135th Division (Japanese Empire)

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135th Division

active July 10, 1945 to August 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. 20,000
Insinuation 5th Army
Location Hulin
Nickname Magokoro-heidan ( 真心 兵 団 , "sincerity division")
Butcher Second World War

The 135th Division ( Japanese 第 135 師 団 ) of the Imperial Japanese Army was set up and disbanded in 1945 and was one of 80 Japanese divisions that were set up in the last year of the Second World War . Your Tsūshōgō code (military cover name) was Sincerity Division ( 真心 兵 団 , Magokoro-heidan ).

History of unity

The 135th Division was on 10 July 1945 under the command of Lieutenant General of the reserve Hitomi Yoichi as Triangular Division set up and consisted of the 135th  Infantry - Brigade (368th, 369th and 370th Infantry Regiment) and the 135th  Reconnaissance Regiment, the 135th  Field Artillery Regiment and the 135th Engineer Battalion and 135th Transport Regiment. The headquarters of the approx. 20,000 strong division was near the fortress Kotō (Chin. Hutou , Hulin ).

Compared to Japanese units that had been set up before 1945, the division was poorly equipped. Hopelessly outdated Type 31 75 mm mountain guns from 1898 were used as battalion guns. Only 50% of the heavy and light machine gun squads had weapons. Instead of 36 guns , the 135th Artillery Regiment had only 18 available and four infantry mortars . The water supply and treatment unit had staff, but had no material. In addition, only half of the horses assigned were available. Most company commanders were lieutenants rather than captains, and some companies were even led by NCOs . The training of men and company commanders was poor and so the 135th Division had little combat strength .

In order to strengthen the Japanese defense in the event of a Soviet attack, the Japanese army had eight fortresses built along the border with the Soviet Union, of which the Kotō fortress on the Ussuri River was the strongest. Large-scale fortifications, similar to the Maginot Line , were guarded by the 15th Border Guard Unit and the 135th Division.

In the neutrality pact between Japan and the Soviet Union of April 13, 1941, both contracting parties entered into a commitment to respect the mutual territorial integrity and inviolability. On April 5, 1945, the Soviet Union announced that it would no longer renew the contract, so that it would become invalid on April 25, 1946. On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and began a large-scale offensive ( Operation Auguststurm ), initially on the Asian continent and later on the Kuril Islands . In the section of the 135th Division, the Soviet 35th Army attacked with over three infantry divisions, over 200 tanks and almost 1,000 artillery pieces. On August 13, 1945, the Soviet troops had taken the Japanese positions. While the 15th Border Guard Unit fell to the last man, most of the 135th Division was able to withdraw.

On August 15, 1945, the 135th Division was disbanded.

structure

On July 10, 1945, a type B "Standard" division was set up as a triangular division as follows:

  • Division staff (approx. 350 men)
    • 135th Infantry Brigade (approx. 50 men)
      • 368th Infantry Regiment (approx. 3500 men)
      • 369th Infantry Regiment (approx. 3500 men)
      • 370th Infantry Regiment (approx. 3500 men)
    • 135th Reconnaissance Regiment (approx. 450 men)
    • 135th Field Artillery Regiment (approx. 2100 men)
    • 135th Engineer Battalion (approx. 600 men)
    • 135th Storm Battalion (approx. 600 men)
    • 135. Telecommunication and signaling unit (approx. 250 men)
    • 135th Transport Regiment (approx. 1900 men)
    • 135th Supply Company (approx. 80 men)
    • 135th water supply and treatment unit (approx. 235 men)
    • 135th Medical Unit (approx. 700 men)
    • 135th Field Hospital (four field hospitals with approx. 250 men each)
    • 135th Veterinary Hospital (approx. 200 men)

Total target strength: approx. 19,015 men

See also

Web links

  • 師 団 Ⅰ. Organization of IJA Divisions, accessed January 2, 2015 . , Japanese

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
  • David Glantz: Soviet Operational and Tactical Combat in Manchuria, 1945: 'August Storm' , Routledge, 2004

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 師 団 Ⅰ. (No longer available online.) Organization of IJA, archived from the original on November 14, 2015 ; accessed on January 2, 2015 .
  2. ↑ a b Underwood, p. 47
  3. ↑ Glantz, p. 62
  4. ↑ a b c Glantz, p. 65
  5. ↑ Glantz, p. 66
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Hitomi is the family name, Yoichi the first name.