18th regional army

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18th regional army

Japanese Troops Leave Bangkok, 1945 IND4836.jpg

Japanese soldiers leave Bangkok after Japan surrendered .
active January 4, 1943 to August 15, 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 army
Strength approx. 15,000-100,000
Insinuation South army
Location Bangkok
Nickname Gi ( 義 , "justice")
Butcher Pacific War
Supreme command
list of Commander in chief

The 18th Regional Army ( Japanese 第 18 方面軍 , Dai-jūhachi hōmengun ) was one of the regional armies of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1943 to 1945 . Her Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was Justice ( 義 , Gi ).

Originally the 18th Regional Army emerged from the Garrison Army Thailand ( Japanese 泰国 駐屯軍 司令官 , Taikoku chūton-gun shire-bu ), which was founded in 1943. In 1944 the Garrison Army Thailand was renamed the 39th Army ( Japanese 第 39 軍 , Dai-san-ku-gun ) and in 1945 it was finally renamed the 18th Regional Army.

history

On December 8, 1941, Japanese troops ( 15th and 25th armies ) crossed the border to Thailand after an ultimatum had been issued by the Japanese Empire shortly beforehand . While the 15th Army advanced towards Burma , the 25th Army moved south towards Singapore . After a brief skirmish between Thai and Japanese forces, Thai Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram signed a ceasefire . On December 21, 1941, a mutual defense pact was signed between the two powers.

Garrison Army Thailand

In order to show a military presence in Thailand, the Garrison Army Thailand was set up on January 4, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant General Nakamura Aketo in Bangkok as part of the Southern Army . These consisted mainly of the 29 self-employed Joint Brigade , the 159th Independent Infantry - Battalion and pioneer - Brigade for the construction of Chiangmai-Toungoo road in northern Thailand were used. The rest of the Japanese troops were stationed mainly in Bangkok and served to secure Japanese interests.

39th Army

On December 20, 1944, the Thailand Garrison Army was renamed 39th Army.

18th regional army

On July 7, 1945, the Southern Army regrouped the troops stationed in Thailand and changed the name of the 39th Army to the 18th Regional Army. With the renaming a drastic increase in troop strength in Thailand was planned. The background to this was the feared invasion of Thailand by the British army , which continued to gain ground in Burma. The 15th Army , which suffered heavy losses during Operation U-gō , should withdraw from Burma and be refreshed with 4th and 56th Divisions . In addition, the 15th , 22nd , 37th and 53rd Divisions should be directly subordinate to the 18th Regional Army. The remnants of the 53rd and 56th Divisions were cut off by British troops in Burma and never made it to Thailand.

Before there could be fighting between the Allies and the Japanese in Thailand, Japan surrendered . The 18th regional army was officially disbanded on August 15, 1945 by the Daihon'ei ( Imperial Headquarters of the Army and Navy ).

Commander in chief

Commanders

Surname From To unit
1. Lieutenant General Nakamura Aketo January 4, 1943 December 20, 1944 Garrison Army Thailand
2. Lieutenant General Nakamura Aketo December 20, 1944 July 14, 1945 39th Army
3. Lieutenant General Nakamura Aketo July 14, 1945 August 15, 1945 18th regional army

Chiefs of Staff

Surname From To unit
1. Major General Moriya Seiji January 4, 1943 January 21, 1943 Garrison Army Thailand
2. Major General Yamada Kunitarō January 21, 1943 November 22, 1944 Garrison Army Thailand
3. Major General Yamada Hitoshi November 22, 1944 December 20, 1944 Garrison Army Thailand
4th Major General Yamada Hitoshi December 20, 1944 July 9, 1945 39th Army
5. Major General Hanaya Tadashi July 9, 1945 July 14, 1945 39th Army
6th Major General Hanaya Tadashi July 14, 1945 August 14, 1945 18th regional army

Subordinate units

Garrison Army Thailand

When the Garrison Army Thailand was set up, it consisted of the following units:

  • 29. Independent Mixed Brigade
    • 158th Independent Infantry Battalion
    • 159. Independent Infantry Battalion
    • 160th Independent Infantry Battalion
    • 161. Independent Infantry Battalion
    • 162nd Independent Infantry Battalion
    • Independent mixed pioneer brigade
    • Independent mixed artillery brigade
    • Independent mixed signal / telecommunication unit
    • 7th Field Replacement Battalion
    • Independent transport company
    • Field anti-aircraft battery
    • South Army Supply Depot
    • South Army Transport Depot
    • South Army Freight Depot
    • 16. South Army Field Hospital

39th Army

Structure as Garrison Army Thailand

18th regional army

When the 18th Regional Army was set up, it consisted of the following units:

literature

  • Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing, 1981, OCLC 833591372 , OCLC 833591376 .
  • Leland Ness: Rikugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945. Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909982-00-0 .
  • Philip Jowett: The Japanese Army 1931-1945 (2) Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84176-354-5
  • Charles Pettibone: The organization and order or battle of militaries in World War II: Volume VII: Germany's and Imperial Japan's allies & puppet states Trafford, 2012

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Ness, p. 47
  2. ↑ Madej, p. 3
  3. ↑ a b c Japanese Thailand Garrison Army July 1944. (No longer available online.) United States Army Combined Arms Center, archived from the original on June 12, 2015 ; accessed on June 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / carl.army.mil
  4. ↑ Pettibone, p. 338
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Nakamura is the family name, Aketo the first name.