119th Division (Japanese Empire)

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119th Division

active November 10, 1944 to August 26, 1945
Country JapanJapan Japanese Empire
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Japanese armed forces
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Japanese army
Branch of service infantry
Type division
Strength approx. 16,000
Insinuation 4th Army
Location Hailar
Nickname Osamu-heidan ( 宰 兵 団 , "Jai Division")
Butcher Pacific War

The 119th Division ( Japanese 第 119 師 団 , Dai-119 Shidan ) was a division of the Imperial Japanese Army , which was established in 1944 and disbanded in 1945. Your Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was Jai Division ( 宰 兵 団 , Osamu-heidan ).

History of unity

The 119th Division (119th ID) was formed on November 10, 1944 under the command of Lieutenant General Kiyonobu Shiozawa as a Type B "standard" division mainly from the remnants of the 23rd Division (the main part of the 23rd ID was after Leyte relocated) and the 8th garrison unit set up as a Triangular Division . It consisted of the 253rd, 254th and 255th Infantry - Regiment , the 119th Reconnaissance Regiment, the 119th  artillery regiment and the 119th  pioneer - and transport regiment. The depot of the 16,000 strong division was in Hailar , Manchukuo . The division was subordinate to the 4th Army , which was entrusted with the defense of northern Manchuria . While the other divisions of the 4th Army were poorly equipped (the 149th Division had not a single gun available), the 119th ID had taken over their heavy equipment (guns and transport vehicles) from the 23rd Division, which was due to limited ship capacities during their crossing had to leave most of their equipment behind after Leyte. However, since all newly established divisions were filled with freshly recruited recruits, the combat strength of the new divisions from 1944 onwards in no way corresponded to that of the divisions established before the war. For this reason, the staff of the 4th Army assigned the 119th Division to reinforce the 80th independent mixed brigade (approx. 6000 men).

Defensive positions of the 119th Division (incorrectly given as '109 ID') and the 80th Independent Mixed Brigade (80 IB) during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria

When the Soviet Union attacked Manchuria in Operation August Storm on August 9, 1945, a few days before the end of the Pacific War , many of the newly drafted recruits were not yet with their unit. The division's defense plan provided for retreating in the event of an attack on the passes of the Great Hinggan Mountains between Yakeshi and Pokotu and on the fortified region of Hailar . The fortified region of Hailar , like the fortified region of Suifenho and fortified region of Hutou, was provided with reinforced concrete-reinforced shelters and bunkers that were connected by trenches. Originally up to three divisions were planned to defend the so-called fortified regions. When the Soviet 36th Army attacked in early August, the positions were hopelessly understaffed. In addition, the Japanese soldiers lacked sufficient anti-tank weapons . On the first day of the attack, Lieutenant General Uemura Mikio , commander of the 4th Army, ordered 119th Infantry Division to retreat eastward deeper into the mountains towards the fortified region of Wunoehr in order to avoid the main thrust of the Soviet 205th Panzer Brigade. On their retreat, the 119th Infantry Division was pursued by the Soviet 275th Rifle Division and parts of the 205th Panzer Brigade, losing 1,000 dead and 4,900 men captured. The remnants of the 119th Infantry Division surrendered on August 26, 1945 and then went into Soviet captivity .

structure

In November 1944 the formation of a Type B "Standard" division took place as follows:

  • 119th Infantry Division staff (approx. 80 men)
    • 253rd Infantry Regiment (approx. 3400 men)
    • 254th Infantry Regiment (approx. 3400 men)
    • 255th Infantry Regiment (approx. 3400 men)
    • 119th Field Artillery Regiment (approx. 2400 men) (formerly 13th Field Artillery Regiment)
    • 119.Signal unit (approx. 100)
    • 119th Engineer Regiment (approx. 400 men)
    • 119th Transport Regiment (approx. 1900 men)
    • 119th Field Hospital (1 ×) (approx. 450 men)
    • 119th water supply and treatment unit (approx. 60 men)
    • 119th Veterinary Hospital (approx. 40 men)
    • 119th Supply Company (approx. 120 men)

Total strength: approx.15,750 men

guide

Division commander

  • Kiyonobu Shiozawa ( 塩 沢 清 宣 ), Lieutenant General: October 14, 1944 - August 1945

See also

Web links

literature

  • Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. , Game Publishing, 1981, OCLC 833591372 , OCLC 833591376 .
  • John Underwood: The Japanese Order of Battle in World War II, Vol I , The Nafziger Collection, Inc., 1999, ISBN 978-1-58545-044-2
  • Leland Ness: Rikugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945. , Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909982-00-0 .
  • Japanese Monograph No. 155.
  • David Glantz: "Soviet Operational and Tactical Combat in Manchuria, 1945: 'August Storm'", Routledge, 2004

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Madej, p. 99
  2. ↑ a b c Ness, p. 144
  3. ↑ a b c d Glantz, p. 188
  4. ↑ a b Glantz, p. 189
  5. ↑ Glantz, p. 203
  6. ↑ Glantz, p. 204
  7. ↑ Underwood, p. 44