14th Regional Army
14th Regional Army |
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![]() General Homma Masaharu lands on December 12th with the 14th Army (14th Regional Army from 1944) in the Philippines |
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active | November 6, 1941 to August 15, 1945 |
Country |
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Armed forces |
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Armed forces |
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Branch of service | infantry |
Type | army |
Strength | 1941 approx. 50,000 1944 approx. 250,000 |
Location | Manila |
Nickname | Shōbu ( Japanese 尚武 , "warrior worship") |
Butcher |
Pacific War
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Supreme command | |
list of | Commander in chief |
The 14th Regional Army ( Japanese 第 14 方面軍 , dai-jūyon-hōmengun ) was one of the regional armies of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1941 to 1945. Originally set up in 1941 as the 14th Army ( Japanese 第 14 軍 , Dai-jūyon-gun ), which was instrumental in the conquest of the Philippines , it was converted in July 1944 into the 14th Regional Army, which defended the islands during the reconquest of the Philippines by Allied troops.
history
14th Army
The 14th Army was set up on November 6, 1941, consisting of the 16th and 48th Divisions , the 65th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 4th and 7th Panzer Regiment, as part of the South Army (corresponds to Army Group South). The cover name of the 14th Army was Shōbu ( 尚武 , "warrior worship"). On December 8, 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the war that followed the US entry into World War II, landed units of the 14th Army of the Philippines , being the largest island of Luzon against strong American resistance on the peninsula Bataan revenue . Troops of the 14th Army also occupied large parts of Dutch East India and Borneo by 1943 , but the main troops, consisting of the 16th and 48th Divisions, remained stationed in the Philippines until 1944. The headquarters of the 14th Army was in Manila , although orders from the Southern Army Group came from Saigon .
14th Regional Army
On July 28, 1944, it was reorganized into a regional army, with four infantry divisions landing on Luzon for reinforcement. In November 1944, during the Battle of Leyte , the 35th Army , made up of three infantry divisions, was sent to the island to fight against American troops. In January 1945, several reservists were called up and two more divisions were set up before the 14th Regional Army was destroyed in the course of the American reconquest of the island of Luzon .
Commanders
Surname | From | To | |
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1. | Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu | November 6, 1941 | August 1, 1942 |
2. | Lieutenant General Tanaka Shizuichi | August 1, 1942 | May 19, 1943 |
3. | Lieutenant General Kuroda Shigenori | May 19, 1943 | September 26, 1944 |
4th | General Yamashita Tomoyuki | September 26, 1944 | End of the war in 1945 |
History of unity
- November 6, 1941: Formation, main elements are the 16th Division , 48th Division , 65th Independent Mixed Brigade, 4th and 7th Panzer Regiment
- December 8, 1941: Beginning of the Battle of the Philippines
- December 10, 1941: Landing of the first advance units on Luzon
- December 22, 1941: Landing of the 48th Division in the Gulf of Lingayen
- December 24, 1941: Landing of the 16th Division in Lamon Bay
- April 1942: Bataan death march
- June 9, 1942: End of the Battle of the Philippines
- April 1944: 30th Division is assumed and after Mindanao relocated
- June 1944: 103rd and 105th divisions are subordinated
- June 15, 1944: 55th Independent Mixed Brigade is placed under the command
- July 28, 1944: Reorganization into the 14th regional army
- August 1944: 8th and 10th divisions are subordinated
- 4th August 1944: Creation of the 35th Army and incorporation together with the 2nd Panzer Division
- October 20, 1944: Beginning of the Allied landing in the Philippines
- October 22, 1944: Order to the 35th Army for the decisive battle near Leyte
- October 24, 1944: Sea and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte
- December 1944: 19th and 23rd divisions are subordinated
- January 9, 1945: The battle for Luzon begins
- February 13, 1945: Dai-1 Teishin Shūdan (1st Air Storm Division) and 4th Air Division are subordinated
- March 6, 1945: Creation and incorporation of the 41st Army
Structure and locations at the end of the war
- directly subordinated to:
- 10th Division , Luzon
- 19th Division , Luzon
- 23rd Division , Luzon
- 45th Division , Luzon
- 103rd Division , Luzon
- 105th Division , Luzon
- 2nd Panzer Division , Luzon
- Dai-1 Teishin Shūdan (1st Air Storm Division), Luzon
- 4th Air Division , Luzon
- 58th Independent Mixed Brigade, Luzon
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35th Army , Mindanao
- 1st Division , Cebu
- 16th Division , Leyte
- 26th Division , Leyte
- 30th Division , Mindanao
- 100th Division , Mindanao
- 102nd Division , Cebu
- 54th Independent Mixed Brigade, Mindanao
- 55th Independent Mixed Brigade, Jolo
- 68th Brigade, Leyte
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41st Army , Luzon
- 8th Division , Luzon
literature
- Clayton Chun: The Fall of the Philippines. Osprey Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-8490-8609-7
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chun, p. 24