Amphibious Brigades (Imperial Japanese Army)

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Ship pioneers of the Imperial Japanese Army practice landings with Daihatsu landing craft .

The Amphibious Brigades ( Japanese 海上 機動 旅 団 , Kaijō kidō ryodan ) were marine infantry - brigades of the Imperial Japanese Army , which were set up in 1943 and disbanded in 1945. Although the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia had already been completed by the time it was founded, the Daihon'ei saw the need to be able to carry out counter-attacks in the Pacific with the help of the Amphibious Brigades .

The amphibious brigades are to be distinguished from the special landing forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy .

history

Lineup

With the installation order A-106 of November 16, 1943 the amphibious brigades of the army were ordered. The order stipulated that the 1st Amphibious Brigade should be set up immediately and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Amphibious Brigade in March 1944.

structure

The amphibious brigades were structured almost identically to the army's amphibious regiments , which had received additional training in amphibious operations. Neither heavy artillery nor transport vehicles were assigned to it, which made mobile operations on land difficult or impossible. The lack of transport was compensated for by an above-average allocation of ammunition. The brigades had 35,643 shells for their 81-mm mortars and 7,445 shells for their 75-mm guns.

The individual amphibious brigades were composed as follows:

(*) The planned target strength in relation to the SS landing ships and destroyer motor boats was never achieved.

Landing and support ships

Amphibious Brigades

1st Amphibious Brigade

1st Amphibious Brigade

active November 16, 1943 to August 1945
Country JapanJapan Japanese Empire
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Imperial Japanese Army
Strength approx. 5,500
Insinuation 4th fleet
Nickname Kakeru ( 駆 , "to storm")
Butcher Pacific War

The 1st Amphibious Brigade ( Japanese 海上 機動 第 1 旅 団 ) was established in 1943 and disbanded in 1945. Your Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was Storming 3139 ( 駆 3139 , Kakeru 3139 ).

The 1st Amphibious Brigade was set up in Manchukuo in November 1943 under the command of Lieutenant General Nishida Sachimi . The 3rd independent garrison unit served as the main unit. The brigade embarked in mid-December 1943 and shortly thereafter arrived at Truk , where it was placed under the 4th Fleet . The Daihon'ei issued the 4th Fleet as a directive for the 1st Amphibious Brigade that it was to be kept in readiness in order to be available for any counter-attacks. The 1943 Allied counter-offensive in the Pacific changed the instructions for the 1st Amphibious Brigade and its 2nd Battalion was assigned to defend Wotje and Maloelap . A company of the 3rd Battalion was sent to Kwajalein . The rest of the brigade was ordered to Eniwetok , where it was destroyed in the Battle of Eniwetok  .

On February 17, 1944, 400 men of the 1st Amphibious Brigade were killed in the sinking of the Aikoku Maru .

Some transport ships were assigned to the brigade, but remained in Palau and were incorporated into the 53rd Independent Mixed Brigade , which was newly established in May 1944 .

2nd Amphibious Brigade

2nd Amphibious Brigade

active November 16, 1943 to August 1945
Country JapanJapan Japanese Empire
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Imperial Japanese Army
Strength approx. 5,500
Insinuation 2nd Army
Nickname Meguru ( 巡 , "patrolling")
Butcher Pacific War

The 2nd Amphibious Brigade ( Japanese 海上 機動 第 2 旅 団 ) was set up in 1943 and disbanded in 1945. Her tsūshōgō code was patrolling 3189 ( 巡 3189 , Meguru 3189 ).

Although the plan was not to set up the 2nd Amphibious Brigade until 1944, it was set up in November 1943. Her main unit was the Infantry Brigade Staff of the 29th Division and the 5th Independent Garrison Unit, stationed in Manchukuo. On April 11, 1944, the 2nd Amphibious Brigade was subordinated to the Southern Army , which ordered them to the Philippines in May of the same year , but without their tank company. In the following month the brigade was moved further south to the Vogelkop Peninsula in western New Guinea , where it was subordinate to the 2nd Army . During the raging Battle of Biak since May 1944 , consideration was given to sending the brigade to reinforce the island garrison , but the convoy that had already set sail (Operation Kon ) turned back without having achieved anything. The 2nd Amphibious Brigade was then ordered to Sorong , where, weakened by a lack of supplies, malnutrition and tropical diseases, it held out until the end of the war in August 1945.

3rd Amphibious Brigade

3rd Amphibious Brigade

active May 1944 to August 1945
Country JapanJapan Japanese Empire
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Imperial Japanese Army
Strength approx. 5,500
Insinuation 40th Army
Nickname Todoroku ( 轟 , "thunder")
Butcher Pacific War

The 3rd Amphibious Brigade ( Japanese 海上 機動 第 3 旅 団 ) was established in 1944 and disbanded in 1945. Your Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was thunder 12630 ( 轟 12630 , Todoroku 12630 ).

The 3rd Amphibious Brigade was set up in May 1944 under the command of Colonel Ikeda Einosuke in the Kuril Islands and was structured identically to the 1st and 2nd Amphibious Brigade. Their mission was to defend the archipelago against an anticipated American landing ( Operation Downfall ), but also against a potential Soviet invasion, under the command of the 27th Army .

On May 1, 1945, the subordination to the 40th Army and the associated relocation to Kyushu took place , with the ship transport units remaining on the Kuril Islands, where they were assigned a greater benefit. Part of the transport convoy was sunk on the way by a submarine, where Colonel Ikeda was killed. He was replaced by Colonel Kurashi. On May 23, 1945 the brigade was reclassified and renamed the 125th Independent Mixed Brigade after reinforcements . The brigade remained on Kyushu until the end of the war in September 1945 without being involved in combat operations.

4th Amphibious Brigade

4th Amphibious Brigade

active May 1944 to August 1945
Country JapanJapan Japanese Empire
Armed forces JapanJapan (war flag) Imperial Japanese Army
Strength approx. 5,500
Insinuation 1st Panzer Division
Nickname Harau ( 攘 , "expel")
Butcher Pacific War

The 4th Amphibious Brigade ( Japanese 海上 機動 第 4 旅 団 ) was established in 1944 and disbanded in 1945. Your Tsūshōgō code (military code name) was Expel 15582 ( 攘 15582 , Harau 15582 ).

The 4th Amphibious Brigade was set up in May 1944 under the command of Major General Mineki Torikhiko in the Kuril Islands and was structured identically to the 1st and 2nd Amphibious Brigade. Their mission was to defend the archipelago against an anticipated American landing, but also against a potential Soviet invasion, under the command of the 27th Army .

In April 1945 the relocation to Honshū took place , with the ship transport units remaining on the Kuril Islands, where they were given greater utility. In May the brigade was moved further south and was placed under the 1st Panzer Division . There she strengthened the defense of the capital Tokyo . Although subordinated to a mobile force, it was used exclusively for stationary defense without any transport vehicles.

literature

  • John Underwood: The Japanese Order of Battle in World War II. Vol. I. The Nafziger Collection, 1999, ISBN 978-1-58545-044-2 .
  • Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle 1937–1945 . Volume I + II. Game Marketing Company, 1981.
  • Leland Ness: Rikugun. Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945 . Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909982-00-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Ness, p. 202
  2. ↑ Aikoku Maru. PacificWrecks.com, accessed May 21, 2015 .
  3. ↑ a b c Ness, p. 204
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Kuribayashi is the family name, Tadamichi the first name.