British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force ( BCOF ) was the occupation force of the Commonwealth of Nations in occupied Japan after World War II .
history
In the course of the surrender of the Japanese troops in late summer 1945, the first units of the Royal Australian Navy landed near Tokyo on August 30th . The BCOF was officially set up on February 21, 1946 and was supposed to occupy the provinces of Shimane , Yamaguchi , Tottori , Okayama , Hiroshima and Shikoku and carry out the dismantling and demilitarization there . The headquarters were in Kure .
In addition to the British, soldiers from Australia , New Zealand and India also belonged to the occupation forces. India and the UK presented here the BRINDIV - Division , each consisting of a British brigade of and two British Indian Army was. This also included Gurkha associations. The New Zealand troops, however, were combined in the so-called J Force , which consisted in part of the 9th Brigade of the New Zealand Army and comprised about 4,000 men. The BCOF was also supported by the Women's Auxiliary Service, an all-female supply force that had previously served in Burma . In addition, the occupation forces belonged to several aviation associations, which were referred to as BCAIR .
In 1952 the British Commonwealth Occupation Force was disbanded, but some units found themselves as part of the UN forces in the Korean War .
units
infantry
- 24th Brigade ( Australia )
- J Force ( New Zealand )
- BRINDIV ( UK , India )
Air Force
- No. 81st Fighter Wing ( Royal Australian Air Force )
- No. 11 Squadron ( Royal Air Force )
- No. 14 Squadron ( Royal Air Force )
- No. 4 Squadron ( Indian Air Force )
- No. 14 Squadron ( Royal New Zealand Air Force )
Further
- Women's Auxiliary Service