As a result, there was heavy fighting, so that about 2,400 American soldiers were killed on the first day. The soldiers of the 109th Division fought out of bunkers and caves and were gradually killed to the last man , mostly using hand grenades and flamethrowers .

Kuribayashi radioed on March 22nd:

“We're still fighting! The strength of my troops is now about 400 men! We are under attack by tanks! The enemy asked us to surrender, but our officers just laughed and ignored them ”
( James Bradley , Flags of Our Fathers , 245).

American so-called "Ronson" tanks ( flamethrower tanks) destroyed bunkers after bunkers, in which the Japanese defenders held out until death.

On March 23, 1945, the last radio message to Tokyo was: "All officers from Chichi Jima , farewell to Iwo." How General Kuribayashi was killed is unclear. He either committed seppuku or was killed in battle. His body was never found. Kuribayashi sent many letters to his family during his time in Iwojima. His letters today provide information about what Japanese soldiers thought and felt at the time. The fighting ended on the 36th day of the invasion, which was originally estimated to be 5 days. 7,000 Americans and 21,000 Japanese died in the bloody battle. Another 20,000 US Marines were wounded. On March 26, 1945, the Americans declared Iwojima safe.

The remnants of the 109th Division on Chichi Jima were passed over during the Allied island hopping and remained on the island without a fight until the end of the war. In September 1945 the division was disbanded.

structure

1937

On August 24, 1937, it was set up as a square division as follows:

109th Division Staff
- 31st Infantry Brigade
  - 69th Infantry Regiment
  - 107th Infantry Regiment
- 118th Infantry Brigade
  - 119th Infantry Regiment
  - 136th Infantry Regiment
- 109th Cavalry Battalion
- 109th Mountain Artillery Regiment
- 109th Engineer Regiment
- 109th Transport Regiment
- 109th Supply Company
- 109th Field Hospital
- 109. Signal unit
- 109. Medical unit

1944

On May 22, 1944, the second line-up for a Type C "Special" or "Brigade" division took place as follows:

109th Division Staff (160 men)
- 1st Mixed Infantry Brigade Staff (28 men)
  - 303rd Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 304th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 305th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 306th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 307th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 308th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 1st Mixed Brigade Artillery Company (129 men)
  - 1st Mixed Brigade Engineer Unit (221 men)
  - 1st Mixed Brigade Telecommunication Unit (128 men)
- 2nd Mixed Infantry Brigade Staff (28 men)
  - 309th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 310th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 311st Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 312nd Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 313 Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 314th Independent Infantry Battalion (579 men)
  - 2nd Mixed Brigade Artillery Company (415 men)
  - 2nd Mixed Brigade Engineer Unit (221 men)
  - 2nd Mixed Brigade Telecommunication Unit (128 men)
- 1st mixed regiment staff (70 men)
  - 1st Mixed Regiment Artillery Company (117 men)
  - 1st mixed regiment telecommunications unit (73 men)
  - Independent Infantry Battalion (576 men)
  - Independent Infantry Battalion (576 men)
- 9th Heavy Artillery Regiment (530 men)
- 109th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (710 men)
- 109th Telecommunication Unit (140 men)

Total strength: approx. 11,500 men

1945

Lt. Col. Baron Nishi Takeichi , the commander of the 26th Panzer Regiment, former horse gold medalist at the 1932 Summer Olympics .

Under the command of Lieutenant General Kuribayashi Tadamichi , the division on Iwojima was brought to a strength of approx. 14,000 men and was structured as follows:

109th Division Staff (160 men)
109th Air Defense Division Battalion: Major Azuma (310-340 men)
109th Division Telecommunication Unit (160 men)
2nd Mixed Infantry Brigade: Major General Senda (5,100-5,200 men)
- 309. Independent Infantry Battalion: Captain Asatsu
- 310. Independent Infantry Battalion: Major Iwatani
- 311. Independent Infantry Battalion: Major Tatsumi
- 312nd Independent Infantry Battalion: Captain Osada
- 314th Independent Infantry Battalion: Captain Hakuda
- 2nd Mixed Brigade Artillery Battalion: Major Maeda
- 2nd Mixed Brigade Engineer Unit: Major Maekawa
- 2nd Mixed Brigade Field Hospital Unit
145th Infantry Regiment: Colonel Ikeda (2,200–2,400 men)
- 1st Battalion: Major Hara
- 2nd Battalion: Major Yasutake
- 3rd Battalion: Major Anso
- Artillery Battalion: Captain Masuda
- Engineer Company
- Field hospital
3rd Battalion of the 17th Independent Mixed Brigade: Captain Shimotsuma (550 men)
26th Panzer Regiment: Lieutenant Colonel Nishi (500–600 men)
20th Independent Mortar Artillery Battalion (reinforced): Captain Mizuashi (800 men)
2nd medium-weight mortar battalion (reinforced): Major Nakao (700 men)
3rd Medium Mortar Battalion (reinforced): Major Kobayashi (500 men)
1st Independent Machine Gun Battalion: Captain Kawana (300 men)
2nd Independent Machine Gun Battalion: Captain Kawasaki (300 men)
Independent anti-tank (Pak) battalion (1,250 men)
- 8th Independent Pak Battalion: Captain Shimizu
- 9th Independent Pak Battalion: Captain Okubo
- 10th Independent Pak Battalion: Captain Matsushita
- 11th Independent Pakistani Battalion: Captain Node
- 12th Independent Pak Battalion: Captain Hayauchi
Army rocket unit (three companies, approx. 70 men each)
1st Company of the 1st Mixed Brigade Engineer Unit (300 men)
- 5th fortress construction company
- 21. Well drilling unit
- Loading pioneer unit
Special machine gun unit (250-300 men)
20. Special automatic cannon unit of the ( Marine Guard Units ): Lieutenant Momozaki

21. Special automatic cannon unit (Marine Guard Units): Lieutenant Kondo

43rd Special Automatic Cannon Unit of the 109th Division: First Lieutenant Tamara

44th special automatic cannon unit of the 109th Division

Total strength: approx. 14,000 men *

(*) In addition, approx. 7,000 soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Navy were subordinated to the 109th Division, who were commanded by Vice Admiral Ichimaru.

Web links

師団 Ⅰ. Organization of IJA Divisions, accessed January 2, 2015 . , Japanese
Sorties Into Hell: The Hidden War on Chichi Jima. Google Books, accessed March 25, 2015 .

literature

John Underwood: The Japanese Order of Battle in World War II, Vol I The Nafziger Collection, Inc., 1999, ISBN 978-1-58545-044-2
Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle 1937–1945, Volume I + II , Game Marketing Company, 1981
Chester Hearn: Sorties Into Hell: The Hidden War on Chichi Jima , First Lyons Press, 2005
Derrick Wright: Iwo Jima 1945: The Marines raise the flag on Mount Suribachi , Osprey Publishing, 2001, ISBN 978-1-8417-6178-7
Edward L. Dreyer: China at War 1901-1949 , Routledge, 2014

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Madej, p. 109
↑ 師団 Ⅰ. (No longer available online.) Organization of IJA, archived from the original on November 14, 2015 ; accessed on January 2, 2015 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Underwood, p. 84
↑ China at War 1901–1949. Google Books, accessed March 26, 2015 .
↑ ^a ^b Hearn, p. 24
^ Hearn, p. 25
^ Wright, p. 13
↑ 1945 February. On the website of the Württemberg State Library in Stuttgart
↑ Japanese Garisson Iwo Jima February 19, 1945. (No longer available online.) United States Army Combined Arms Center, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 .

[Madej-1] Madej, p. 109

[IJA-2] 師団 Ⅰ. (No longer available online.) Organization of IJA, archived from the original on November 14, 2015 ; accessed on January 2, 2015 .

[Underwood-3] Underwood, p. 84

[4] China at War 1901–1949. Google Books, accessed March 26, 2015 .

[Hearn24-5] Hearn, p. 24

[6] Hearn, p. 25

[7] Wright, p. 13

[8] 1945 February. On the website of the Württemberg State Library in Stuttgart

[9] Japanese Garisson Iwo Jima February 19, 1945. (No longer available online.) United States Army Combined Arms Center, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 .