Everything about 2nd Division Imperial Japanese Army totally explained
The was an
infantry division in the
Imperial Japanese Army. Its call-sign was .
History
The 2nd Infantry Division was formed in Sendai, Miyagi in January 1871 as the, one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Sendai Garrison had responsibility for northern region of
Honshū (
Tohoku district), ranging from
Fukushima Prefecture to
Aomori Prefecture. The six regional commands were transformed into divisions under the army reorganization of
14 May 1888.
The headquarters of the 2nd Division was located in the
Ni-no-maru of Sendai Castle, where the campus of
Tohoku University is now located. Its original composition included the 4th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Sendai), 5th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Aomori), 16th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Shibata) and the 17th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Akita). In the reorganization prior to
World War II, the 29th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Wakamatsu) was added.
As one of the oldest Divisions in the Imperial Japanese Army, the 2rd Division saw combat in the
First Sino-Japanese War and the
Russo-Japanese War, where it gained a reputation for excellence in night operations.
Some of its more noteworthy commanders included
Sakuma Samata,
Nogi Maresuke,
Nishi Kanjiro,
Nitahara Shigeyuki, HIH Prince
Higashikuni Naruhiko, and
Umezu Yoshijiro.
From 1930 to 1933, the 2nd Division was under the command of Lieutenant-General
Jiro Tamon. In 1931, transferred to the
Kwangtung Army in
Manchuria, it took the lead in the initial operations of the
invasion of Manchuria, then in the
Jiangqiao Campaign,
Chinchow Operation, and in overcoming the
defense of Harbin, following the
Mukden Incident.
Later in 1939, the 2nd Division was under 3rd Army which was facing the southern half of the border of the
Maritime province of the
Soviet Union from
Korea northward. The
Katayama Detachment from 2nd Division, (consiting of the 15th Infantry Brigade, with 16th and 30th Infantry Regiments, and a field artillery battalion) fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997 on
6th-
10 September 1939. 2nd Division (and the 4th Division) was attached to
Japanese Sixth Army in the
Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol Campaign as reinforcement for a projected counterattack that was canceled when a cease fire was signed.
With the start of hostilities in the
Second Sino-Japanese War, 15th Mixed Brigade from the 2nd Division saw combat in the
invasion of
Chahar and in the
Battle of Xuzhou where 3rd Infantry Brigade was temporarily assigned to the
North China Area Army.
After the start of the
Pacific War the 2nd Division was reassigned to the southern front under Field Marshall
Terauchi Hisaichi's Southern Command, and was one of the divisions which occupied the
Dutch East Indies. It lost over 7,000 men in the disastrous
Battle of Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands. Afterwards, it was assigned to garrison duties in occupied
Malaya and
Singapore.
In 1944, it was ordered to
Burma to resist the British reoccupation. After performing coastal duties in
Arakan the division was reassigned directly to
Burma Area Army in May. Used as a strategic reserve it was largely annihilated in the subsequent conflict. Its remnants were assigned to the
Japanese 38th Army in
French Indochina, and disbanded at the end of
World War II.
Assignments:
27 September 1940: Eastern Army, Japan.
6 November 1941: 16th Army,Japan.
For the operation against Java.
August 1942: 17th Army, Solomon Islands.
Guadalcanal campaign
January 1944: 18th Army, South Burma.
February 1945: 38th Army, Indochina.
Organization
Originally a square division the Order of Battle for the 2nd Division was:
2nd Division
3rd Infantry Brigade
- 4th Infantry Regiment
- 29th Infantry Regiment
15th Infantry Brigade
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 30th Infantry Regiment
2nd Cavalry Regiment
2nd Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Engineer Regiment
2nd Transport Regiment
After the Battle of Nomonhan and prior to the outbreak of war with the United States, the Division was made triangular:
2nd Division
2nd Infantry Brigade Group
- 4th Infantry Regiment (Sendai)
- 29th Infantry Regiment (Wakamatsu)
- 16th Infantry Regiment (Shibata)
2nd Recon Regiment
2nd Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Engineer Regiment
2nd Transport Regiment
Sources:
Madej, W. Victor, Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2vols], Allentown, PA: 1981.
Coox, Alvin D., Nomonhan, Japan Against Russia, 1939. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA: 1985. ISBN 0804718350 Further Information
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